NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 146, 22 June 1915, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By "Sir Lancelot.") Geo. Price is returning from England by the Ruahine, due in Wellington on 16th July. At a meeting of the committee of the .Auckland Trotting Club, held on Friday last, it was resolved that the sum of £150 be 'subscribed to the Hospital Ship and Wounded Soldiers Relief Fund ; and further that the committee will donate a proportion of all profits made at the club's meetings during the forthcoming season to the 'Patriotic Funds. Merry Lad (Merriwee^ — Zaida), -winner of the Havelock Hack Steeplechase at Hastings on Saturday, is bow trained by J. Sullivan at Woodvilla, and is owned by Mr. T. E. Whelch, who won the Hunt Club Cup with Bandalero. M. Edwards has cancelled the accommodation he booked for the Waikato Meeting. Another Canterbury trainer, J. Bryce, is taking three horses up by Wednesday night's express. Glenmore, who ran third in the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase last week, won the race three years ago. There ajre now twenty-five trotting clubs in the Dominion which have totalisator permits. Soporific scored his first win a,t tho Rangitikei Hunt Club's Meeting at the beginning of the season. After competing unsuccessfully at Dannevirke, he again scored at Otaki. Then he did a. turn at fl:it racing. He won a double at Manawatu, but missed at Tauherenikau. He was then blistered and turned out, and made his reappearance at flat races at Blenheim. He won a double at Wanganui, and added the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase to bis list. This brings his winnings to over 1000 eovs. for the season. Lethe (Cadogan — Siesta) won races in the North Isla.nd before taking up duty at Mr. Tilson's stud at Papawai,' Greytown, where he sired Tilson, Sir Lethe, Soporific, aad a host of jumpers. Lethe is full brother to Chudleign (who represented Sir George Clifford in the last Nelson Derby, won by Foxton). He is also half-brother to Dreamland, Day Dream (who went to England), and Conqueror. The Charlatan (darn of Soporific), a chestnut mare by Trickster, was trained at the Hutt by C. Pritchard. She won hurdle races at Blenheim and the Wairarapa when ridden by F. Higgott, who trains Soporific. The Charlatan was by Trickster (by Leolinus— Revoke), a halfbrother to Duntroon (a great sire of jumping horses in Otago), the Premier (who sired The Administrator and other performers when at the late Mr. P. F. Tancred's stud in the Wairarapa), The Governor, and Amazon (by Anteros). Trickster won his flat races in tho late Mr. G. G. Stead's colours. Afterwards in the North Island he was a fairly successful performer in the colours of Mr. J. Martin, who raced Erebus. Among other races Trickster won the Marlborough Cup. He was a great stud failure. The writer understands that Mr. Jackson also owns a, half-sister to Soporific by Concraerer, these being the only foals The Charlatan had. Leap Year (dam of The Charlatan) competed in hack hurrMe races; in the Wairarapa and at the old Hutt course in the colours of Mr. "Willie" Hirschberg, of Masterton. The grey gelding The Diver (by Captain Webb) has been a consistent but unlucky performer this season. He was runner-up in the big steeplechase on both days at Hastings, second and third to Soporific ai. Wanganni. third to Sir Donald and scccrd to Birkful at Manawatu, second to Naupata at Rangitikei, third to Glen Nevis at Woodville, etc. D. Nyhan, the Petor.e trotting trainer, leaves for the Waikato by Wednesday night's mail with Hymen, Rothschild, Excelsior, and Todd Bolls. Mr. G. L. Stead's horses The Pole and Sauci roade their first appearance in Victoria at Aspendale Park on Wednesday last, when both were successful. The Pole won tho Steeplechase, about two miles, and Sauci scored in the Aspendal© Park Handicap, ore mile. At Caulfield, on Saturday, Sauci and Tim Doolan each finished third. Tim Doolan will probably be given another race at the Moonee Valley Meeting on Saturday next, and ma-y contest the Steeplechasers* Flat Race on the second day of the V.R.C. Meeting, which opens on Saturday week. The Provident Fund of the Now Zealand Trotting Association for the year ended 31st May shows tbo receipts to have been £562 ss, and the disbursements on account of accidents, etc., £197. / THe fines imposed during the year amounted to £123, the Greymouth Trotting Club heading the list with £21. The present value of the Provident Fund is £2101 17s lid. Doon (who was exchanged for Big Blast) is proving a payable proposition to Mr. W. Smart, the local owner. She has won a flat race and hurdle race, and, as she is only four-years-old, should score again before long. She was not produced on the second day at Hastings, but will probably make her next appearance at Napier Park. The patriotic meeting to be held at the Petone Recreation Ground on Saturday next will probably be the last the Hutt Valley Trotting Club will hold there. Mr. Short tells me the next meeting with the tote will be held at the old Hutt course. Ladoga's name is missing from the flat races at Trentham and Multiply from the hurdle races. The annual conference of trotting clubs -will be held in Wellington on 13th July. It is reported that strangles has made its appearance at Trentham. Taringamutu is one of the first sufferers. The veteran performer Medallist has been engaged at Trentham. He won the Peavcc Handicap four years ago. With Awahou engaged in the Vittoria Hurdle Handicap at Trentham Mr. Coyle should have no difficulty in finding a top weight in that event. On the second day at Wanganui Awahou conceded Doon 291b and a beating. It would appear that the clashing of dates by the Otahuhu and Wanganui Trotting Clubs has not yet been satisfactorily adjusted. For the forthcoming season tho Otahuhu Club has applied for 23rd and 26th February, and Wanganui 25th and 28th February. Why the Wanganui Club selects these dates is becaUse they fit in with the Wanganui Cup Meeting. There does not appoar to be any te&um why ths Ouhuku Club could not raw », wgfik j&ter.

It is hoped the matter will be fixed up by the Dates Committee of tho Trotting Conference. The Coronet gelding Cornelian is evidently back to his best form, but was unlucky enough to run second on both days at Hastings. On Saturday Aratiatia, one of J. H. Prosser's Porirua team, finished in front of Cornelian. In consequence of H. M'Sweeney breaking his collarbone the previous day, W. Adams had the mount on Aratiatia. The Porirua horse wa-s in receipt of a stone and a-half, and the distance (a mile and three-quarters) suited him better than two miles. Fond Memory, the Woodlands Hack Steeplechase winner, was a present from his breeder, the late Mr. John Cotter, to W. Homes, the Bulls owner-trainer. The Merriwee — Tuhirangi gelding was foaled in 1904, and will be eleven years old on Ist August. His dam, Tuhirangi (by Sou' -wester — Caller Herrin) also produced Houyhnhnm and Naphtha (who raced in the Wairarapa), Braebifrn, Victoris, and Braemore. Fond Memory is now trained by G. Colello for Mr. H. J. Holder, who used to Tace Redloh. The Kaikoura, Greymouth, and Oamaru Trotting Clubs all propose to race on 25th October (Labour Day), next year. AUSTRALIAN WEIGHTS (By Telegraph.— Press Association.— Copyright.) SYDNEY, 21st June. The following are among the weights declared for the ► Epsom Handicap. — Uncle Sam 9.6 (top), Reputation 9.1, Traquetto 8.12, Athenic 8.10, Carlita 8.9, Lord Multifid 8.6, Sonite 7.2, La Peuna 6.11.» Metropolitan Handicap. — Cagou 9.5 (top), Mountain Knight 9.4, Reputation 8.13, Carlita 8.7, Traquette 8.6, Lord Multifid 8.2, Bon Ton 8.0, Cherubini 7.10, Sonite 6.13, La Penna 6.9.