NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1774, 12 June 1913, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

U3r Glencob.J Acceptances for tho first day's handicaps at the Hawko's Bay Winter meeting close to-morrow night. , /

Nominations for tho Wellington' Steeplechase meeting closo on Juno 20.

Blakeney, tho good-looking Soult gelding that used to carry tho Highden cofours in Now Zealand, is to bo tried at hurdle-racing in Sydney. It is reported that he jumps well in his privato essays. After racing in tho Winter Steeples at Ellorslie, l'aritutu and Hautero were both lamo, and may bo missing from tho next few meetings.

Daisy Paul has been leased by Mr. H. M'Manaway, and will raco in that owner's interests at her next outing, - which may bo at Napier Park this month. Beacon, who is now a member of H, Hickoy's team nt Hastings, may bo given his first run, over' fences this 6caSon at the Napier meeting.

For a long timo past there havo been no complaints against tho Railway Department in reference to their handling of racehorses, but, last week, something untoward occurred again, tho occasion being that on which the local horses were returning 'from the Otaki meeting. A start was made from Otaki at 10.30 a.m., but it was not nntil twelve hours later that Tronthaiu was reached. This is not as it should bo. Tho effects which such a long cooping-up (together with tho shunting operations) have on horses aro obvious enough, and the prcsidcnt'of tlio Otaki Club should suggest to tho Department that a speedier transit should bo arranged. • •. Tho racehorses Maui, Golden Cairn, and Wimtnera figure in tho nominations for tho big hurdle events at tho. Caulfield and Flemington Winter meetings, but Bridge is an absentee. Apparently the idea of turning the !Now Zealand Cup winner into a jumper has been abandoned. >

Bard of Avon, half-brother to Comedy King, cost 500 guineas as a yearling, but his owner, in leaving on a trip to England, sold him for one-tenth of that sum ltccently ho has shown much improved form, and ho won two races at the last Bcndigo meeting. Ho is now trained by S. O'Neill. The Hastings trainer, J. M. Cameron, who has been in Sydney and Melbourne with a team of horses during the past few months, was expected to return by Uio Sydney boot yesterday, but did not put in an'appearance. When Mr. A. B. Cooper, of Sydney, gavo 500 guineas for Valido, everybody on this side of the water imagined that (providing ho kept sound) tho English horse would turn oufa a raro bargain for his now bwnor. This, however, was not the opinion of somo Australians, and, at tii# time, it was freely stated that ho was a well-sold horse. Those writers who voiced this opinion are now changing their tunfl. It turns out tlmt, when the chestnut won the Corinthian Handicap. at the Oaklands Hunt Club meeting, his owner won a big "pocket" over tho result. The death occurred on Tuesday of last week, at Hexton, Gisborne, of the Hon. Sir James Carroll's well-known raceliovso Jlahutonga, nt one time a prominent pels former on the Now Zealand . turf. It nppears that the old horso got into « bog, and sustained injuries necessitating liis being afterwards destroyed. Malmtonga was a fair performer during his racing career, and among the victories standing to his credit is nn Auckland ■ Cup, which ho won in tho 6enson 1001-5.