NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Sir Bedivere.)

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 9, 11 January 1912, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Sir Bedivere.)

Australian sportsmen are evidently firmly convinced that, for once in tt way at least, New Zealand horses are not nearly so capable us their own. Such convictions are, of course, consequent upon tho defeat of Vice-Admiral, Midnight &un, Culprit, Equitas, and Co., at Randwick, and their subsequent victories on their native heath. There is, how¦ever, on the top of this, a pdpular opinion to the efiect thai, during the past year or, two, Australian form has considerably ' improved. In arguing as they do re the respective merits of each country s thoroughbreds, our Australian friends are plainly presuming that tho horses mentioned were right at their beet when racing at Randwick. But were % „ 'i'here are, good grounds for the belief that they were not. yice-Admiral looked, as he did when he' went out to contest tho Metropolitan Handicap in Australia, trained to the hour. when he saddled up for the New Zealand Cup, but his subsequent form made it quite clear that appearances had been deceptive, and that, as a matter of fact, he would have been all tho better on Cup day if Mason had, given him another rouemg gallop or two previously. Mason had him fib to accomplish the task in front of him, and being satisfied on this fioint, he naturally forebore to try him u *ther. It is, however, more • than probable that Vice-Admiral is one of those horses that are inclined to look after themselves whilst working in private. Anyway, that he was an infinitely better horse on Stead Memorial Cup d.ay than he was at the commencement of the Metropolitan Meeting, there is no gainsaying, and it is, I think, 'equally certain that he is now capable of much better, thing* than he was during the 'k-st days* of September. Midnight Sun is also apparently a horse that requires racing, for both at Riccarton and at JMleralie he, failed at the outeat of the meeting, and scored on a later day. Up to the present, however, he is not, even here, regarded as more than a secondclaes three-year-old, and for comparative Surposes it is unavailing to quote him. n the other hand, any Australian three-yea^-old that could beat Counterfeit would need to be an out-and-out good one. Bobnkoff, 'who beat the pick of Australian thoroughbreds at w.f.a., was, of course, not at his , beet when he ran second to Counterfeit in the Auckland Plate, otherwise his presence would have constituted an infallible test as to the three-year-old filly's true powers. Very" few critics would, however, care to maintain that Counterfeit is not at least the equal of. Lady Medallist, ,and the .latter* was good '"'enough' .',to win at w.f.a. afc Randwick, and under handicap conditions in the Caulfield Cup. It is, of course, invidious to attempt a comparison between the present New Zealand and Australian two-year.olds, for there is ho possibility of obtaining even collateral evidence of "their respective merits. In Autumnus, Prince Soult, Winning Way, and Ermengarda we have, however, four juveniles which may reasonably be regarded as a; cut above any Been out during the, previous year, with | the single exception of Antagonist, who, unfortunately, went early amiss. ViceAdmiral's next appearance on the Australian turf will be awaited with keen interest, and if by any chance Sir George Clifford should eventually send Counterfeit over, we should^ I think, have at least two representatives that will cause sportsmen on the other side of the Taaman sea to modify their opinions. The 'Position in respect to the quality of New Zealand's thoroughbreds is," in reality, not nearly so unfortunate as some people ueem inclined to imagine In truth, all that can be said detrimentally of them is that we have not at present so many high-class handicap performers as usual. loli, a daughter of Birkenhead and that brilliant mare Isolt, who unfortunately went wrong in her wind, x was made favourite 1 for the Trial Stakes at the- A.J.C. December meeting, but though she showed pace, she failed to run ¦on, and was beaten out, of a place. Owners and trainer/9 are again reminded that acceptances and. entries are due with Mr. A. E. \Vhyte, secretary of the Wellington Racing , Club, tomorrow es'ening. M T. M'Grath returned to New Zealand from Australia by the Moeraki, which arrived yesterday afternoon. He loft this morning for Maeterton, and expects to spend about a fortnight in his old haunts ere he returns to Melbourne and Caulfield. Tumut is now spelling at Bacchus Marsh, but Zealand is still sv regular at.tendant on the Caulfield tracks. J. H. Prosser will bring such of his charges as are engaged at tho Wellington Summer Meeting over to Trcntham on Saturday. It is understood tl^at, her lease to "Mr. Tiemi Puru" having expired, Equitas is

likely to bo taken ovor to Sydney this autumn. Should she make tho trip her mission will be th« shorter distance w.f.a. events. The Charlemagne II — Hertnosa colt Champagne, who wont slightly amiss in one of his kneee anil wan soiit South trom Porirua to bo spelled at Mr. J. Buckley's estate, near Oamaru, is now apparently sound again. The colt is getting through steady exercise under W. Mould's guidance. Rose ¦ Noblo ran dmappointingly both at Wingtttui and Oamaru. H» w oaid to have trained off. and to be an unlikely starter in the Wellington Cup. Rurik has been withdrawn from his first 'day's engagements at the Wellington Summer Meeting. The nowly-formed track which runs back from the round course at Troutham between the four and fivV-furlong posts has now been couip'leted, and, (provided the weather regains reasonably fine, th«.five-furlong oVeut* to- bo decided at tho Summer Meeting will be start, ed from a_ point which will aJJow of the competitors getting a straight runout from tbo barrier nearly a furloiitt in length ero they reach the bond. Th» will constitute an irumeneo improvement, and it io plea*ins: to think that, in connection with the Wellington btakes, tho respective chancca of Autuinnus.. Prince SouU, Witming Way, Ermengarde, and others, will not, as heretofore, bo largely dependent upon the luck of tho draw for portions. The new starting-post will also bo .much fairer to Mr. 0. O'Connor, for, no matter how- even a dupfttch he effected at the old post, the angle at which it was placed invariably cau«ed his 'work to look unsatisfactory to those on th« stands. • . V.B.C. NOMINATIONS. »| telegraph.— tttu Ai»oetaM«4.-~O«wrl«h» mi MELBOURNE, 10th January. ' The nominations for the N«wmark«t Handicap, to be run at th« Victoria Racing Club's Autumn Meeting ia March, total 97, and include Sharpehooter, Chief Lochiel, and Sunburnt. Ihe Australian Cup nominations total 56, amongst the number being Gunboat. Oakleigh Plate nominations total 82, inj eluding Sharpshooter and Sunburnt.