NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1868, 30 September 1913, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[By Glencoe.] The Hawko's Bay Spring meeting will be. decided at Hastings on Wednesday. Great interest will be taken in the Guineas, in which tho crack southern colt Rinaldo will bo pitted against the Auckland filly Merry Roe, ai_ even weights. The two Riccarton fillies, lack Chat (Achilles —Chinwag) and. Prehesine (Bezonian —Prelude), will be seen out in the Hastings Stakes, and will bo opposed by Reputation, Football, and one of the Hymettus youngsters. Large fields are engaged in tho handicap events, and a good day's sport seems, assured.

When Peroneal won tho Higgie Handicap at Wanganui she equalled Rustique's record for tho distance, which stands at 2min. 9 l-ssfec. Tho win of tho Achilles mare has earned her a 51b. penalty for tho Now Zealand Cup. Mr. "Lanco Wood" received intimation from Mr. J. F. Buchanan' last weelcthat his mare Ukraine (Stepniak —Madder) had foaled a colt to Martian. Such a well-bred youngster should have a good future. Wellington-owned horses wero not very successful at tho Wanganui meeting. Peroneal was the only one who scored, but Charleroso filled second place in the first hack race, and Byron was third in the principal handicap each day.

The New Zealand-bred filly Nyx (Martian —Midnight) scored in the hack race at the Burrumbeet (Victoria) meeting on September 19. At the Richmond (Victoria) meeting last month the Omaru jockey, F. Yarr, rode Joyful to victory in the Abbotsford Handicap. Dominican, ridden by Joe O'Connell, won the Hurdle Race at tho Findon Harriers' Hunt Club meeting at Melbourne on September 20. The winner started favourite in a field of six. Tho crack Sy&iey jockey, J. Pike, will ride tho favourite Berragoon in the A.J.C. Derby, wliilo the New Zealand colt Soltano will bo ridden by A. Oliver. Latest advices from Sydney return the two horses mentioned as first and second favourites.

Just prior to the last files leaving England, Prince Palatine, for whom Mr. J. B. Joel recently gave 40,000 soys., a reduction from the original prico having been mado owing to tho defeat of the Prince in the Goodwood Cup, joinpd Mr. Joel's other horses, under the charge of C. Morton, at Wantage. Tiio arrangement was for Prince Palatine to be prepared for tho Jcckey Club Stakes, his only remaining engagement, to bo run on October 2.

According to the Paris correspondent of the "Times," successful trials of an automatic photographic apparatus for judging races have been conducted at Maisons Laffitte, and it will be used at the next Paris international race meeting. A camera is placed in lino with the winning post, and the winning horse by breaking a thread, releases the electrically controlled shutter of tho camera, and a photograph of the finish is taken. The apparatus has been tried in Belgium for liorso racing, and was used in all tlie track events at the last Olympic Games at Stockholm, but tliero the photographs were chiefly used as additional evidence in case of a disagreement between the judges.

Under the heading of "A Storv from Australia," "Vigilant," in the "London Sportsman," writes: —"I am assured that racing in this country is much fairer than it is abroad. Only a few yenrs ago an English minor jockey was-taken out to Australia, and his employer put him up in a big race at Fleniington on a mare that was thought to hold a good chance of winning. After the race, in which ho was unplaced, tlio owner went to tlio jockey and said: 'Perhaps we shall have better luck next time.' Tho jockey's reply was illuminating: 'Nover no more for me, sir; it's a football match, not horse racing. Let 1110 get back to Newmarket!' And tlie owner, finding him quite determined not to ride out there again, had to pay tho lad's passage back to England." Duko Foote has already won £10,000 in stakes.

Some splendid finishes were seen at the Wanganui mooting last week, and ill most of the big handicaps Mr. G. Morso had the form gauged down to onncos. Floss fell opposite the stand in the hack luirdles at Wanganui oil Saturday, but her rider was uninjured, and later on rode Angola in • the Hack Welter. FIXTURES. Oct. I—Hawke's Bay J.C. Spring Oct. 2.—lCurow J.C. Spring Oct. 4.—Napier Park It.C. Spring Oct. 4, G, 8, mid 11.—A.J.C. Spring Oct. 8 and 11.—Dimedin J-C. Spring Oct. 1G. —Masterton R.C. Spring Oct. 23 and 24.—Poverty Bay T.C. Spring Oct. 2") and 27.—Wellington R.C. Spring Oct. 27.—Waverley-Wailotara R-C. Annual Oct. 27 and 28.—Gore K.C.'s Spring Oct. 2S and 29.—Greyinouth J.C. Spring