NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 72, 28 March 1910, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By Sir Bedivere.) Taskmaster has been blistered, and will not be put into work a^ain for a month or two. That he should have gone amiss just now is most unfortunate, for apart from his thus being unable to take part in the Great Autumn Handicap he has, from his owner's point of view, been compelled to forego a much more important engagement in the North Island St. Ledger Stakes. The news of Bobrikoff's victory in the Autumn Stakes makes pleasant reading, and his fortunes in Australia will now bo followed moro heenly thnn ever. That the cabled report of* his having to be ridden out to beat Hoax at Rosehill was inaccurate seems now certain, for on such form he would liavo needed to have improved very considerably to have had any chance of beating Maltine. The only pity is that Alawa should have been unable to meet him, and that Prince* Foote "s St. Legcr engagement prevented him from taking part in the Autumn Stakes. The last named will no doubt meet the New Zealander in one or other of the remaining weight-for-age events that are to be decided this week, and though ho may beat him over a two or a three-mile course, Bobrikoff's chance of capturing the All-Aged Stakes, one mile, must, in the light of his latent achievement, be an excellent one. At the time of writing, I have only seen the bare result of the Easter Handicap at Elierslie, and runuot therefore do more than cxpirss surprise at the rout of the favourites. Equitas, of course, ran a great race, but Mcrrivonia failed, and Salute, ,of whose alleged extraordinary ability all sorts of stories had been circulated, must have sadly disappointed her immense army of admirers. Prophet's victory in the Brighton Hurdles makes it appear that the Northern Province is very badly off Tor hurdles just at present*, as when brought down to Hawern la6t month Prophet could not even hold his ow n with the hacks. ProbabU, however, the best of thn Auckland-owned jumper* have not struck form so early iv the season.