SPECTATOR'S NOTE BOOK.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9323, 25 January 1896, Page 4

SPECTATOR'S NOTE BOOK.

A correspondent suggests " Eiderdown " as a good name for one of the progeny of Quilt, and remarks that the Eiderdown quilt is the best made. It will be observed, by referring to our Nomenclature column that Mr Jackson has decided upon calling his Quilt —Calamity gelding " Quilting." Writing from Berwick Mr W. Crossan, the well-known trotting horse owner, mentions that so far this season the bot fly has been conspicuous by its absence, and he thinks that, possibly, the sparrows are entitled to the credit. I fancy that the frequent heavy rainfalls during the early spring, which were pretty general throughout the colony, have had more to do with keeping the bot in check than anything else. The pest has certainly not been so largely in evidence in Canterbury this season as formerly, but during the past few weeks, horses at grass have been attacked more than formerly. I have noticed that in parts of the country when the grass begins to dry up, the bots show themselves and torment the horses most, and I should imagine that they will again be found troublesome in the very dry seasons. Mr D. O'Brien informed mc on Monday that the bot fly is practically unknown in New South Wales. In a previous issue I stated that the owners of Anita had a much larger win over that mare than was generally supposed, mentioning that a commission was worked in her favour in Wellington. It turns out j that the surmises of the layers that the mare ! was backed for the ownere is incorrect, as " Mr Burke " denies that Anita was backed j by the stable for more than £10. Anita was such a complete outsider that most people wondered how it was that she did i not pay a much larger dividend. It? has been explained that money was invested I on behalf of miners who had seen the mare race at the Te Aroha and Waihi, but I may add that I know that £15 of the money that was invested with the outside books was wired back to Auckland for investment on the machine. I had good authority for stating that the mare had been well supported ; and, as it now turns out, someone had more confidence in the ability of the daughter of King Quail and Anna than her immediate connections. When writing of the sale of the Wellington Park yearlings, and comparing the prices with last year, I referred to the fact that while some of the highest priced ones had not so far started, others had not shown to real advantage in two-year-old engagements. Since my notes* appeared an English exchange "has come to hand, and in dealing with high-priced yearlings at home it says:— " Exceptionally good as the front rank of the two-year-olds of 1895 are generally allowed to be, the fate of the high-priced yearlings knocked down by the auctioneer during the previous year can hardly be considered encouraging to buyers of young stock." The writer then goes on to show how some of the high priced ones have so far fared in their first year, and the information is certainly instructive. He says ;—At the top of the tree,

as regards price, we find Roquebrune, by St. Simon —St. Marguerite, sold to Sir James Miller for 4,100g5. Roquebrune won the New Stakes at Ascot, value £1,894, by a head from Shaddock, and, having " gone wrong," ha 3 not been out since. Next in order of price comes Father Thames, a bay colt by Hampton—Merry Duchess, who was knocked down to Sir .). Kelk for 2,200g5. Father Thames has, like Roquebrune, only run once, and he finished much nearer last than first in the Middle Park Plate. Of the two "two thousand pounders," Cronstadt, by Galopin—Mimi, and Knight of the Thistle, *by Rosebery—Empress Maud, whilst the last-named colt may do well next season, he was of no U3e to St. Frusquin, with 101b the batter of the weights, in the Dewhurst Plate ; and Cronstadt has not been seen in public. Curfew Chimes, a chestnut filly by Hagioscope—Mosque, who cost M. Lebaudy 1,350g5, has run seven times and is still a maiden, and on form nearly a stone and a half behind Nenemoosha; and Canterbury Pilgrim, a chestnut filly by Tristan, from Pilgrimage, for whom Lord Stanley gave 1,8Q0g3, has not as yet won back the odd "bobs" for that nobleman. Nor has the brown filly by Kendal —Chrysalis, as yet justified the l,Boogs which that gallant warrior, Captain Bewickc, gave for her. Of Eau dOr (1,350g5), Palaverer (1,600g5), Easthorpe (1,400g5), Claros (l,soogsj, Sarchedon (l,000gs), Turnham (1,250g5), St. Ange (1,050g5), and Craig (1,750g5), Claros is in all probability the most worthy, and he has yet to win a race. Bruntwood, a brown colt by Galopin—Maid Marian, cost Sir J. B. Maple 1,150gs as a yearling, and out of ten "tries" has won but one race, his first one, the Fitzwilliam Plate at the Craven Meeting. And he has since " joined the band." In fact, the privately-bred ones have so far carried all before them ; and, bar St. Frusquin, Regret, Omladina, and Persimmon, the fielders are very liberal in their offers aa far as the classic races of 1896 are concerned.