IN A NUTSHELL,

— The Auckland Cup candidate Akar&na. is I reported to be amiss. __ ! — Acceptances for the Lake County meeting are due on the 12th inst. — R Derreit has abandoned the role of | boniface of the Riccarton Hotel. — Nominations for the Cromwell Jockey Club's meeting are duo on the 12th inst. — The foalings at the Papakura stud includes seven colts and six fillies by Soult. — Nominations axe due on the 9th inst. for the Paimerston Racing Club's summer meeting. — Excellent acceptances have been received for the Hororata annual meeting, which takes place on the sth inst. — Ikon, who got amongst the winners at Feilding, is a half -sister, by San Fran, to Gold Crest and Gold Crown. — Miranda, a sister to Pretty Polly, was made favourite for the Middle Park Plate, but finished outside of a place. — The English Jockey Lynham has signed a contract to ride in Franco for three years for M. CaillauH at a salary of £2000 a year. , —It is anticipated that the Victoria Racing _Club will make a profit of £10,000 ! over this year's spring meeting at Flemings ton. '• — Merry Fox, a three-year-old son of Flying Fox, who cost 5000 guineas as a yearling, was «old at Newmarket last month for 100 ■ guineas. — .the secretary of the Vincent Jockey Club writes to say that in forwarding the list of I nominations for the New Year Trot the name j of Ferndale was omitted, ! —J. M"Comb, who was injured whilst, rid- ' ing at the Feilding meeting, is much im- j proved, and his condition is not so serious [ as was ait first supposed. ' — Bonny Glen was responsible for an excellent gallop over 12 furlongs at Riccarton on Saturday. The son of Crest is booked to I leave for Aukland this week. j —Mr G. G. Stead's colt Boniform was amongst the visitors to Riccaarton last week, , and has evidently recovered from the mishap ' which fell to his lot when -at Randwick. — Owners are reminded that nominations for the Wyndham Racing Club's meeting are 1 due on Monday, December 16. Several good I prizes are to be found on the programme. — The New Zealand-bred hurdler Lionheart, who raced successfully in Australia last sesv son, has been put into work again, and is now one of the active brigade at Kensington Park. — The name of Master Laddo has been claim>ed for the colt foal half-brother to the New Zealand Cup winner Frisco. As v the name suggests, he is by the" imported horse j Sir Laddo. — The W.A.T.C. (Perth) has adopted a rule by which the stipendiary stewards may, without giving reasons, iorder a jockey to dismount before a race and substitute another in his stead. — Verax had his win made easy in the Dash Handicap on the first day of the Park , meeting by reason of the fact that more ' than one of his opponents began badly when ' moving off the mark. —L. H. Hewitt, who of late has not been too prominent in the saddle in England, earned a success at Haydock Park laat month j when he steered Thunderbolt to victory in the October Handicap. Ik the principal Randwick, Caulfield, and Fleming ton spring meetings 67 races were decided, and the favourite got home on 33 occasions. Only one odds-on chance went under in the number of races named above — The well-known horse Emir has proved valueless as a stallion, and is to >be put into training again. His owner formed a stud "with Emir at the head of affairs, but not one of the mares produced anything to the son of Wallace. — The latest news about the English Derby winner Orby is that it is improbable that he will be raced again. He has no valuable engagements ahead, and this fact will probably influence Mr Croker in putting him to the stud next y«ar. — Nbctuiform 7.8 was last of the unplaced division which followed home Mr S H. Gollan's Tirara (Bill of Portland— Tiraillerie) in the Duke of York Stakes, of 166550v5, one mile and it-quarter, which was decided jusrt before the last mail to hand left England. — The death is reported from West Australia, of Dr J. A. O'Meehan, who was the Tacing partner of the late Mr T. Fenton. They raced Prophecy and other horses, and at the death of Mr Fenton the New Zealandbred filly was purchased by Dr O'Meeban at 1000 guineas. — Horses with reputations which did not ' step up to their aliaged marks on the first day of the Tahuna Park meeting were Too Soon, First Pet, and Bell Metal. The lastnamed went a half (with a mix in) in 2.11 2-5, and stopped to nothing in the last half. —On the first day of the Takapnna meeting 13 bookmakers paid a fee of £15 for the privilege of betting. The machine returns fell off £1697 10s, but as the £195 received from the metallicians represents about £2000 going through the machine the club lost nothing by issuing licenses. — The thoroughbred stallion Quarryman, who was leased from Sir George Clifford by the Hon. George M'Lean, was fatally injured at the Warrington stud on Thursday. It appears that the horse took fright at the thunderstorm which set in, and got badly staked when jumping a fence. — *». starting ■barrier is to be used at Cromwell this year, and the meeting is expected to be of unusual importance owing to the fact that a number of up-country sportsmen have been strengthening their teams with the object of playing a leading ' part at the principal fixtures "out back." > — The attendance at Tahuna Park on Saturday last was one of the best that has ■ ever attended a trotting meeting here. A : large number of country visitors — attracted : by the show — were present, and the ©losing I of the betting offices in town also lent material assistance in filling the enclosures. ■ , — Johnny Reiff, the Yankee horseman who i won the la<st English Derby on Orby, goes to Germany to ride next season. He has lately i done most of hie riding in France, and before deciding to sever with the turf in that coun- i try it is eaid thai he insisted on being i { guaranteed at least £5000 a year in Ger- < I many. i — Equiform and Cunieform, a couple of '. Multiform's, who have hardly paid their oats ' . bill since going to Victoria, are "touched in t ; their wind. The former met with an acci- ' dent as a youngster, and although at one i time he was deemed hopeless for track pur- ; pose 3he has managed to win a small race at • Caulfield. , — The Paimerston Racing Club will hold its summer meeting on January 1. Since the club held its last meeting a track of about seven fnrlonga and a-half has been laid out, and owners who intend patronising the programma whiak Juu kuan. ksued should note

' thai nominations for the principal events close on the 9th inst. — The Victorian. Racing Club received 390 nominations for the two-year-old events decided at its spring meeting, but only 59 youngsters went to the post. '.There are no welters on the programme, and it is evident that .some of the Flemington programmes want revising and less encouragement given to owners to race their youngsters in the spring. —As an incentive to increased business, a Queensland publican recently offered £20, to be divided amongst his customers who could | pick the winning treble — Caiufieid Cup, Victoria Derby, and Melbourne Cup. So good 1 was the judgment of the racy men in that part that no fewer than 156 picked the sueI cessful treble. They received half-a-crown ' each. — The following mares axe amongst those which have visited the well-known horse Pallas this season: — Jane Armour (Casket — Jane Eyre), Jane Eyre (Box — Governess), Lady Somnus (Somnus — Plover), Visionary (Stepniak— Illusion), June (Occident — May;, .Red Peony (St. C±air— Red Ensign), Stormy Petrel, and the Positano — Waiting mate Riviera. — The Tradition gelding Camelot is regarded as one of the most promising 'chasers seen out in Victoria in recent years. Hi a latest win was at the Cauifield November meeting, where he carried 11.5, and won easily over "about two miles" of country in 3.56 J. His dam, Circlet, was 'by King of the > Ring from Loppy, who has a double strain of the Arab closer up in her pedigree. —A, Wellington te.egram states that nine , of the bookmakers sentenced to imprisonment ' recently at Chnatchuxch, and who were first i offenders, have had the remainder of their ' sentences remitted by the Governor. The Hon. J. M'Gowan, Minister of Justice, 'has recommended his Excellency to remit half the sentences of the others who were sentenced at the same time. — A prominent local bookmaker wired the Hon. J. A. Millar in reference to the exorbitant fees which some of the racing clubs | are seeking to impose on. those desirous of , betting at their meetings, and received the I following reply: — "Your telegram to hand. | Have no control over jockey clubs and their fees. Personally think they are making a mistake which will react against them." . — D. King, who has been associated for many years with the well-known trainer, Mr ' H. Goodman, leaves this week for Southland, and will ride Eons and other horses belong- ! ing to Mr Marshall at the forthcoming meetings. King has not obtained many opportunities in the saddle, but it would not be surprising" to- find him catching the judge's eye, as he appears to have improved a good deal in his horsemanship. — The writer asked Mr A. Moes hia opinion of the Gaming and Loteries Act, and the reply received was: '"A splendid thing for the big men, as it gave them a monopoly." Mr Moss then went on to say that it was monstrously unfair that men who could" only afford to make a small book should' be harshly treated by the minor clubs, who were • asking the maximum fee for the privilege of ! betting at their meetings. — A prominent English veterinarian, speaking of ioaiing-boxea, says: "The foaling-box should be a matter calling for the personal inspection of the owner, as it is most difficult to make any person without a scientific training and a disciplined mind believe in the importance of absolute cleanlliness and | antiseptic preparation." Many a promising i foal and brood mare has been ruined by neglect of this requisite. — The latest innovation of the Sydney pony racing clubs is the erection of over- : head signs, with the names attached, to mdi ' cate the exact position in the enclosure occupied by members of th© ring. The regular race-goer has not much trouble in locating his bookmaker when he wins, but to the casual turfite the idea has a lot to recommend it. In some countries, however, the law would be down on the fielders under the signs for betting in a place. —It is easy to tell a horse's character by his nose, according to an army officer. If the profile has a gentle curve and at the same time the ears are pointed and sensitive, the animal may be depended on as being gentle and at the same time high spirited. On the other hand, if the horse has a dent in the middle of his nose it is safe to set him down as treacherous and vicious. A horse with a slight concavity in the profile will be easily scared and needs coaxing, while one that drops his ears is apt to be both lazy and vicious. — Mons. A. Meyrrard, of Carbon Blanc, in the Gironde, recorded in the Revue Generale de Medicine Veterinaire of February, 1903, a remarkable case of longevity in a mare. She was known to have been hunted in 18C4; . the exact date when the was foaled was i not known, but it was believed to have been 1859 or 18G0. As she was hunted in 1864 she could hardly have been leas than four years old. and in 1903, when she would have thus been about 43 years old, she was still in good health. It is worth noticing that she threw a foal in 1895 and apain in 1896. — With a first foal a mare may be so ticklibh under the belly that a:ie will not permit her offspring to euck. This should be watched and overcome or the udder will soon become ' painfully extended, and any approach to it reeented with still greater demonstrations of temper. To overcome such a condition one- man should hold the mare's head by means of a halter and at the same time hold up a front foot, while a second should guide the foal to the teat. The relief experienced by the withdrawal of the milk is succeeded by the establishment cf affectionate relations between the dam and foal. —We have "tipsters" in this country, more's the pity (says an American writer). They have curious experiences, but I don't doubt if many can equal the following: — A lady writes without sending any cash : "Pease put me every day as much money on the favourite as will win 25d01. If it kindly invest enough to win back losses and still to win 2odol. Continue this in every race until a favourite wins, and then stop. A* one favourite is sure to win every day. please mail me the -winnings every night, les3 6dol, which I allow you for commission. Sincerely yours, ." The com-missioner-tipster had not revived at latest reports. _ , —Mr W. Scawen Blunt, some years ago, ■ made a limited but very successful experiment in crossing Arab 3 with Suffolks in order to get carriage horses. The experiment, he aaya, "was undertaken not as a speculation, but in order to get for my own personal U3e carriage horses of a fair size which would do long journey work of 30 and 40 miles a day during my annual driving tours in the south of England. For this purpose I put hal-f a dozen pedigree Suffolk roares to my Arab stallions, with the result that in a few years I obtained the precise animal I wanted, and these have proved co excellent and so untirable that after six seasons driving them I have come to the conclusion that thpy will probably last me the remainder of my driving days." — The imported mar* Stress-, who was brought out in company with Otteiden — the dam of Martian. Sun God, and Boniform. — has at last produced a winner Otterderx produced lLaiti?,n in 1901, but Stresa began by dropping a dead foal. The latt-or mi&aed the

" following year, and in 1908 Equiform came on • the scene. Another miss followed in 1904, and in 1905 she produced a ru'ly to Royal Artillery, which* has been named Ena. Equifonn was a grand-laoking yearling, but met with an accident which prevented him carrying the Yaldhurst colours. He sec-red a ■win recently at Camneld, and is in some quarters regarded as likely to win a good race in the Commonwe»au, but lie may not survive a sona preparation. — The prevalent opinion among horsemen that scent is one of the leading senses of the horse is based on the animal's practice of nosing strange objects. The horse has more curiosity in his composition than most other animals, and will usually "nose" strange aiticles and persons. This habit has inclined many horse tamers and trainers to recommend strong smelling oils or other sub» stances to bo used in taming the animal. Such, means fail of the desired affect, foi as a matter of fact a horse's scent is poor, as is likewise his sense of feeling, the nose being used more for the latter purpose than for smelling. It is well known that the hors« is sensitive to the of one hand when first a-pplied, but is seemingly oblivious ol the other hand being placed upon him. — A famous veterinary surgeon declares that grass beats all the drugs in creation aa a oure for sick horses and mules. Horses should have a few quarts of grass daily, from Bpring until fall, he Bays. The" prevalent notion that it it harmful is idiotic and cruel. Grass to horses is the same as fresh vege* tables and fruit to us. Their craving fo» it proves their need for it. Yet ignorant, unfeeling drivers yank them away from ife as if it were poison instead of the life-giving medicine it is. designed by their Maker for them. When they gnaw the bark of trees or eat leaves it is because they crave grass and can't get it. Millions of bushels o« grass go to waste yearly by the waysids which should be utilised for our noble, faithful, helpless, dumb servant, the horse, thus making him healthy and happy. —r An important decision has been com* to affecting a wide range of visitors to metropolitan racecourses. We understand, Bays • . Melbourne paper! that the registered metro* , politan racing clubs are practically unanimous in deciding to only recognise sudi . badges and tickets as are issued by the clubs themselves. This decision will take effect from January 1, 1908. The principal , object seems to be to clip the wings of tha Victorian Owners' and Trainers' Asscciation, . whose members have had the run of the , courses. Obviously it is intended now ta i ignore the association, whose pretensions ta 1 superiority in matters of turf administration have on occasions proved extremely irritat* ! ing to the clubs. Recent pronounced hos- • tility on the part of leading spokesmen of i the association has widened the breach and • generally aggravated the situation. i —When the last mail left England Galli* ' nule still held a strong lead at the head of > the list of English winning stallions, with) [ 22 wins, worth £19,993, to which his well* ; performed sons Slieve Gallion and White) Eagl» contributed JE7705 and X 7671 respectively. L»lly and Acclaim, the best of the defunct Amphion's progeny, have earned £15,070 towards his total of £17,313, which places him next to Gallinule ; while the sue* cesses of The White Knight, Sir Archibald, Land League, and* Mara have materially) assisted in piecing the St. Simon hora« Desmond in third position with 41 wins for £17,305. Then in order follow:— Orme, 14JI, wins, for £15,842; St. Frusquin, 32 wins, f0r£15,777; Martagon, 26 wins, for £14,674; Diamond Jubilee, 10J wins, for £13,608; Per* simmon, 22J wins, for £10,727; and Cylleney 20J wins, for £10,172. — Nightfall, like her full brother Noctu:< form, has proved a perfect failure in England* At the Leicester October meeting the daughter of Multiform was made a warm favourite fo* the Apprentices' Plate, of lOOsovs, w.f.a., on«f mile and a-half, but she could only geti a bad second in a field of three. Referring to her display the Sportsman says: — "The! conditions of the Apprentices' Plate were sucbt that although a six-year-old, with a brillianti Australian record, her weight was only 7.9 v and it was naturally deemed sensible to lev her have a gallop in public for lOOsovs rather than send her to do the same gallop on her own downs for nothing. A first-olas» apprentice like Greening was qualified to ride, andt defeat was a thing- which did not enter into i the calculations of anyone connected with her* j She was not only beaten, but beaten badly* and so far us could be seen no excuse of any sort could be adduced."- — Equiform, a handsome son of Multiform and the imported Orvieta mare Stre3«, won his maiden race at the Caulfield November meeting which was held on November 16, - He defeated 10 others over six furlongs, but the quality of the beaten division was noK i very high. Equiform was bred by Mr G. G-j I Stead, and his dam (Stress.) was got by^ Orvieta from a St. Simon mare. He was a particularly attractive-looking yearling, butt, , it is understood that he injured his back , when in training and never carried the wellknown yellow and black. Equiform was soldi cheaply by his breeder to Mr T. Shoehan, and was subsequently resold by the' latter iaC an Australian buyer who was on the lookouiij foT a stallion or two. Evidently the son o£ Stresa is sound, as he prefaced his win by at fair Amount on the track, but failed sever*,* times under silk prior to his recent win. — Apologue's form in Wew Zealand prior i<< being shipped to Australia has been tmiver-j sally marked down as nA as it could he} '■ One prominent Australian writer states thati j the sort of Phoebus Apollo was one of tha worat public performers that ever won at Melbourne Cup. That may be co, but itf would be more sensible to have characterised 1 Apologue as more of a rod in pickle than! , anything else, or at least as a horse Ihstf j required an enormous amount of developing I.'1 .' . It should be borne in mind that, despite hlsT indifferent form in this country, those who* knew most about him were content to pajC JDOOO guineas when he was last undeT tha hammer in this country. It is unusual toi pay such a figure for a duffer, and aite* going to Australia he was backed to win tidy sum as the second leg of <*ne two CupsThis could hardly have been all lucky guesswork. , — In Sydney recently there has been kj • much controversy in racing circles anenf ' "whistling" and its causes that when it was announced Mr B. B. Loel, M M.C.V.S . would deliver an address on the subject at Tatteratd\'e Club rooms (says »n exchange) a majority of our leading trainers put in an appearance. 'Mr Loel was able to giro prartical demonstration, as he ctLin& armed with a horse's larynx, and to put it hriefly showed that whistling wa? the outcome of _ atrophy of the nniscles acting on the aretynoid cartilage? In the majority of cases the muscles on the ''eft «=id© wore affected, and when they atrophied, the cartilage, instead of dilating ■with the horee's inspiration, was drawn into (he epiglottis, thereby producing the noise" known as "whistling," and at the same time 1 causing the horse to "choke up." Mr Loel explained that a cure was possible in the "whistling" stage before the structural change was effected, but. not after. The predisposing causes of "roaring" were climatio influences and heredity, and big horses were always mor« liable to be affected than smaller

poer. Badly-ventilated stables assisted to develop tha trouble. r-A Melbourne writer, in referring to that game old battler Proceeder, who took part an his 103 rd race on November 9, when ha won the V.R.C. Handicap, and ran the mile •nd three-quarters in the exceedingly good time of 3min 3sec, says it is a splendid advertisement for the opponents of early zasing. The old gelding, xho was bred in 1897 by Mr James Wilson, did not carry silk at either two or three years old, and prior to his appearance on a racecourse he was broken in to harness, and driven about Ceelong in his owner's buggy. Being purchased for 14BOT8 by Mr J. Syke» in the ■aleyards, Proceeder inaugurated his racing career with a win in a hack race at Mount Moriac, a very small township a little distance out from Geelong. Since then Proceeder, who subsequently was bought by Bis present owner, Mr W. H. Jones, for 125sovs, has won a number of valuable and important races, including the Hobart Cup in 1904, tha V.A.T.C. Bond Cup (Marmont came in first, tut, was disqualified), the Ballarat Summer Cup, and a number of other "cups" at country meetings. One of his most meritorious performances, however", was his close second t0,. -Tartan in the Champion Stakes of 1906, when he was beaten by only » short head, arid but for a stumble in the last 50 yards he might possibly have won. Prior to Melbourne Cup Apologue's *iirf history was a chapter of disappointments, and, to put it "bluntly, he is probably the worst Cup winner, on. form, since Zulu, though Acrasia had little to recommend her. on this score. Though belonging to a good family, few of Apologue's female line this side of the fourth remove have stayed a distance. The only one I can call to mind (says Milroy) at the moment is Lord Ullin's Daughter, who won the Australian Cup. Hova, -»ne of the breed, was undoubtedly a great racehorse, and about the best weight-for-age animal of his time, but he failed with 4lb under weight for age in the Ma! bourne Cup to beat Auraria. who carried 31b over her weight for age. Apologue's half-sister, GladKiait, bad few superiors up to m. mile »n<3 a.quarter, but after that she went to pieces if the pace was at all lively. Another relation, Air Motor, could gallop a mile very smartly, hut did not care for much over that distance. The English history of Apologue's family this side of Midia (the grand-dam of Atlantis) is on a par with the Australian. If it were -not for an indifferent head, badly put on a rather cocked-up neck. Apologue would have beaten them all. for he has size and style, and is a splendid horse from the Sfront of the shoulder back. The head, however, lacks character, and, as before-men-tioned, is badly put on. — The Gamjng and Lotteries 1 Amendment Act has been s fruitful source of argument, conversation, and mild consternation amongst the local fielders, who have, during the past few days, been standing in conspicuous knots discussing the matter from their various points of view. The mild consternation comes in because after the passing of the now famous "bookmakers clause" it was generally ■ supposed that the fielders were at last going to walk along the sunny side of easy street, but although that may come it is not yet awhile. Between whiles wires- have been sent to the Prime Minister and others containing messages of grievance against the racing clubs on account of the exorbitant fees which ' the latter are desirous of charging for the privilege of betting. And once it occurred to the metallicians that it would be an excellent idea to get legal advice on the matter. A "tarpauling muster" was at once made- on the spot, and as the coins were being collected from the members of the group a "limb -of the law," who had' been atanding by in the ambush of a verandah post, darted up, and with a display of more aliapioion than discretion, demanded that the fielders should "stop that betting, or, or," etc. Fortunately the "man in the street." who was also watching proceedings, explained matters to the constable, and the latter, mildly chagrined at the result of his zeal, ' retired to mentally chastise himself. —An English writer, in commenting on the sale of Xeny, who has been purchased by an Australian studmaster. says:— "The loss of Xeny to the Home breeders is to be lamented, chiefly because he was a representative of the Herod family, which so badly need* building up in this country. It is to hf feared that little will be done in this direction until some disinterested! person deliberately cuts himself adrift from the fashion of the moment and sets to work methodically and steadfastly to revive the strains of blood which have done so much towards placing the thoroughbred on the sound basis on which it rests in France. Eclipse will, of course, always be first, but it is highly desirable that that prolific and brilliant family should not be fostered to the utter neglect of the -descendants of Herod and Matchem. The latter family is, of course, in even a worse plight than that which traces feack to the Byerley Turk. We are. however, justified in building high hopes in Bachelor's Button, who has started stud life with such aplendid opnortunities. thanks to the unbounded faith which Mr Sol Joel has in his possibilities as a sire. We who are interested in the breeding Bide of racing, and in many ways it is the more fascinating side, shall follow the career of Xeny at the antipodes with very great interests One of these days our Australian brethren will, maybe. senJ come of his stock baok to the Mother Country just to convince us that we made a big blunder ■when we allowed him to leave our shores." —At the annual social of the Victorian Owners and Trainers' Association, held in Melbourne durine the recent Cup week, the Chairman, Mr W. Reid, deplored the condition of horse-breeding in Victoria, and quted figures to show that 20 years a?o there were more thoroughbred mares in Victoria than in New South Wales, but now the latter State more than doubles her southern sister an the ownership of thoroughbred mares, having some 1600 to show on the Stud Book. Mr Reid also stated that a large number of unsound stallions were being imported to Australia, and suggested that the Government should take control, and prevent the landing of any physically unsound horse from abroad. *ud in this he was supported by Mr Denison. Sn referring to the remarks of Messrs Reid and- Denison, "Milroy," of the Sydney Mail, says: — "These worthy gentlemen were very sincere in what they advanced, but they evidently missed the fact that a thoroughbred can hardly come under the text-book .Tiles of a veterinary surgeon, especially a Government veterinary surgeon. If the strinpent regulations suggested by these gentlemen had been in force for tha last 25 years, Australia would not hay« known Bill of Portland, Graf ton, Loohiol, Carbine, and a few others I could name if so disposed. Mr Reid mentioned 'roaring' as tha main trouble. This would have put Bill of Portland and Grafton cut of court, while 'it might be mentioned that Stockwell, the greatest stallion"* known in history, was a roarer, and the son of a roarer. The dams of Lochiel and Carbi ne were physically unsound in wind and limb, and were the veriest culls, as were the dams of many other gTeat horses in history. It is not possible to clist in^uish with the iakecl eye more than 3000 stars.