NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 128, 2 June 1919, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY "SIR LANCELOT.")

The Winter Sleeting of the Qtaki Maori Racing Club—the last of the flat race meetings in the district —will open to-morrow (King's Birthday), and be concluded on Wednesday. After being inconvenienced by the railway authorities for Eoino time. Wellington patrons^ of tho club will at last have a train service. , To-morrow trains leave at 7.40 and 8.45 a.m., and,leave on the return journey at, <1.20, 4.40, and 5.15 p.m. Tho nineteen horses engaged in the Maiden Flat Race, six furlongs, include .Deacon, who put up a good race with Cotillion at luuhiirenikau. After the easy way he scored at Carterton, backers will probably go solidly for Tnri in the Flying Hack Handicap. Among the lightweights are Friiico Formliy and Tamo Fox ; who may 1)0 expcctucl to improve on his Egmont form. Oaiiji Awn.' is' v class above the other competitor* in tho Taihoa Steeplechase, and his followers consider it is only a matter of his (rotting round safely. The course may suit tho consistent Master Wobstor, "who has a handy weight.Kurapai run second in the Autumn. Steeplechase at, Ellerslic. Marquetour, whoso form at the last three meetings at. which ho has competed has been very consistent, will be • one of tho moat fancied in tho Raukawa Cup. Kilrush Ims been doing good work at Tauhorcuikau, and Trentham has three useful representatives in Battle Song, Rose Pink, and Pacific Slope. Tho going will probably be on the heavy side, in which case it should suit Bagdad. Pretty Bobby will probably be the popular pick in tho Otaki Hack Handicap. Transmission, in receipt of a stono from tho top weight, may be the most difficult to dispose of. Tho Taipua Handicap field could be thinned out without disadvantage. Lady General, Potentiality, and Rawakbre have rocent form to recommend.them. In tils Birthday Welter, seven furlongs, Some Girl, with only 8.12 to carry, may win again. . The well-performed top-weights which competed in tho Great Northern . Hurdles all failed to get in the money. Thrace and Master Lupin,- neither, of whom competed at Wanganui, did best of the 10.7 and over division. Both finished in front of Euripos and Paraoa, place-gettore in the Century, and on this form either of the Auckland placegetters might have had a good chance at Wanganui. Cynic, handicapped within a couple of pounds of the minimum impost, had a big pull in the weights. There was not much merit in his performance, for a horse that had run close up in an Auckland Cup. It wa3 his third appearance in a hurdle race in the Dominion. In the try-out 3at Ellerslie he had done well, -and consequently his supporters on the day had to accept a- short price from the machine. Cynic was bred in Ireland and the run-ner-up (Thrace) in New South Wales. Cynic and Slipstitch were purchased in Ireland by Sir James Carto'.l for Mr. H. D. de Lautour, the Gisbome owner. Both horses won races in the-Dominion last season, Cynic's most important win being in the Te Awamutu Cup. Thia season his best effort was in the Auek land Racing Club Handicap, in which he ran second For a horse that had proved himself a stayer his owner was fortunate in getting him so lightly in such an important jumping race—worth 1050 soys to the winner. Prior to leaving Ireland Cynic won several flat races under welter weights up to three miles, but the stakes were' not large. Cynjc and Slipstitch were both sired by Henry the First, by Melton—Simena, by St. j Simon—Flying Footseps, by Doncaster. ] \ At Avondale last month Cynic ran j second'to Monopole in the Hack Hurdles on the opening day, and on the second day he fell. Tenacious and Bore, place-getterß in the Maiden Steeplechase, are in the Great Northern, to be run to-morrow, | and the first-named does not have to ' carry a penalty. Tenacious is owned and trained by E. J. Rae, who owned and . trained Levanter when ho won his first ! Great Northern, and also rode him- to victory tho following season. Tenacious, an aged gelding by. Gluten —Lady Lila, lias won half-a-dozen races since March. His wins included two steeplechase events at Ohinemuri and one at Thames. In the Autumn Steeplechase at Ellerslie he ran third to Troublesome, to, whom he was conceding 331b. In the Great Northern Troublesome is conceding 41b. At a difference o£ 371b Tenacious should reverse positions with Ilia opponent. With only 101b above the minimum in a weak field excepting Waimai, who is burdened with 12.7, whatever beats Tenacious should win. Comment broke a blood-vessel at Carterton, and is in consequence an unlikely starter at Otaki. It is reported that Mr. Bradford refused a good offer for the Provocation mare/ after she won at Blenheim. Rienzi was in the Otaki Hack Handicap with 7.2, but was not paid up for. He ran a good race at' Carterton, where the going was holding and might have shown up at Otaki. C. Pritchard is taking Matatua, Esperance, and Blighty to the meeting.