NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2998, 8 February 1917, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

18l Glkncob.'l Tho Marlboroiigh and Taranaki meetings will bo concluded to-day, and the Poverty Buy Turf Club's meeting will, commence. s> Owners-are reminded that acceptances for the first day's handicaps at Woodville close with Secretary W. A. Lyon to-night. Entries /or the Dannovirko meeting close on Saturday night. A southern paper mentions that Wishful is a doubtful starter in tho Duiiedin Cup. , Tho well-known light-weight horseman, R. Reed, is doing a lot of travelling this month, and is meeting with plenty of success. After the Hawera meeting he' hastened up to Taumarunui, whore ho rode four winnors on Saturday. The well-known Southland writer, "Sir Modred," ■ says-.—Two :or three weeks back- it -looked as if C. Emerson would experience no difficulty in landing tho galloping .jockeys', premiership for the current season, but' his suspension for two months during the progress of tho C.J.C. Midsummer gathering on. Saturday last puts quite another complexion on the matter. In tho meantime, his nearest rivals, J. O'Shea, J. Olsen, and A. Reed, should head oft' the clever Can-terbury-horseman. During the past fow years it has been the rule, rather than the exception, that leading horsemen should strike touble early in the autumn period, a fact probably accounted for by over-anxious crack and keenly envious rivals. Tho opinion was expressed by a well-known sporting scribo last season that jockeys, did not particularly care who came out at the top of tlie- treo at the close of the season, this is hardly correct. One has only to live and travel with the knights of the pigskin for a short timo to learn that they set great store by their positions on tho winning list, and. are as keen as the best of athletes to score over their opponents. So keen are they at times, that they will sacrifice considerable sums of monoy in travelling expenses to secure minor victories at distant meotings.. C. Pritohard, who took Rose Pink, Mount Victoria, Trentham Rose, and Pall Mall down from Wellington for tho C.J.C. meeting, will go on to Diyrtdin with this team to race in. the interests of Mr. H. Whitney. It is proßable that Mr. A. G. Wood, starter to the Canterbury Jockey Club and. many other clubs in different parts of the Dominion, will officiate at tho Greymouth Jookey Club's Autumn Meeting at the end of April. ■ Biplane,' winner of the Middle Park Plate, and one of the best two-year-olds in the Dominion, may bo described as a fluke purchase. Whon ho was put up as a- yearling in Melbourne the wellknown Victorian, Mr. J.- Samuels, a great friend of R. J. Mason's, was at the xiagside commissioned to buy q. couplo of other youngsters for Mason. He could not get these, but took it upon himself to.purchase the Comedy King—Air Motor colt, with what happy results is well known. . ■ Riccnrton stables won every, race on the programme at the C.J.C. Midsummer Meeting. This meeting is only kept going to givo local stables a chance, and regularly the C.J.C. loses money over the fixture. The Chokeborc stables, which won three events, scored in nine races at one of the meetings some years ago. when the fixture was a twty-days' one. Word from Wanganni states that Monlu is amiss,- and the Boniform gelding is to be put aside until the tracks get softer, when he. will be taken up again and kept to hurdle racing. The erratic Auckland mare Houseirifo was pefsuaded to leave tho mark in tho Flying Handicap at New Plymouth yesterday, ' and after this tho stnko was always in her keeping. The runner-up was Veto, who was unlucky on bojh days at Egmont. Tango, winner of the MarlborouEfh Cup yesterday, is a. half-sister to Pavlova. For a long time tho chestnut mare was in minor maces without winning a race, but now that she hns broken the ice sho may go on and do further service for her" owner, a local sportsman, who races as Mr, J. Ra-mlon. k Two short-priced favourites in Snmiscn and Waimntoa won the two spring hack events at Blenheim yesterday. KiltCBS, winner of the Maiden at B'eitheiin yesterday, was malting her first appearance in Trainer F. Higgotf s colours. While on the West Criast he sold Martial Air to Mr. TT. Cassidy, and received as »CIOO and the Finland mare Kiltoss. Imaribbon, runner-up toKiltess, and Te Opai, who was placed third, were both better fancied than the winner. The Porirna team which journcved to the Blenheim meeting rneed well yesterday. Tango won the Cup, and Goldstream and Rockbound filled second places in their races. A Press Association message from Dunein states that Gunrest has been scratched for tho Duncdin Cup,