NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2934, 21 November 1916, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

!By Giencob.l

The Ashhurst'Meeting will fake p]aco to-morrow. Tho South Canterbury Meeting -will bo held on Thursday and Saturday of this week. Tho Takapuna Meeting will bo opened on Saturday and concluded on tho following Wednesday. Passengers by tho incoming boat from Sydney yesterday included Mr. A. E. Whyto, secretary of the Wellington Kacmg Club, and Mr. E. S. Luttrell, part owner of Sasanof. Tho Melbourne Cup winner (if not sold meanwhilo) sad tho other members of Mr. Stead's tenm will leayo Sydney on Wednesday for Auckland. What is termed a regrettablo incident took place at Brisbane this month. A prominent owner in the north is Mrs. 0. C. Flemich, who races Cagou and other well-known performers. It is said that some of the trainers resented tho lady appearing in the birdcage, which is always tho privilege of owners, and as tho committee' asked her sot to frequent tho enclosure, she immediately scratched her horses, as did another owner. Mr. E. J. Watt's 5-year-old gelding Blackall was well in the market for tho Auckland Cup yesterday, and providing ho goes along all right in the interim he may start favourite for the big prize to be run on Boxing Day. On the dam's sido Sasanof traces back to Levity, dam of Don Juau, who won tho Melbourne Cup as far back as 1873. By winning the Melbourne Cup Sasanof credited his owners with .£6955, in addition to a gold cup, valued at .£l5O. Tho rider of the winner received -£34G. Tho local horseman, A. Heed, has been ongaged to rido John Barleycorn in tho Auokland Cup. Tho Sarto gelding can be depended ujou to win a good race, as on an interrupted preparation he finished fouTth in the New Zealand Cup. It is worth: noting that only . three mares, Briseis, Auraria, and Acrasia, havo won the Melbourne Cup. Carlita hail tho honour of carrying top-weight, this year. Apropos of the only other postponement of the Melbourne Cup being in Nimblefoot's year, a retort by a disgruntled backer is worth recording. "Only twice postponed," ho said; "tho first time Nimblefoot won, and this time Bnmblefoot." His sarcasm, no doubt, referred to tho reported injury to Sasanof, of which moro notico was apparently taken in Sydney than in Melbourne. Tho Melbourne Cup winner, Sasanof, has won fivo races and been placed in three others. His winuings to dato 'total over .£IO,OOO. Already the coal strike in New South Wales is having an eilcct on Tacing, and several meetings have had to bo postponed on account of coal short,!go rendering restriction of special trains imperative. After winning tho Cup Hurdles at Flemington tho stipendiary stewards asked F. M.ynn to explain Master Kegal's failure at M'ooneo Valley tho week previous. riynn put it down to tho fact that ho was too long without a raco and was so fresh that Jio pulled himsolf to a standstill; H. TolfoTd was in town yesterday and informed tho writor that Devotion was doinpr well and was again in easy work on tho tracks. In his opinion tile Oaks winner is sure to bo racing again at the Christmas and Now Year meetings. Sasanof has tho distinction of being the smallest horso that ever won the Melbourne Cup. B. Dcclcy has been engaged to rido Depredation in the bis handicap at Takapuna on Saturday. Tho same rider will bo on Kitty Hellairs in the sprint event. Tho woight-l'dr-agc racos at Ellerslie at tho Cup Meeting will bo full of interest. Providing Killjoy gels over his lameness ho will meet Tho Toff in tho Derby and tho pair will later on be opposed by Desert Gold in tho Plate. The meeting bctweon. the threo champions should nlono bo worth the trip to Auckland. A returned visitor from Flemington says that during tho running of tho Melbourne Cup ono well-known turiito won over .CIOOU on Sasajiol'.