NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8351, 11 February 1913, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By "The Judge.”) The Nelson Club obtained good_ nominations for the annual meeting at Richmond Park on March 12th and 13th, the trotting events filling particularly well. The Cup is the only event which did not fill well, only six being entered for tho big race. For the four trotting events there are no less than 101 nominations. Passadena, Byron, and Makara have been taken across to New Plymouth by A. Shearsby. All three are reported to be very well, and they should pay their way at the Taranaki meeting. There was some speclfition aa to which horse would head the list in tho Woodville Cup. Mr Henrys has placed Seatoudale in that position, tho Marten. Cup winner being asked to concede alb to Master Laddo and Manawakaha. In the Wellington Cup Master Laddo conceded 71b to Seatondale, but neither finished in the first seven. In the W.R.C. Handicap, one mile and a quarter. Master Laddo gave Seatondale 31b and heat him fairly easily. Subsequently Seatondale won the Summer Handicap under fist 101 b. With. 9st at Woodvillo ho has by no means the best of tho argument. In fact some of the lighter weights such aa Bonnie Boy, Mangaroa. and Distinction will probably be better fancied. The haiwb.capper appears to have cleverly conceahjd the winner, which points to tho fact that a good, race should result. Mr H. Cranney, a popular member of the Sydney ring, is a passenger by the incoming steamer from Sydney on Wednesday. He is on a holiday tour of New Zealand. Mr E. Sievier is reported to havd refused a German offer of A 15.000 for Warlingham. It seems a big price to turn down even for a Cesarevitch winner. Some discussion arose the other day among a group of sporting men as to where the filly foal by lau —Vioelta, who first saw the light on the New Zealand Shipping Company’s liner Remuera, could be said to be bred. As the youngster made her appearance prior to tho steamer reaching Hobart she WfiS actually bred on tho Southern Ocean, in the old sailing ship days any child tom at {ea on an English ship was. I believe, supposed to belong to the parish of St. Marys-le-Bow, London. Could tho filly bo said to be bred there? { The New Zealander Master Dix (Senton Delaval—Miss Dix) won the Flying Handicap at tho Illawarra meeting (N.S.W.) on February 4th. V.R.C. St, Leger first acceptances are: King . Midas, Zoe, Fanfrano, Burrawang, Wolawa, Sheriff Muir, Dromore, Cider. Barios, Duke James. Smart Berry, Hunter Eivor, Careel, doronata, Dona, Beatrix, Malbay, Pistol King, Islam. Bon Ton, Bon Soir, Bon Hove. Tho Messrs Stead’s trio must have been left in through an inadvertence. Tho New Zealand bred Miss Soult (Souit —Lustrous) won the Fourteen-two Handicap at the Victoria Dark races on January 29th. She carried 8.5 and beat a field of twenty. ' First' forfeits for the Newmarket Handicap and Australian Gup are duo this afternoon. oIA valuable consignment of 22 horses arrived in Melbourne from England last week. Included were a three-yoar-old filly by Carbine —Eloise, a half-brother toomuggler, Black Nell, and Chrysippus, a three-year-old colt by Cyllene irom Chryeis. These horses are the property of Air A. E. Cockram, who is establishing a stud in. Victoria. At Calcutta on January 11th Australian bred horses were badly beaten in the iring-Emperor’e Ou pof 39,090r5, and a llfljgs cup presented by King George. There were sixteen runners, including Gunboat 9.8, Kurnell 8.9 and Keerit (late Aborigine) 8.2. Not one of the trio got a place. English Tired horses in Little Slave 8.1, Beokmesser 9.3, Vioto 9.4 and Hilarity 9.2. finishing in that order. The distance was one mile five furlongs 58 yards, and tho time 2min Sisco, so tab chore was no loitering on the trip. Tho beaten division also included Mayfowl 9.13 and Brogue 9.9, the dead-heaters for tho Viceroy's Cup. Little Slave was ridden \by tho English jockey Templeman, who also won the big sprint race, the Metropolitan, of 10,000 rs, on Uto. the same afternoon. In this also English horses filled the three places, the unplaced lot including Black Buck 10.2 and Soultlino 9.7, . Since his return from New Zealand Afr W. A. Blaokler, tho well-known South Australian breeder, has evidently been questioned at length about the impressions he formed of racing and its surroundings in the Dominion. He does not care for the totalisator rule which calls upon tho horses to parade a certain time before the races, and then keeps them at the starting point until tho machine is closed and the various sums invested on the different competitors counted and hoisted. Under such conditions the horses were often kept close upon half an hour waiting on tho track for the race to start. Mr Blackler does not consider that tho totalisators in use were an improvement on that utilised at Victoria Bark, and he was not favourably impressed with the new machine which the Auckland Eacing Club were trying. Two dividends are paid in contests in which six or more horses run, and this, Mr Blackler considers, is rather overdoing that particular system. Tho rule in force at Auckland of coupling horses running in the same ownership appealed to him as a capital idea. THE TAEANAKI CUP. The attention of sportsmen fvill be turned towards New Plymouth to-mor-row. when the old-established Taranaki Jockey Club will make a commencement with what promises to prove a particularly successful reunion. The chief event will, of course, be the Cup. This event was established away back in 1876, and was originally run over a distance of two miles, but in 1890 was reduced to a mile and a half, while in 1908 a further reduction was made to a mile and a quarter. Tire club now offers very little encouragement to the genuine stayer, this being tho chief met on its programme. Tile first two cups were won by Opawa, a fine stayer in his day, who oh the second occasion carried 9st to victory. This stood as a weight record for twenty-five years until that good galloper Battleaxe came on the scene. He won the Cup in 1901 and next year succeeded under 9.2, Joe Gallagher riding Mr Wat-

son’s horse on each occasion. Convoy ocat this in 1904, winning under 9.8. Then came Paritutu’s double win, hut tiiis was eclipsed by that fine mare Lady Medallist, who, with C. Jenkins up, folio .vad up her win in 1910 under Bst by canying the welter impost of 9.11 to yiccory the following year, at the same time making a time record for the race of 2min 7 3-ssec. Last year Lady Menschikoff won from a field of fourteen. In to-morrow's race tho acceptances number seventeen, with Undecided in pride of place. He proved at Huwera that he is right back to form, and even with such a load as 9.5 is certain to be well supported. Dearest is another who may bo expected to make a bold show, as Jib is very fit. She has 31b less than she failed with last year, when the journey proved too far. Mendip is an uncertain liorse, and it is worth mention that he was outside the placed horses last year with tho same weight he will have tomorrow. On his Wellington form Master Laddo may be prominent, while Electrakoff scored at Takapuna, albeit it was a very narrow win. Lady Menschikoff has a pound less than sho won the race with last year, but her form in the interim has been very moderate, and she may not bo at her best. The bold showing made by Con the Shaughraun at Hawera must give him a chance, and of tho others Royal Dragoon and Kauroa are possibilities. Altogether a fine race should be seen.