NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1953, 9 January 1914, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

; tht Gmncoi.l ! Acceptances' for .tlio first day of the .Wellington Kacihg ' Club's' ' Spring Meeting- close with 'the secretary, Mr. 'A."'E.' Whyte, on 'Monday next at 9 p.m." Entries'.for tlio Trial Plato, Disposal 1 Stakes, and Selling ••Plato claim at the same'time... > : ;', . The Whangnrei meeting will bo concluded, to-day.; . . , ,--.■.• . . '. Potoa has been scratched for tlio WoW ■lingto.ir_.Cup,- so presumably tlio bay horse will not,,bo seen out at'Treutham. Tlio new owner of Cheddar is Mr. J. HawkinJ3f ,^''iJi(;e>--J, > l.yn)outli,'and tlio Merriiveo gelding into J. O'Neill's stables. At fivei hundred guineas ho 'Should not.bo a dear horse, for within the next sis weoko; there aro ' half a dpzen. ..good races .coming on, and nt least, one (if them should falKto. him. Tlio events referred 1 to aro the big han?dicapa at Takapuna (%), Hawera. ;(2), and New .Plymouth (2).. These, .however, are not all, for tlio Thompson Handicap winner, is also a good sprinter, and at Ellerslio lie defeated Tatterley in a.gallop prior, to tlio. ■latter running such a good race in tlio' lloyal Stakes'. Furthermore, such a sound gelding should be ablo to hold 'Ms own over hurdles, for the Merriwee stock take \o jumping as ducks to water, ' The prico paid for St. Francis is reported to bo 250gns;

After failing to win a race since September, 1912, tho Achilles horso Stepney. _rnado partial amends last wookby scoring twice 'at Marton. It is quite possible that now ho is getting a bit of am on him Stepney might be more solid than,, lio used to bo, and, if so, ho is sure to add further to his score. Soino few weeks hack a Petonc buyer priced the son of Achilles, but his owner would not treat'for his sale.

Mr. E. J. Watt has been fortunate in his yearling purchases nt Randwiok. Ventura and Athenic, whom ho bought in. -successive, years for. 700gus. each, have won him several , thousands in prizcruioney, and at 210gns. ho has apparently scoured another, bargain, m Mountain., Knight, who, looks liko turning, otit a very smart sprinter.

Mr.. J. B. Haggin-, of California, Now I'ork and Kentucky, has, at tho great age of D 3, decided to re-enter racing. Ho recently bought tho noted horse, Ballot, winner of American and English stakes, by Voter out of Sorrento, fronv Mr. John, E. Madden, of Lexington, Ky., for £10,000, and from Mr. Barney Schreibcr, of Spring Valley, Mo., the.' imported English stallion Sain for £1000. . Botli of these horses will ho placed at Elmendorf Farm, at Lexington, Ky., where throe years ago Mr. Haggiit had nearly 1000 thoroughbred'stallions, mares, and eolts. Mr.. Haggin plans fo re-enter the .sport on ajargo scale. Ho formerly was the most extensive hor3o-breeder iii America,, hut sold all his horses to English, German, and/Argentine-.turfmen.

News .front Oamam. states that Jlerrio Valet, .recently, sold in Hastings .to race in the South Island,'got into a fence on the second day of the meeting and will require a coupleVof months' spell. I'hroso, who mot her death at tho Ellerslio lire on Sunday night, had a good' record over fences. She had started in five hurdle races, and had won four of them, whilo in tho other she was. placed second.

"Phaeton," in the Auckland. "Herald," -says:—"Tho news which comes from .Sydney that C. Emerson, the well-known i\ T ow Zealand jockey,has beoh disqualified for twelve months at-Sydney is a most unwelcome item. When riding in the Dominion Emcrsnii bore a very nigh name, and his disqualification is, therefore, entitled to bo. regarded.as 0110 of tho sensations of tho season. Emerson was to liavo left for Now Zealand this week, with .". view to riding at the Wellington meeting, nnd it is understood that a strong offer,'in. tho shape of a retainer, was to bo made to him by a Now Zealand owner."

Tho veteran trainer, H. Goodman, well known in Wellington, has now got three horses in work at Vnngatui, viz., Parable, Ogier, and Aphaea!.

On tho first day at Marton, Mr. Ernest Short purchased the hurdler Taiiraiigi for £100 and £50 out of his first win, which eventuated ..the next day. The horso therefore cost him approximately £00, and as there is every probability of his being a'good stakeearner, ho is-a cheap horso to his present owner.

Tho field for the Wellington Cup is already dwindling clown, and it is freely rumoured that several of tho well-fancied division will bo missing from tho acceptances.. Bronze has como into favour for tho big ovent, and apparently" the rnaro is to bo tho representative of the Highden stables.

Owners are given a final reminder that nominations for the To •Kiiiti Racing Club's meeting close to-day.

A private cablegram received here yesterday from Sydney slates that C. Emerson has lodged an appeal against the decision of the Canterbury Park stewards, who disqualified him for twelve months in connection with his riding of the horse Strat'liliold on Saturday last.

Mr. W. Scott, a well-known member of Sydney Tatfcrsall's, arrived, in Wellington by the Maunganui on-Wednes-day morning. He will spend about four weeks here, and return to Sydney early in February.

' Mr. Geo. Dunnctt, tho well-known Auckland owner, is shortly leaving to tako up his residence iii Sydney, but. his Achilles colt Troy is to bo 'left in F. Stenning's hands "to prepare for tho Groat Northern' Derby next year. Touching on racing in Calcutta re> minds me (says ;v"writer in tho Sydney "Referee") that Aborigine (now known as Keerit) showed a little of his old form on December G. Ho was sent out at a short price " for the December Stakes, seven furlongs, in which he had Bst. 71b., and won as he pleased from Shining Way (9st. Gib.), and Milliner (Sst.), while among tho unplaced lot were Gunboat (9st. 91b.) and Saxonito (9st. 91b.), both of whom, by the way, were at long prices. As Aborigine simply cantered homo in linin. 295ec... it is safe to sav he will pick up another race or two before tho close of the current Indian season. He was ridden by Sampson, who is presumably identical with tho West Australian jockey of that name, while another rider who had a few mounts was J. Trcuowcth, who tried his luck in Sydnoy a few months ago.

, Referring to the fact that in Calcutta on Boxing Day, Mayfowl won another ■Viceroy's Cup," tho Australian writer I "Pilot'' says that the horse haß now eclipsed the performance of any other horse in -connection with that race. Kingscraft and Myall King each scored three times, but in four successive years Mayfowl has recorded three victories, .and a ,dead-heat for first place. On Friday last ho was followed home by the English-bred'mare Jomima, and ono result may be to cause Indian buyersto further turn Jheir attention to the English market. This means a loss to us, as in tho past many Australian horses have been purchased _ at high prices, with a view to winning the Viceroy's Cup. Mayfowl, who rates as nine jears old, now carries tho colours'of an Indian sportsman, who races as "Mr. R.R.S." Ho gave a high price for tho Wildfowler gelding/with certain, contingencies attached, subsequent to the death of Sir A. A. Apcar. The'last Australian-bred horse to win

FIXTURES. Jan 21, 22. 2-I—"Wellington, Rncing Club. ■Tan.' 22-and-23— Eoxton R.C. Annual. -.Tan.- 2,1-Hutt Valley Trotting Club., Jan. 29 and 31—Tnknpuna Jockey Club. Teb.. I, s—Esmont Racing Club. Feb. s—To Kuiti Racing Club. .< Feb. 7—Bay'of Plenty Jockey Club. Febi li—Rotorua Jockey Club. Feb. 11, 12-Taranaki'Jockey Club, Fob; 2G, 28-Wanganui Jockey Club;'