NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1918, 28 November 1913, Page 3

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[By 'Glescof..] Splendid acceptances have been" received for the Feilding Jockey Club's meeting, which opens on Saturday, and, with fine weather, there- should ho a very large attendance. The first event does not start until 12.30 p.m., so that Wellington visitors, taking the Now Plymouth mail, will arrive in time. "Weights for tho AYoodville meeting are due to-day. Acceptances closo on Wednesday next. Acceptances for the Auckland Cup and Railway Handicap aro due on Friday, December 5, \ No fewer than twenty-four horses are nominated for the Aorangi Trial Plate at Foilding an Saturday. In this event the horses have to be ridden by apprentices who have not won five, races. Tlio field is an unwieldy one, and, therefore, thoso beginning well on the inside will have much the best of matters. In connection with the. Stratford Racing Club's annual meeting, tho secretary, 31 r. A. Coleman, announces that nominations close ofi'<l)i ; conibor«3v at-9 p.m. Those owners who contemplate being represented at New Plymouth on Boxing Day will, no doubt, outer their teams at Stratford the week following. The Napier-owned horse Merry Lad, by Jlerriwec—Zaida, is to be offered for sale by auction at Messrs. A. Buekland and Sons' yards at Auckland to-day. .A gelding by Extractor, from Ida, has been secured by Jlr. H. If. Hayr, and is now under I''. Loomb's charge at Ellerslip.

The AA'aikato trainer, 11. Hannon, is very successful with jumpers, and, generally, his horses aro proficient "leppcrs." Ho has a very ingenious method of teaching horses to jump. They are put into a wooden race, and then driven with a whip at a railing set ioiy. By degrees, the rail is raised, and, when the animals gain confidence, they are taken out, and tried over hurdles, with a rider to keep them straight. Oxenhope seems to he back to his best form again. Yesterday he placed the Jockey Club Handicap at Tim am to his credit: under the substantial impost of ,Bst. 101b. This is tho first time that tho chestnut gelding has been successful oyer a milo course. Horse-racing is primarily for the improvement of our breed of horses; consequently, it is surely a fair question to/ ask the powers that be why roarers when so bad as to require "tubing," should bo allowed to run. In France they are not allowed to compete, and iu England (remarks the London "Sporting Life") they are not only superfluous, but positively pernicious, for small breeders are tempted, on account of cheapness, to breed froni them.

After D. J. Price gave evidence at the first investigation of the Loch Maben case lie was exonerated from any complicity in the matter. Subsequently, however, a sentence of two years was imposed on him. Cluulic recently got. into a wire fence and damaged himself sufficiently to render it expedient to turn him out. He has made a good recovery, and is again in work at Ashburton. He will bo a runner at Dunedin next month. The ancient Lupulite still manages to win' a race occasionally in the Otago district. At the Tapanui meeting ho ran second in the Grandstand Handicap to Aphaeji, and, on the concluding day, lie scored in the l''arewell Handicap from two other veterans—Parable and Gold Janet, the dam of Scotty and Royal .fusilier, jvlto was'picked up at oOgns. at the dispersal of tbo JClderslic stud, has -produced a colt to All Red. Anna Carlovha bad to be eased 'lip alter .her success in the Melbourne ■Stakes, on the first day of the. Melbourne Cup meeting, but the trouble was nut serious, mid slir is now moving freely on the tracks at Caullield. Semaphore (H. Thompson) was schooled over hurdles at Trcntham recently', and,' for a novice, she gave a good display. Gipsy Belle is being railed to I'Vilding to-day, and will contest the weight-for-•ige events there.