NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1020, 9 January 1911, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

, [Br Glencoe.]

it'll tho present'flat season mojo than oyer.it. is'.intcrcsithig;!; t6 . take;.,;a glance vUiekwards: and s'r«:','<vmc.h ! horses have so far .iiroved 'themselves. to. M'-tho best of tho year. Taking tho hvo-y'ear-okjs first it-may safely be said that'C'ulprit tho best, and it was only in her lar.t effort that tho speedy daughter of Charlemagne ll' tasted defeat, and then ic was only by half a head,,' and - her ,cpn((iieroi'-liad been lucky, enough to get ■ t a feo-ilcngths' break' at tho barrier. Mason's horso has been most fortunate in (his rcspect. in air his winning efforts. •When ho scored'.'at Biecarton he gallop- .. cd up to''the tapes. ju=t" as "tlioy 'WSrb flying lip. On the opening day :at Ellcrslio ho was on'tho iriove again, and .so he was in tho Hoyal Stakes. This will show that ho is not within 71b. of ■ Culprit, and to tho latter belongs thydistinction; of being the best, of tor year. The three-year-olds do not need discussing, as Danube lias swept all before Mm, and outsido Mr. Greenwood's crack tho others wore moderate in the extreme. , Had. King Soult not fallen ..to Danube li'o may ".'have .got. the cpcili.t' pf beinff a really'.good.tliree.yearrold,; i'or.'iip to tho: timo' he', encountered /Danube ho had cleaned Up ■ the northern division most effectively, but tho way Danube beat him inakes.it certain that the three-year-olds in Auckland arc the. poorest lot seen out for many years. ■ .

' That Danube is a good colt there can bo no doubt, but he is not in the fame class as some of his. predecessors, notably Multiform; Maxim, Manton, and Menschiltolf. Thcsa colts did all Danube has done , and a. bit more with it, and their were generally accomplished when up against something nearly as good as themselves. Tile present three-year-old has done all ho could do by winning his various races, but it has got to be remembered that when at his very best a second-rater in Lady Medallist stretched him the hardest ho lias so far been stretched, and even the most ardent •admirers of. Lacly Medallist will hardly claim that she is up to woight-for-age form. One might argue further on this matter, but it all leads to 0110 conclusion, and that is that our three-year-olds this year and the past two years are the worst we have had for a couple of. decades.

Mr. J. Buckley, of Oamaru, contemplates payiiu; -a visit to England in the autumn, awl with that end in view lie has closed up his racing establishment in tho south.. Some of the brood mares have been mated with All Red. At present three ot Mr. Buckley's horses are located at Porirua, viz.. Dearest, St. Petersburg, and Peter Pan, and these will bo the only ones that will carry Mr. Bucklcy's colours during his absence from the Dominion. Mention of. All Red brings to mind tho fact that tho beautiful bay was nearly ■being given another trial on tho raco trncks after doing a season at tho'stud, but on second thoughts his owner decided against the idea. This year Mr. Buckley .lvas present ot.the Auckland Cup meeting, but owing to ill-health ho was not there oil either occasion that All Bed scored in tho .race. Had tho. son of Stepniak figured in this year's cup with, say, 9st. Gib. on his back, it is easy to understand what an exhibition, ho would have made of the poor Held that contested tho race.

Owners are reminded that nominations for the Pahifitua Racing Club's meeting .close-to-morrow night with the secretary, Mr.G.' L. Ilawley Drew. . I'loin Australia comes -word of the der.th of tho Goldsborough mare Nereid, dftui of Achilles. Only about a month ago, Medallion, tho sire of Achilles, also died in Australia. F. Porter is. located at • Palmcrston North with his team, and lie will probably settle there in preference to Hutt. At the present time this capable trainer lias some seven horses in work. G. Price is not expected at Trentliam until about tho middle cf next week. The horces • nominated for Iho Karioi Cup are Master Laddo, The Native, Marionis, Impossible, Debonnaire, and Singer. On January 2 there were no fewer than *>•) bookmakers licenced at MlersHe; Stratford had 10, Tauhorinikan 9, Hastings 8, Waikanoo 8, and Bulls 8. This number, 88, comprises- only portion of t linen that will Ijo affectcd by the law which comes-into forco.on January 31.

Diabolo and Ebonite have been scratched for all engagements at" the Wellington Racing Club's - meeting.

As n general rule, fho Chokeboro candidates that 'compote at the Auckland Cup meeting avo among .the Jir.-t to reach Trrutlnm for the Wellington Cup meeting. .This year, however, they will not be there until a couple of days before iho meeting, as H. Cutis is now located at Awapuui with Countermine, Sharpshooter, Tenterhook, and True Knight, and, as the plough track at Awapuni is in excellent order, the team will remain there to work.