NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 45, 21 August 1913, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By Sir Bedivere.)

Nominations for the Wanganui and Dannevirke Spring Meetings are due on Monday. It has now been definitely arranged that the Rangitikei Club's annual meeting will take place at. Bulls oa the 25th and 26th March. The W&nganui Jockey Club hat already published its programmes for the present season, when the sum of £9245 will be distributed in stake money. Ih future the Wanganui Guineas will be the only mile race run on the Wanganui course. Owing to proximity of the Btarting battier &t the mile post to bottom turn it has been determined that all handicap events which have hitherto been run over eight furlongs, shall be decided over a course extending to one mile and 110 yards. This is undoubtedly a move in the right direction. Spectators will be able to- sec the starts just as well as ever, whilst the horses will have less chance of meeting with interference and disappointment whilst negotiating the turn. It is, by the way, worthy of remark, in view of the recent refusal of the conference to pass the Hawkeß Bay Club's motion, which would have prohibited any handicap event for three-ye«*-olds and upwards being run over a less distance thati five furlongs, that the Wanganui Club provides no race, other than the Juvenile Handicap, in which two-year-olds may compete, of a less distance than six furlongs. Whilst' on the subject of programmes I may mention that although nothing has yet been definitely settled, it m fairly certain that the Wellington Club, which has now reduced its heavy liabilities to within reasonable limits, is going to launch out very considerably this Beason. In all stake values will probably be increased by about ,£4450, and at, least one new w.f.a. event will be inaugurated. This, it is suggested, ■will take the shape of a two-mue race of substantial value, to be run at the Autumn Meeting. It is proposed to increase the value* of the Ch&mpioa Plate, run on the second day of the Spring Meeting, to something like £1000, but that in other respects the spring programme shall be left much as it has been. The value of the Wellington Cub will probably "be increased to £1300, and that of the Telegraph Handicap, run on the same day, to £760. Other events are to receive due attention, and the programme for the Summer, Meeting promises to be one of which the club will have every right to feel proud. It has now been definitely settled that Sir George Clifford's three-yar-old colt Nightwfttch is to forfeit his A.J.C. Derby engagement and to remain in New Zealand. He has wintered well enough, but during' the past few weeks he has pulled up slightly lame occasionally. As there is no heat or swelling In eitW of hie legs, Cutts does not regard the matter very" seriously, and the; chances are that the colt will be quite himself when he comes to tackle Mcwbray, Rinaldo, Cherabini, Jason, end others of his age in the spring. It is sincerely to. be hoped that this may be so, for he unquestionably retired with premier honours last, season, and no two-year-old then seen out gave so much promise of developing into a genuine stayer. Rinaldo, of course, wound up very well, his success in the HawkcK Bay Stakes being distinctly impressive, and if any of the Charlemagne ll.'s are to stay he should, his dam Demeter being by Wallace from Borcaldine's daughter Eleusis, granda&m of Miss Mischief and Counterfeit. Personally, I have always had a great liking for Rinaldo, but even he may not be bo partial to a mile and a-hnlf course as Nightwatch. Albert Goodman, who trained for some time past for Mr. C. J. Parker, left Gisborne recently in charge of Reney (Multifid-Miss Frisco), whom, it is said, he intends racing at west Coast fixtures. At the time of his departure from Poverty Bay the New Zealand Cup candidates Fort William and Multiply were running out. J. H. Proseor is now back again at Porirua, having left the private hospital this morning. He has made »n excellent recovery from his attack of pneumonia, and hopes to be quite himself again ere the end of next month. H. Hickey' ha* found it necessary to delay his departure for Sydney until next week. It te said that porando may be included in his team of jumpers. There are three steeplechase events, «&ch of which is endowed to the extent of £500,, to be decidedat the .AJ.C.Bring Meeting. i The July number of the Blood Stock Breeders' Review has arrived, and the appearance of its plain blue covet was most welcome. This publication is quite unique in character, and invariably contains a wealth of information, statistical and otherwise, not to be obtained elsewhere. Anything from the pen of Mr. J. B. Robertson is always worth reading, and this time he de&ls with "the correlation between racing performances and breeding value in brooa mares." Mr. Edward Moorhouß© writes attractively about tde sensational Epsom Derby, and among other matters ol interest are obituary notices of Sir Tatton Sykes, Sir Charles Day, Rose (breeder of Cyllene), and Comto de Berteux, a prominent French sportsman and personal friend of the late King Edward. The steeplechaser Pilot, by Gunboat —Mermaid, was sold at auction in Sydney this month for fifteen guineas. Pilot made a big reputation as a jumper in this country, and later on he performed with great success in Australia, but he has been unsound for some time past. , ,