NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9794, 18 October 1917, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(Bs "Tohunga.”) Ideal conditions prcvciled resk-rtUv for track work. M ednesdaj being an off day no work of great import was indulged in. G Price galloped two of his team, Nj6tad and Birkcnvale. The cider horse was going the better at the end of half a toilc, run in gOscc. Thvo of Prosser’s team were sent over five furlongs. Goldstram was better than his companion. Gold Soult, in Imm os .. Silver- Tongue, alone, ran a mile m tne good time of Inrin -losco. Demagogue and Greta ran together o'er half a mile in Msec. : Form Up. with a light weight, galloped easily over six furlongs in limn 18scc- , Hendra did a couple of rounds, moving pleasingly. Blaokhoart and Tressida were confined to light tasks. Several tarn-year-olds sprinted over three furlongs and half a milo, but nothing of an outstanding character was developed. B. Nicholls has arrived with Dribble and Tinkler. Both wore out doing easy tasks yesterday morning.

J. H. Prosser’s southern contingent arrive to-day.

Portland Lady jumped three of the big schooling fences in nice style- Tau-.ra is duo to put in an appearance to-day. Elocution took charge o fher diminutive pilot yesterday and galloped a round of the course. She pulled up as though she had enjoyed her self-imposed task.

Several Ricoarton horses arrived by the ferry from Lyttelton yesterday. _ Included in the contingent were Christopher Sly, Brambletye Adjutant, Thames and Indus.

Mr H. Whitney’s team which competed at Knrow and Dunedin returned by the Maori yesterday. The Wellington Racing Club has received excellent acceptances for the spring meeting, and despite the restrictions applied by the management of the people's railways the meeting should bo in every way successful. All that is necessary is fine weather.. The Hack Steeplechase has filled up with ten jumpers, several of them having good performances to their credit. There are twenty-one remaining in the Bimutaka Handicap, of seven furlongs: twenty-seven in the Taita Handicap, of four furlongs, for two-year-olds; twentyone in the main race of the day, the Wellington Handicap, of a mile and a quarter. In this event class is well reE resented, and the public will bo kept usy finding the possible winner. The October Handicap, of five furlongs, has the largest field on the day, no fewer than thirty-two horses being engaged. If the majority of them start some will have to be bracketed on the totalisator. There are nineteen in the mile race, the Wainui Handicap, some good horses being left in. Thirteen accentors appear in the six furlong race, the Shorts Handicap, and they are all pretty smart.

J. McLaughlin’s horses have been withdrawn from the Wellington meeting. They will, in all probability, contest the events for which they aro suited at the Gisborne meeting, which follows the Wellington meeting. Tho horses will go north to-day.

Four New Zealand Cup candidates in John Barleycorn, Rorke’s Drift, Marsa, and Thaddeus are amongst the likely competitors at tho Gore Racing Club’s meeting. Those intended for the Riccarton fixtures will bo sent north soon after fulfilling their southern obligations. In view of the extra cost of getting to Trentham on account of the curtailed railway service, the Racing Club has decided that no charge ho made for entrance to the outside enclosure at Trentham racecourse for the coming meeting.