NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2447, 28 April 1915, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS

HBr Glßncoe.l -. Acceptances for the first day's handicaps at the Marlborough meeting close on Thursday night. Rene was omitted from the,handicaps for the Marlborough Cup. Her weight is Bst. 51b. ■ , The Russian Government has not overlooked its horse-breeding interests in the time of war. lately it was decided to buy in England a' few thoroughbred stallions, up to SOOgns. each, for getting remounts. _ Rene (Bst. 51b.) was omitted from the list of handicaps for the Marlborough Cup, which appeared in Saturday's issue. , On May 24 (Empire Day) the Australian Jockey Club is holding a race meeting at Randwiok, in aid of the Belgian Fund. The bookmakers have decided to pay extra fees on that day. _ At Hastings, Trainer A. Goodwin has in work a full brother to thp well-per-formed Sir Lethe. The gelding is de-scribed-as very similar to his relative, rmd at present he is being hunted with a view to qualifying for hunters' events in the winter.

Naturally the war-has compelled many breeders and owners in France to make sacrifices, and ono of the first to suffer was M. Camille Blanc. The authorities commandeered Remue Menage and: Le Chardon, paying £92 and £60 respectively for them. In the open, market Remue Menage would have been' a, bargain at, say, £1200, and Le Chardon at £800. It is estimated ■ that the commandeering of. thoroughbreds from the racing stables in the vioinity of Paris represents a loss to their owners of over £40,000. i :

! Racing, with the totalisator -as the medium of speculation, is to get another trial in some of the American States, where the sport has been knocked out for a time. In February the Indiana Senate approved totalisator betting on horse-racmg, and passed a, Bill to create a Racing Comirission to regulate betting and supervise horseracing in that Stato. In Nevada (the same month) a Bill, favourable to totalisator betting,, was passed hy big ■majorities in both Houses of Legislature. In some other States the totalisator has. been in use for a considerable . The sensational English mare Sceptre foaled a. filly to Swynford in February, and William Rufus was the mate chosen for her this season. As with most other_ mares that have greatly distinguished themselves on the Turf, it might be safe to bet that Sceptre will never j throw anything of her own calibre.

Although Clontaft and Bennitas were to have been sent to New Zenland after the Randwick Easter Meeting, their owner, Mr. A. Mathesoii. seemingly thought better of the idea, for the pair have returned to Melbourne. Bennitas contracted influenza, I and was unable to' race at Itandwick. Owing to there being no vacant, boxes at H. Rayner's stables, the yearlings owned by Mr. E. J. Watt, which were shipped to Sydney last week, are to'go into J. Whitworth's stables. Bon Reve was freely mentioned ves'terday in connection with the Hawke's Bay Cup,; in which he is well in with Bst. 21b. ' Since his return from Randwick in the spring, the Boniform gelding has shown no form at all, but apparently some people think he will do better on Friday. When he was passing through from Awapuni, R. J. Mason picked up Sutala, who was badly hurt at the Trentham Cup Meeting. The two-year-old walked quite sound when-being, led to the boat. A. Goodman, with Hap Dha, Rene, and Multoe is leaving;for Blenheim bv Saturday's boat, when W. J. Porter will also take Killaloo and Margarita. At the City Tattersall's Meeting at j Randwick, the Denman Stakes, six fur- j longs, was won by Lady Denman, with Silver Lad and: Brattle in the places. Owing to the hard natnre of the Riccarton tracks, very little schooling work has been done so far. The brilliant but unreliable Charmilla, who holds the Australasian record for 6ix furlongs of Imin. 11 4-osec., has run her last race, and is to go to the stud. Judging by the jway they are bein" worked on the tracks, Sauci_ and Chortle aro both certain starters in the Hawke's Bay Cup on Friday. There is a feeling, in some quarters that the former is none too reliable, as he curled lip badly at the finish of the. Longburu Handicap at Awapuni.