THE TURF.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 78, 4 April 1910, Page 4

THE TURF.

WEULIN6TON RACING CLUB. ACCEPTANCES. Tho follow inp acceptances have hern recei\od for the first day's iixture of the autumn meeting of tho Wellington Racing Club to take place on Wednesday next : — , | FIRST 11CRDLE HANDICAP, 200 soys; ono jnilo and three-quarters. n lb at lh What.ikura ... 10 4 Longner ... 9 9 Gold Bird ... 10 2 Chaso Mab . 9 0 Audax ... 9 11 WAIWETU HANDICAP, 150 soys; seven furlongs. st lb . st lb Osiris ... 9 12 Bollin ... 9 5 Sharpshooter : 9 11 Bally Shannon 813 Swimming Belt' 9 9 Laius ... 8 0 Truganim .'.. 9 7 SILVERSTREAM HACK HANDICAP, 100 soys; seven furlongs. fL lb £t lb Hilarian ... 9 4 Penza ... 7 4 Royal Marine 8 9 Ukraine ... 7 4 Ma'gnqto ..*. 8 9 Explosive ... 7 0 Marengo ... 8 5 Lams ... 6 7 Succession ... 8 4 St. Felix ... 6 7 IdealibUi ... 710 Sans Lass ... 6 7 PLUNKET NURSERY, 150 «ovs ; five furlongs. ■ st lb st lb Tenterhook ... . 8 10 Doarest ... 6 11 Lord Kelvin . 8 4 Odessa ... 6 7 Selene ... 8 1 Deploy ... 6 7 British Maid 613 Lady Kilchcrau 6 7 THOMPSON HANDICAP, 500 soys; ono mile. st lb st lb North East ... 9 6 Wnipaku . 7 9 Armlet ... 8 13 Swimming Belt 7 5 Kquiwis ... 8 11 Hnllnrat ... 6 11 Effort ... 8 6 Mntaari ... 6 10 Sir Tri-tram . 8 3 Adria ... 6 10 Husbandmau 8 2 Croustadt ... 610 Sir Frisco ... 8 1 Aboriginal ... 6 7 ! Lady Medallist 7 11 J RAILWAY HANDICAP, 200 soys; six furlongs. v lb *t lb Effort ... 8 9 Gips.y Bell ... 7 0 Kilindini ... 713 Mon Ami ... 612 Boanerges ... 7 8 Perlo dOr ... 612 Advantage ... 7 4 Golden Loop . 6 7 TINAKORI HANDICAP, 100 soys; six furlongs. &r lb ft ib Sea Queen ... 810 Kina ... 710 Rojnl Marine 810 Brilliancy ... 7 7 Fauuus ... 8 5 MerrieGoer ..7 3 Emblem ... 8 2 Merriewing ... 7 1 Fir»t Battery . 8 0 Explosive ... 611 Lcaliora ... 7 11 Ahuapai ... 6 7 THE CLASSICAL EVENTS. After payment of final forfeits the folloM.i*« kinoes remain in the North Island Ouftcuge St*k«A. cl fc€o sove, of eeveu fcscdaDji, t« be decided on tho <irst day osT tSa* meeting (s^roximatc weights): — GeWLace . . 912 Che ObUgado , Fesstes .' 11l — Luto ..71 'gfewftii .v. v 9 1 Tribulation ... 7 1 Diatefe ..9 1 Brcßirl*ddo Fliiastaj _. Sl2 — M*hiiina... 7 1 Lady Medallist 8 9 Kibfeo .„ 7 1 Kina. _. „8 8 King Boolt .71 Txwiiata „ 8 8 Floater ... 7 1 BrcSaaFraa Ch f SirLaddo r-Btaxla .8 8 — Windlasa... 612 Stepalong ..8 5 Lady Kilchecaa 615 Birkdalo ..7 3 B f St. AiuWom Formby ... 7 8 —Janet ... 613 Polymorphous 7 6 The following horses remain in tot NZ. St Leger Stakes, of 440 soys, ono 1 iiuio and three-quarters, which is to come up for dctisiou on the second day of tho meeting : — Bxcalibur 8 10 Milan ... 8 7 KiW. inning 810 Tctrazzini ... 8 7 Polymorphous 8 10 Ch f Stepniak Kiua . 810 — Brittomart 8 7 Alarms© • . 810 Glissade ... 8 7 Golden Water 8 7 NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Sir Bedivcre.) The acceptances for tho events which, will be decided at Trentbam on Wednesday will no doubt be examined, by tuobc who have not already done co, with the keenest interest. Spme dii=uppointment may be felt in regard to the comparatively poor suppoit accorded to one or two of the lews important race.*, hut taking eveiy thing into consideration, theie is really very little reason to growl. Leaving aside the Hurdle Rave, there is an average of rather more than len hor*e& in each event, or quite sufficient to provide good s-port, and it is pleasing to note that bixteeu still stand tbeir ground in connection, with the Thompson Handicap. The fact is tho meeting is unfortunately placed, inasmuch as it comes light at the fag-end of all the autumn racing. Having just competed at Riccurton, Ellerslie, Feilding, Tauherenikau, or other centres, numbers of hordes are temporarily, at any rate, hois de combat, and their withdrawal from Wednesday & card is thus clearly to be accounted for. Crucinelki's absence from the Thompson Handicap field is to be regretted, for a meeting between her and Armlet on the terms in which they weie handicapped would nave been well worth witnessing. Armlet is now much fancied, and all sorts of rash statements are being made as to the impossibility of her defeat. It is true that several of three that j promised to be her most dangeroua opponent; have been withdrawn, but even so, I am not at all inclined to \ie\v the race as such a foregone conclusion for her as many people appear to imagine. So far as I can learn, it is • the form ' 6he recently showed in tho I Challenge Stakea at Riccaiton that is I weighing so heavily with her admirer*. It was, however, but a repetition of her /performance in the Jackson Stakes; the only differencs) nain'g that at Riccarton she met Formby on lib better terms aud over a furlong extra ground than tha did at Wanganui. torm *bown in weight -for-ase and special weight events is proverbially a fake guide as to tha probable issue of a handicap, and a. s »v | illustration of this it need only bo pointed out that, nhereas in a handicap event Armlet ban proved herself something like 181b Broadsword's superior, vide the result of the Metropolitan Handicap at Trentharu last January, there would, when it comes to a meeting in a *o-calied classic event, appear to be no more than 71b between them ; for in the Jackson Stake*, whi-n in receipt of only 31b, Broadsword finished within a neck of net. And what about tho result last year of the identical race ia which, according to tome people, Armlet has just registered a performance that entitled her to more a eight than the was allotted in the Tnompeon Handicap! Flitaway then won it under 8.9 from. Taskmaster 6 10, Provocation 7.i1, Xautifoim 7.71, and tiro others, getting horn* in lmin 28 4-Sscc. Armlet';- latent form was surely no better than that, for piovocution, who came kti-aigkt up to ! Wellington the following week, ami beat Bobrikoff at 31b and Ely si an at 9!b the worst of weight-for-age in the North Island Challenge Stak««. was un<)ue»tion. ably a better two-year old than Formby, and neither Taskmaster nor Nantiform was by aav mean.- ;t r touch. And yet. what lias Flitaway acooinpli«hed .-incet She got beaten out of a place in tho Thomp«on Handicap the following .veek J under 83. in any care. I have no with j to act the apotogUt for Mr. Pollock, but I ao like fair criticism. I<et iliomj who are m> loud iv condemning hia handicapping of Armlet brar in wind that auotber of our weight adjuster*, Mr. Henrv>, framed lv» Oicat Easter ! Handicap "a* follow*:— Gold Lac^ 9.9, ! CrucinelU 8.13, Auulet 8.13, E.qnit«s j 8 12, Tumut 8 12. This io connection ' niih a fc€ven furlong event ; waerea*

over a mile couiac Mr. Pollock only aftketl Gold Lace to emu-ode 51b instead of lQlb, and *et Aruilet to pre^fiit "Erjiiit.irt with an additional lib, ;uid Ttiuuii with an additional 41b. Had Oold Laco been thoroughly fit, and a startor for the Thompson llamlii.ip, I would have been fully prepaied to hack her to beat Armlet, and 1 only wish that Cnuinella had been going to compete. As it is. the way has b«.en made considerably easier for Mi*. Greenwood's iilly, but she has not won yet. lit the possibility of Swimming Belt beirtfc landed at the post as tit as he was v month ago, which I am afraid, in view of the arduous campaign he has recently gone through, is unlikely, it may bo as well just to glance back over his form. At Wanganui ne gave Lady Mcntthikoff 181b and beat her handsomely over a mile in lmin 42sec. She subsequently tarried 8.8 and ran second to North Ka>>t, 9.6, in the Farewell Handicap, six furlongs. If this proves anything it makes Swimming Belt to be something like the equal of North Kast. Anyhow, on the following day Mr. Morse handicapped him to be within lib of Tumut over a mile, and both started and were beaten. | Now, if he is anything 'ike so good as then supposed, now does he read at 7.5, or in receipt of 171b from Tumut and 291b from North East? If he happens by any. chance to be fit aud well, is Armlet certain to beat him? i