NOTES AND COMMENTS (By " Sir Lancelot.")

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 119, 16 November 1914, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS (By " Sir Lancelot.")

Idealism made his first appearance at Riccarton during the recent meeting, in the Port Cooper Hurdles on Saturday, but failed to get in the money- Ngatiruanui was not produced. Come, winner of the Spring Hurdles on the opening day, scored again. The four jumping events at the meeting went to two competitors. Corrie waß meeting Kilmeny on 101b worse terms, and again finI ished in front of him. She is only a pony, and the obstacles at Riccarton take jumping. Her superior condition ,and gameness carried her through. Murray Hobbs, the Riccarton owner-tramer, has done well with Peg and Corrie, the only progeny of " Cora Lynn that haye raced. The daughter of Foul ShotrpLalla Eookli was a successful performer on the flat in both islands. Corrie probably gets h»r jumping ability from her granddam (Lalla Rookh). tn better company than he met on the previous day, Ardent could only manage to get fourth in the Oressy Welter. The surprise of the race was the position occupied by the Gisborne representative, Lady Alicia, at the finish. On the opening day she could only get a. .moderate eeCond in the Apprentices' Plate. The local patron of the Porirua stable, who races as Mr. "Marton," scored a win with Pavlova, a great weight-carrier for her inches. She raced consistently throughout the meeting, and did not run out of her turn. In the Criterion Handicap, seven furlongs, on the second day, she tried to win from end to end, and was, only beaten for second place in the last few strides. In the Jockey Club Handicap, one mile, on the third day, she led for about four furlongs, but got Headed off in the straight. She is not engaged in the Railway Handicap at Auckland, and will probably make her next appearance at the Manawatu' Meeting. The place-getters in the Seymour Handicap finished in exactly the same order in the Ashley Handicap on the second day. St. Elmn, the winner of both events, was also seen out on the opening day, when his chance was extinguished !at the start. On Saturday he was meeti ing Wharfinger, a fair three-year-old, on 91b worse terms. St. Elmn is one of the few of St. Ambrose's progeny now racing. He comes at the right end and shapes like a stayer. His owner-trainer has engaged him in the Auckland Cup. He is certainly well enough bred. Autumnus was only seen out twice at Riccarton and scored on both occasion^ On Saturday he carried 101b more in the Members' Handicap than when he scored in the Criterion Handicap, and won in faster time. For an uneound horse — he raced with one of his front legs bandaged, and had practically done no preparation — he put up two remarkably good pefomancee, and if he -was only sound wound take on all-comers. He caried 6lb over wfiight-for-age in the Members' Handicap, and would have only had to run the next three furlongs in 40Bec to be alongside the winner of the Stead Gold Cup. The two races won by Autumnus were worth 1015 soys. This brings his tofcol winnings up to 6422 soys. ' i In the Stead Memorial Gold Cup, Beputation and First Flight fought their Wanganui Guineas and Champion Plate battle over again. The honours again went to Reputation, and although defeated First Flight was by no means disgraced. Only a head separated the pair at the finish, and Reputation put up time which equalled the record for | the race held by Counterfeit. After Reputation won at Wanganui and Hastings ? I had hopes that he would equal the performance of another great Martian colt (Danube), and go through his three-year-old career without defeat. The Derby happening unfortunately upset this wish. This season Reputation has won £2675 in stakes and the handsome trophies attached to the Champion Plate and the Stead Memorial Gold Qup. His next appearance will be im the Great Northern Derby Prior to 1908 the Stead Memorial Cup was run over a mile course, and was known as the Jubilee Cup. It was won by come great performers, viz., Advance, Royal Artillery, Achilles (three times), Cruciform, Isolt, and Zimmerman. Bobrikoff won the Stead Memorial Cup two years in succession, and since then the race has gone to Los Angelos, Counterfeit, Bon Reve, and Warstep. The result v pf the Welcome Stakes, which produces f the best two-year-old form at Riccarton, ie generally a reliable guide to the Electric Plate, four furlongs, weight-for-age, .on the concluding day. On Saturday none of the other two-year-olds opposed Battle Eve (the Welcome Stakes winner), who failed to get a place. The best performance in the race was put up by Bimeter, who appears to be good enough to get' placed in any company. He had previously been placed twice at the meeting, and is working his way up to the top, although he has not yet won a race. The field included Tete-a-tete, winner of the Juvenile Plate, which form is sometimes good enough to win an Electric Plate. She also failed to score in a fast-run race won by the Trentham-trained three-year-old filly Chakwana. She is probably the greatest favourite of all horses* trained at Trentharn. She was heavily backed in hack events on both days at I Trentham, but the best she could do was to run third on the concluding day. At Riccarton she showed up prominently at the start of each, of the races elm contested, but failed to see the journeys out. Her previous best e|?ort was id the Juvenile Plate, in which she finished close up fourth. Messrs. Riddiford had four horses at the meeting, and no one will begrudge them a win tn the Electric Plate,) which wae worth 350 soys to the winner. At the Waikanae sales Chakwana cost 120 guineas as a yearling, iis a two-year-old she sported silk on seven occasions. She scored a win and a deadheat at the Wairarapa Autumn Meeting, and was alto placed twice at Hawkes Bay. She it engaged in the Railway Handicap at tht Auckland Summer Meeting. In the last three contests for the Electric Plate Mr. E. J Watt has been second with Ventura and first and second with Downhara. The most consistent two-year-old seen out Uus season is Mr. .T.*H. Lowry's filiy De&ert Gold, who scored hor first

win in the Pioneer Handicap at Ric- ' carton on Saturday. Up to then she ! had started four times and ' ran three seconds and a third. She was conceding as much as 301b to some of her opponents. Adjutant (the brother to Court Martial) beat Sweet Corn for second place, and should get on the winning list before the season has much further advanced. The Maltster filly ! was on her toes at Riccarton and hardly ran up to her Randwick form. Happiness (the full sister to Chakwana), who finished just behind Adjutant in the Spring Nursery, was expected to run forward, but did not do so. The yearlings purchased by Messrs. Riddiford last season have been thrown back with colds, but will probably do better in the. autumn. , In the New Zealand Cup Kilrain tried to concede Sea Pink 121b and failed. In the Fendalton Handicap, ten furlongs, on Saturday, Sea >"'>ik conceded Kilrain a pound and a x>.*ting. In the Auckland Cup it will not be surprising if the New Zealand Cup figures are reversed ' and Sea Pink is called upon to concede Kilrain weight. The place money in the Cup and the Fendalton Handicap "win brought Sea Pink's winnings up to 620 soys — a fair stake. At the beginning of the meeting Kooya looked too burly in condition to see out any of the races she contested. However, the racing did her good, and in the Fendalton Handicap she beat everything except the winner.