NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8354, 14 February 1913, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By “The Judge.") After Ms very bold showing on Wednesday it was not surprising to find Patronale made an odds-on favourite for the Grandstand Handicap at Hew Plymouth. The good thing duly came ofi, but it was a close call, as Ineuru ran the winner to a neck. Rationale is in It. Barlow’s stable, and is a roan gelding, by Patronus from Vivandel, a descendant of old Vivandiere, from whom he gets his curious colour. Judging from her most recent showing Ineuru is coming back to form, and may prove a winner at Wanganui. Eleotrakoff was shipped from Auckland for Sydney by the Maheno on Monday. On arrival the MenschikoS gelding will join T. A. Williams's team. The Soult mare Jolie Fille was not sent up to contest the Rotorua Gup. and will not carry silk again until the A.E.C. Easter meeting. B. D. O'Donnell is to bring Culprit up from the south for the Wanganui meeting, while B. Eyeli will take Uxeuhope and Somniform to Wingatui. The three will be the Messrs Stead's only representatives at the two meetings. Byron has been showing steadily improved form of late, and no has at last managed to win a race for Mr Harle. A. J. Shearsby has had the bay son of Martian and Greek Maid looking well for some time, and he is a good finisher. It is surprising the gelding has not done better. Now that he has broken the ice he may carry the black and green colours to victory once more in the near future^ Greatorex, a son of Carbine, leads the winning sires in South Africa for the second time. Seventeen of his progeny won thirty-three races worth J 17030. Nominations for the Manawatu Trotting Club’s annual meeting close with Mr G. F. D. Watson, Palmerston North, at 10 p.m. this evening. Mr Lowry’s champion Bobrikofl, I am told, will not be seen out at the Wanganui meeting. He certainly had his full share of weight in the Cup, but would have been well backed if started. Nominations close with Mr J. E. Gleadow, at 8 o'clock this evening, for all events to be run at the Napier Park Racing Club's autumn meeting (Trial Hack Stakes and Maiden Hack Scurry excepted). The programme is a good one, the stun of. .£2183 being distributed in stakes. The chief events are the Cup, of 400 sovs, 1 mile and a quarter, and the Close Memorial, of 250 sovs, one mile and a distance. Owners who intend running their houses at the Auckland Racing Club’s Easter meeting, are reminded that entries for the A.R.C. Easter Handicap, of 1000 sovs; Bt. George’s Handicap, of 1000 sovs; Autumn Steeplechase, of 300 sovs; and Brighton Hurdles, of 275 sovs. close with Mr J. F. Martland, the secretary, at 9 o’clock this evening. Antoinette, who it is reported has been sold to a Sydney owner for 1000 guineas, coat 300 guineas as a yearling, and, as she has since won just over 3000 guineas in stakes, her owner, “Mr F. iW. Arnold," has not done badly with her. She is a five-year-old mare, by Soult from Miss Annie, and is thus a full sister to Lady Annie and Annette, and a halfsister to Cambrian and Hierarch. Postmistress (the dam of Lucerne and, Luoile), and Columbia, the full sister to Black Northern, have, joined Mr W. Patterson's Motiti Island stud. Waimangu, the Auckland Cup winner of 1910, who went amiss on the eve of the A.R.C. Summer meeting, is all right once more, and will resume work next week. It is said that E. J. Eae may bring down the two-year-old filly Self from Ellerslie to Wanganui for the coming meeting. 'The youngster is by Soult — Elf, and is thus a full sister to the Auckland champion three-year-old, Bleriot. Phosphorus, who won the Maiden Handicap at Rotorua on Wednesday, had been putting in some good work on the Crack of late, and it was quite expected he would pick up a race very soon. He is a brown horse by Wairiki from Spark. The Ngaruawahia Racing Club will hold its annual meeting next Saturday. It is a non-totalisator affair, but good acceptances have been received. That speedy hurdler Prophet is training oh well under J. Choafe’s tuition, and should be quite ready to do his best at Easter. Entrance fees (1 sov) for the Great Easter. Handicap and Great Autumn Handicap, the leading events at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting on March 24th and 25th, are due this evening, and will be received by the secretary, Mr W. H. E. Wanklyn, up to 8 o'clock. The Australian thoroughbred stallion Delenda has been sold for export to India, where he will be used as a sire. Delenda, who was owned until recently by Mr John MoLauriu, of Yarra Yarra Station, in the Biverina, was a r»ood stayer, and his best performance was when he finished second to Pendil in the Australian Cup. He is by San Francisco (now in New Zealand) from Cast Steel (dam of Merton Steel), by Metal from Qoldsbrongh Maid, by Goldsbrough. Referring to the death of the famous American owner and breeder, Mr J. R. Keen©, "Robin Hood" says that, a Londoner by birth, Mr Keene, who was 74 vears of age, went to the States with, his parents in the early fifties, and in time became one of the most daring and successful speculators on Wall street. He soon became an. owner of horses, and at the beginning of the eighties he sent Foxhall to England, and also, 1 think, Don Pulauo, and a few others. As a three-yeap-old, in 1881, Foxhall, who was trained by the late William Day, ran second to Bend Or for the City and Suburban. The winner had in the previous year obtained a sensational victory over Robert the Devil in the Derby, and he was giving no lees than 351 b to Mr Keene’s American-bred son of King Alfonso out of Jamaica. Foxhall then crossed the Channel; and won the Grand Prix do Paris, and in the autumn h© accomplished a greater feat, for he carried off the double of Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, carrying the heavy burden, in the latter race, for a three-year-old, of 9st. In the following year he set the seal on his fame by a victory in the Ascot Gold Cup, for which he was opposed only by the stable companions Petronel and Faugh a Ballagh. The lastnamed held so long a lead, as they came

into the straight, that the writer, who was visiting Ascot for the first time, thought Foxhall would never catch him, but Tom Cannon, sen., on the American, was just equal to the occasion. The Gold Cup thus went to America. In later years Mr Keene had a go for the Derby with Disguise 11., who finished third to Diamond Jubilee. He and the rest of Mr Keene's English string were trained by S. Darling, at Beckhampton until a couple of years ago his horses were placed in the caro of the veteran. J. Butters, at Newmarket. Ona of his most recent winners was Castleton (named after Mr Keene’s famous stud at Lexington, Ky.), who was sold at the December sales for 2300 guineas. In the United States Mr Keene won nearly every big race at one time or other, among the most famous horses bred and owned by him in recent years being Domino, Sysonby, Peter Pan. Superman, and Celt. A.R.C. IMPROVEMENTS. The work of putting the new entrances to the Auckland Racing Club’s course at Ellerslie from Greenlane is being carried out by the club’s own workmen, under the supervision of the caretaker, Mr A. Hill (says ’the Auckland “Star"). The forming of the new roads will necessitate a lot of alteration to the present formation at Ellerslie, and amongst other things will mean the closing of the road nasi the boxes, the latter being shifted to the other side, which will enlarge the saddling paddock by the width of the road. A new carriage paddock and motor garage is to be mads for the use of members, and the sheds erected in these enclosures will be available for scraping sheds for racehorses bn ordinary days. This will do away with the use of the present boxes except on race days. A new crossing -a also to be laid down from the proposed scraping sheds, coming out near the old mile post. The entrances, provide for access to the present picnic grounds under the trees, which space is to be enlarged by taking in the paddock right up to the mile post; there will be separate entrances for racehorses and foot passengers, private entrances for members’ motors and carriages, public entrance for vehicles, and the whole of the traffic will be so arranged that foot passengers will not in any way be interfered with r vehicles. The drives will be magnificently laid out, and the whole fenced by a splendid iron fence, which will be quite in keeping with the rest of the work. Every effort will be made to have the improvements ready in time for the next summer meeting.