NOTES AND COMMENTS

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9817, 28 August 1897, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

The last detachment of the visiting force from the North Island to the National meeting departed from Lyttelton on Thursday,. Several at all events of tho big jumpers go into retirement for some time. Dummy will be indulged with a good spell to heal the honourable scars received in the preparation for and contest in his first steeplechase. The Bean fort Steeplechase winner, The Friar, had a big knee before his race, and has still. He is to bo given six months in the paddock. The National winner, Levanter, has thoroughly earned, and will be given, a respite from hard work, and Mutiny is to roam unmolested for some time in his owner's well-grassed Golds. I rather fancy the programme I last week sketched as to the future of Mutiny will be nearer the mark than that which bespoke that the famous little ohestnut had finished his racing career. The programme for the Wanganui Jockey Club's Spring Meeting will be found in the Calendar this week. The bill-of-fare is much the same as that of last season, but the prize for the opening event on each day's card is increased in value. The meeting will mark the running of the Wanganui Derby for the last time, as noxt season the mile and a-half classic race will give place to wliat ie expected will prove a more popular race. The Derby on the picturesque Wanganui conrao has formerly been productive of really good contests ; and the wind-up race, it is to be hoped, will be as interesting as any of those that have gone before. The Wanganui Stakes is the leading item on the second day, and for this a number of the leading handicap performers go out. The probability ie that the New Zealand Cup favourite, Wainku, will this time make, his opening appearance of the season in this race.

Quite a mimber of candidates for the big spring handicaps were among the runners at Tattersall's Club races at Randwick on August 14th. The fact that there was a Tattersall's sweep on the Spring Handicap was no doubt responsible for a field of thirtytwo going to the post. Hindoo (favourite), Toreador, Projectile, and Survivor were among the number. The winner turned up in Woodford, by Newminster, from the Muekec mare Wood Nymph, who scored easily. Another easy win was that of Ainberite in the Hampden Stakes, one mile and a furlong, weight-for-age, with penalties and allowances. The winner and Hopscotch, who was penalised to the extent of 101b, were the beat backed. The great sprinter was done with early in the contest, and the Carbine colt waa followed home by Semiramis and Coil, who had a like penalty to Hopscotch. Delaware, Valiant (also putting up extras), Positano, and El Norte were of the field. It waa Amberite's maiden success, bub he ■will be remembered as the runner-up to Aurum on two occasions in the autumn. The St. Albans champion not being in the A. J.C. Derby, Araberita, who is pronounced the best three-year-old at Randwick, is now favourite for the classic event next month. Tho other winners were Candor, by Splendor, in the Welter Handicap, Mr l>. O'Brien's Volador running third; Blue Vest, by Martini-Henry, in the Tramway Handicap; and Standard, by Lord Lyon, in the August Stakes.

While the Park Stakes and the Racing Club Handicap, nicely endowed as they arc, remain the leading lines at the Napier Park Spring Meeting, the programme for October 12th and 13th, aud which appears iii the Calendar, is ,r ery different from that of la3t season. Instead of formerly seven events forniinsr the day's card, there aie now eight items each day, but the knocking out of the two-year-eld events i 3 the moat striking difference in the present and past programmes. In all £1100 is set down for distribution, which is slightly in excess of the previous stake ofierings.

Though the nominations for the D.J.C Hunt Club Meeting are not over numerous, there are in all the events, save the Maiden Hunters* Steeplechase, quite a sufficiency of entrants, after allowing for a few defections, to produce capital contests. And the gathering will be fraught with interest should the New Zealand Cup aspirants engaged in the Kensington Handicap and Shorts Handicap reach the post. The engagement of Eiu-ocly-don was not looked for; lie cannot be nearly ready to race next month ; still Goodman may give the big gun a run, and if he do, an attraction is at once made for the meeting. The probability is, 1 should think, that the Tasmanian mare, Venus, who, it is said, is being trained at Rivertou, will be a competitor, if only to get the measure of some of the New Zealanaere. Then McGinnes is pretty sure to let us see one or other of hie trio of Cup candidates gallop. The jumper* would seem to be so much of a mocaness that good contests can be looked for. ' it vm the good fencing of Britomarte and

Zonioff that landed them first and second for the Caulfield Grand National, for of the nine other starters eight fell and the other one baulked several time 3. Though the best-backed iti the Steeplechase all failed, several favourites succeeded during the day. One of these was 801 l Metal, wlfo secured the opening event, the hiijrdlc race. Another was Wariika, by Milua, from the Middle Park bred Cypriote, by St George—ldalia, who, running his tirst race as a three-year-old, easily vanquished the opposition in theOnni Purse. Th« companion race, thu Oma I'laie, fell to Mr S. Miller by the aid of Herd, who got the best of the favourite, LYonsUdt, without boing culled upon for any effort. A fancied Melbourne Cup horse in Wait-a-Uit took part in the Malakoft" Staked, one mile and three furlongs, aud was made equal favourite with Treat. The latter fought out the finish with Kosella,by Trenton —Pardon, but succumbed by a neck. Wait-a-Bit ran poorly, and so did Loyalty, who was among the also started division. Malto, the favourite, easily won the Welter Handicap.

The nominations for the South Canterbury meeting, with which the'regular fiat race season <uay be said to begin, are of a satisfactory character, there being a fair number in each and all the events. Included in the lists are several of those engaged in the New Zealand Cup. Timaru has become rather a favoured locality for owners of the South Island contingent in the btg handicap to give their representatives a race, and the meeting of the forces from Riccarton and the Forbury on the neutral ground will be looked forward to. The trotting eveuts, as usual, have drawn big entries, and the class engaged is good. The decision of the Dunedin Jockey Club to for the future eschew trotting, is, I take leave to think, a wise one. Apart from the fact that the admixture of trotting events on the ordinary card is looked upon with disfavour by many of the club's patrons, the extra chances of picking up a stake will tend to inci-ease the number of entrants for moat of the race 3. An owner very often argues, on looking over a programme, that, as it would appear there was only a single race suitable for his horse, he would not enter atall, whereas if there were apparently a couple or three races of like character he would nominate. Last season the D.J.C. gave away in stakes £7095, but as some £200 of this was disbursed in prize 3to trotting events, the club in proposing to devote £7000 in stakes for the present season will be distributing more to racing than formerly.

Although very few Victorian horses have been engaged, the general entries for the A.J.C. SpYing Meeting, which opens on SeptPmbenlllh, are really good. There are fourteen in the Spring Stakes, the mile aud a half weight-for-age race on the first day, these including Battalion, Coil, True Blue, and Hopscotch. The Derby candidates have the New Stakes to themselves on the Metropolitan day, and the absence of Fleet Admiral from the entries would make it appear that there will be no foreign competitors for classic honours. In the Craven Plate Amberite and Burleigh, who may be reckoned the best of the three-year-olds, are down to meet Hopscotch, Battalion, Delaware, and others. Those in tho Randwick Plate, the long distance weight-for-age event ou the last day, are True Blue, Positano, Parrakoet, Projectile, Coil, Metford, Newman, Delaware, King, Holbrook, Rhymer, Ronda, Fucile. Patriot, and Mora.