NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8342, 31 January 1913, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By “ The Judge.”)

The Takapnna meeting will he concluded to-morrow. The acceptances are good in some races and fair in the others, and it looks as though an afternoon’s interesting sport should be provided for the thousands who will flock across Auckland harbour to see it.

The presence of Mr Dowry’s pair, Bobrikoff and Labour Day, as well as Sir George Clifford's trio, Masterpiece, Brown Owl, and Autumnus, at the Egmont meeting will have the effect of greatly stimulating tiio interest in that fixture, which. ' promises to break all previous records for the club. It is anticipated that Bobrikoff will start in tho Hawora Stakes, while Labour Day will run for tho Oup. However, as tho acceptances closo this evening wo shall soon know which event tho great Finland gelding is to contest. At a meeting of tho stewards of # the Wairarapa llacing Club it was decided to carry out minor improvements to tho totalisator house before tho Easter races, with tho object of facilitating the receipt of investments. Tho stewards have under consideration tho reconstruction of the stewards* stand and making extensive alterations to tho totalisator house. Tho alterations to the totalisator aro certainly urgently needed. At tho summer meeting the congestion was very great, and a lot of money was shut out. This meant loss of revenue to tho club, and caused irritation among patrons, who will be glad to learn it is to be avoided in future.

Sanguinary, who won a double at the Trentham meeting, is not in F. Tilley’s stable, as was stated in the race books, but is trained by T. Clark at Awapnni. The latter took charge of the Sylvia Park filly after tho Marion meeting, and has thus made a good start with Mr Toxward’s galloper. A chestnut full-brother to St. Bill, in T. F. Goddard’s stable at Hawera, is described as one of the most hollowbacked animals ever seen on a New Zealand racecourse, being even worse in this respect than was old Ranana. Masterpiece, Brown Owl, and Heatherbrae will carry Sir George Clifford’s colours at Hawera next week for the first time. The Cbokebore team for tho O.J.C.,Meeting will only be a small one.

Peg will not he a starter in the Trial Plate at Riccarton to-morrow, as she can no longer comply with the hack conditions governing the race. The three-year-old filly Stardancer (Martian— Stepdancor) has been doing remarkably well in her track work of late. , The other morning she ran a mile and a quarter in 2min 9 3-ssec, finishing strongly. She will have admirers in her race at Riccarton tomorrow.

Goldsize, the speedy little Gluten gelding in J. Chaafe’s stable, was to have left Auckland for Hawera yesterday. Ho has an engagement in the Flying Handicap, in which he has been by no means ill-treated with 7.3. The King’s Park Handicap at Perth (West Australia) had something of a New Zealaifd flavour about it. Werenda, the winner, is by Wairiki from Leo Delaval, and Miss Alison, the run-ner-up, is by Soult—Miss Nelson. Both were bred in Auckland.

La Reina, who ran second to Jolie Fillo in the Takapuna Cup on Wednesday, occupied a similar position behind Soultoria in the race last year, on which occasion Jolie Fille was in third place. The latter carried a 31b penalty in Wednesday’s race. B. Deeley, C. Emerson, W. Young, and W. Bell, who went up to Auckland to ride at Takapuna on Wednesday, are now on their way to Christchurch. They will bo in the saddle at Riccarton tomorrow.

Anna Carlovna is in capital condition at present, and has been going very freely on the Riccarton track in her training work. She figures in the Midsummer Handicap to-morrow, in which event L. Wilson will have the mount.

M. de Vannoise, a French racing man and owner, recently met his death in a peculiar manner. This was at the railway station of Pont-de-Gennes, where he had gone to fetch a racehorse which had been sent to him from Boulogne. M, de Vannoise was climbing into the box. which was on a siding when two or throe trucks came into collision with it. The door of the box closed on M. de Vannoise’s neck as ho was looking out to see what was the matter, and the frightened horse insido kicked him to death.

Among the juveniles nominated for the Wanganui contests for two-year-olds is Self, the full-sister to the speedy Bleriot. She is owned and trained by E. J. Rae, whose string has been doing very well this season.

Electrakoff was considered by his connections to have a big chance in the Takapuna Cup. His running seems to point to the fact that he is not quite the horse of a season or two back. Kaniki, who might have won a race at Trentham but for a bad stumble, is engaged in the Waipapa Hack Handicap on the opening day at Egmont. Ho seems a promising sort. A fair number of Auckland horses are engaged at the Wanganui meeting. Among them aro La Reina, Domino, Royal Irish, Potoa, Dido, Allegation, Self, Almeida, Watchchain, Kaween, Tiresome, and Manuwera. From Adelaide comes word of the death of tho New Zealand-bred Cyreneo, a mare by Cyrenian from Lady Agnes. She was the property of Dr

A. H- Bennett, and had a foal by the New Zealand sire Obligado. The mare has boon on a visit to the imported horse Pistol, but had returned to her owner’s place before she died. The youngster slio was rearing is three months’ old, and is a full sister to a good performer in OMiganv. Apparently tho ringing-in game is not unknown in France. On December 6th tho French Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of one year’s imprisonment and 2000 francs fine passed on a man named George Casamajor for substituting on© horse for ahother at a race meeting. It also confirmed the sentence passed on his accomplices—namely, six months’ imprisonment and 1000 francs fine on Gage and six mouths’ imprisonment on Autran. In the latter case, however, a fine of 3000 francs which had been imposed was remitted. The case against tho prisoners was that a good English filly was substituted by them for tho indifferent French one named Irene, which had been entered for the Prix Hautie at Maison-Laflitto. Tho English filly won. but the Sport Encouragement Society discovered the trick and refused te award the prize. For several years past Americans have been trying to secure a hybrid from a Grevy zebra stallion and a mare, •but misfortune has attended every effort until last year. Finally artificial impregnation solved the problem, and the result is a hybrid as frisky as a kitten. Tho experimenters have been successful in getting hybrids from a natural crossing of the zebra and donkey, but this is tho first creature from tho Grevy zebra and mare mating that has lived. At tho present time there is every indication that this latest arrival will mature into an animal of splendid conformation. Tho dam is a registered Morgan mare, five years old, bred at the Morgan horse farm in Vermont and sired .by General Gates, and just what they aro getting at is more than can bo guessed.