NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1663, 1 February 1913, Page 13

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[By Qiescob.] ' There will be racing' at Bicc&rton and at Takapuna to-day. .. Coroniform, who has been racing very consistently of late, : and was . in : a' place in each of. tho big handicaps at lrentham, is top weight, with Oat. 21b., in tho Midsummer Handicap at Biccar.ton to-day; The opposition is very weak, and the Multiform gelding : is sure to start favourite. Tho Te Kuiti meeting will be held on Thursday next. he will be burdened with . a stone penalty (making his weight 9st. 121b.), Uobrikoft will not have a very severe task in tho Hawera Stakes on Wednesday next, and tho Finland gelding is likely to see a very 6hort price on tho machine. . Trainer F. Christmas has two horses (Waikehua and' Kilinony) engaged in the Hornby Welter Handicap, at Biccarton today, but probably Wnikohua onlv will start. Kilineny will be reserved for the Post Handicap, one mile, which is tho concluding event of the meeting. Nominations for tho ■ Dannevirke meeting close on Saturday next. ' After tho great finishing run she made in the Stewards' Handicap at Biccarton in November, Stardancer will assuredly start favourite in the Post Handicap today. - The field at present only numbers fivo runners, bo backers of Mr. C. G. Dalgety's mare will bo required to accept a short price. At Biccarton to-day B. Deeley will rido Canuto in the Trial Stakes, Zeus in tho Lyttclton Plato, and Emperador in tho Atiddlo Park Plato. Mr. Q. P. Donnelly's hurdle gelding, Otatara, is still spelling on his owner s run, and it is not expected that ho will be raced again until tho winter season. At Biccarton to-day tho Middlo Park Plato is expected to furnish a Very fino race. Sir Georgo Clifford's three-year-old Autumnus, who was tho crack two-yoar-old of last season, has been galloping well of late, and is cxpcctcd to reproduce quite his best form , at an early date. P. D. Jones will liavo tho mount on ICilmeny at Biccarton this afternoon.. There wore several falls during tho first day's racing at Takapuna, but fortunately none of the riders wero hurt, although one horse (Solus) broko his shoulder whilo'running in tho Stewards' Handicap, and had to be destroyed. His rider (Peroivnl) «acnncd with « ohcikiwt. When Maransul roll in thn Uaur&kt Matdon Hurdles hii ridor (Ellern) got a bad

shaking, nnd was unconscious for a couple of hours. A. Hae, who rode Tui Cakobau in tho Orewa Hurdles, got off with a shaking and a few bruises.—Auckland "Star."

Owners are reminded that nominations for tho Woodvillo Jockey Club's meeting close on Monday evening. There seems to bo a steady move on tho p.irt of trainors towards Trentham now. H. Fletcher, of Tauherinikou, and J, W. Scott, of AVaikanae, nro both shortly shifting their teams there. There is also some talk of a .well-known Palmerston trainer having boxes erected at the Trentham course. A good plough is all that is required to mnko Trentham tho leading training centre in the Dominion.

. In eomo quarters, Sombrero is spoken of as the equul of Soldiers' Chorus. It should be noted, however, that on January 2, when Soldiers' Chorus won tho'lnvcrcargill Cup, with 9st. 101b., Sombrero l'sjlod. to gain a ■ place, although he was only ' weighted nt Bst. lib, On tho following day'the Australian-brod horse won tho Southland Handicap, with Bst. 21b., but Soldiers' Chorus was not among the runners.

I< our years ago R. Hatoh could rido 7st. 41b., and that is tho weight Sir George Cliiford's Sharpshooter carried when the Wellington jockey rodo him to victory'in the Middle Park Plato at Riecarton.- Today Hatch is far too heavy to-ride any of the Chokoboro two-year-olds, but he has gone to Riccarton to take the mount on Autumnus, and on this account the Treadmill colt is sure to be heavily backed. Another of Hatch's mounts at Riccarton to-day will bo Pilgrim's Way in the Craven Plate;

Mr. W. H. Hartgill has been appointed judgo for the Taranaki Jockey Club's autumn meeting.

■ Crown Pearl is reported to be going well on the tracks, in view of his Egmont engagements.

- At tho Clare meeting in South Australia a fortnight ago, the owner of Mambray Star surprised himself by winning a race (6ays an exchange). Mambray Star had been badly beaten earlier in tho day, and his owner overlooked tho fact that the horso was engaged, in another race. He, faced with a heavy fine for late scratching, so he decided "it would bo <Jieaper to run his horse than pay tho fipe. Much to his surprise, Mambray Star won, and paid a very large dividend. • .

Mr. H. R. Denison, who is at present in England, has been buying extensively thero for his 6tud in New South Wales, and by the White Star liner Afric, which left Liverpool on December 21, he shipped the following horses to Sydney for tho Eumaralla stud, where Poseidon is nowlocated:—The Nut (brother to Lally), by Amphion—Miss Hoyden; colt, by Spearmint (»n of Carbine) from Kitty Grey; Australia, by Trenton from Multruo; Jovey's Neuk, by Donovan from FujiYama; La Bolero, by Pioneer (half brother to Gallinule) from Christabel; Hampton Spree, by Cupbearer (son of Orme) from Elsie Hampton j Gold Dust, by Bill of Portland, from Godlike, by Trenton (Godlike .was bred in Australia); : Faustina,,, by Gallinule from Film; Sister : Sue, by Cicero (son of Cyllene) from Sister Lucy; Winora, by Winkfield (son of Barcaldino) from Annorti; La Fiancee, by Matchmaker 1 (son of Donovan) from Belle Poulo.

. English .files to hand' by last'mail report, tliat at Derby races on Decomber,l9 the Burton Steeplechase had a negative result—having finolly to be declared voidthough the four runners furnished the crowd with plonty of amusements., Probably Mr. Brown did not appreciate the humour of the situation; lor he might easily have met with a serious: mishap when Shanawan, repeatedly refusing the stand hurdles, all but threw him on .to tho spiked railings near the' judge's box. Shanawan'was ,at tho time the'only, runner left in tho raw, the others having repeatedly refused. Ho was finnlly (after, having bolted to the paddock) induced to take tho hurdles at practically a stand, but, with nothing to keep him company later, refused' to complete the course. The raco was consequently declared void—a re?rettable ciroumstance—though the execuive would.6ave their .£BO stake. 1

The Now Zealand-bred' Gold Seal II (Gold Reef—Seal Brown) was a warm favourite when ho won the, Guildhall Steeplechase at the Folkestone meeting on Deoember 18. An account of tho race says that at the 6econd obstacle (tho ditch) all. the (refused. V-Tho favourite, however, was eventually got over and finished alone, but elicited no bid at tho auction which followed.

It has long been recognised by me (says the speoial commissioner "of the London "Sportsman") tliat Bruce Lowe's figures, for which I never claimed more authority than that of a "convenient guide," must be subject to modifications in. individual cases, especially where tho Mendelian descent of colour throws light on the subject. but the Figure 'Guide nevertheless holds tho field on the great general principle of judgment by results, and in this respect its .position grows stronger'year by year. Attempts are mado from time to time to show that tho successes of the' running. families are, due to their being more numerously presented by brood mares in the Stud Book, but,'as I have moro than onoe written, to argue thus is to confuse cause and elf Oct. Tho, numerous representation is, in fact, due to the success of the families, not the success to the numerous In all other statistics, 6uoli as those of winning stallions, we do not go into questions of average/ otherwise I should do able to claim tnat Cornstalk is a better stallipn than St. Simon because Cornstalk Y has never had a running son or daughter which did Hot win, whereas St. Simon had many failures; but then Cornstalk has never had but ono runner. FIXTURES. Feb. I—Takapnna J.C. Summer. Feb. I—Canterbury J.C: Summer. Feb. 5 and 6—Egmont'R.C. Summer, Feb. 6—Te Kuiti Annual. Feb. 0 and 7—Poverty Bay T.C. Summer. Feb. 12 and 13—Taranaki J.C. Autumn. Feb. 13 and It—Gisborne R.C. Summer. Feb. 19 and 20 —Woodvillo District J.C. Autumn. Feb. 19, 20, and 22—Dunodin J.C. Autumn, Feb. 21 and 22—Thames J.C. Annual. Feb. 27: and March •. I—Wanganui J.C, Autumn. March 12 and 18—Nelson J.C. Annual ,i