NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 52, 26 November 1918, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

. The? Feilding and. Takapuna fixtures are set down to-Jie. decided next Saturday. The influenza epidemic has,' up to. the present,- been the cause of. the postponement of the Auckland, itshhurstbputh Canterbury, and Wairarapa Eac-' ing Clubs' Meetings. ....... The present epidemic has claimed three members of the sporting world: within the. last., week, in-.Messrs. T, Pine, A R. Durrant, and Victor -Coton, Tom linewae a popular Hawera, trainer, and the bright stars of his team-at the time of hie death were. Mα and the sprinter Inah. Mr.' Dtirant is test' rememfeed as the owner of. the St. Ambrose nfari! binapis, who won the New Zealand' Cup in 1913; arid ■ the Wanganui Cup in ,1914, Cotton, in hie younger days, was a capable light-weight jockey, being attached to Sir George Clifford's stable for Some time. Among his successes for that stable were the Wellesley Stakes, Great Northern; Poal Stakes,, and C.J.C. Champagne Stakes on Kirriemiiir (dam of Eoyal Stag), C.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap, and Wanganui ■ Cup on Quarrymas, and the C.J.C. Handicap on Signalnian. Cotton, who was twonty-nirio years old, came fr6m a well-known ' racing family. ' < ■ ' The,.lrish horjse. Cynic, is still a member.of P. D. Jones's Eiccarton team, and bo far no arrangement liave been made for sending the bay horse back home; .It is probable that he will remain with Jones to finish his ■ preparation for the iAuckland Cup. .-.-.: Gloaming was on the Eiccarton course last week, but E. J. -Mason ia not jiving the Derby winner aiiy sev'et'o tasks at present. ■■ • - ' At the present time Long Range and' Wrestler are enjoying a spell in the paddock. •'*' . The veteran trainer E. Derrett Is at present-down with a" severe attack of ' Thanks mainly to Gloaming's'two wins The Welkin is at the head of the list of winning sires of Australia, for the first quarter of the cm-rent racing season, his stock having so far won iG9IIG. The.■ French sire Keiiilworth was second on the list with .£7731, won mostly, by Kennaquhair andi Wolaroi, whilst linacre is third with. ,£6(j27, his chief.winner being the two-year-old LiSnavane. biplane is at present on Mr. Q. D. Greenwood's North Canterbury station. The son of Comedy King is*to be allowed an easy time for some, eftusidei-able period. It has been claimed that the greatest of all the purely Australian families )9 that founded by the old grey--mare ■ Sop-i pho. I'rom. its vei-y earliest days it has been. remarkably successful (says' an exchange), ahd as the years go on it eeems to bo increasing in virility. One .of tho features of the racing «t Flemington onDerby Day was tho prominence of members of the family. Gambler's Gold won the Maribyrnung Plate, making the eighth winner of the race traci?ig to Sappho. Anothor descendant of Sappho in Outlook just lost the Derby. It would indeed have been a triumph for Mr. Lee's old favourite had' Outlook been equal to stalling off (he belated challenge from Eusebius. It would not havebeen the first time the double had beeli won by the family, as Gold Brew and Wilari, who won the , two races in 1011, are descended from Sappho, end so are Traquette and Deragoon, who won tho double in 19)3.' 'flic, first member o't (he Sappho; family to win the Jl'aribyi-nonj; Plate was Nellie, a. daughter of Sapnho, who was successful in 1878. Yairuii.. a son of Nellie, scored in ilic race in 1890, and tho following year Etra Weenie, a (laughter <rf JCellie, won for Jlr. Herbert Power. Twenty years elapsed before another member* of the family won, Ihe long sequence of losers being. broken by Gold Brew, Borngoon, and Traquette, who won in successive years. Ettefred won in 1915, and- Gninbler's . Gold w-ns the eighth winner. It is a truly reninrkiible record. '_.- ■ ' lfacing is at a slaiulstill in New Zealand to-day. Many well-known families have been attacked by Ihe.influenza, epidemic, while several ( prominent sportsmen have been struclc down. Mr. Hartgill, Mr. C. W. Heid, Mr. A. W. Etitherford, Mr. D. Buiek, and others, have euccuniljcd lo the disease. Tho trainers' and ihe jockeys have not 'esenned, and sonio of their fmiiilies Imvo been visited by death. Miifdiio'ft three wins in Anelrnlin. hnve probably returiied Jlessrs. Bobinsuii and Clarke 1110 grealer portion of the money (hey paid for him in Kiigliind. The black horse was under-offer (o 'Messrs. W. and I; , . A. Moses sit .'lonOgns., and it is improbable his present owners gnvo nioro than Hint for him. Nominations for all events in thoMiinawatu Eacinfi; Chili's Summer Meeting, to be held <m December 28 mid 27. will close on November 28 at, 5 p.m.. also forfeit for the ililmorston North Stakes (the thirteenth).