NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1197, 4 August 1911, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

i'Br Glexcoe.] Sofar, no foalings are reported frem the ■ttaikanae.Stud, where the fir mTe due to. foal ,s Chimvag, whose date is August 9. Last year one of the, brood mares foaled on Only 31 but the m tf. Her subsequently died. This season howover, a. repetition of this was guarded ..Three good mares-Perolina, Truce, and vasd, from tho Hidden stud-will this season, visit Achilles. Two of the trio are..due to foal to Martian at an earlv date. , Since the Trejitham fixture the opinion has gained ground that, this year, the brand National Steeplechase will utimately develop into a match between the two top-weights-Corazon (12st. 31b.) and Antarctic (12at. 21b.). This pair have completely monopolised the ante-post bettiug, and tho only other horse that is inquired for at all is Lovcll. The latter is getting slight support only because, he is a ftreat jumper, and one who is suro t* finish the course. In this respect II r. Noel Wilson's horse is a wonder, inas! much as he jumps just as well at the end of a race—when "dog tired"—as he does over the h'rst mile. Another horso that should be worthy of some consideration from backers is the unlucky Pnritutu, who should strip a much titter horso than ho did at Trentham. Prior to the local meeting, J. George gave the Castor gelding the lightest of preparations, so that it can safely be. stated that the two races which ho had hero will work a big improvement in him. Tn addition to this, it appeafed as if he was not handled in th'e most, advantageous manner in the Wellington Steeplechase, in which race it was remarked, at the time, that he covered far more ground than anyHiiog

else in the race. A change of pilots hi been decided upon, and "Itanji" Thorn| son will bo on the bridge in the Nation: Steeples. Thomp.-on knows the com , : very well, and, whiln ho can bo depoud: upnn to cut oft' all corners, lie can ills ba relied upon to steer clear of shoal: Hut to return to the top pair. Who Corazon defeated Autarctic at iiller.-lii he had 171b. tho best of the weights, an was up against a. much Miiallcr problei than ho will meet at Kiccarton, for hi opponent was only "half well' , on His day, and had hardly got. over ,1 bad a 1 tack of influenza, in addition to bein the possessor of an injured stifle. Th question then is: Did Corazon siv Antarctic a 17lb. beating? Trainer Collel Bays "Yes"; the Antarctic people .-a. "No," and they say it, moreover, <riti emphasis. As it is a contentious matter we must, perforce, wait till Tuesday t have it settled. It is to bo hoped that th pair will get round safely, and then, one and for all, the question of supremacy wrl be finally decided. The connections o both horses are firm in their belrcf tha the condition of the animals could no be- improved upon. H. Gray, leading jockey in the Dominion, arrived in Wellington last night, and leaves for Sydney to-day, to do th< riding of Mr. G. D. Greenwood's horses at the spring meetings on the other side. Several horses were- shipped to Lyttelton yesterday by the Warnmoo. -Ihey included tho Winter Cup candidate iull Rate. Word from Hawke's Bay states that Mr. E. J. Watt's brood mare Brown Alice (dam of Ropa and Cheddar) recently slipped a Jilly foal to the imported horse All Black. . . After the Wellington Racing Clnb's meeting, R, Barlow journeyed to Gisborne to'bring back a colt by Multifid, from the Birkenhe.id mare Lady Nell. The youngster is the property of a New Plymouth sportsman. If Nyland wins the Winter Cup on Tuesday next ho will be the first horse that has ever won the event on more than one occasion. Ostiak ran first and second in successive years. The Victorian Amateur Tntf Club's Steeplechase meeting coininencrs to-mor-row at Caulfield. Trotting, according to Mr. B. 0. Duncan, • is still progressing in Sydney, where followers of the sport " now support two clubs, instead of one as formerly, and credit is due to tho New South Wales Trotting Club for keeping the game going. The old club has oeen for somo years in thu hands of the ex-New Zealander, Mr. R. C. Hungerford, formerly of Grcymouth. Mr. Duncan went on to Christchiirch by the Warrlmoo last night. He received word in Wellington that the imported American trotting mare ?erza.line (by Bonnie Direct) had fractured one of her hmd legs through slipping in tho paddock at home.' She is in slinss, but it is hoped that she will be saved for breeding purposes. There is some mention of the Fcilding trainer, A. Attwood, making another trip to Australia shortly. Most likely he will take Kenmao and Waiputera with him. Goldfinder was during the wk backed all over the Domin: n Tor the next Now Zealand Cup, Hid Hip crack colt is now first favourite for the November "two thousandpounder." The apprentice J. O'Shea, who was Kidly injured when riding at the Takapuna J.C. summer meeting, is now fully ecovered, and is riding work again at Bllerslie. k . ■ ■ S. G. Lindsay left for Sydney 011 Jfonlay by the Maheno (says the Auckland 'Slav"), taking with him Royal Soult and i pony. Royal Soult was stated to be in ;ood heart when lie was shipped, and if he little son of Soult strikes form on ;he other side he will make the best of ;hem gallop. . .

FIXTURES. August 8, 10, and 12—Canterbury J.C'i Grand National,