NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8339, 28 January 1913, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By “ Tho Judge.”)

As tho recent W.11.C. meeting proved a decided success tho club intends to immediately map out a scheme of improvements. It is probable that one of the first works in hand will take tho form of giving increased accommodation at tho totalisator.

It looks as though Mr Troutbeck has a very moderate gelding in Allegory. His reputation has become a burst bubble. In the Consolation Handicap, although with a light weight, the Martian gelding was only ninth favourite of ten runners, and he finished last. There can bo no question that Soldiers’ Chorus is a really good horse if the journey does not extend over a mile. In the City Handicap ho looked hopelessly out of it when rounding the bend, but a marvellous run up the straight put him in second place. He was catching Oladiole at every stride at tho finish, and the horse who can do that ia no duffer. It was somewhat curious to find that in tho Hopeful Stakes on Saturday the six juveniles finished in exactly the same order as their names appeared in tho programme.

Bobrikoff has boon awarded lOsfc in the Egmont Cup, which is the exact weight he had on tho second day at Trentbam, when he declined the engagement. If tho great sou of Finland is sent to Hawera it will mean a big attraction, for tho country racing folk are sure to turn out to see him.

Masterpiece has been made to pay in the Egmont Cup for his win on Saturday, but even now he has been given a good chanoo of scoring should ho decide to gallop in earnest. Yibrationof lato has become irritable and difficult to control. His owner states that tho reason for this has now been discovered. It was duo to an abscess in the head, but this has now burst, and the horse is all right again. It brought abiiut his wthdrawal from all events at the WJI.C. meeting.

The Takapuna Jockey Club’s, summer meeting will commence to-morrow at Devonport. Tho principal event will be tho Takapuna Cup, for which ElectrakoS, who has trained on well since the A.R.C. will probably start favourite. Ho is to bo ridden by J. O’Shea. La Reina, who ran so consistently at tho A.R.O. meeting, has gone on the right way since, and will be well supported in tho Takapuna Cup to-mor-row, despite her heavy weight. The Soult mare can get tho distance, which cannot bo said for all' of those engaged. The truth of the old racing adage, “ horses for courses,” has been again proved in tho case of Monoline. All but one of Monoline’s wins have been registered at Takapuna. She has been given an opportunity to repeat this tomorrow.

J. Buchanan will have tho mount on Waiorewa (Glenapp—Tauhei) in the Stewards’ Handicap at Takapuna tomorrow. Mr Hall’s sprinter is reported to bo very well. It is probable that the St. Clements maro Bow Bells will be sent across to Sydney at tho conclusion of tho Takapuna mooting.

Merry Roe and Tikitapn, a pair o' Auckland two-year-olds, remain in tin Middle Park Plats after declaration o:i the first forfeits, as does the Waikatotrained Soldier. None of them are a! all likely to contest tho Riccarton event.

J. Cliaafo intends bringing Goldsizo down from Auckland to Hawera nexi Thursday. The son of Gluten has beer, going well in his track work. The team which T. Williams too l with him from Auckland to Sydney, and which the cable informed us have ieei landed in good order, consisted of Soultoria, Turbine, Don Quex, Fuss, and Goodwin Sands.

B. Wootton has bought J. B Brewer out of the station on the Lachlan which they previously owned in partnership. When Home Rule (Wairiki —Eaton Lass) won the Hawthorn Hurdles at the V.R.C. meeting on January 18th ho carried 11.7, and got home by half a length. The New Zealander now runs in the colours of Mr E. A. Connelly. Herr G. Ehlers, editor- of “December Sport” (Berlin), has compiled a table showing the comparative positions of the twenty-six chief winning owners in England and on tho Continent. In this the loading winning English owner, Mr T. Pilkington, with a total of 20,8223 sovs, stood only ninth. The list shows that only eight supporters of the English turf have won 10,000 sovs and over, while two others, who race both in England and France, are _ included. The leading winning stud in Europe was the Royal Gradily, with 40,541 sovs. Baron Springer, of Austria-Hungary, was third.

Cardinal Beaufort (says “Sporting Life”) is to be added to tbe list of horses _ recently bought for Australia, the price paid for him being given out as £IOOO. Cardinal Beaufort, who has been bought on behalf of Messrs Moses Brothers, will bo leaving for Australia about the same time as The Nut, who, at the Newmarket sales, was secured on behalf or Hr Hugh R. Denison for SOOgns. This was a wonderful bargain. The day is certain to come when many a man who saw Tho Nut in tho ring will, metaphorically,, kick himself for letting him go at so small a figure. The Nut followed Daily into tho ring, and after the latter had been knocked down to Count Schiebler for 6700gns, most of tho rinssiders were so busy dis-

posing that deal that The Nut was loglectcd. Laky and Tho Nut are mothers, by Ampbion from Lady Heyiun, and are both chestnuts, but there s a substantial difference in tbeir oom.osition. Whereas Lally’s best racing Instance was a mile and a quarter, the Nut was a real good stayer, and ■s a tbrcc-year-old he won over a mile uid a half at Sandown Park in 2min jjsec, and during tho same season over i mile and live furlongs at Hurst Park. Again, tho same season proved that he •vas not deficient in speed by winning Jio Linglieid Park Stakes, getting over -lio mile in Imin 38 4-uscc. Tho Nut is being accompanied on his way out to Australia by sixteen marcs and fillies. Referring; to tho death of Common, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, and St. Leger in 1891, which took place at tho King’s Court Stud, Chelmsford, Essex, on December 17th, “Sporting Life” says:—“ Common, who was by Isonomy out of Thistle, never ran at two years of age, being such a big, awkward, and unfurnished horse that John Porter, who had him under his care at Kingsclero, wisely came to the conclusion that to hurry him would be to spoil him. Ho made his first appearance in public in the Two Thousand Guineas of 1891, but was not generally liked by tbe Newmarket critics, who voted him light in appearance, and, as his connections were non© too sanguine concerning his chance, ho was allowed to start at Gouverneur, being a warm favourite. However, Common won in a canter, and at once naturally became all the rago for the Derby. Tho raw for the Blue Riband of tbe Turf was that year run in drenching rain, but all kinds of going were alike to Common, and be again had no difficulty in winning. !T<. then won tho St. James’ Palace Stakes at Ascot, but in the Eclipse Stakes, at Sandown Park, met with the only defeat of his career, being beaten for speed at the finish of a race that was run top slowly to suit his great staying powers, by both Burefoot and his'old opponent, Gouverneur. However, he won the St. Leger easily, and thus joined tho select list of ‘Triple Crown* heroes. In his first year he ran in the name and colours of the late Lord Alington, but fulfilled his other engagements in those of Sir Frederic Johnstone. He was sold immediately after the race for the St. Leger for £15,000 to the late Sir John Blundell Maple, and tbe latter decided to retire him to the stud at once. His trainer, John Porter, has put it on record that he considered this to be an unwise policy, as he believed that if Common had'been kept in training he would have swept the board of the great cup races the following year, Whilst it seemed decidedly risky to put such a backward horse to stud duties so early as the close of his three-year-old career.” Bo that as it may, Common was comparatively a failure as a stallion.