NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9990, 21 March 1898, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By "Hotspur.") The Victorian sportsman, Mr A. S. Chirnside, has collected at N.wminater Park a very choice lot of brood mares, and he made a particularly happy selection when he secured Zalinski along with the Australian Cup winner, Vengeance, a son of Newminster, as sires for his stud. Mr Stephens, who was with the Auckland Stud Company, ■did some purchasing for Mr Chimside, and .probably had something to do with the -securing of the son of Frailty for Newminster Park. That Zalinski is going to be a stud success results already go to show : and his son Cordite will almost assuredly be winter favourite for the V.R.C. Derby. The highest price at the recent Melbourne yearling sales was that cabled as' obtained for the gelding by Zalinski from Nemesis. Nemesis . being a sisl ter to Vengeance, the youngster is girticularly strong in running -load, rimrose, dam of the other Newminster , Park yearling specially mentioned as sold, is also dam of the Newmarket Handicap winners, Churchill and Wild Rose, and at 250gs her filly by Vengeance should be cheap.

The English racing season opens next week, Tuesday being the day on which the Lincolnshire Handicap will be decided. Knight of the Thistle, whose principal achievement last season was winning the Royal Hunt Cup, ia top weight at 9st 21b. At 51b from the top Merman seems to be well taken care of. Placed lib over the Australian was Voter, who was a high-class Ssrformer in America. Sardis (7st 2lb) was vourite when the betting opened on the race. The Grand National Steeplechase is to be run for on the Friday. The entry was the most numerous since 1876. There were not, however, many new names in tbe list, and the old stagers include Come Away, who won in 1891. He was allotted list. Other past winners engaged were Manifesto, The boarer, Wild Man from Borneo and Father OT-lynn. The two last named are regarded as done, and let in at 10at 111b and lOst 81b respectively will have next to no friends. As was to be expected, last season's winner waa placed in the post of honour, and with all his 12st 71b Manifesto was aa good a favourite as anything in the little betting that was indulged in on the declaration of the weights. E_night of Rhodes, whose recent record has been very good, received 12st 51b. .Che Aintree country is looked upon as too big for the Knight. Daimio, as we know, wul not run. Norton (lOst) in any case seemed a much more likely candidate than the Australian, but it would be too much to expect him to prevail. Speaking of the race, a writer in tbe London Sportsman says :— There is no encouragement to back Norton, though he was a strong favourite last year with 71b more weight to carry, and was not running badly when he was knocked over.

Satisfactory nominations have been received for the Westland Racing Club's Autumn Meeting. The lists contain nearly all the names of those engaged at Greymonth and Reefton, while Petroline is a fresh aspirant not included in the first nominations at the earlier gathering*.

After the first two days at Flemington the estimate in which the haodicapper held 4he leading two-year-olds that were at the gathering is found in the adjustment for the Nursery Handicap, seven furlongs, Bob-dil, Set Uib, wm placed Btt> over

Cordite, who was separate- hy the same difference from Coeos. Ormuz came fourth with 9sfc 21b, 61b over the South Australian Sparta. Victory in the Australian Cup caused Ayrshire to be treated with marked respect in long distance race., and 9sfc 91b was the weight allotted him for the Autumn Handicap, Bundook 9sfc coming next. In 1 the. mile and a quarter handicap Resolute had the welter of 10st Sib put against his name, Paul Pry and The Parisienne, placed next him, having 261b les=i. Rain was falling when the race train, fully freighted, left Christchurch for Little River on Thursday last; and as weather hostilities showed no "signs or abatement during the first part of the journey, people commenced to reconcile themselves to a wet day. The "fates were, however, propitious, for before the valley, near the head of which the Akaroa County Racing Club's course is situated, was reached, the rain had ceased and the afternoon was as fine as could be wished for. The attendance was well up to that ©f previous years, which is equivalent to saying there was a goodly company on hand. Everything passed off most pleasantly and the officials and the club are to be congratulated on the success of the gathering. Mr C. O'Connor, the starter, has to'be complimented on the even manner in which he got the fields away. The number of runners was about the same as at previous meetings, but the sport did not yield any close tussles.

The Hurdle Race was a regular fiasco. Wahu bungled at the trial fence and unshipped his rider, and iv tho race both he and Tramore, which constituted the opposition to Powder Monkey, ran off at the first hurdle and took no further part in the event, the Middleton-trained mare being cantered round to secure the stake. The liistrico Maiden Plate fell to Agreeable, a shapely filly on the small side by _vpremont from, it is said, a sister to Red Cross. Agreeable did not show up in the race until well into the straight, but she smothered everything in the last furlong, winning very easily. Ugly Shot, who on su_'_\.oce beat Lady George for second place, is a "son of Chainshot from a daughter of Alice Grey. Bofh in appearance aud action Ugly Shot takes after his relative Erin-go-Bragh. He was in no sort of trim, having been at harness work up to a couple of weeks before the meeting, and the way he shaped suggests that Sheenan will be able to win a race with him before long. The elements for a good race seemed to be contained in the three that went out for the Cup. It was, however, no sort of contest, the favourite, Stars ho t, having matters all her own way. Both Skirmisher and Marino are regarded as unreliable, but their running at Little River was too bad to be true, and the impressiou created was that they should have made a much better fight of it with the winner, who it is said was the only one supported away from the course. Firefly annexed the Flying Handicap in handsome style. In the first three furlongs Alcestis secured a good break, but the top weight was not bustled to keep with her; the run, however, that Firefly made in the straight, Alcestis was unable to resist. The latter still bears an ugly scar from her Hororata mishap. Powder Monkey scored very easily in the District Welter,, and class told in the Ladies' Bracelet, Colebeck having no difficulty in accounting for the opposition. Colebeck has frequently carried tbe chequered jacket of Sir George Clifford, but until last week he had not finished first past the post. The success of Mrs Latter'a nomination was very popular.

A deal of interest naturally centered in New Zealand racing circles as to the weight Vedette would receive in the A. J.C. Doncaster Handicap. At Bst 21b in a handicap framed on such a high scale as is the milo race at Randwick, the Taranaki Cup winner must be held to be let .in with remarkable leniency, for he is one of tho best milers that has been seen in this colony for along time. Vedette should now almost have reached Sydney. Much depends, of course, xm how he fares from this orifi as to the figure lie will cut in the race. If Vedette is not injuriously affected by the change of climate mid has an uninterrupted preparation at Randwick, he must be hard to beat on April 9th. Resolute has proved himself such a master of weight that, even with lOst lib on his baok, he may go near winning. The distance, more than the weight, is likely to find out the weakness of the Newmarket Handicap winner. Amiable, and her relative, Loch Marie, with 61b less reads better. The Melbourne Cup winner, Gaulus, was over-weighted at 9st 61b, and Mr O'Brien has received no encouragement to keep Rob Ray in Sydney, for at 9st 51b the Derby winner of '95 does not appear to have been" given a reasonable chance. True Blue has only to come back to form to have a great say at 9_t lib, and Wakawatea would not require to be as good as he, once was to carry Bst very prominently. Others in the race that appear to mc nicely weighted are Reaper, Strathroy, Brazen Lad, Precaution, Sailor Boy, and Thrift.

While in the Sydney Cup Battalion was bound to bo placed in the post of honour, he seems to have been asked to make an unreasonable allowance to some of the best of the others. Resolute is not likely to have his engagement continued if Auium trains on. Should Aurum do so and get to the post in proper trim, he should hold the top weight perfectly safe. In the Australian Cup, wherein the difference between Battalion and Aurum was 61b, many think the colt ought to have finished in front of the old horse, and with the extra 41b allowance, to say nothing of improvement, Aurum should have nothing to lear from Battalion at Randwick; and Gaulus was surely left without'" a chance at 9st. Amberite" reads well in with the weight Wallace won under. If more than 41b inferior to Aurum, he will probably be in better case than the St. Albans colt. The Grafter, like his brother Gaulus, would seem very harshly dealt with, and so is Mirella. Mr Hordern's filly it will be seen is, having regard to sexual allowance, made out the equal to Amberite. No doubt Mirella is a really good filly, but on public form she should receive an allowance from the dual Derby and Caulfield Cup winner,. and certainly more than 41b from the champion of the continent. Bundook'has a capit__ chance, and he and the two craok three. year-olds look to mc to hold the key to the position.

Comment is made in several of the London Bporting papers relative to what is considered the lenient treatment of Newhaven in the spring handicaps. And in a line taken through Merman, the Melbourne Cup

winner seems "to be kindly -sed. In the City and Suburban Handicap, about one mile and a quarter, Kilcock was given top weight (9st 41b), after him coming I>lakka (an American horse who in his own country was not considered quite first-class) with Bst 121b, then Newhaven aud Merman with Bst 81b and Bst 71b. If Merman has a chance, what sort of show Newhaven ! For the Chester Cup, the course for which is about two miles and a quarter, Newhaven was allotted 9st or 51b below the top weight, Count Schomberg. Merman has Sst 41b. On this showing, despite the fact of Merman winning the Cesa .witch, that horse is better able to cope with the later importation over a short than a lone distance. The handicaps for the City and Suburban and Chester Cup were framed by different officials ; had they been compileTTby the one person it is probable the difference between the two Australians in the first race would have been greater than in the last. In the mile Jubilee Stakes Merman, Sst 71b, gets a stone from Kilcock, top weight. On the two last days of the month the Marlborough Racing Club will hold its Autumn Meeting, and the nominations for same were taken last week. All the events filled in a satisfactory manner. The most interesting event of the gathering will be the First Hack Challenge Stakes, for which no fewer than twenty-six have made final I payment. The lot comprise two, three, and ' four-year-olds, and there are several really well-bred ones in* the list.

The declaration of the first forfeit for next season's D.J.C. Eclipse Stakes leaves fiftyeight engaged, of whom half-a-dozen are three years old, thirty-one two years old, and twenty - one yearlings. The older division comprises the two Yaldhurst cracks and their stable companion St. Cyr ; the other three are fillies, Bloomer, Sequin and Maybud, and as regards the last named it is hardly probable she will train on. Among the two-year-olds are Conqueror, Nihilist, Dayntree and Hermosa, so that the best of the performers are engaged. Mr Stead has no less than ten in his name, these including the two high-priced colts purchased in January at Wellington Park ; Mr Ormond, with six, being the next best subscriber. When Mr Gollan bought Ebor at the time he was top weight Hurdler in Victoria ■ for £300, it was thought he gave quite enough for him; and when, brought to New Zealand, the gelding came to grief on two or three consecutive occasions that he sported silk, it was considered the .ffawke'a Bay sportsman had made a very bad bargain. Used to galloping over the hurdles in Australia, it waa the more unyielding nature of the timber that caused him to fall here. A very quick jumper, it only required practice for him" to have become as a . fait at hurdling here as he was in Victoria, but after a stay in New Zealand of part of a-season he formed one of the fir..t batch of Mr Gollau's horses to be sent to the old country. The venture was not expected to turn out well; as far, however, as Ebor was concerned it was so in an especial degree. The big Australian was not long in finding his way to the front, and following hurdle successes made his mark over a country. At the end of last season, in fact, he was regarded as having few equals at little steepleohasmg in England. Ebor has turned out one of the most profitable horses Mr Gollan has had. And the big price he has received for him signifies that he is not reckoned to be half done with yet.

Lord Bradford, whose death is announaed by cable, was a leading member of the English Jockey Club, and ne has been fairly successful as an owner. His colours were successfully borne in the Derby by Sir Hugo, in 1892. Probably a better horse than the Derby winner, though he did not. take any of the classic events, was Quicklime, who won a lot of raoes for the late Earl. Quicklime is now a successful sire in America.

Tha two English colts, Obligado, by Oiville, and Benzoin, by Friars Balsam, have been taken in hand by Mason at Yaldhurst. Obligado is a big, powerful colt, bub though heavy-topped seems to have a, capital set of legs. He is a really five youngster, a good chestnut in colour. Obligado, it should be stated, was bred in America and was sent to England for sale. A contented customer, as such a great traveller, .Benzoin is a brown and, though not cast in such proportions as his fellow-voyager, is a symmetrical, well-set youngster, whose appearance is detracted from by a rather plain head with lop ears. I fancy Mason will make something of these colts. St. Cyr has again joined the working brigade at Yaldhurst and is commencing to get into racing trim. Multiform, I should judge, is ready to take his part at any time now. One of the Yaldhurst yearlings, the sister to Gold Medallist, was sent to Elderslie this week. The filly ia} somewhat infirm, having suffered from rheumatism, and is deemed untrainable. She will when her time comes be added to the stud matrons at Mr Reid's establishment. .