NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1748, 13 May 1913, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

ißr Glencoe.] "Winning Way, Scottish Star, and Glenfinnan are entered for tho various handicaps at the North Otago meeting next week. If they itart at Oamaru they will most likely be ridden by E. Hatch. ' A now grass track which is situated on the inside of the present tracks is in course of preparation at Riccarton. It is likely to bo some considerable timo yet before it is ready for use. • Willow Green, who won the big handicap at Randwick on Saturday, is owned by the well-known penciller "Lou" Abrahams, and is also trained by him. At the Warwick Farm meeting on April 26 he w<yi the Liverpool Mile. Silva, who tras operated upon some months ago for throat troubles, is ajjain in work at Hawera, and will race in the Tftwhiti Handicap, six furlongs, at the Egmont meeting. Most likely he will contest the hurdle races at the Wanganui meeting at the end of tho month. The two yearlings purchased at the Randwick sales by R. J.. Mason for Mr. G._ D. Greenwood, have been left with the Sydney trainer J. Burton, to prepare- for future engagements. This, combined with the fact that the Riccarton trainer is taking Emperador to Sydney after the Ellerslie meeting, leads to the, supposition that lie intends to settle permanently in' Sydney, and will leave his son.PeTcy here to tnko charge of tho remainder of the team, and draft over anything that shows promise. The ex-Australian horseman F. Bullock is first jockey to the Imperial Gradhtz Stud in Germany, but lie also rides regularly in England. At the Lincoln meeting on April 2 ho did the "hat-trick. Patronale is now in winter quarters at New Plymouth. The decision not to raco the roan gelding again this season is a wise move on .the part of Trainer R. Barlow, as the son of Vivandel looks like turning out a first-class sprinter, and a good mile should, not be beyond him. There are smue pretty smart hacks in the Railway Handicap at Hawera on Wednesday. Amongst the number are Silver Rose, a winner at Awapuni last month, Ratana, a double winner' in his onlj starts, which were at Opunake in March, and Field Force, who is . a very .stylishlooking colt, and got on the winning list ajt Opaki last.month. - ' , W. H. Thomson, of lliccitrlon, is» relinquishing his position of private trainer : to the Messrs. Friedlander. It is stated that tho team will be shifted to Ashbu.rton, and trained by E. Grill'en. Amongst the horses at present carrying the colours of the South Canterbury sportsmen are Carolus, a winner at Inst week's' meeting, ■ and Editah r.nd Flora Macrfonald, both . of whojn finished in second place. There are .close-upon thirty*horses in the Chok.eboro stables lit the present time. These include a goodly proportion of year- '• lings, which ore the only horses worked on the tracks, as the other candidates are all being wintered.

Audacity, who won the Elder Stakes at Adelaide ou Saturday, and whose rider was subjected to a hostile demonstration, has been much in the public eye of late. | He is owned by Clarke Bros., and is a three-year-old imported colt by JleltonSagacity. He was a competitor at the Victorian Amateur Turf Club's big meet--1 ing at Caulficld in. February, and, subsequent to his running in the Futurity Stakes, it was discovered that he had not been registered in accordance with the new Australian Rules of Racing, and was therefore ineligible at the time his entrywas made for the Newmarket Handicap. The V.R.C. accepted no scratching of the imported horse for the big Flemingto'n sprint, but simply declared that he" was ;iot in the race. This being so, backers of Audacity for the Newmarket Handicap had no possible change of winning, a con- . tingency which, under all reiognised rules of betting, absolved them from any liability IE connection I herewith. • On top, of this a sensation was caused by a decision arrived at by the committee of the Victo'riap Club that all bets made ovel Audacity lor the Newmarket Handicap ' prior to the discovery that he was ineligible stood good.' Speaking of the decision at the time a Melbourne writer said.—"The V.R.C. committee have decided thet backers who supported Audacity fol the Newmarket Handicap do not lose, but those who bucked him for the Caulfield i Futurity Stakes do." The Vitcorian Club c6mmitl.ce decided that backers of the colt for the Newmarket Handicap lose, so that we have two rulings diametrically opposed to each other. However, the Victoria Club decision only applies to. members, while tho V.R.C. decision is one important as regards the general backer. Such a wave of indignation did the fiat of the big southern-betting club create in sporting circles that several leltersin regard thereto were addressed to the V.Tf.C., asking for a ruling, and these were read at a meeting of the committee. It was then decided that bets on Audacity for the Futurity Stakes stand, as the* horse was properly entered in accoislancc with the rules of racing in force at the time such nomination was made, though,not eligible to start unless registered .at least t8 hours prior to the time appointed for the starting of such race; but, inasmuch as Audacity was not/cligiblo to be entered for the Newmarket Handicap in accordance with the rules prevailing at the time nominations for that important event were accepted, wagers oil the imported horse therefore must bo void. At a meeting of the committee of the Victorian Club some days later it was decided to obtain the opinion of counsel as to the legal effect • of tho respective rulings of both the V.R.C. and Victorian Club committees. Finality in tho matter was reached on April 22, when counsel delivered the opinion asked for. The.Victorian committee carefully considered the opinions given, and subsequently the following' notice was posted in the rooms:—"The Vic-, torian Club committee decided that, in view of the legal opinion re tho Audacity case, this committee hereby decides to rever.'e its decision, given on March 5, 1913, mid, furthermore, declares that all bets inade for the Newmarket Handicap are void." The settling of the Audacity wagers, which has been, in suspense for nearlv two months, will now lie proceeded with "on the linos of tho V.R.C. committee's ruling.

Capital entries have been received for the Otaki Maori Racing Club's meeting. Weights for the first day's events are duo on May 20. Weights for minor events at the Wangn- | nui Jockey Club's meeting uro due next Friday. Acceptances ciose on May 19. | Operation, which for tho past few months has been an inmate of \V. Garrett's Opaki stable, has teen returned to her owner. Mr Fred. Dorset has a rising three-year-old sister to Alceto on his farm, and it is expected that early in the season she will be taken in hand. Colonel Hall Walker,. owner and breeder <rf Cuthbert, who _ finished first m the Lincolnshire Handicap, Ims not ha-u a full mea-su.ro of success with his own colours in noont years. Ho lias leased tho best ot bis horses, including Minora, Char es O'Malley, Ulster Jung, nnd Prince Palatine, aiwl now lie loses a big handicap .is thn result of a protest. Another big handicap has, however, faltai to him by tho aid. of Absolute (Galliniule-Ghcro Lass), who won at hempton Paik Saturday. . ~ An old-time English jockey in George ("Jockey") Switt died on March at Newmarket in his 81st year. H.o was contemporaneous with such well-known lior.c-

men at Nat Flatman, and. in his early djays rode a fair number of winners. He eventually settled! down at Newmarket, a,nd was for twenty-one years with Mathew Dawson, for whose stable lie used to ride in home trials. Swift was identified with many of the best horses sent out from Dawson's famous establishment. According to a Loudon writer, he had a wonderful idea of his own transceiidanl ability as a jocliioy, though, unluckily, this wasnever quito recognised % llio world at' large. "One (lay he had been giving ine particulai'9 of various important trials, in which he had invariably ridden the winner (says this writer), although Archer was generally on tho. back of something els? iu tho gallon. When I remarked that it seemed a little singular that he should invariably have finished in. front of Airclw, the old man. Teplied, ''Well,, you see, sir, I taught him all he knew, and was always a bit too good for him.' This deemed somewhat startling, but when I asked him if ho had ever ridden against George Fordham, and lie said, 'Lots o' times, I could always beat him,' it appeared to be useless to discuss the subject further." Scot's Saint (St. Aidan—Fair, Jean), who won. the Liverpool Spring Cup early last month, is trained by the ex-Austra-lian E. Wootton, and is probably the biggest horsie in training on the flat in England. Ho stands 16.3, and though lacking in quality, is said to be a rare mover. A lady correspondent forwards a photograph of Craganour, ami says:—"l hope Craganour will win this year's English Derbv. If looks can be relied upon ho should do so." Craganour by his picture is certainly a magnificent thoroughbred, but his defeat in tho Union Jack Stakes and again in the Two Thousand does not make his Derby prospects look any too bright, and maybe he will bo unable to break through the fatality that has hitherto attached to Desmond's stock in classic raoes. The Egmont Racing Club's Autumn meeting 'takes place at Hawera to-morrow aud on Thursday.

FIXTURES. May 14 and 15-Egmont R.C. Winter. May 22 and 23—North Otago J.C. Winter. May 22 and 24-Wanganui J.C. Winter. May 31, June 3 and 5-Auckland R.C. Winter. June 3 and 4 —Dunedin J.C<. Winter. June 3 and 4-Otaki Maori R.C> Winter. June IS and 19-llawke's Bay J.C. Winter. June 25 and 26-Napier Park R.C. W inter, July 4 and s—Gisborne R.C. Steeplechase.