THE TURF

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 28, 3 February 1913, Page 2

THE TURF

NOTES AND COMMENTS (By Sir Bedivere.) The attendance at Riccarkm on Satur- ! day, which included His Excellency the Governor and party, was easily a record one for the C.J.C. Summer Meeting. The decision of the Middle Park Plate aroused a lot of interest, and it is safe to say that the event never previously provided such a stirring contest as it did on Saturday. Autumnus stripped in nice order', though several of his admirers would have preferred to see him showing greater miißcular development behind the saddle. His party quite ex* Bected him to so near whining, but utts was afraid of Emperador, who, being in receipt of two allowances, had 18lb tho best of the Weights. Mason did not* greatly fancy Emper&dor's ch&nco, as the gelding vra* only takeri up out of the paddock after the C.J.C. Metropolitan Meeting, and had not prrA-iouely had a gallop in public. Still, provided he jumped away well, and did not run too greenly, Mason was quite prepared to see him shape well. M. Hobbs was, I fancy, | quietly liopeftil, not of Salzburg but of Ogier, who was thought to have improved considerably since he contested the Palmenston North Stakes at Awapuni. Anyway it was a great race, and Emperador put In his claim in the oen« tro at the half distance, and Won all out by half a length. Salzburg was nearly three-quarters of a length further away, a head in front of Salzburg, with whom the honours unquestionably rested. It is most difficult t<> determine the order of running in six-furlong events at Riccarton, for the angles are exceedingly deceptive. Salzburg, however, appeared to lead until flhe distance, and Emperador seemed to be always handy, though the latter's trainer, who was standing at the north end of the grandstand, assures mo that this was not so, and he came from behind. Be this as it may, Nightwatch was, I think, undoubtedly acting as whipper-in until the final bend was made, when he got a lucky opening on the rails, of which his rider, Emerson, quickly took advantage. In completing the Middle Park Plate course m lmin ISsec, Emperador equalled the six-furlong record held conjointly by Ermengarde and Pilgrim's Way, and> albeit he had all the best of the weights, his performance, for a maiden effort; was an impressive one. He is, of course, a remarkably well-bted gelding, his dam. Lady Waywai-d 11., who was imported by the. late G. G. Stead and came out m company with Charlemagne 21., Ringdove, and Perolina, being by Ladas from Y an u» a n own sister to Flying Pox. In point of appearance, he is just a nice enough ( lookihg gelding, standing well on to sixteen hands, and showing good muscular development all round. His quarters ,fall away a bit behind the cro&p, and his chief defects in, front of the saddle are that he is a little spread below the knee and' has weakishlooking, small fetlocks. Nightwatch had all the best of the weights, so far as the two-yenr-old division went, on Saturday, but he registered his best performance to date, and seems quite likely, as I suggested a month or two back, to prove a dangerous customer in the Challenge Stakes. Anna Oarlovna half whipped round and lost fully four or five lengths at the start of the- .Midsummer- - Handicap. Wilson then rode her patiently, and she was Btill last when the home turn was met witlf. She, then set sail, however, and putting in some great work. in the straight, Bhe romped home by a length ahd a -half. It was an attractive effort, and . as she is evidently a good , stayer she must be worth watching in oonnec' tion with any of the big back-end handi' caps. Coroniform ran a great race, and had he been differently handled he must have set Anna C&rlovna a much more difficult task. As it was. however, lie was lying last but one until about five furlongs and a-half from home, when he was taken up fast oh the outside. With three furlongs to go, he was almost on terms with Mutnura, who had been cutting out the running, and -no sooner had the straight been fairly entered than he was allowed to ruh to the front, the result being that when Anna Carlovna swooped down on him inside the distance he was stone cold. Fl.F 1 . E. Jones may, of course, merely have been carrying out instructions, ana if this were bo he^is not, of course, to be blamed, but it certainly seemed like asking for defeat to make bo much use of him. Gnome scarcely looked ready, and finished last. The feature of the Lyttelton Plate was the brilliant ruh put in by tho winner over the last furlong, Zeus is a rather delicate youngster", and Mason has had to be careful with him. In private he has had the advantage over his companions of working without shoes, but he had comfortably accounted for everything he had been sent with up to half iv mile (as far as his trainer dare ask him to go), and it was he rather than his stable-mate Cherubini that was made favourite. Zeus began well, and was in front and apparently going well up to tho distance, when he collapsed badly, and his supporters were quite convinced they had lost their money. Just when tho outlook was" blackest, however, Cherubini came on the scene, saved t)»J situation, and won easily by a length Chembini is an own brother to Soldiei's Chorus, and more should be heard of him. Good odds were laid upon Stardancer'g ability to beat her two opponents in the Post Handicap, and the alleged certainty duly camo off. Not without her backers getting » fright, however. R. W. King, who rode her, allowed Moegiel and Troon to set the pace, and never leaving the railsj he brought the favourite along »b the distance. There was no room to spare and had Moegiel closed in the good thing might easily, have come undone. Fortunately Mosgiel kept a straight course and Sfcardancej; beat him easily by a good head. Whilst in England Mr. A. Boyle purchased two fillies out of selling races, and the pair, which are to go into Derrett's stable, were landed at Port Chalmers on Saturday. One of them named Flower of the West won a selling race at Newmarket. She is two years old and is by Arizona (by Omnium) 'from | Floweier, by Persimmon— Attachment. Ihe other is a three-year-old daughter of Minstead (by Minting) from Knight's Dame. It is pleasing to note that there is still a racing man or two in this country alive to the desirableness of importing fresh blood in the way of young mares rather than young stallions, ahd it is to be hoped that the enterprise shown by Mr. Boyle will be attended with sufficient good fortune to induce other supporters of the Turf to ■follow his example. English-bred marts are badly needed here. Although there were enough ticketsellers employed at Riccarton on Saturday, there was the same old trouble in regard to the payments of dividends, and it was a case of lengthy delays and ■many complaints. Nor wero the notifications as to the amount of the dividends posted nearly so promptly us they should have been, though in this respejet the arrangements were tit least in advance of those suffered last November, ' .. - - __ (

Nominations for the DMinevirke Racing Club's Autumn Meeting are ,th>» on Saturday. '