NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1363, 14 February 1912, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[Br Glikooh.] The Advance mare Attention is unlikely to race again. She will be sent to the stud. It was found after the Hawera meeting that her heart was affected. This is unfortunate for her owner, Mr. Ross Allan, as tho mire gave much promise as a jumper, and, when she collapsed at Hawera, she looked all over a winner. As A. Oliver will be unablo to do tho weight, C. Price will have tho mount on Mendip in the Taranaki Cup. to-day. While present at tho Gisborne meeting, Mr. C. Kingston, of Hastings, purchased a half-sister by tho imported horse Gazeley to Melwood. Silva and Cornelian, who arc engaged in tho Hack Hurdles at New Plymouth to-day, aro both penalised 7lb. for winning at Hawera. Monologue was sent home to Awapuni after the Hawora mooting, and will not lie a starter .it New Plymouth to-day. The chestnut was suffering from a cold, and also from knee trouble.

Conditions in connect : on with the Taranaki meeting provide that the winner of any handicap alter tho declaration of weights is to be penaliaed 71b. This means that Dirge, who won a hack race at Hawora, will have to put up a penalty in the Stewards' Handicap, an open event, at New Plymouth, while Manawakaba and Tobias—also winners, but not of handicaps—will escape being penalised. One result of this apparent anomaly will bo that Tobias will start favourite in the Stewards' Handicap, of five furlongs, and Manawakaha will occupy a like position in the Okato Hack Race, of one mile. Doth horses have shown winning form over these distances, and, in addition, Tobias ran a second faster on the concluding day at Hawern than Dirge did when she won the Meremere Hack Handicap.

Consequent upon her win in the Waimate Handicap at Hawora, Dearest has been rehandieapped in the Taranaki Cup, and will now have to carry Bst. 81b. Quandary, who won a hack race at the Poverty Bay mooting and paid a sensational dividend, is an aged performer, by AVainku from Mys'erions. He was formerly trained by It. Gooseman, at Hastings, but went wrong, and was sold very cheaply to his present owner. The Highden stable at Awapuni, which at present consists of ten boxes, has been found to be too small to accommodate the ever-increasing team, and four more boxes are to bo added. ProjiMtilo, The Dodger, Captain Soult, and Rod Coral have been scratched for all engagements at the Taranaki meeting. Golden Loop and Corotnaudol are accepted for in both the Cup and Welter

at Now Plymouth to-day, but both are to start in "the lirst-uamcd event.

"Vigilant," of the London "Sportsman,' considers that there is only ono liandicap in the world that has a hold on genuine sportsmen and public alike, and that is tho Melbourne Cup. Tho Ccsarewitch is the nearest approach to it, but at a very long interval.

In tho latest English files it is stated that Lord Roscbery, the only living breeder of three Derby winners, who recently bought Signorinotta, by the Matcheni horso Chaleureux, is going to mate her— not with Cicero, as'was at first thought— but witli Neil Gow, who is himself, like >Jhaleuroux, a grandson of Barcaldine. Whether this doubling o( Matcheni in tail male, through both horse'and mare will produce so good an immediate result for racing 'purposes as would an alliance of Signorinctta and Cicero, or— better still—Ladas, may be open to doubt (says tho special commissioner), but there can be no doubt whatever of the very great value of a colt or filly by Neil Gow out of Signorinctta for breeding purposes —of course, if it should bo an individually good animal.

In discussing cross-country liorseraen, an English writer pays a high compliment to P. Mason. "In view of the admittedly lower piano upon which National Hunt sport runs nowadays," he says, "it might be unfair to put up to anything like competitive examination the claims of more modern riders against those of the jockeys connected with the brightest days of steeplechasing, but in comparatively recent years many' very capable men have been seen in the -saddle. A littlo list would includo such as: P. Woodland, E. Piggott, E. Driscoll, F. Hartigau, P. Cowley, F. Mason, It. Gordon, Newey, G. lioswcll, I. Anthony, W. Payne, .1. O'Brien, 11. Cha'dwick,' S. Walkiugton, the brothers Morgan,'' H; Jackson, T. Fitton, S. Monde's, F. Dainty, and others. Of this lot several have dropped out of the game for various reasons, but-most of thoso enumerated are now in active service, and perhaps the most popular figure of them all is tho well-known "rich' Mason. Ho has frequently been at the head of the list of winners'at the close of a year, and would, there is little doubt, have been there on tho present occasion but for the accident he met with at Haystack Park last March, lip to then he had 'enjoyed a remarkable immunity from mishap, but so serious was the hurt he then received that it was ieared he would be incapacitated from following his profession, and he expressed his determination .to relinquish horse riding for horse training. But he made a marvellous recovery,, and reappeared in the saddle at S-iridown in October. From that time he has riddon in remarkable form, and finishes second to IV. Payne in the list of professional winning jock'evs for the year." .