NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3073, 8 May 1917, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

IBi Glbncoe.l . Mja Cara has bad knees, and sho is generally seen at her best when tho sting is-out'of the ground. Tho Fordell mare has not raced for a number of months, and on this account sho is hardly likely to be forward enough to pay a dividend at Hawera. Experts are at present examining tho Avbhdale racecourse" to see if some improvements can be made to tho turns. At" the last meeting. thero were numerous falls. ■•■•-. The Egmont Racing Club hold their winter ••meeting- on Wednesday and Thursday. Steeplechase events are still missing -from the Hawera programme, so that tie Egmont Racing Club cannot claim to.be playing a part in fostering cross-country contests. . Cherry Elossom, winner of the Winter Cup, is. engaged in the open 6print event at,Hawera on Wednesday. The bay maTe is" now held on lease by A. Shearsby, as her. owrier r Mr. F. Armstrong,' of. Akitio, ha 3 gone out of racing during the period of the war. Rewi Poto has a, bur weight in the M'Rae Memorial Handicap, but tie black horse is very well just now, and at Trentham he ran one of his. best races in the Autumn Handicap, in which he finished a, head behind Seadown and Chortle. He will not meet anything like this class, at ..Hawera. ' Pink Tie, who performed with much success" at the Auckland country meetings, is down to compete in the Telegraph Handicap at Hawera. The Multifid filly is a very smart-beginner, but horses like Rawakore and Birkenetta may worry her over the first couple of furlongs. - - " - Play Off, who is top-weight in the Tawhiti Handicap, to be decided on the opening day of the Egmont meeting, was to have raced at Foilding at Easter, but at the last moment his trip was cancelled.. The Coronet gelding is. reported 'to be very well, and may start favourite on Wednesday.

The Auckland-owned Toro Toro has not been racing well reoently, but if baok to his New Year fonn he should be able to show up in. the Tawhiti Handicap at Egmont on Wednesday. Tho Freedom gelding is to be ridden by A. Reed.

Postillion has been allowed to forfeit his engagement in the longahoe Hurdles at Hawera, but Tyson remains in the field. The last named schooled with Leonta at Wanganui last week, and acted well. Otter will probably go as fast as him, and stay on better on Wednesday.

Amongst those recently invalided home from the front is Major Jas. Armstrong, who went away in charge of one of the early reinforcements. Major Armstrong is well'known,-- the president of the, Dannevirke Ri 'ir.g Club.

It is understood that Mr. Gerald Stead is shortly leaving for a holiday trip to America.

An innovation at the. Hawke's Bay meeting which was appreciated by the public was the posting of the apprentices' names; on iho number board in a different colour to those of the ordinary riders. This enabled those present to see at a glance if a regular horseman or apprentice was in the saddle.

While contesting the Sea View Handicap at the New Brighton Trotting Club's meeting, on Thursday, Nerone fell and broke ler neck. "Her rider, R. M'Seveney, escaped without any injuries.

As showing the straits to which English trainers are reduced in these abnormal times, it may be mentioned that the stable 3 at Chilton are so short-handed that some of the lads have to ride out four or five times a day in order to get through their work. Frequently the principal horses in the teams do not como out until the afternoon—long after the hour at which, they would make their appearance under ordinary circumstances.

Owing to some fault in the working of the totalisator there was a long delay before the start of the concluding event at Hastings on Friday, and when the race was run it was so dark that it was impossible to pick out the colours while the horses were at the back of. the course. This comes from trying to crowd eight races into an afternoon in the winter. This is quite impossible, and clubs would be studying their own interests if they restricted the programme to seven events at meetings held between May and September. This is a matter that might well be discussed at the meeting of the Racing Conference to be held in July.