NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 77, 1 April 1914, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By Sir Bedivere.)

Owners and trainers are again re« minded that nominations for the New Zealand St. Leger, the Trentham Gold Cup, and all handicaps to be decided at the Wellington Autumn Meeting are due on Friday, when second forfeits must be declared for the North Island Challenge Stakes. Final payments for the Batter Handicap. Great Northern Champagne Stakes, and Great Northern Oaks, together with acceptances for minor events to be vim ' at Ellershe are due on Friday next. Acceptances for all events to be run on the opening day of the Feildhie Meeting are due on Saturday. In view of the many meetings which will take place at Easter time, owners who have not already engaged riders for their horses are strongly advised to make early arrangements. Most of the best jocjceys will be at either Ellerslie- or Ric caiton, and. as usual, competeht horsemen will be at a premium at other centres. It has long since occurred to me that a system might easily be inaugurated under which jockeys would notify secretaries of clubs whose meetings clash with others during the busiest times of the racing year of their intention to be present, and of any engagements already entered into. This at the earliest moment. Owners would thus be saved much trouble and worry. In the event of their requiring a rider for a certain race all they would need to do would be to telegraph the club's secretary for the names of ail horsemen available. Secretaiies may, of course, 1 contend that this would entail a lot of extra work on their part, but 1 do nob believe that in practice they or their assistants would find themselves much inconvenienced. Considerable interest is being taken locally in the Masterton Autumn Meeting, which is«to commence to-morrow, and, provided the weather remains line, there will be a large muster of racegoers at Opaki. Leonta, who ran second to Moutoa Girl at ttangitikei, will probably be favourite for the Cup. which he won last year under 6.13. He is a longstriding horse, and the Opaki course, which ts ten furlongs round, suits him admirably. Lubriline is well fancied, but she will have to put up a 101b penalty, and we have, of course, no guarantee that she can stay. On the second day at Bulls she came from the back and > won very decisively under 9.11, but the opposition She then encountered was poor, and she had only six furlongs to go. She may, of course, be as good as even her most enthusiastic admirers claim her to be. On the other hand, those who support her may find themselves in the same plight as were Ratana's backers on the second day of the Rangitikei Meeting In view of the good form he showed at Wingatui, Altear will no doubt be well befriended for the April Handicap, for which a light-weight in Bradamahte. who scored ea-sily when last seen out at Wanganui, is also fancied. Kimbombi. who won a double at Napier Park in convincing style, r is engaged in the Masterton Hack Handicap, in which PaftahMramn will have'to)carry 71b extra. Bonus [ should run prominently in the Ruamahunga Handicap if he has been kept up to the collar since the Daitnevirke fixture, and Vocation may start favourite for the Opaki Welter. The luck 6f the drawwill influence the result of the Dash Handicap, for which Lady Vladimir may compete, and the result of the Bracelet will, as usual, largely depend upon the relative skill of the amateur riders. With a capable horseman up Combustion should prove dangerous, He was finishing very well when he ran second to Victoris over a mile and 100 yds at Bulls. Very little intelligence of any value is to be gleaned from the cabled account of the doings at R&ndwick yesterday, but it is interesting to note that Bon Reve and Sinapis registered, from a time point of view, the best gallops of the morning. Bon Reve's six furlongs in lmin 18Asec works out as a shade under lmin 4Ssec for a mile, whereas the best mile gallop was that executed by Radnor, who completed this distance in lmin 46|Bec. There is still a doubt a« to whether Berry will be able to ride Sinapis in the Sydney Cup. If, however, arrangements can be made whereby Emerson will take his place at Ricca.rton he will leave for Sydney by the Manuka on Friday. Owing to having bruised one of her feet, Rene will be unable to fulfil her, engagements at Masterton. According to report from the South, Flora M'Donald and Masterpiece are both standing up to their work, though the former does not seem to have been stretched out over other than short courses recently. Masterpiece, on the other hand, more than held his own against x\utumnus during a gallop over a mile yesterday, and is said to be going very well. Provided he is landed at the post at anything approaching his best he will be a good favourite for the Great Autumn. Superstitious folk will, of course, stick to Sea Pink, whoso name was omitted from the list of acceptances as originally telegraphed. He should run well, too. At Wanganui he was unlucky, and there is good reason to believe i that we have not yet seen the best of him. Whilst at walking exercise near Trentham yesterday morning, Roumania came into collision with a motor-cycle, with the result that he was thrown. He appeared to be rather badly knocked about, and may not be able to race again for some time. The contract for the erection of a new stewards* stand for the Wairatapa Racing Club has (statesour Featherslon correspondent) been signed, and the building will be proceeded with shortly after the Eaßter Meeting. The foundation of the structure has been put down by tho club's employees. Including the foundation (concrete) the building will cost £1200 when completed. A feature of the new stand will be the provision of a , large jockey's v"oom. The office acconimo- , dation will be thoroughly up to date. A deputation representing the old Tftieii Racing Club asked the Prime Mm- • ister that, in the event of t Mr. Hunter's / Bill passing through Parliament in the v coming session and additional permits \ being granted, the Taieri Club might re ; ceive favourable consideration. In reply ' (reports our Dunedin correspondent) Mr. • Massey said that if Mr. Hunter's BUI , \iassed it would be for the Racing Con- I, lerencc to recommend that certain clubs • should have their permits restored. Ho thought the Bill had a chance of passing, judging by the support it had 'received last session. Time him? Yes to the tick, with mv chronograph— reliable as the buu. I bought it from O'Connor and Tydeman'fc. Chronographs from 35s at Th* Jewellers, Pahneiston North,— Ady>.