NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9438, 9 June 1896, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[Bx Hotspur.] Destiny, who won the Birthday Cap in Adelaide last week, though always looked upon as a good one, has not found his way to the front on many occasions. As a two-year-old, after winning the Alma Stakes at the V.A.T.C. meeting, he was successful in the Ascot Vale Stakes at Flemington, in which event Bonnie Scotland attended him home. As a three-year-old, however, Destiny's efforts were altogether fruitless, place money only being earned by him. Lord Grenville, runner up to Destiny, is only a" modiocre performer, and the expectations, formed of Lord Richmond, who finished third, have by no means been realised. Just before the recent South Australian Jockey Club meeting he changed hands at £500. Once again Response has just failed to land a good stake for Mr D. O'Brien. She is unquestionably the most disappointing animal her owner has had in his long experience, always getting within an ace of scoring without actually doing the trick. The Impression was forced on mc that Response shows the white feather in a close ' finish, and all her brilliancy is of no avail should anything be on hand to tackle her when her run is almo3t expended. Her last queror has been like herself, a regular frost, and during the three season's preceding the present one his sole success wa3 in the. Spring Handicap at tho V.R.C. Meeting Avhen Tarcoola won the Cup. The Captain at that time ran in the colours of hilbreeder, Mr S. G. Cook, who had a good opinion of the horse. Disappointed, however, in. a display of his in a race shortly after this in Sydney, Mr Cook parted with The Captain to his present owner. His running on various occasions would imply he is tarred with the same brush of faint hearted ness as Response. Fleur de Lis, a daughter of Maxim, won the Racing Stakes for two-year-old fillies at the Bay district track, San Francisco, on March 24th. She was not greatly fancied, and opened in the betting at 15 to 1. She won easily, and her backers made a big coup. Referring to her victory, the Spirit of the Times says that the Maxim colts and fillies are all hirh class. Mr M. Hobbs is in want of a name for Prime Warden's sister. Pex'haps Prima Buffa (which signifies first female singer in a comic opera), with the merit of .some likeness to the brother's title, might find favour for the filly. To keep in line with another member of the family, however, Sultana would be fitting—a much choicer name than the other indeed. Mutiny and Tiritea as at present arranged will be taken on to Sydney after fulfilling engagements at the North New Zealand Grand National Meeting. Such being the case last year's winner and his newly installed stable companion will not be competitors for the National at Riccarton in August. The Australians have already had a taste of the quality of Mutiny, and in the dearth of good 'chasers both he and Tiritea should do well even although there is little doubt both will be required to race under tidy imposts. Mr Douglas gave the goodly figure of £500 for Tiritea and is presumedly satisfied the best has not yet been seen of the gelding. George Hope goes in charge of the pair and Redmond, who has ridden Tiritea in all his recent engagements, also goes with the horses. . The Karamu stable promises to furnish a strong team for the winter meetinge. Besides Hopeful, Midas, Martyrdom, Forty Winks, and Solitaire are all being schooled over hurdles. The last named is said to be shaping particularly well, taking the obstacles like an old hand. The Australian bred filly is a rare cut for the jumping game, having plenty of size and freedom of action, Midas does not show any great boldness, but is clever. J. Redmond, who has been doing most of the schooling work for the stable, having joined Mr Douglas's establishment, is likely to be replaced by H. Moore, who will doubtless be seen donning the cerise jacket during the jumping season. R. Kingan, whom the fates have been very unkind to of late, had hard luck to lose the Stewards' Stakes at Otaki last week. Mystical was not at all fancied for the race, but Kingan supported hie horse and had the chagrin to find the verdict of "a noee , given against him. It is of course idle to dispute the ruling of the man in the box, but many present we're strongly of opinion that if Mystical's number were not hoisted solus it should have been in conjunction with that of Slaiden.. Mystical would have

returned the few ticket holders close on £200 each. The entries for the Dunedin .Jockey Club's next season's classic events are not quite so numerous a. were received for the races decided this season, the twenty-three in the Dunedin Stakes being one less than the former entry, while there are twenty-six in the Champagne Stakes as against thirty-two. The whole of the nominations are South Island owners, Mr Stead, with three in each race, being the best subscriber. Twenty-nine represents a very fair entry for tbe Taranaki Hack Derby, 1897. Tho list includes a half sister to Irish Twist, and a full sister to Waiuku, and besides these, there are many well bred ones in the number —indeed the majority may be said to be clean bred, and could only by courtesy be called hacks. In England Mr Leopold de Rothschild keeps on piling up his winning account, a cable message last week announcing the success of his filly Goletta in the Breeders' Foal Stakes at the Manchester Whitsuntide Meeting. Goletta is heavily engaged, as are the pair that followed her home. A message from Melbourne states that Erl King lias been purchased on behalf of Mr S. H. Gollan and will be shipped to the Old Country with that gentleman's team now en route to Australia. Erl King is a brown gelding seven years old, and is by The Duke (son of King Cole) from Splendor, a full sister to the well known New South Wales performer Cremome. He has made a good name for himself over sprint courses, as can be judged from the fact that ho carried 9at 121b, top weight, in the last Newmarket Handicap. His victories last season included the Malvern Handicap at the V.A.T.C. Meeting, in which ovent Laundress, who afterwards won the Newmarket, was second ; and the Royal Handicap at the V.R.C. Meeting on May 2.th, wherein he carried 9sb 31b and was attended home by Walma, 9at 3lb, and Hova, 9st 101b. Erl King has plenty of size, and if he takes kindly to jumping, should make a rare good, hurdler. They go in for racing on the same big scale as they do other things at Johannesburg. A friend who has not long since returned from thereabouts 3ends mc along, with a race card of the Johannesburg Turf Club, an extract from a South African newspaper giving an idea of the operations at one of the gatherings held last season. This is what is said :—" £55,000 was expended in SAveepstakes, being an increase of £10,000. The totalisator receipts reached the enormous total of £42,825, compared with £32,000 last meeting, which itself was the record by £9000. Tlie gate money totalled about £3000, beiug far above the previous meetings." My friend, who was present at a couple of the Johannesburg meetings, says that besides the ordinary totalisator, there is one on which you can back a horse for a place. By the way, the Taranaki Jockey Club had a proposal before it in regard to a place totalisator of thi. sort. In addition to machine betting, there are no restrictions placed on bookmakers and, altogether, the amount of wagering that goes on is very great. While the Johannesburg Club possess fine buildings, the course itself, which is right-handed, is rough and the ground very hard. Steeplechasing was tried but was soon.discontinued, as the horses, could not be induced to jump the 3ft 6in sod walls which formed the obstacle.* to be negotiated. In the* weight-for-age scale, horses sired north and south of the line meet on, different terms, while Australian-bred one 3 that comfe under the latter division are penalised 71b. '*■-..■' At the Epsom Spring Meeting on April 21st Mrs Langtry's eh f Amphibia, by Amphion—Blavatsky, won the two-year-old Westminster Plate. Two days later at Sandown Park the Walton Two-year-old Race was taken by Mr Roebuck's eh f Pretty Rose, by Geologist—Rose de Mai, while the Princess of Wales's Handicap at the same meeting was secured by Mr H. McCalmont'sch c Devil-may-Care, one of the runners being the American Eau Gallic. These items are culled from the American papers. Some particulars in regard to another English event, the City and Suburban Handicap, are obtained from the same source. The cable advice in regard to the race to the Australian papers did not agree with that received here. The message to America, however, corresponds with the result as it appeared in New Zealand. In addition to the three placed horses — Worcester B_t 121b, Amandier, Bst 31b, and Hebron Bst lib—the following took part :-— Kirkconnel Bst 101b, Red Heart Bsfc 81b, Wise Virgin Bst 71b, Green Lawn Bst 21b, La Sagesse Bst lib, Indian Queen 7st 101b, Dormouse 7at6ib, Amphidames 7st 31b, Tambour 6sb lllb, Barn Dance 6st 91b, Funny Boot 6st 91b, and St. Noel 6st 61b. Kirkconnel was favourite at 9 to 5, the winner being next in demand at 9 to 2. The nominations for the Melbourne and Caulfleld Cups fall short of those of last season, but are more numerous than the average of late years, the entries for the last few seasons figuring thus :— •92 *93 '9. '95 '96 Melbourne Chip .. 135 129 135 149 138 Caul-eld Oup .. 13? 116 160 154 135 It will be noticed that Bloodshot is engaged in both races, he being the pals horse in

j this colony—and he is now en route io his new home—that has been entered. The I names of several of the N.Z. division in j Sydney are, however, to be found in tlie j entries. Mr O'Brien has Loyalty and Bob j Ray in the V.R.C. ovent, while Mr Gollan'i j Tire is in both events, as is tho Aucklandowned Sabretache. Very few of the orackj I are missing from the lists, but Auraria, the j Flemington heroine of this .eason, is not engaged. Wallace is only in the Melbourne Cup. Hova is, however, in both races, *a& J so aro the pair of two-year-old cracks, Ken-, haven and Coil. For the V.R.C. Grand National Meeting the nominations for the two loading events are very satisfactory. New Zealand k represented by Mutiny and Tiritea, whofigurt in both races. The great Rcdleap is erj. dently not quite done with, aa he has been engaged, the New Zealand bred Dirt; a stable companion, being in tho Steeplechase. Other Maorilanders in the Steeplechase are Tayforth and Mikado 11. The only highclass performer not engaged appears to be Float.r.