NOTES AND COMMENTS.

1 (By Sir Bediverc.) I

The Epsom Summer Meeting opened this afternoon, when the first important two-year-old race of the season, namely, the Woodcote Stakes, was to be decided. The Derby will be run to-morrow, and unless something may have gono radically amiiss with him in the meantime Sunstar, who won both the Two Thousahd and the Newmarket Stakes, is likely to start a good favourite. The critics appear to be in agreement that this years field will be an unusually weak one. More than one of tho colts 'that showed the best form last year, including Pietri, has unfortunately hocome affected with wind troubles, and another good one in Mushroom, who won the City and Suburban, was, not engaged. In the circumstances tho best of the French candidates appears to have an excellent' opportunity of distinguishing himselfi and it will occasion no great amount of surprise if M. Blanc should at length achiovo liitf great ambition. ' Arrangements were completed come time back for his colt Shetland to bo brought aoross the Channel, and on the strength of an excellent private reputation, the colt was solidly supported last month. Nothing is known of the colt publicly, for owing to having gone slightly amiss, he was not raced laet season. Shetland is a well bred one, however, being by Zinfandel out of Shellduck, a mare bred by the Duke> of Portland in 1002, who, at the sale of Mr. Hugh Owen's stud, was purchased by M. Edmond Blanc for 1550 guineas. Shellduck is by Gallinule out of Brilliana, by Sheen out of Ata> lanta, by Galopin, and was carrying Shetland at the time she was sold. Her dam Brilliana was half-sister to Ayrshire and Flyinc Footstep (granddam of Chevening, William. Rufus, and Henry the First). The Derby course at Epsom resent bles a horseshoe in shape, and provides by far the severest tests of stamina of any course of equal length in the world. Only horses that are well balanced and good both before and behind the saddle are able to satisfactorily negotiate it. On a start being made, the field is faced with a steep ascent, and during the first half-mile the competitors have to climb up something lil^e 150 ft. Then comes a moderately flat stretch, and next a gradual swing to the left, until the fambns^Tattenham Corner is met with. This turn is no sharper than fievseral which horses are accustomed to negotiate'in New Zealand. 'It is, however, met with during a particularly sharp descent, and thereby ' lies its difficulty. Once Bafely round it, the three-year-olds are faced with a straight run in nearly half a mile in length, the last eighty yards of which is slightly up hill. A peculiarity of the course is that the straight lies on the slope of a hill, with the result that a horse racing wide on the outside may be quite 15ft higher up than an opponent on the rails. The saddling paddock lies across $he bottom of the straight, and therein the horses are pulled up. They then return opposite the Jockey Club's stand, but the weighing enclosure is so small that only the thi^e placed horses are allowed to enter it. The others are unsaddled in a square formed in tho straight itself by forty or fifty policemen. Among those who were present at tho Wanganui Meeting was Mr. Wilkin, vice-president' of the Wellington Racing Club. It was just twenty years' siiice Mr. Wilkin had attended a meeting there. '' Rumour has it that the report of the Racing ■ Commission is now ul Wellington, and that its publication may be expected very shortly. It is of far greater consequence to the racing world than any document previously prepared in the Dominion, and one cau only hope the statements to the effect that its contents will soon be made public may tu*n out accurate. In the meantime all racing clubs are on pins and needles, and many are delaying making improvements' to their, courses until they see how they stand. Moreover, the question of next season's. dates must soon be considered but it will be quite futile for the special committee annually set up by the conference to deal with this to commence, its labours until the position is made clear, The acceptances received in connection with the Otaki fixture are of a highly satisfactory nature, ami if the weather conditions should bo in the least favourable, many previous records are likely to be broken. The course is said to be in fine order. J. Cumeron, who 'was so badly kicked 'by Woolloomooloo, has made a good recovery, and when the last mail to hand left Sydney he was in the mountains recuperating. Mr. Middkton Melrose, whose health has been far from good recently, went up to Bendigo this month for the purpose of seeing Advantage contest the Ep^som Plate. Unfortunately, however, ho"became too ill to be present, and thus missed seeing his representative win. "Pilot," of the Sydney Referee, tells, us that the last has been seen on the Turf of one of the worst bargains ever made in Australasia in Golden Slippr. In all, she contested 32 events in Australia, and annexed £757 in prize-money. She is to be mated with Wallace next season. I mentioned last year (says a writer in the Pink 'Un) that the only thing wanted to make tho Grand National trip absolutely perfect was fop the railway company to tip us the winner. They took the hint and did it this year. On the luncheon mgntt on the express trains was & picture of the Liverpool racecoutfte and several horses. The one leading plainly carried the Gl&nsLdo colours, green jacket, yellow sleeves, belt, and' cap. Now, could anyone want a better Up than that? The Hon. J. X D. Ormond will not be represented at the Great Northern fixture, each of his horses that was engaged having been withdrawn. The EUerslie trainer, 0. Coleman. is right out of luck just now. No less uian four of his charges, in North Head, Royal Day, Master Crispin, aad Ben Jon/son,, having gone amiss recently. The last-named has, of course, broken down previously, and it seems probable, therefore, that the last has been seen of him under silk. Corazon was expected to arrive at Ellerslie on Saturday. On reaching New Plymouth on Friday evening, howeypr, rain was falling heavily, and his trainer decidod not to ship him until Mon lay. It transpires (says the Aucitland' Star) that the injuries received by J. Deerey when Ohura fell were more serious than at first anticipated. An examination by Dr. Aubin showed that the collarbone was broken, but Deerey states that he can use the arm, and is hopeful of being in the saddle at the meeting. lfc seems that Paisano was only temporarily under J. Rae's guidance. His trainer', G. Jones, is (sayw the Star) in Auckland^ and is uo\v, eupeiinteading ihe

! preparation of the son of Strowan for tho GttJat Northern Hurdles. Jones was to have taken Contiuuanco to Wangwmi, but owing to the bad weather it was impossible to ship the horse, and tho trip had U> be abandoned.