SPORT AND PASTIME. The Turf.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 88, 15 April 1911, Page 14

SPORT AND PASTIME. The Turf.

FIXTURES. April 15 and 17— Wairarapa R.C. Autumn. April 15, 17, and 18— Auckland B.C. Autumn. April 17— Patea R.C. Annual. April 17 and 18— Canterbury, J.C. Autumn. I April 17 and 18— Feilding J.C. Easter. April 17— Waipukurau J.C. Annual. April 26 and 29— Avondale J.C. Autumn April 28 and 29— Wellington B.C.' Autumn. May 3 and 4— Marlborough R.C. Annual May 10 and 11— Hawkes Bay J.C. Autumn. NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Sir Bedivere.) As a sort of preliminary to what is to com© on Monday, racing is in progress this afternoon at EUerslie and Tauherenikau. On Monday we shall be right in the thick of it. There will be the windup at Tauherenikau. the continuation of the autumn meeting at Ellerslie, and the commencement at Riccarton, Feilding, Waipukurau, Patea, Kumara, Beaumont, and Riverton, not to mention the A. J.C. meeting at Randwick, in which, thanks to Lady Medallist's presence, considerable interest is being taken locally. Lady Medallist wilL of course, be making her first bow to an Australian public this afternoon, when the Autumn Stakes will be decided. This event, in common with any others for which she may compete, will no doubt be popularly termed, the "Comedy King Stakes/ and it is really difficult to see how the brilliant Englishman is to be defeated. Some critics, however, as I mentioned on Wednesday last, are of opinion that Malt King may prove capable of at least stretching him. Be •ihisr as -it, may* the" result will be, made known to, us this evening, and if by any chance Lady Medallist's name should be the first to catch our eyes as we read the cable there will be a general feeling of satisfaction. . But to return -to local affairs. On Monday Peirene, Culprit, Masterpiece, Counterfeit, and the well-spoken-of but untried' Boadicea will meet in the Champagne Stakes at Biccanon, ' whilst Orton .will joppose Miscount, JVTiss ■Bellah, and others in -the Great Northern Champagne Stakes at" Ellerslie. The form displayed by the present season's two-year-olds has been not a little perplexing, and 1 personally I cannot help thinking that, with the possible exception of Antagonist, the youngsters are a very ordinary lot. Sunburnt beat both Miscount and Peirene at Riccarton in November, and again proved more than -a match for the pick of the .juveniles at Awapuni, where, however, he met both! Culprit and Orton at axi advantage, of 71b. But what about Boanerges? If, as not a* few keen judges affirm, he would have won' the Manawatu Stakes had his gear not given way, it does not say much for the younger division. Boanerges is a smart colt admittedly, but he has nothing to warrant his being classed with such sprinters as Machine Gun, Menschikoff, Armlet, Gold Crest, Elevation, Penates, and 1 Gold Lace, let alone Achilles, Cruciform, Royal Artillery, BeDown, Bobrikoff, Advance, Treadmill, and other celebrities of the past, and when there is any out-and-out good two-year-old in commission, it invariably proves capable of putting down all but a veritable smasher at the back end of the season. Other evidence has not been wanting in respect to the leanness of this year, so far as two-year-olds are concerned, vide Vice-Admiral's victory in the Jackson Stakes. . Excuses have, of course, been forthcoming. It is quite Erobable that Peirene was unlucky to be eaten by her stable-mate in the abovenamed event, and that Culprit was not seen at her best this month at AwapunL This, however, does not alter the position. Up to the present the only youngster that has given evidence of exceptional ability is Antagonist, who simply made mincemeat of Vice- Admiral, Orton and Co. in the Middle Park Plate, and he unfortunately i~ affected with a leg. Speaking to me prior to the decision of the Manawatu Stakes, Mr. W. G. Stead , expressed the opinion that Culprit was not quite keyed up, and that she would probably be a better filly at Easter time. That he was right I do not doubt for a moment,- for the filly unquestionably tired after running about four and a half furlongs. This being so, she may be expected to do better on Monday, but it is at least to be doubted whether she will beat/ Peirene as easily as ' she did at Ellerslie, if, indeed, she manages at al] tn account for the Achilles filly, who was unlucky at Ellerslie, and has improved in the interim. Unless Miscount hai again struck form, Orton's task at Ellers. lie^ promises to be an easy one. Miss Winsome, however, may still have to bt reckoned with, and if she should happer to_ be as good 1 a filly as some of hei thick-and-thin admirers would have us believe, she may effect a surprise. Fipal payments for the Great Eastei Handicap were made on Wednesday, anc when the lists were published the onlj notable defections w.ere Full Rate' anc Prim. Los Angelas is evidently to hav< a shot at the seven furlong event, succesi in which would, of course, put him oul of court for the Great Autumn. A thousand - in hand, however, is infinitely preferable to a similar sum hung up i mile and a half distant. Gold Lac< must have a great chance, more es pecially,if the going remains fast. I: it does "not Penates w3T have' to be con sidered. Obsono has recent good fora to recommend him, so too has Sunburnt though personally I cannot help thinking the latter will be* found wanting wher the final pinch comes. It is all verj well to say he came at the right, end a1 Awapuni. 'So in a sense he did. Bul the fact of the matter was both Ortor and- Culprit were beginning to' go up anc down in thd'eame place when he overhauled them,- and he thus appeared tc be putting in a far finer run than he ac tually did. Madam Madcap is; always dangerous, and, as usual, her prospects will largely rest upon the chance of hei getting a clear "run. Chief Lochiel wa* unlucky to lose a good race last November through being galloped on, and even in such company- as he will meet on Monday his success would not come at a surprise. Of the others, My Lawyer, Colleen Mary, and Flambeau appear to have the most admirers. The chief attractions of the Feilding card are the Feilding Cup and the Mangaone Stakes.' John, wno, it is said, will be piloted by W. Young, and Goodwin Park, the latter on the strength of his good showing last month at Wanganui,' are the popular selections for the Cup, the distance oi which may prove beyond the powers ol some of then opponents. Good race though this may be, more interest will, I fancy, be taken in the decision of the, spring event, in which Full Rate and Equitas are due to measure strides. With such awkward customers as Full Rate, True Shot, Irish Rifle, Tigerine, and Ascalon engaged Mr. Cameron will have a difficult task in front of him, and if he succeeds in sending them away on terms he wDI be deserving of all sorts of praise. Birkline was unlucky at Awapuni in that he cannoned into Nyland at the start of the race he contested and §o._got badty placed.- He

will have an opportunity to prove whether the judgment of those who think he should have won is correct in the Waiata Hack Handicap. The form recently shown by both Winchester and Burton suggested that they would be dangerous in future engagements. Stevens is' booked to contest the Orepuki Welter, in which he will meet Contour, who was so unluckily interfered with on the second day at Awapuni. If Irish Eifle should b& reserved for the Halcombe Welter his meeting with Wimmera, Meroze, and the remainder of the big field should result in a fine race. Several speedy one& will be seen out in the Ongo Hack Handicap, including Allurement, Mortite, and Makara. New Zealand will be well represented wppl V^' mee I tißg this and next week. Wooloomooloo and Black Reynard are engaged in the First Hurdle Kace, whilst the Doneaster Handicap held includes Broadsword, Kerlie, Gold Thread, Motoa, Full Sail and Snowfoot. Mr. D. O'Brien's filly Eespect is engaged in the A.J.C. Sires' Produce btakes, m .vhich she will meet Beresina's daughter Borrosov, Gillamating, Cisco. Jewser, and other smart ones. Nominations for the Marlboroueh meeting are due this evening. A glance at the programme for the Wanganui Jockey Club's winter meeting, which has already been published Si these columns, must have been sufficient to convince any one that the West Coast metropolitan club is prepared to move ahead with the times. The Wanganui Steeplechase is endowed to the extent of 500 soys this year, as against 425 soys last winter, and the value of the Grandstand Steeplechase has been increased, from 250 soys to 300 soys. No event on the card is worth less than 100 soys and there can be no doubt that when entries close to-morrow week owners will respond liberally. The aged one-eyed gelding Odor, who surprised everybody by carrying hia* owner into third place in last year's Grand National, and was to have again contested the event last month, met with injuries which necessitated his destruction at Sandown 'Park on 2nd March. He was right in the" van for the Liverpool t Trial Steeplechase about a mile from home, when he broke a fetlock. It seems as if the proposed match between Sal Tasker and Denver Huon may eventuate after all. In reply to D J. Price's latest challenge, "Mr. Frank Geddes, who owns Denver Huon, stated that this horse would not be ready to race a month hence. He forwarded a cheque for £100 to the secretary of the Australian Trotting Club as a deposit or a match, to be decided on Victoria PaTk in three months henae, best two out of three two-mile heats, in harness, with galloping pacemakers. It now reI mams to be seen whether Sal Tasker's connections will agree to ths galloping pacemakers. . c ° Crucinella has not been doing ac well as could be wished recently, and has been, sent up to Heidelberg for a spell. Nominations for the Marlborough autumn' meeting dose this evening.