NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 107, 6 May 1916, Page 12

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By " Sir Lancelot.") WINNING THREE-YEAR-OLDS. Reputation's record as the most successful three-year-old m the Dominion did not stand long. Prior to last year tlie previous best was Nonette, who had to take on allcomers in handicaps to avoid the Yaldhurst three-year-olds, Royal Artillery. Cruciform, and Menschikoff, who were sired in the same season and carried all before them.. The Seaton Delaval colt won on eight occasions out of thirteen starts. The Yaldhurst contingent won nineteen races between them. Although Desert Gold's total winnings easily stand aa a record for the Dominion, tliey are not as good as the best in the Commonwealth. As a three-year-old Poseidon won eleven races, worth over 13,000 sovs. Appended is a list of the winnings of the most successful three-year-olds in the Dominion during the past twenty years : — £ B. 1895-6 Euroclydon 2019 19 1896-7 St. Paul 1406 0 1897-8 Multiform 2134 10 1898-9 Altair 1406 0 1899-00 Advance '3251 0 • 1900-1 Renown 3185 0 1901-2 Nonette 3960 0 1902-3 Achilles 2685 0 1903-4 Gladsome 2665 0 1904-5 Nightfall 2331 0 1905-6 Noctuiform 3747 0 1906-7 Zimmerman 2035 0 1907-8 Gold Crest 2230 0 1908-9 Armlet ... 2145 0 1909-10 Elysian .. .. ... 2217 10 1910-11 Danube ... - •.., ... 3185 0. 1311-12 Counterfeit 3547 10 1912-13 Bon Reve '. 3742 10 1913-14 Merry Roe 3130 0 1914-15 Reputation 4690 0 1915-16 *Desert Gold 7975 0 *And trophies valued at 400 sovs. DESERT GOLD'S RECORD. The withdrawal of Desert Gold from her Hawkes Bay Stakes' engagement means that her three-year-old career has closed with an unbeaten record. Menschikoff, Noctuiform, and Danube went through unbeaten as three-year-olds, but none of the colts named did anything like the amount of racing Mr. Lowry's flier has done. In several of Tier races she, has beaten the previous best time record. So far she has contested 26 races, 12 as a two-year-old and 14 as a three-year-old. She has won 20 races—including the last 15 starts. She has filled second place on 5 occasions, and been third once—on her first appearance in public. Her record to date is as follows :— AT TWO YEARS OLD. £ Third in Wellesley Stakes, four furlongs, 8.2; won by Asterias, 8.7 _ ... ... 25 Second in Juvenile Handicap, four furlongs, 7.12; won bv Rangitero, 7.11 ... 35 Second in C.J.C. Welcome Stakes, ' four furlongs, 8.0; won hy Battle. Eve, 8.5 200 Second in Irwell Handicap, four furlongs, 8.8; won by Flying ■Start, 7.11 .._ 60. Won Pioneer Handicap, five furlongs, 8.9, time, lmin 0 3-ssec 245 Won Great Northern Foal Stakes, six furlongs, 8.5, time lmin 15 4-ssec 700 Won A.R.C. Royal Stakes, six furlongs, 7.2, time lmin 15sec 700 Second in Great Northern Champagne Stakes, six furlongs, 8.8; won by Arran, 8.10 ... ... 200 Won North Island Challenge Stakes, seven furlongs, 7.13, timo lmin 26 3-ssec ... ... 600 Won Manawatu Sires' Produce stakes, six furlongs, 8.6, timo lmin 13 3-ssee ... ... 400 Second in Manawatu Stakes, six furlongs, 7.12; won by Emperador, 9.7 100 Won Hawkes Bay Stakes, six furlongs and a-lialf, 8.5, time lmin 21sec 400 AT THREE YEARS OLD. Won Hawkes Bay Guineas, one mile, 8.5, time lmin 42sec ... 250 Won Champion Plate, one mile and a-quarter, 7.6, time 2min 9 4-sseo ' ... *650 Won New Zealand Derby, one mile and a-half, 8.5, time 2min 34 1-s'sec 1100 Won New Zealand Oaks, one mile and' a-half, 8.10, time 2min 35 2-sseo 350 Won Geo. G. Stead Memorial Cup, one mile and a-quarter, 7.7, time 2min 5 4-ssec ... tSOO Won Islington Plate, one mile, 7.11, time lmin 39sec 500 Won Great Northern Derby, one mile and a-half, 8.7, time 2min - 32 3-ssec ... ' 1100 Won Royal Stakes, six furlongs, 8.13, time lmin 13 3-ssec ... 700 Won Wellington Stakes, five, furlongs, 9.3, time 59sec 600 Won North Island Challenge Stakes, seven furlongs, 9.6, lmin 27 l-ssec 600 Won Awapuni Gold Cup, one mile and a-quarter, 8.1, timo 2min 7 l-ssec ' *375 Won Manawatu Stakes, six furlongs, 9.3, time lmin 14sec... 350 Won Great Northern Oaks, one ' mile and a-half, 9.6, time, 2min 43 4-ssee 400 Won Great Northern St. Leger, one niilo and three-quarters, 8.8, time 3min 7 4-ssec ... ... 500 Total 11640 *And Cup value 100 sovs. t And Cup value 200 sovs. Mr. Morse's adjustments for the Great Northern- Hurdles and Steeplechase are due on Monday next. A sign of the times at the racing and trotting meetings at Hokitika was that young women have taken the places of the men as receivers of investments in tho silent totalisator. The West-land Racing Club's Meeting was probably the first where the change has come" into force. The West Coast has been to the fore for months in sending men to the front, hence the shortage of suitable male employees. The Otaki Maori Racing Club has issued an attractive programme for its Winter Meeting, to be held on Saturday and Monday, 3rd and sth June. The Raukawa Cup is worth 500 sovs, and the Huia Handicap, the principal event on tlie second day, 300 sovs. The Maiden Flat Race and Final Hack Scurry have both been increased in value to 100 sovs. Owners and trainers are reminded that nominations for all events and entries for the Maiden Flat Race and Final Hack Scurry close on Monday at 8.30 p.m. with Mr. O. J. D'Ath, secretary.Mr. A. G. Mabee, one of the recentlyappointed deputy stipendiary steward's, made his first appearance in that capacity at the Waikato Trotting Club's Meeting this* afternoon. The welter races on each day of the Auckland Racing Club's Winter Meeting are. worth 500 sovs to tho winner. ! Sir George Clifford, who does not usually i run his horses so late in the season, has fliisrifjtfd 'JTJyiag Start, pqltle Eve, lirtd ' l Adjutants, I;

This year the Gisborne Steeplechase Meeting follows the Great Northern fixture, and comes before Hawkes Bay, which is more satisfactory for owners than in previous years, when it came between Hawkes Bay and Wellington. Under the new arrangement the Auckland contingent can compete at Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, and Wellington in turn on the way to Christchurch.

Mr. G. D. Greenwood's colours have been seen out regularly at recent meetings of the Wanganui Jockey Club. Bimeter, Empcrador, and Greenstreet have been engaged'at the coming meeting.

The acceptances for the opening day of tlie Egmont Racing Club's Meeting are satisfactory, In the principal event, the M'Rae Memorial, all but the three bottom weiglits remain in. Parewanni, who was top weight in both the Tongahoo Hurdles and Ladies' Purse Handicap, has been paid up for in both races. Crown Pearl, who lasted a long time on tlie flat, is down to appear iu tlie Hurdles. J. George, the New Plymouth owner-trainer, has done well in recent years with jumping horses. The well-known jumping horses Bercola and Darby Paul are among those down to compete in the Ladies' Purse, and Awahou and Los' Angelos are in the sprint race. The former is a good sort for winter racing, either on the flat or over tlie battens. Los Angelos has been off the scene for some time. He scored his last win in a weight-for-age race at Hawera over two years ago.

Tauira (Mahaki —Young Uira) was disposed of at the sale of the late Mr. J. R. M'Donald's thoroughbred stock for £5. He has gone back to Porirua, where he was trained a few seasons back, and won the Grafton Hurdles and other races in the colours of Mr. "M'Donald.

Eligible and Greenstreet, winners of the principal handicap events at tho Hawkes Bay Meeting yesterday, were among the unplaced division in the Challenge Stakes on the concluding clay of tho C.J.C. Easter Meeting. The performance of Eligible, who carried 8.13, is the best ever registered by a three-year-old in connection with the race. The heaviest impost previously carried by a horse of that age was 8.6, by Volume, who, like yesterday's winner, had previously won the New Zealand St. Leger. Eligible carries the colours of Mr. W. G. Stead, and Wishful, who filled tho role of runner-up, those of Mr. G. L. Stead. The brothers Stead formerly raced in partnership, and when Los Angelos won the race four years ago he ran in their joint interests". C. Price rode Eligible yesterday owing to A. Oliver being indisposed. 'Eligible was bred by his owner, and is a full brother to Bon Ton and The Toff, by Boniform—Class, by Wallace—La Tosca, dam of La Notte, who produced Nightfall, Noctuiform, and Midnight Sun, by Multiform (sire of Boniform). Eligible lias been placed well and managed to avoid meeting Desert Gold except on one occasion, when he ran second in the Great Northern Derby. He has won eight races during the present season, of the value of 4730 sovs, which beats all previous three-year-old records, excepting that of Desert Gold. Eligible will probably be entered in the Melbourne Cup, and ho is nof likely to be so leniently treated as he was in the Sydney Cup. Should Desert Gold not be engaged in the weight-for-age races at Randwick and Flemington in the spring Eligible will probably take part in them.