NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1777, 16 June 1913, Page 3

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

ujt Gmncob.i Considering that nearly every club in the Doniiuion. receives record nominations for its meetings nowadays, it seems reasonable to assume that the same happy stato of things will be the experience of the Wellington Racing Club when the Winter meeting nominations close on I'riday. , After all Gay Lawless was not shipped to Sydney on-Friday.. All preparations had been madq for sending her by the Willochro, but, at the last moment, a cablegram was received which put an end to her trip.

Whilst doing a gallop over one and a quarter miles on the grass track ;at Trentham on Saturday, the locally-owned Sea Queen broke down very badly, ■ and will not race again. The going was on tho heavy side, and it is presumed that tho St. Ambrose mare, who is a longstriding animal, over-reached and hit herself. The sent of the trouble is in the suspensory ligament. This, of oourse, means the paddock for. her. It was particularly unfortunate that sho should "go" at the present time, for, on the gallop which she did (2min. 20sec.) sho must have had a chance second to none in the Hawke's Bay Hurdles. The merit of the performance can be gauged when, it is stated that on similar going Zimmerman put up exactly the same time on the identical course when he won the Stead Cup at Riccarton. So far her owner has not decided which consort he will choose for Sea Queen, but it will probably be Boniform. It is known that he has a great opinion of this young sire.

J. W. Lowe's chestnut mare Effort is in foal to tho imported horse Bezonian. Next season she "will visit Boniform. A well-known Palmerston owner, who follows a "system" of betting, , struck luck at Otaki which will, no doubt, keep him faithful to his "system" for some time to come. The method followed is to select a leading jockey at a meeting. Starting with £o on his mount, tho backer doubles his investment until tho jockey rides a winner, and then he cries "Enough" for the meeting. At Otaki tho rider chosen was Deeley. The first race in which he started in was the Cup, and, in tliis event, Deeley rode Byron,'who was unplaced. A similar state of things attached to Rangikapua's efforts iu the hack raea, and the backer was then compelled to put ,£2O on Makara in tho Rahui' Handicap. It is related that he only had half that amount, but, adhering to his "system," he borrowed the other i£lo, and had the satisfaction of' seeing Makara win, nnd his pocket enriched by nearly .£2OO. The saiiie sportsman is also credited with having had a big win at Napier Park on a horse that paid well ovor the "limit," and who .further (so it is said) was' labelled "not wanted. Such is the luck of the game. Liko all other "systems" this one came oft' this time, but there is only one ending for anyone foolish enough to stick to them. For instance, how would the backer have got on if he had chosen to invest on Emerson ? The Riccarton horseman, it' will be remembered, foiled to ride a winner at the meeting named.

Mr. H. Coyle is no doubt well pleased with tho result of his handicaps for tho Hawke'a Bay meeting, for tho response from owners is very large. The whole of the events' have filled well, and the prospects 4 for baokers are not enticing. The most noticeablo defection from tho Steeplechase is Dorando, and, from tho Hurdles, Darby Paul and Morjling, but the latter has been accepted for in the Hack Hurdles. Tho absenoe of Bspartero was expected,- as the good-looking Torpedo hors« broke down last week. No fewer than twenty-seven horses have been paid up for in the Heretaunga Handicap (seven furlongs). The starting post for this event is on a turn, and so it can readily be 6een that those horso3 who are unfortunate enough to draw outside positions will have their chances of success seriously reduced. This raises tho question of tho advisability of moving tho outside posts a little further forward, so ns to equalise the draw. Since the advent of tho stipendiary stewards, unfair tacttcs, such as chopping in too quickly at the start of a. race, have' been reduced to o. minimum, if not completely eradicated. That much must be said for the stipendiaries. This being so, there does not seem to be any good reason why tho posts should not be altered in tho direction indicated. If this is not done, any liorse will require to have a lot the best of the handicap ero he can win from an outside position in any race that is started on a bend.

Though a few showers of rain fell at Hastings on Thursday, tho weather experienced there during the last few weeks has been exceptionally fine, and tho tracks are in consequence a trifle harder than is to be expected at this time of tho year. If the present fine weather prevails up till Wednesday next, G. Price may decide not to start Nyland in the Hawke's Bay Hurdles, for the Finland gelding, though lie palled up quite sound at Otaki, has a rather unsightly leg, and. may be expected to "go" at any time. In the event of Nyland not starting, W. Young will get off Ngatimaru ana give the mount to his brother, who at present stands engaged for Nyland.

This year's Derby winner has been in the hands of rather_ more owners than is usual for a classic winner. He was bred in 1910 by Mr. T. IC. Laidlaw, but is not indexed in Ruff's Guide among the bloodstock sales of 1911. It would appear, however, that he next passed to Captain Purefroy, for when ho won as a two-year-old the English papers stated that he carried the colours of tho Druids' Lodge trainer, Lewis, "to whom Captain Purefroy had leased all his horses." After carrying the colours of Lewis in a couple of races it was announced that the. Desmond colt, had been purchased by Mr. A. P. CunlifFe. Aboyour*s dam, Pawky, is by Morion from Clever Girl b.r Beauclero from Lass o' Gowrie by Blair Athol.

A "triaugular duel" amongst threo well-known steeplechasers, United Kingdom, Vanguard, and ICornang, is being talked of at present (says a Melbourne exchange). Tho idea is to match them over the Flemington steeplechase course for a sweepstakes, the event to come off on Y.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race day. The project is at present merely "in the air," and further developments will bo awaited with considerable interest. If tho respective owners of tho horses named can come to terms, ana ihc V.R.C. committee agree to a contest at Flemington on the day named, the Grand National meeting this year will be invested with more than ordinary attractiveness. .

FIXTURES. June 18 and 19—Hawke's Bay J.C. Winter. June 25 and 2tt—Napier Park R.C. Winter. July 3 and 4—Gisborne R.C. Steeplechaso. July 10 and 19—Wellington R.C. Winter. August 12, 14, and Id—C.J.C. Grand National.