NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 94, 20 April 1916, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By "Sir Lancelot.")

The Easter fixtures open on Saturday with Auckland and Wairarapa. City followers of the machine will muster in strength at Tauherenikau. On Saturday trains leave Wellington for Featherston at 6.40 and 8.30 a.m., returning from Featherston at 5.42 and 7.8 p.m. The Featherston Camp Military Band will be in 'attendance, and it is expected there will be a large number of soldiers present. All the races on the opening day promise to bring out good fields.

Proceedings open with the Trial Hack Handicap, six furlongs. Sldrengo. who put up a. good race with Coropet at Bulls, is in the field. . He has also been engaged at Feilding. The top-weight, Consultation, showed some form a.t Jfasterton and Pahiatua, where she ran second to Rewarewa. Silverstream ran second to Detroit at the last-named meeting. The Trentham-trained Humorist, and Probation, a place-getter behind 'Cello at Maaterton.. are others in the race with some form to recommend them.

In the Te Waka: Hack. Welter, one mile, Lord Laddo is conceding his opponents some weight. He ran two good races at Pahiatua. Maraetotara failed to run up to form at the last-named meeting. She finished a neck behind Franbonnet in the Masterton Hack Handicap and beat Lord Laddo.

Some of those engaged in the Easter Handicap have previously' shown good form at Tauherenikau. Among them are- Taringamutu (a double winner at ■tho last meeting), Immer and Bortrada (previous Cup winners), Marsinah (who was successful in two events at the Cup Meeting), and Want (runner-up to Taringamutu in the Tauherenikau Handicap). Montana (8.13) has lib more than on the second day at Opaki, when he defeated Red Ribbon, Bertrada, and others. On this form he should again finis-ii in front of the pair named. Monta.nn (7.13) aleo defeated Red Ribbon (6.10) in the Autumn Handicap at Trentham, and on Saturday will have slightly the best of the argument. Multicipal ;:ppears rather close to Montana. Marsinah looks the best of the light weights.

Of the lot engaged in the Nursery Handicap, Menelaus is in a class by himself. Ho is opposed by Rose Pink and Elation (winners at the* Summer Meeting ,at . Tauherenikau), Struggle (who defeated Beltane and Grand Duchy at Dannevirke), Lady General (second to 'Cello at Masterton). Mr. Bidwill has also paid up. with Devotion, but on performances Elation appears to be *.he better of the Rototavrai pair

The distance of the Wangamoana Handicap, seven furlongs, should suit Latloge'ur, Chillies, Pariform, and Bradamante, who was successful on the soiiond day'at Opaki.

The lot engaged in the Makahi Hack Handicap, six furlongs, include Manu, Arrahna, and Merrie Poto, who were successful in the three concluding events on the second day of the Summer Meeting. The recent form of Heeltap, Rewnrewa (who is nieo in at Feildihtr), and Comment (a placegelter behind "Ohiwai and Lady Black at Trentham), was sufficiently good to gain them friends if thpy take their place in the field.

Several of the acceptors for the Wardell Handicap, six furlongs, are also in events earlier in the afternoon Botanist and Need were among the at the Summer Meeting, just beating Lady Black. The latter defeated Botanist at Opaki, and ran well at Trentham. Watchful should run well in her own class. Marimba and Tyson are smart beginners, who may not quite see the distance out.

The Ellerslie programriie includes the Great Northern Oaks, Great Northern Champagne Stakes, and Easter Handi cap. The Oaks appears a- gift to Desert Gold, bar accidents. On Manawatu form llyttns should be prominent in the two year old race! For the Easter Handicap, Chortle^ King Lupin, Colonel Soult, Multiplication, and the light-weighted Housewife appear to be the popular picks.

Mr. W. Duncan and F. Tilley leave Sydney to-morrow to attend the yearling sales next week.

The Trentham horses engaged at the M; araP» Meeting were railed through Vii-it ''ornins'.

Robert bell, Martius, Down, Chat milla. and Recorder dropped out of the Great Easter Handicap ,on final pay ment. Montana was the only defection from the Great Autumn.

Interlude, who- has won 475 sovs in stakes this season., will compete in open company at Feilding. She is in the Mangaone Stakes, six furlongs, with the handy impost of 7.9. She scored her first win at Feilding in the spring, but failed in a. six furlongs event on the second day, when Tirana boat a good field, 'which included Multiplication nnd others. On that occasion Tirana conceded Interlude 61b. Now there is 41b between them. The trip to the Wellington Cup Meeting knocked Tirana out.

The names of Rewi Poto, Arlington, Want, Byron, Rewarewa appear among the acceptances for both the Wairarapa and Feilding Meetings.

Since his return to Australia Three made his reappearance in the April Plate, six furlongs, at Moonee Vallev. on the 10th. Three (8.9) was beaten" half a length by Pctracia (7.2) in lmin' 15sec

• The eight applicants left in ihe final for the position of secretary of the Ha-wkes Bay Jockey Club have been notified to appear before the committee oil Monday, Ifjtli May.

The Porirua team generally goes to Auckland or Riccarton at Krister. This year J. H. Prosser will go to Feilding witli Tango, Kukri. Scrutineer, Xaupata. and George. It is a long time since the l'orirua stable sheltered so few firstclass horses as at present.

The £1000 Trot is.to be run at VictoYia Park (Sydney) to-rky. The owners put in nearly £800 of tlio amount in nominiation and acceptance fees. None of the New Zealand horses engaged were sent across. Breeze, who was cold in Christchurch and token over to Sydney recently was to have taken part but had

a fall through jumping at a shadow and has been taken out of the race. W Bryan has a useful second s'tring in Direct Wilkts, who is on the limit.

Indigo and Rewi Poto represent the best form in the Feilding Cup: Thelonger distance may suit the top-weight better than the black horse. Indigo has a stone more than when he won the Metropolitan. If lie can win with 9-5, no one will begrudge Mr Gt. Hunter, who was very unlucky not to get the trophy attached to the Dannevirke Cup —the gold cup that goes to the winner of the race. Maniaroa is nicely placed in the middle of the handicap with 7.13. That is the same impost he carried when he scored in the St. Andrew's Handicap, run over the same distance as the Cup, at Feilding in the spring. Amongst tliose he defeated were Square Deal, 7.12, whom he now meets on 91b better terms, and Sir Solo (8.9). Harbour Light is the sort of horse that might win a feilding Cup under a- light weight. In the Jumpers' Flat Race at the Grand National Meeting he carried 10.2 and ran a. mile and a-half in 2min 39 4-Ssec. That time is nearly as good as Leontaput up in the last Feilding Cup. The Fordell representative must be given a place among the probables with 8.8, which impost is 81b less than he won with twelve months ago.

Orleans has been accepted for in the Cup at Feilding,, and may therefore not ba seen out in the Easter Handicap at the Wairarapa- Meeting; Jean Laddo was only engaged at the last-named fixture. She won on both days of thfi Summer Meeting at Tauhercnikau, and recently scored in good style at Masterton, where she defeated a fairly good field over her favourite distance, seven furlones.

F. Carmont will be represented at the Feilding Meeting by Lady, Louisa, Master Achillas, Birkenhead, Ladify, and Merry Andrew. C. Carmorit has gone to Auckland to ride Housewife in the Easter Handicap, and returns for the Feilding Meeting.