NEWS AND NOTES.

Conflict broke down last week nnd could not race at Hastings. The bay mare has not been a good proposition for her prenent owner and she may not be trained again. The American-bred inare Kaiserin nnd the English mare Tame Duck are this year to visit Absurd. Crown Star has finished his racing for this season and has hoen sent home to Poraneahau for a spell.

In all probability The Speaker will ba. schooled over hurdles ffria year. A fine big gelding this fellow that should do well over jumps. Blissfulness is now very sour at the barrier and generally he gets oft last in his races. The "West Coast owned Silk Rein and Prince. Ferouz- have been entered for the Ashburton , meeting which takes place next week. , Excellent entries have been received for the Ashbnrton meeting and class is well' represented in all the events. Riccarton stables have contributed wen to the list. Pafestrina will be raced at Ashburton and possibly at Dunedin, after which she will be spelled for the winter. Master Beckwith, who was hurt at the last Waipukurau meeting-, ha3 been taken home to >»*« owner's place and is to be spelled. For some time it was thought tha^ the gelding . had broken his shoulder, but lie has made a good . recovery, and la now quite sound again. *.■..' Gladful' was made favorite for the hurdle race at Hastings on Saturday, as it was reckoned that the soft going would suit him. The alow pace benefited him, but at the finish he was comfortably defeated by Black Art, who gave a> much Tjetter showing than he did at Awapuni, and really never looked like getting beaten. It turns out that the horse was not seen at his best at the Manawatu meeting consequent upon some injuries he received at Feilding which would not allow his trainer to do much work with him. Making his debut as a hurdler at Hastings on Saturday, Mountain Peer did very well, and had he been allowed to stride along with his light weight he might have troubled the winner. They were a poor lot that contested the Longlands Welter at Hastings. On account of his. good showing at Feilding Moreau was a good favorite, but he never looked like Munus. who stripped well and had Roy Reed in the saddle, was well supported on the machine, but a poor third was the best he could do. The Demosthenes gelding does good work on the ti-acks, but he dogs nqt itm up to it in a race. Soldier's Love ran very badly . at Hastings, and her owner is considering sending her to the stud. Kohu ran' quite a good race in the Longlands Welter at Hastings, and he should be a very fit horse by the time he is asked to race over country. Orofino was backed like a certainty, but though she', had every chance she shot up in the straight and could not get a place. She is not right, and has been sent out for the winter. Clandhu had his first race at Hastings, but he would not go near the barrier and was left badly. He is a very promising sort and can gallop well on the track. Evidently Kick Oft* has trained oft, as he was never prominent In the Hawkes Bay Cup. He is to be spelled. Mireusonta was a slightly better favorite than Highland for the Hawkes Bay Stakes, arid though lame in the preliminary he jumped out in front and was not.' headed 'again'. He was. very lame after the race, and will probably be spelled for the rest of the season. H. Hickey would not hear of the defeat of Correspondent in the Hawkes Bay Cup and he broadcasted the news, but as often the case, he was not listened to, and the chestnut, after being badly placed over the first mile, then got loose and won, easily. His backers got a good price. Cambric, for whom it is reported 1300gns Has been refused, will be hunted this season, and on the return of his owner from England he will be raced over steeplechase courses next season. * i ' One trainer, who was himself a crack hurdle jockey in his day, threatened to take the life of a certain rider if he did not let his stirrups down. The rider duly obeyed, but took the stirrQps up again while waiting at the post. Thus do the dictates of fashion triumph over common-sense and experience, s , A message from Berlin, received in London on April 5, records the death' of Ard Patrick, winner of the English Derby in 1902. Ard Patrick died following an unsuccessful experimental Steinach rejuvenation operation upon him. Germany bought Ard Patrick in 1902 as a sire, for the national stud, and the rejuvenation operation was tried owing to the inability of the German Government to buy a firstclass stallion to replace him. The English betting tax proposed Is 10 per cent, on all bets, in addition to the fees for bookmakers' licenses. Colonel G.'E. Wilkinson, who 13 Inspector of Racecourses for the English Jockey Club, and visited Australia some time back, recently toured India. On his return he aaid English courses were better adapted for flrat-cJasa racing than those in that country, and added that as In his opinion the totalisator was not in the best Interests of high-class racing, its Introduction In England should bo resisted. He approved tho licensing of bookmakors, and believed all the roputablo layers would weloorrfo it. In suggesting that the totalizator is a bar to high-clasa sport, Colonel Wilkinson seems to htivo forgotten that French racing— with the totallsator .as a medium of speculation— is not of exactly a low standard, and that England hns its share of. very ordinary meetings. In Germany the Government is making a move towards stopping the publication of French racing ncwa in German papers. It is proposed to bar French racing reports, tips, etc., and for n breach of tho Act — If it passes— n v fine at up to 1,000,000 marks may be imposed. Tho prominent English trainer, P. P. Gilpln, believes that there nre more skilled trainers in England now than at any previous time, notwithstanding in that country, asiin the Dominion.! worshippers of the past are numerous. Relative to this. Gllpln recently wrote as follows in en English paper: "We of lon hoar racegoers spcaklnjj of tho fooil old days ami the remarkable skill possessed by trainers of the past i-ivu'i-timi, but 1 ftin nevertheless convinced that there wore never as many pond trainers In England an there are with us now. During iny association with tho Turf 1 have .seen advance* made in the art of training, particularly in the matter of hygiene — ventilation, drainage, and so on — in feeding, in veterinary science, and also in the treatment of horses on the exercise grounds. Though wo trainers may r.ot have tnntto such a wonderful stride as the jockeys made when they adopted the American seat, 1 think we havo improved on our forerunners, as they, pcrhapu, Improved on theirs. It Is more dlfllcult to become a trainer of racehorses than to enter other professions, nKhouli there to no examination to pass. As a rule trainers learn their nrt from their fathers, although occasionally we see the advent of one who has not obtained his knowledge by inheritance." From tho fnn?jjolns; It will also be seen that the advent of the American peat did no harm to English horsemanship.

The Waipnknrau sportsman, Mr. T. E. Whelch, who has a mania for experimenting with cripples, has leased the black gelding Hetatta, and will jump him later in the season. A very popular win at Hastings on Saturday was that of Kaotane, who carries the colors of Mrs. A. Symes. The gelding was well handled by A. Reed, and comfortably defeated the favorite, Comical, who had R. Reed in , the saddle. After riding on the first day at Hastings, where he won K on Black Art, Alan McDonald returned home to Marton to be on hand for £he opening of the shooting season. The open horses seen out at Hastings were a very good lot, but not much can be said for the hacks. Nominations for all events at the Winter meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club 'close on Friday, May 11, at 6 pan. The Marlborough meeting will conclude to-day. Joy Ride was the public fancy for the Flying at Hastings, and the result was never in doubt. The Gisborne horse won easily, but he seemed to be a bit fortunate, as White Hope was badly left at the peg and then finished, very fast in third place. The pair were split by Civilform, who also finished second last year. The connections of Barrier put big money on their horse in the ' open sprint at Hastings on Saturday, _ but he could not do better than finish fourth. Acceptances for the first day's racing at the Egmont meeting close on Friday of this week at 8 p.m. The meeting will be held on "Wednesday and Thursday next. The accident she^met with at Awapuni has closed the racing career of Taiparu, and she is to go to the stud. Her first consort will be the imported Arrow smith. H. Connop has sent Ambitious to Hastings to be operated on for wind troubles. Vet Brodie used his knife last week. Mr. G. D. Beatson has taken over the old jumper Hereford, and is qualifying him for hunters' races. Coalition is being regularly hunted with the Dannevirke hounds. The old fellow looks very well, and Miss N. Armstrong, who rides him, will no doubt be tempted to enter him for the Hunt Club Cup in July. Mountain Lion has been sold to Mr. Sonny Parker, of Gisborne. The sale v/as effected by Mr. T. S. Roulston, the well-known blood stock agent, of Hastings. Bindlehas been fired, and it is the owner's Intention to have him qualified for hunters' hurdle races. Old Seadown is being pottered about at Woodville, and evidently F. Davis will qualify him again this season. Prior to leaving for England Mr. T. H. Lowry instructed Joe La wry to break in several of his yearlings, and later on F. Davis will take them in hand. No one would begrudge; Deluge his win at Awapuni, for he got to 9st 21b in the handicaps without winning a race. Trespass and Insurrection returned from Sydney last week, and have been turned out for the winter. One of the Australian yearlings purchased by «Mr. W. J. Jorgensen was hurt on the boat, and it is feared that it will be useless for racing purposes. The other youngsters are being trained by J. Sullivan at Woodville'. Mr. F. Armstrong, of Akitlo, has sent two fillies by the imported Crown Imperial 11. from Kaiserin and •* the English-bred Tame Duck to R. Gooseman to prepare for future racing. Mr. T. H. Lowry is considering the idea of mating his \imported mave Symbolism with the Roi Herode horse King. John to English time. He .will then send the progeny to England for sale. Symbolism is a full sister to that great horse Sundrldge, and her foals would sell well in England. While at Hastings last? week F. Davis went to the \ Lowry' stud at Okawa and left Orofino there. He brought back Fingoland and throe yearlings, which he will start work on at once. Davis has made up his mln.i to leave Woodville, and will settle in Auckland, where he will train for Mr. T. H. Lowry and 'Mr. E. Davis. Another attempt is to be made to train the imported Paradise Duck, and she will shortly Join the team controlled by F. 1 Davis. The mare named won as a two-year-old in England.