NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10042, 21 May 1898, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(Br "Hotspub.") The Newmarket Stakes has come to be regarded as a surer guide to the Derby than is the Two Thousand. The winner of the race this time, however, is not engaged at Epsom, and the fact that Oyllene had not been nominated for the Derby was deplored when the colt was running with marked success as a two-year-old. In his five essays last season he won each time save the last, that being in the Imperial Produce o'takes at Kempton Park, in which, conceding 101b, he was just beaten in a big field by Dieudonne. Cyllene'a chief success was i n the rich National Breed ers' Produce Stakes at Sandown. Bonavista, the sire of Cyllene, who was sold last year to go into one of the continental studs, won the Two Thousand Guineas in 1892. He is by Bend Or, and a half brother to the Derby winner, Sir Visto. Heir Male, the second in the Newmarket Stakes, started nine times as a two-year-old, winning twice, his successes being in unimportant events. He is in the Derby, and so is The Virginian, the other place-getter behind Cylleae, and who did not run last season. The Newmarket Handicap is one of the few events at the Newmarket Second Spring Meeting open to performers of all ages. Mermae ran in this race last year but had not, at that time, become acclimatised, and made no show behind Bradwardine. Mr Jersey's representative has done better this time, and in gaining second berth Maluina has gjiven the first glimpse of her true form since she has been in England. Judging by his record, however, Jacquemart should not be hard to beat. Last season he started by winning, but his eight subsequent essays were resaltless, and he had nothing much in the way of weight to put np. If she should come back to her Australian Newmarket Handicap form, Maluma, I doubt not, would be able to account for her last week's conqueror at the weights on which they would have to meet. The Epsom Meeting opens on the Queen's Birthday, and the Derby will be the next English race the result of which will be cabled. The all-important event comes off on Wednesday, the 25th. The first two in the Two Thousand, who are in the Derby, were also engaged in the Newmarket Stakes. It will likely be found they forfeited the Stakes engagement and are being held in reserve for the coveted Derby prize. This inference I think may be drawn, in that, although Cyllene might reasonably be taken to beat both Disraeli and Wantage, it would be a surprise for Heir Male to be found capable of in front of them. The Derby has been looked upon as a particularly open race, and it is hardly likely that the Two Thousand running would greatly influence the betting in favour of Disraeli, as several of last season's more prominent youngsters -would not have been in opposition on Guineas day, but can be expected to be on hand at Epsom. bir Rupert Clarke has not had long to wait to see his colours carried to the front in an important race. When at the conclusion of the Tictorian spring campaign the young baronet ventured 60Ogs for Paul Pry, it was supposed he gave full value for the son of I/ocbiel, who was a thoroughly exposed performer, The gilding, however, in oaf taring

the Adelaide Cup, has proved his worth. Paul Pry was only just beaten for the Onkaparinga Cap on Easter Monday, and, according to mosb authorities, he would have succeeded under judicious handling. Aβ events have proved, th o Onkaparinga reverse was, in all probability, a fortunate one, seeing that Gnullo, who won, had her weight for the AdoJaide Cup raised 71bs and was the one to attend Paul Pry home. It is reasonable then to suppose that, had the St. Swithin mare been unpenalieed and the extras been earued by Paul Pry, they would have finished in the reverse order. After Onkaparinga, Sir Rupert Clarke's gelding was most iv favour for the race he has won, but his position as favourite wa3 latterly threatened by Fleet Admiral, who under Hickenbotham's care wa3 reckoned to have come back to about his best form. The victory of Paul Pry makes Lochiel's position at the head of the winning aires in Australia for the season assured. The profit accrning over the Riverton Racing Club's meeting on Easter Monday reached upwards of £100, and this sum has to be added 10 the goodly balance the club has for some time possessed. How the club is going to dispose of its accumulated revenue is a question the members should come to some conclusion about. The profits of a sporting institution are not supposed to be hoarded up, and if the Riverton Club is satisfied with the present course and accommodation, an increase in the stake offerings is imperative. There has been an idea prevalent among leading members of the club that, if a departure were made from the present lines of prize giving, the result would be that one or two performers, from Dunedin or other outside place, of better class than the local contingent would enter the lists and "scoop the pool." The supposed protection to the district horses has proved fallacious, seeing that on the last two anniversaries of the meeting a Dunedin visiting owner virtually swept the board of the tiat events. And there is no fear, even if the Rivevton steeplechase were made three times its present value, of the Mutinys and Levanters beiDg sent to spoil the fun. Somewhat of a deadlock seems to have arisen over the Lobo appeal case. The Dunedin Jockey Club is disinclined to agree to the hearing of the case before the higher tribunal, the ground being that, as it was on a question of fact.that Lobo was disqualified, no appeal lies. Apart from the vexed question as to whether appeals should be permitted on any or all grounds, it strikes mc that the point on which Lobo was disqualified was not a fact within the meaning of the rules barring an appeal. Such would be, did a horse run inside a post, or did one competitor cross another. It was merely a question of inconsistency as regards Lobo, and the fact of the horse having shown inconsistency was not for a moment denied by his owner. It is then the deduction from the fact on which the appeal rests. But I should ha,ve thought, even if the appeal were not quite in order, that the D.J.C. would have waived any objection, and sought to have the fullest light thrown into the case. The other case arising out of the hurdle races at Dunedin has had a mosb unsatisfactory ending. The finding has been to exculpate the owner of Ned Kelly from any complicity in the in-and-out running of the horse, and yet he has not been awarded the stako Ned Kelly won. Backers of that horse, of course, lost their investmente the day of the race, the totalisator money being paid out on the course to ticket-holders on the second horse. But if Ned Kelly's owner was held to have run his horse honestly, he is rightly entitled to the race he won. In view of the sale of Galtee More to the Russian Government, the cable announcing same appearing in Monday's papers, the following extract from the notes of the "Special Commissioner" of the London "Sportsman," in the latest date to hand of that paper, is interesting:-—"The other day I had occasion to go to Beckhampton again, and my Russian friend could not make up his mind to return home without paying a second visit to this establishment and having a parting look at Kilcock and Galtee More. This desire on his part was very kindly gratified. He admired Kilcock immensely—who could help doing so?—and he also had some fancy for Shaddock; but Galtee More fairly carried him by storm. 'Ah!' said he, after gazing at him from all possible points of view, 'it is not difficult to say which is the best horse here. We shall find no better horse than this anyWJiere.' And indeed he spoke the truth, for 'Galtee' was looking better than I have ever seen ,b,im, having developed muscle and power to a surprising degree since my last visit. - He could not possibly be doing better, and good as he was last year I believe he will be relatively a better horse this year." More than likely it was the result of the visit noted that brought about the sale of the "triple crown" hero to go to the Continent. Air Gubbins had many tempting offers for his colt last year, but that was while he had still several of his three-year-old engagements unfulfilled. , With no engagements of value this season, the £25,000 which has been given for the Irish colt represents a splendid sale. Save the price paid for Ormonde, it is the biggest figure I fancy ever given for a stud horse—for More's racing qualities are not again likely to be tested. Galtee More only met with two defeats during his racing career, once as a two-year-old, and when not himself he was started with a prohibitive weight in the Cambridgeshire Stakes. Mr Gubbins has a full brother to Galtee More at the stud.

For the Lancashire Handicap Steeplechase run for on Easter Monday, two days after the last London dates to hand, Mr Gollan had Galway engaged at lOst 71b. The two top weights were Manifesto and Knight of Rhodes (the latter trained in the same stable as Galway) at 12st 71b each, and the National winner, Drogheda, came next a<; 12st. Kmmalea was handicapped at the minimum, 9st 71b, but the contest for her and for Manifesto was declined. The race was for £2000, and the distance three miles and a half. The Possible was entered for the Jubilee Hurdle Race at the meeting, but at lOst 6lb was not accepted for. The nominations for the next Northern Champagne Stakes number thirty-nine. This is not a big entry, but it is a satisfactory one, inasmuch as there are twenty-three different subscribers. St. Peter, the brother to St. Paul; Impregnable, sister to Tigress; a brother to Dayntree; Mr O'Brien's Aus-tralian-bred colt by Sweet William; and the handsome half sister to Strathmore, the property of Mr Lowry, are included among

those engaged. The entry for the Royal Stakes, van for in the first "week of the new century, closed at the same time as the Champagne, and the Auckland Racing Club is to be congratulated on the response made by breeders. The ninety subscriptions for foals taken out bring the total entry up to 165. as against 102 for next season's race. In the foal liss several new sires are represented, including Soult and Gold Reef, the sons of Sfc. Simon and Bend Or. Sir George Clifford's three are by his young stallion Clanranald, and the two in Mr O'Brien's name are by Light Artillery and bred in South Australia. The Wellington Park stud master has twenty-four of the batch of foals in his name, and a sister to Multiform and sisters to True Blue, Hermosa, and Dayntree, are in the lot, which will, without much doubt, produce some gems. There is a brother to Waiuku and a brother to the jumper St. Simon engaged, and Mr Nathan has in his strong entry a filly by SI. Hippo from Stepniak's sister Stepfeldt, which, on breeding lines, reads good. The winning sire list in America for 1897 was headed by Hanover, whose progeny eecured upwards of £23,500; imported Order is second and imported Rayon dOr third, the totals against their names being £15,350 and £13,000. Sir Modred occupies an unusually humble place in the list, only £6400 being credited to his stock. The feature of the season in America was the success of stock sired in England and by young sires recently imported. Although, then, Hanover is well out by himself at the head of the list, the sum set opposite his name is small in comparison with the one occupying premier position in previous seasons.

The Ashburton stewards have come down with a heavy hand on the connections of Crescent over the running of the gelding at the club's meeting. The decision of the country club having to be reviewed by the C.J.C., it would be unseemly to offer any comments on the finding just at present, other than to say that much sympathy is felt for the trainer, F, Holmes, who, it is understood, has a lease of Crescent from his owner, said to be a resident of Wellington. Mr V. Harris, who has been coupled in the disqualification as the owner of Crescent, has forwarded an affidavit to the Ashburton Club stating he does not nor ever did own Crescent. Crescent is trained in the same stable as Mr Harris's horses, and, according to his version, when wiring the nominations of Epaulet and Seabrook, the trainer frequested him to include wire in the the nominations for Crescent. I may also say that both Mr Harris and Holmes pointed out to mc in the Press room on the first day at Ashburton that it. was a mistake that the horse should appear in the former's name. The proposition of the North Canterbury Jockey Club to the effect that stewards of the Metropolitan Club present at country meetings should act as an advisory board to local stewards, sounds well in theory, but would hardly work out in practice. And for the all-sufficient reason that decisions of minor clubs are subject to review by the metropolitan head. If, then, metropolitan stewards acted as censors ab country meetings, they would feel constrained to retrain from sitting in connection with any appeals that might be made, and their services would thus be lost in a reviewing capacity. The executives of country clubs are too often composed of members thrust into office without their own desire, or without their fitness being considered. It should be the aim of clubs to get their most competent members, those with some knowledge of the sport they are supposed to rule, to guide the affairs of the institution. There is no doubt, however, that a stipendiary steward would be found a very valuable officer. Though the season is far spent, there has been, of late, groat activity iv the thoroughbred horse market in Australia. English demand has no doubt put very considerable increased value on the best class of performers, but save Essex, who was shipped aloDg with Aurum and two Queensland two-year-okls, who were booked to go for some time, there have been no transactions for the transference of racehorses to the Old Country. It is for India and Western Australia that most ot the purchases have been made. The Golden West would seem to absorb a wonderful lot of racing stock, which can be accounted for in that, apart frqm the boom in turf affairs, there is next to no thoroughbred stock raised in the West. Ayrshire is among the performers that have been secured for India, the price paid for him being about £1000. It is surprising that New Zealand is not visited by Indian traders on the look* out for suitable sorts. If Waiuku were to leave these shores England is where I should like to see him go, but what a rare sort of Viceroy's Cup candidate he would make. I daresay he could have been got for about the price paid for Ayrshire. Apropos of the re-sale of Survivor in England, it is reported that Mr W. T. Jones was not particularly enamoured of the son of Lochiel when he landed, which was the reason he parted with him. Enamoured or not, however, he effected a good deal seeing that for what he paid 800gs he received 2000gs. Hotspur.