NOTES AND COMMENTS

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9242, 21 October 1895, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS

[By Hotspur.]

The principal handicap at the Ohoka Meeting has not filled well, but with the huge entries for the trotting events the nominations are, on the whole, qoite satisfactory. The five in the Ohoka Handicap include ArfHleur and Georscle Sharp, nnd well-known name* in the other races are Spaculator and Foresight. Artilleur ba» jumped up Iα estimation •mcd Plutnptoo, as witness hie being asked to make biff concessions to his opnonentt in the chief race. He may be found equal to winning, but should Georgie Sharp recover form be would ba unable to present her with 101b. The issue will, I take it, lie betwten the p*lt. Speculator is in euch a winning vein just now that ho raaus the boet of the Welter Handicap lot, and in his absence Salvo might be hardest to beat. Culverin should be able to give away the required weigh* in the mile District Ruce, and in the Welter for district horses Van Tromp i> well treated. Foresight and Sfc. John are the pair I like best in the Plying Handicap. Acceptances are due to-night. Bockdove, who. as cabled, has won the Cesarewitch, is Irish bred. Last season she started on eight occasions, winding up by winning the County Welter Handicap, at Manchester. Previously the was victorious in the Easter Plate at the Carragh and the Curragh Ce«arewitch, rua over the Queen's Plate course, one mile six furlongs. As a two-year-old she also won a race at the Curragh. The owner of Rockdove is the gentleman who is now tn routs to New Zealand as arbitrator in the dispute that has arisen between the Government and the Midland Railway Company. The runner-up to Rockrtore out of nine starts last year wa» eucceaiful once, that being in the Salisbury Cup. The third horse, Count Schomberg, only ran once as a two-year-old, finishing second. As was to have been expected, Ravensbury was in the post of honour iv the h\ndleaps for the Cas&rewitch, but. with 9«t Blb, he was only removed by lib from Victor Wild, and in the shorter dUtaoee I races, for which the weights were declared I at the same time, Captain Machell'e horse was in the receipt; of weight. Iα the Cambiidgjihlre Victor Wild, who wae J allotted cop weight, received lOst, Clorane 9at Blb and Bavensbury 9st. The Prince ot Wales' Florizal 11. had Bit 71b. On the same mark as Paris was La Sagesse, winner of the Oaks. Two such highly thought of three-year-olds as Raconteur and Matchmaker had 41 b from the pair, 7st Sib being their apportionment, while ! the Two Thousand Guineas winner. Kirkconnel, was at lib le4s. The runner-up in the Derby, Curzon, and The Owl at 7el 41b were other lightly weighted three-year-olds. If, therefore, at firel i blush Paris seemed to have been let in very lightly it will be seen that a number of performers of merit are below the Australian in the handicap, and his task to win will be no easy one. The Cambridgeshire will be ran for next Wednesday. In the Cesarewitch Stakes the American horse Banquet IL, who was, as has been noted, a great performer in bis own country, received only 6»t 101b, and through him Paris with Bit had none the be«t of It. T. Loatet had crept up to within sixteen of M. Cannon In the winning jockey list on September 6th, the numbers beingCannon 127. Loates 111. Cannon, however, had been idle for some tlmt, having been on a yachting holiday. With St. Hippo an almost sure absentee, hie relative St. Clements takes pride of place in the Prince of Wales' Handicap at the Auckland Second bpring Meeting, and, with Bat 61b, reads to have a capital chance notwithstanding that a mile and a half Is popularly supposed to be beyond his tether. Blarney has commenced to win again, and he is well in with bur, 7at 21b, while If all we hear of H&zelraere be correct that pony should make tilings merry for the opposition when acting under euch a light Impost as 6*t 111b, I have more

> regard for Bombardier over hurdles than at steeplechasio?, and he seems the pick of the top weights iv the jumping race, though if the Qlsborne hone. Royal, takes part I would sooner stand him than anything engaged. Very general regret will ba felt by all who know the Auckland horseman, Joseph Gmllngher, at the news of the accident thatbefel him on Saturday last, whereby he is likely to be invalided for fche rest of the season. It Is not very long since that Gallagher got a crushine fall at Hastings, and a young fellow like him. who is continually crucifying the flesh to keep fr\m making weizht, cannot stand so well ouch severe fall) as ho has been getting. Royal Rose was Rent over as a strong tip for the Toorak Handicap, but the New Zealander does not appear to have been mentioned in the betting and failed to run prominently. The dam of Mostyn, the winner, was imported to South Australia by Sir Thomas Elder, and he. was foaled to E >j?H5h time, his sire beiug by Clairvaux, ii son of Hermit. Mostyn ran prominently several times last Reason, but his only success was in the Goodwood Handicap, tix furlouKS, at the South Australian J.C. Auruma Meeting. The Officer, who captured the Debutant Stakes far Mr S. G. Cook, was, as indicated by his having a penalty, a previous winner. Oα the occasion of hie first success he was described as a very promising colt. Thunder Queen, who was second, halls from Adelaide, and h*3 been highly tried. [A. telepram from Melbourne says that !t<>y*l Rose got hurt in his race.] The Autumn programme nf the Taranaki Jockey Club, shows that considerable additions have been made to the stake money as compared with the 'Ustributlon at the last Autumn Meeting. Che big handicap on the first day has !>een Increased in value by £50, and a like increase has been .nade to the leading event on the second day, and they now «.t*n 1 nt £500 and JE2OO respectively. Pony rnces have been introduced for the first time. There are one of theso on each day, the first taking the place of the Corinthian Handicap, and the second the Shorts. Strowan figures among the entrants for the Poverty Bay Spring Meeting, which takes placa on the 22nd and 23rd inefc. In the Spring Handican he is placed with Froe Lance and ZanelU afc the head of the weights. Sst 121b being against aacli. The Use named, being in form, reads better than the other two and Is probably capable of conceding the weight asked to all the others, Bulldog being a likely one among those with light itnaosca. Amoureux seems the pick of theFiying Handicap lot. If Royal takes to jumping, he should win the Hurdle Rase, and Mozol, if he be taken to Gisborne, may annex the Steeplechase. ChryetaJ, who took part in the last Grand National Steeplochx.se, was kicked by another horse a few days back, and died from the effects of the injury. The golding was the property of Mr J. H. Preiser, Porirua, and was by Voltlgeur— Maori Girl. One of the safest conveyances in the country, he was, if not fitted to compete in some of the fields he raced in, a good horse in second-class company, and his loss will be vary considerable to his owner. Benefited by his racing at Randwick, the giant colt Atlas was able to carry off the Caulneld Stakes, though it would appear be only gut home by enough to swear by, and was lucky to gain the verdict. At tho same time, to be the equal of the New Zaaland-bred H<iva over the nine fnrlonqs of grannd it saying much for his capability. Havoc's position ia the betting points to his owner nob being very sanguine of success, but the proximity of the son of Nordenfeldt at the finish indicates th&t he must be in pretty Rood form, and may be expected to play a prominent part in some of the transactions at Melbourne Cup time. Ripple, the runner-up in the Hurdle Race, would appear to bs a good but unfortunate mare, for she is more often thereabouts than actually in front at the end of her races. However, if she failed, her owuer had the satisfaction of haviag hie colours borne to the front in the Steeplechase. Though the victory of Wallace in the Caulfield Stakes was confidently anticipated, it is very satisfactory to find that the son of Carbine pulled through in such pronounced style. That Wallace is made of some of the real grit of his sire he has repeatedly given proof, and he will now, there Is no doubt, be a very warm favourite for the Derby, and in that race he should come out with flying colours. The surprise of the Guineas race was the poor showing of Challenger, and the stable companion of the winner, it may be taken for granted, must be backward. Mr Wilson previously won the race wlfch Strathmore. A sure sign that the English racing season is on the wane is the receipt of the result of the Middle Park Plate. Tim, the last of the important two-year-old events, is regarded as the test race, and the course, thelaetsix furlongs of the Rowley mile across the fiat at Newmarket, is well calculated to try the speed and stamina of the youngster?. The winner, if engaged in the Derby, usually goes into winter quarters favourite for the blue riband, and of late years those that have followed up success in the Middle Park Plate by scoring at Epsom are Melton, Donovan, Isinglass, and Lad&s» The latest winner of the Plate, St. Frusquin, has been seen in front on several occasions and would be carrying the highest penalty; so would the Prince of Wales* colt, who it will ba seen was separated from the winner by the Duke of Westminster's representative. This filly, Omladina, is not engsged In the Derbj, but both the colU are. These, it will be seen, are both by St. Simon, who, as has been frequently remarked, has not as yet sired a Derby winner.