NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8340, 29 January 1913, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By “ Tho Judge.”)

Lady Menschikoff, who won the last Tarajiaki Cup rather easily with 7.9, figures in this year’s Cup with 11b less in the saddle. She has nob won a race in the interim.

Tho most interesting feature of the O.J.C. meeting should be the Middle Park Plate, ot 600 sovs, six furlongs. At present twenty-one remain in the event, but tho second forfeits on Thursday will greatly reduce this list. Autuinnus and Winning Way represent the best of tho three-year-olds, but in a race of this description one generally prefers a good youngster. This being so, backers are fairly certain to make Mr J. B. Reid’s bay colt Salsburg favourite. This son of Charlemagne lland Armigera won the Nursery Handicap at Trentham in easy fashion, also running his stable companion, Mowbray, to a bead in tho ' Wellington Stakes. The speedy Peroniila is yet in the race, while of tlio other two-year-olds Nightwatch, Immer, am. Fender, appear the best. It look?, as though only a small field will line up at the barrier. L. Wilson has been engaged to pilot tho Messrs Stead’s pair Oxenhope and Somniform at the 0.J.0. meeting on Saturday. Somniform seemed rather backward when competing at Trentham, but it is doubtful if this bay daughtei of Boniform and Dreamer will ever be in anything like the class of her distinguished full-brother Bon Reve. Directly tho last meeting of the Wa nganui Jockey Club was concluded a big scheme of alterations and improvements was put in hand, and this has been pushed on with at full pressure. The main feature is tho extension of the grandstand, which will be twice its former size. No time is being wasted, and it is fully expected that the work will bo concluded in ample time for the Cup meeting on February 27th. Tho Canterbury Jockey Club will hold its summer meeting on Saturday next. It is only a one-day. affair, and as a result it is for tho most part a local gathering. This year, however, tho entries are rather better than usual, and a success should be achieved. Autumnus has been going better of late on the trades at Ricoarton. So far the crack two-year-old of last season has been a failure as a three-year-old, but he may yet earn something towards his keep before many weeks elapse. Marangai was a double winner at tho Bay of Plenty meeting, scoring in both the Shorts Handicap and Publicans’ Purse. He is an aged bay gelding by Sir Saracen—To Orangi, and has been fairly successful getting four wins last season.

Joli© Fillo, who won both the Tauranga Cup and tho Railway Handicap at'the Bay of Plenty meeting is a bay mare by Soult from Merry Maid, by Hotchkiss—Maid of Athol, by Maribyrnong. She was bred by Mr W. Handley. Prior to the W.R.C. meeting nothing was going better on the track than Dearest, and it was somewhat confidently expected that a race would come her way. She failed in both the Cup and Club Handicap, a fifth and a third being tho best she could do. The Soult mare had to be withdrawn from her engagements on the third day on account of one of her legs having filled slightly.

A club which is certain to come to tho front among the country institutions is tho one at To Kuiti. It is in the centre of a very big and thriving district, and there is no opposition nearer than Hamilton in the north and Marton in the south. The club is lucky in having some enthusiastic officials, and that it is popular with owners is shown from tho fact that for tho coming meeting Mr R. Wynyard has had to handicap 151 horses for eight races, an average of almost nineteen per face. The annual meeting wlil be brought off on February 6th, and it is expected that an even greater success will be achieved than was tho case last year. Soltano will have a good chance to build ur> a .big stake record at three years old. The son of Soult figures amongst the entrants for the Australian Jockey Club’s Derby to be run next spring, tho stake attaching to which is £SOOO. Thou he is also engaged in tho Great Northern Guineas and Great Northern Derby. It is authoritatively stated that Lady Medallist will next season be mated with the imported sire St. Savin. This will h© another interesting case of inbreeding to St. Simon, St. Savin being a direct descendant of the celebrated Galopin horse, while Lady Medallist is by St. Alwyne (son of St. Frusquin, by St. Simon). It was Mr Craven’s intention to retire Lady Medallist right away, but sho baa since recovered from the injury she met with in Melbourne, and has gone back to work again at Randwick. THE TAKAPUNA MEETING. To-day is Anniversary Day in Auckland, when the residents of the northern city keep high holiday. Two great) events are always held. One is the Anniversary Regatta, which with the possible exception of the similar function in Sydney, is the biggest affair of its kind south of the line, and the other is the summer meeting of tho Takapnna Jockey Club. This latter function enjoys wonderful popularity, partly owing to the fact that it is' the cheapest racecourse in the Dominion to visit, and that such an excellent view of the sport can be had from the terraces linTE ARO HOTEL, Comer Willis and Dixon streets. W. NIDD, Proprietor. 00-

: .ng the course. .To-day’s gathering promises to be higldy successful, no less ;han 105 horses having been paid up for in tho eight events carded. Domino, I!oyaI Irish, and Almeida are the only withdrawals from the Cup, leaving a useful field of thirteen, among them being La Reina, Semolina, and Tiresome, a trio of Auckland Cup contestants. The first mentioned is expected to run well despite her big weight, but Slcctrakoff is more likely to start favourite. Twenty horses remain in the Forrv Handicap, nineteen in the Stewards,” sixteen each in the Haurald Hurdles and Zealaudia Handicap, and eleven in the Maiden Handicau. AJtovether it looks as though the Takapnna Club is in for an enjoyable meeting, ind with fine weather we shall hear of big totalisator figures, extra accommodation to deal with tho rush having been provided since the last gathering, when the crowd, irritated at the slow paying out of dividends, threw stones atthe building.