NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 11, 8 October 1917, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

TBY ' GIiENCOB.I

The Spring Meeting of the Masterton , Club will be held on Thursday a ?x Friday of this week. Special interest attaches to the gathering as. the North Island two-year-olds will make their flr6fc appearance in - tho Juvenile Handicap on tho second day. A largo number of New Zealand Oup oandidates are also engaged during tho two days. Altogether the meeting promises to be the most successful yet held by tho Club. The South Island trotting trainer B. Jarden, arrived here yesterday -with Agathos and Bank Note, who aro t» race at. Auckland &n Saturday. Weights lor the Waverley Meeting ara due on'"Wednesday. The news* of the death of the Hon. J.. D. Ormond, M.L.0., will bo received w'th regret in the sporting world, lie lace Mr. Osmond was in the front rank of owners for the past twenty years, and several ohampions both on tho flat and over fences havo been turned out from tho Karamu 6tables. The deceased sportsman bred all his own horses, and with this ond in view h& imported several thoroughbred stallions and mares from England: He was a life-member of the'Haiwke's'Bay Jockey Club, and for several years was.aii office-holder. As an owner he enjoyed, a largo ■ measure of success, and horses carrying tho "all cerise" ait different times won nearly all tho important races in the Dominion. After the first payment for the New Zealand Chip thirty-three horses stand their ground. Twenty-four of them hail from the North Island and nine from the South Island.

An unlooked-for defection from the Now Zealand Pup was that of Fiery Cross," who l showed-winning form over a distance at Ashburton last month.

Killala, winner of the Trial Plate, at Kurow, has an engagement, in the M'Lean Stalicß at Wingatui on Thursday. Judging • by the erise in which she scored at Kurow it will taka-a~pretty smart youngster to defeat her at Dunedin. Having had a race ■she-will have a big advantage over her opponents; x

An impression prevailed locally on Saturday that Tho Toff would be seen to advantage in' tho. Eandwick Plate despite his former' showings at* the A.J.O. Meeting. Any . chance tho Boniform gelding had was spoilt by his getting, left at the barrier, and the cable message informs us that he ran in, the rear the whole way.

61eight-of-Hand has done all his recent racing in the name of his trainer, A. J. Shcarsby, by whom he was nominated for the New Zealand Cup. A change was mada in connection ,-ivith the acceptance, however, his engagement being continued in-tho name of his owner, Mr. F. Armstrong. - Another horse in whom a change of ownership iB announced is Colonel Soult.. He "was raced early last season by Messrs. Collis and Oaiey; bui later by Messrs. Gleeson and Caßey, who again figure as tho owners, though in the list of Oup nominations Messrs. T>ang and Collis were given tho credit of owning .the Soult gelding. . Battle Eve, Ejorneborg. and Tressida, who figure among the acceptors for the New Zealand Cup, have also been npminated for the Stewards' Handicap, to bo .decided, on tho saine day, while Desert Gold and Fiery-Cross have been allowed to drop out of the two-mile race and have been nominated for the six-furlong event. Tho Wellington sportsman, Mr. H. Whitney, had Ave horses racing at tho Knrow Jockey Club's Meeting. Rose Pink, Arih : a. and Preface have gone on to Wingatui for the Buneclin Jockey Club's fixture, but Trentham "Rose and Pall Mall have been ■ sent home. i Mr. G. It Stead is now in Sydney, and intendß remaining in Australia to see his horses race at the V.A.T.O. and Y.R.C. Meetings. ■ Sasanof lias been nominated for the Canterbury Oup and Stead Memorial Stakes, while Shrill and Sweet Corn figure in the Stewards' Handicap and Jockey Club Handicap. ' A Press Association message from Sydney states that Mr. E. J.- Watt, the well-known sportsman, lias purchased l Kennan— Altona filly for 100 gnineas.