NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 64, 13 September 1911, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By Sir Bedivere*}

Needless to say, in respect to Hie Ashburton C&ttnty Racing Club's Spring Meeting, which commences to-morrow, North Island sportettlen will chiefly interest themselves in the performances of the Cup candidates Pfhn, Martine, Tannhauser, The Cornet, Puaka, and Armstrong. Each, of these horses is booked to contest the principal event, and it is only unfortunate that the distance should be a mile instead of a mile and a-qnarter. / Their staying abilities will be in no \va.y tested, and although the result may to some extent prove lnetructKe it will necessarily shed very | little light on the probable issue of the big event next November. Of course, !if either of those above-mentioned j which lias not yet been tried ovor a lengthy course, more particularly Tann* hauscr (who will be udden by Enimerson) cr Armstrong, should L p fieri to come at the figlii end p.nd bnd the niooey his "victory will have the effect of bringing him. into favour ; but much, as I have hinted, will depend upoii the manner of its accoftrpliehmeiit. Hitherto lite French "Derby has been run at Chtvntilly on the Sunday prior to the English. Derby a.t Epsom," but in future tho French " classic "' will not be run until eleven days after the Epsotn event. The new arrangement will, I ,it. is heW in wme .qtmrters, induce I French owners to try and land the ! double. This, however, is open doubt. If an owner in France has a colt with, whom lie fully expects to "win the Mac riba-nd in hi* own country lie will surely hesitate before accepting the inevitable risk in * sending across the Channel. There is, of course, an immense attraction, about the Epsonl race, for, apart front the honour of owning the winner, success therein means an enormous increase in value of the three yfear-old concerned. It may be ' therefore that Frenchmen will make a more deteitnihed attempt to capture the historic - event than they have dove hitherto. ' Should this be so, their competition will be welcome. Of recent years, however, they do not seem to nave been in possession of a colt equal to tho task. Records are always .in the making oil racecourses, and a new one was established ift Warialda, . New South Wales, recently. ' Th« meeting extended • over two- day*, ahd. the fire 'hordes that ran second "on the first day wan five races oft : the Secoiid'day in the same order. In the account of th& V.A.T.C. September meeting now to hand it is stated that Soultiform wae third favourite for tho Doona Trial Handicap and was beaten easily by the first favourite, Ba-ldoyle, a colt by Grafton from Pretty Xell. Lady Lucy went out unfanciea for the Heatherlit Handicap (nine, furlongs) and ran nowhere, and Silver Bullet, who landed the Warriston Welter by a head, started at double- figures. t The day cannot be far off when practically every thoroughbred in training in Australasia will contain one or more strains of Galopin blood, and apparently such is already the position in England in respect to Pocahontas, the dam of Stockwell. In reply to a correspondent's question the "Special Commissioner" of the Sportsman says "he does not think even a single • British thoroughbred can now be found that has not Pocahontas blood in it. There are plenty of Australians, Americans, pnd Continental-bred horses free from Pocahontae. Trenton, for example, who did good service in this country, after earning such great fame in Australia, had no Pocahontas in him. The earn© may be said of Multiform, who has been euch a very successful stallion in New Zealand. Perhaps, however, com© of my readers may call to mind a horse or mare in this country exempt from Pocahontas ; I certainly cannot at the time of writing. It is an extraordi* nary state of affaire, seeing that it ie only 41 yeara since Porahontaa died* and, we have over 5000 mares in the 'Stud Book.' "• " That great old battler Dean Swift has at la3t been retired from the Turf having run his last race in the Chesterfield Cup last month. With 8.3, he was third favourite in a field of eight, and after a tremendous tussle beat the favourite Decision by a head. It was a most popular victory, a-nd- mado- "ths Dean's"' twelfth win ift 62 starts, his score also including 16 seconds and 10 thirds. ■ / In first lttoneye alone he is credited, with £9630. If he had' a par* tiality for one ra£6 'more' than another, it was the City and Suburban, -which he won twice, wae second twice, and third on a similar number of .occasions. The Coronation Cup was 1 among other races won by him. On the day Dean Swift accounted for the Chesterfield Cup, Mr. J. B. Jcel also won the Molecomb Stakes, 6 furlongs, with Sunstar's brother, who, though unnamed when successful earlier itt the eeason, is now known as White Star. Dean Swift was foakd earlyin 1901, and from what I remember of him, when I' saw him racing four years ago, he is a medium sized, wiry chestnut gelding bearing more resemblance to a New Zealand or Australian thoroughbred than an English one. It is said that Sunstar's success in the Derby caused his owner, Mr. R. Joel to regret having parted with Sundridjjo to vi French syndicate for 25,000 guineas. Mr. Joel 5s reported to have offered considerably more than this sum to get Kundritlge back again, but the horse's present owners anticipate his list being full at a fee of 300 guineas for several years to cojne, and consequently they declined i the advance on their bargain. Among those engaged in. the Tram, j way Handicap, in which Poirene ran sec- i ond last Saturday, were Royal Soult, ftrnburnt, Culprif, Wild West, and (reniup. Both Bridge and Vice Admiral wet© due to contest the Spring Handicap, and Winimera. wa« handicapped to carry 9.7 in the- Welter. No news having t-ictn cabled in respect to the results of the two events last referred to it is only to be assumed ihafc if this country's representatives started they, were beaten out of a place. A Sydney writer has it ih.at Vice-Ad-miral ha "5 made a great improvement fiincio landing in Australia, and that his chnnre> of winning a. good race is not nearly po remoio a& his owner, when 3nt*rvi o --v*d in> New Zealand, appeared to believe. * YOU WILL FEEL BETTER, If you drink Wai-Rongoa Natural MitH-val Water rpgularly. It's nol, only a delightful beverage, but infinitely jrotent a-< a h^pling agent. Wai-Rougoa <v contaiti« njtura,l elements v.hHi clear the blond, and combat ijotit, llisnimatism, Ki-Rvr-l, uric > acid. Drink it daily, if ,you do you'lV hvo lnngai nod liapbici'. for you'll bo healthier, iuum hotels or itoreAo^Adifet ,