NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 79, 28 December 1918, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

[By Glincoe.]

: The Auckland Meeting will be continued torday,; when the Islington Plate, Royal; Stakes, and 'Summer Cup will' be , run. ■ : •'■ ~ ... ..- . . ' 'The day'? facing.will, commence with the Bowen Handicap,.six'furlongs. Lionskin, .who won over a furlong longer on 'Saturday, has been, raised a stone for her success, but backers may prefer the daughter of Counterfeit to tho rest of the runners. The high-priced War Marcli is well placed in the handicap with 7st. sib., , '~•• ■ ; ■. ■; It is expected that Gloaming will forfeit his engagement in the Royal Stakes in favour of the longer. Islington .Plate. In his absence form points to Surveyor, who has earned the maximum penalty. War Plane and Hymestra may give Hie Yaldlnirst colt the most trouble. With .hotli.'tiloaining and Sasanof. engaged in'the Islington. Plate, if is hard to forecast the'a'ctuar favourite, but Mr. Greenwood's gelding may bo the, popular 'fancy./ . .'..'.. The field in the Ponsonby Hurdles is a poor one, and. the public may prefer the iirst day winner. Loyal Arch, and Thrace, a double winner at Avondale last jinonth'. ..'.'•'. ~( . . .' For. her, win in. the Clip .Mascot has gone.up 'Mb., but she may be favourite seeing' , that she practically 'won the two mile event .from end to end. Kilrush and Heathercote may be the best supported of the. rest The two-year-old race has drawn an acceptance of eleven. Hetaua, who ran second, on the first day, will,. perhaps be the best backed. Macduff, who was favourite' on'.Thursday, may be the. next in demand. :. . ■ . .

Melee appears to; be the best of a weak field in the Waitomata Handicap. Tho. Salisbury Welter Handicap is the ccncliuling event, and Robur may be. favourite. Form Up,.up to the present, has shown no" liking/for a mile course, and his big burden. (Itist. 21b.) may prove beyond him. Meltchikoff. is also likely to Ire well supported. : By his win in. the Great Northern Foal Stakes Surveyor has added to tho opjnion that ho is the .best two-year-old.of the season. A great deal,, of. interest was detracted '.from the .raco through War Piano being withdrawn, but the second string of the Highden team !(tho Wellesley Stakes winner, Ermine) was started instead. However, she finished outsido a place. C. Emerson, who had the mount on Surveyor, won the race in 1915 on Tho Toff, who raced in the eanio ownership. Surveyor is by tho imported Nassau (who won six races'worth 3700, sovs. and was placed in ■seven others) from Pedometer,■ and'his pedigreo is as follows: Sire: Nassau, by William tho Third (son of St. Simon), from Stolen love, by Buccaneer. Dam: Pedometer, by Stepniak (son of Nordenfeldt) from ■llemfiter, by Wallace (son of Carbine). Surveyor has now started foiir times for three wins. . ' ••■'■ Sasanof put up ii really splendid performanco in the Auckland Cup, when ho was beaten by Mascot, who woe in receipt of 3(ilb. If G. Jones can keep him fit he.6hould be ablo' to pick lip a wcipjht-for-age Tace with him, but the handicappers will keep a very strict eye on tho son of'Martian-in the future. So far. this season Sasanof has started in six races for'two firsts (New Zealand and Stead Memorial Cups), ' a second (Auckland Gup), and a third (Canterbury Cup). It is interesting to note that Mr. W. G. Stead purchased Sasanof for 400 sovs. in .1011 The time (3min. 26sec.) taken,by Mascot in tho Auckland 1 Cup is the second best on record.- !AVhen Fiery Cross won last year he took 3min. 234-ssec; •So.lfanello. who w,on the Nursery Handicap ■ at Ellerslie, is by the imported ttoU'eiino-.'tSoliinam-LUtlB Bed Spmner) from Bosftlio. (Stepniak—Kosella, by Seaton -Tjelaval—Boic, tho laet-numed being a. full sister to St. Hippo). Bosalio is also the dam of Columbus, who was ehowing very promising form when his career was cut short by. death.. . She is also a sister to Bed Plume, dmn of Bunting'and Hc/1 Pennant. Rosalie's dam, Eosella, was a good- performer over all distances and won 5000 sovr. in stakes. Solfanello was bought for 500 guineas by Mr. V. Biddiford at the-yearling sales last season. ■ • ■ • Nanna, who won tho Railway Handicap at Ellerelie on Thureduy, was third last year when Hymcstra a ml King En pin dead-heated-for first place. Last year tho race was run in more than a second faster time. By winning tho Manaivatu. Cup again on Thursday Nobleman equalled the feats of Lorelei and Merrivoniii, both of whom won tho event .two years in succession. , Last year, when carrying list. 1211)., Nobleman lnft.lho mile and a-half behind in 2miu.. 1)2 l-ssoc—a. record for tlio race. On Thursday tho Sir Lnddo Kelding took 2min. 334-ssoc. for tlib journey. • When Mascot, won tho Auckland Cup she. wus the 'second representative of Martian.to win,the ovent. Warstop wne the other member, she winning tlio raco in 19i4. " . . Mr. James jlilcnra, whoso death was reported yesterday,, was. a' well-known owner .and; breeder, in the Maslcrton district and. won, .among other races, the Wairarapa Cup of 1903 with. Plaidie, a brown mure by Quilt from Jousail. The late Mr. Macara, who camo to New Zealand in 1866, was born in Wicklow,

Ireland, and was for fionio years president of tho Mostoiton Racing Club. L. who rodo Mascot to victory in tho Auckland Cup, won the Manawatu Cup on Nobleman last yenr. His brother, 13., Morris, was on Nobleninn. this yenr. When tho Auckland-bred Arch Jlarella scored in the A..T.C. Slimmer Cup at Randwick on Thursday it was tho first timo he had won since changing hands for 1500 guineas lfist season. Arch Mnrella is by Marble Arch (Isinglass-Mall) from Seatonella, who is by Seaton Delaval (siro of Nonetto and Glndsomo.) from Amorette, by Phoebus' Apollo.. He was sold as a yearling for 50 guineas. Another ex-New Zealander in Bee filled second place, whilst the Unlucky,, but consistent, Linglo had to bo content with third position.Almsgiver, winner of .the December Stakes at Randwick, is by Almissa from Royal Favour, and is therefore a halfsister to ICihg's Bounty and Prince Royal, winners of tho V.A.T.C. Toorol; Handicap for 1011* and 1918 respectively. The threo placed horses in the Hopetoun Clip run at Caulfield on Thursday were all imported. Escoinb and Accrington (who rac a dead heat for first place) aro owned by Messrs. Robinson and Clark; who also race" Magpie and King Offa.

Rossini, the two-year-old brother to Soldiers' Chorus, Tannhauser, and Cherubini, is going on nicely in his preparation for autumn engagements at' Hiccar--1;on. .He cost Mr. G. D. Greenwood 1025 gnineas as a yearling, being tho highest priced youngster sold last season, and he is -being'given-every chanoo to mature before he is sot any serious tasks. ' A well-bred'winner at tho'Mentone (Victorian) Meeting recently was After Glow, who' is by the Dorby winner Sunstar ' from' Mario' Legraye, by Diamond Jubilee' (winner of the Derby and sold to go'to" the Argentine for 30,000 guineas). After Glow, who was sold to Mr; N. Falkiner, of Victoria, in England rie.d the colpure of his breeder, the King. A half-sister to" After Glow by Thrush, in Grey Linnet, is to be eold at tho Blderslid Dispersal Sale. She, like hor lialf-br'other, was. also bred by His Majesty. ..'■■' - : Mr.- G. L. Stead experienced a stroke of bad luck last week when-he lost his yearling colt by Nassau from Brayton, by Bardolpli from Znz'n', ft sister to tiie Melboumo Gup winner The Victory. This colt ie-'eaid'to have shown more prqmiso than Surveyor did at the same age. Another pieco of l)ad luck wos the loss of Surveyor's yearling , sister. Mr. Stead has sold Pedometer, dam of Surveyor, • to' a, Victorian buyer, and she is to be sent "across as soon as space can be secured. ■ ■ '