NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 44, 20 February 1918, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(II "lilt LANCELOT.")

The autumn circuit of meetings will be continued a stage further to-morrow, when the popular Wanganui gathering opens. With the recent form at Taranaki and Egmont to guide them it will be surprising if backers do not have a good time.

The acceptances received for all events are quite satisfactory. The opening event is tho Stewards' Handicap, a mile and 110 yards. Nanna may be reserved for the Flying Handicap. Of tho top weights, Gang Awa' and Seadown are nicely placed with 8.5 apiece. Volo, who has a stone more than when he scored in the Atkinson Memorial at Egmont, ia evidently improving, and may beat all below the 8.0 division. Astor roads well in with 7.0. He is generally regarded as a sprinter, but has •won over the same distance at New Plymouth with a stone more on his .back.

The form of Bon dOr at New Plymouth was just good enough to keep iim well up in. the hack class. His winning record-^one race in two season* :—does not make him out to be a good one.. Robnr won at Egmont and reads the best of those at the head of the list. Of the lightly handicapped ones Association reads the best. He won at five furlongs at Trentham, and if he sees the other furlong out will be difficult to dispose of. In his best form Sir Fisher would probably beat the lot opposed to him in the Westmere Hurdles, two miles. Last winter he won the Century Hurdles at Wongamu and the Hawkes Bay Hurdles. He was sent out favourite for the Winter Hurdles at Trentham, but came to grief. Sir Solo -won the Grafton Hurdles, two miles, at Ellerslie, and -with only 31b more to carry reads well in. Another Ellerslie winner' that may have to be considered is Glendaloueh. On the conclnding day at Ellerslie she won the New Year Hurdles, two miles, -witfe ft 10. With only'lo.2 to carry she may keep Sir Fisher doing his best. Somewhat contradictory reports nave been afloat concerning Hymestra contesting the Jackson Stakes. The latest from Wanganui is that he is shaping well on the tracks, and he looks like a certain starter. Biplane, who carried all before him in Australia in the spring, is down to make his first appearance in the Dominion as a three-year-old in the race. Mr._ Greenwood has been more successful in this race than any other, having won it with Armlet, Vice-Ad-miral (partly owned by Messrs.. Stead), Emperador (twice), and Bimeter. R. J. Mason holds a great record in connection with the race, as he also trained Royal Artillery, Machine Gun, and Isolt, who won the race in the oolours of the late Mr. G. G. Stead. Mr. Lowry has both Estland and Finmark engaged and may run the two-year-old. Hymestra and Biplane each defeated the other as two-year-olds.' Last year, when Bimeter scored In brilliant style, Hymestra and Estland filled the plates. Neither Chortle nor Volo, winners of the principal event 6at the Egmont Meeting, is engaged in the Wanganui Cup. The meeting of the Melbourne and New Zealand Cup winners. Saeanof and Menelaus, will lend additional interest to the race. The form of Client at Awapuni at Christmaf. time was a great improvement on his Riccarton spring form, and with the handy impost of 8.5 he may win the race for the second year in succession. The Australian performer Almo, a six-year-old gelding by Antonio—Puritan, is to make his firet appearance in the Dominion in the race. He was among the unplaced competitors in the last Melbourne Cup, in which'he carried 6.7. He was also unplaced in tne V.R.C. Handicap with 7.7, and hardly seeme up to Wanganui Cup form. Snub and Dingle have shown form recently good enough to give them more than an outside chance.

Three-year-olds are strongly represented in the Juvenile Handicap, five furlongs. R. J. Mason has Lovesick and' Missouri engaged. The latter is well in with 7.4, aa also are the Egmont winners, Staccato and Piano.. The Trenthamtrained Philomela may prove the beet of the moderate lot of two-year-olds engaged.

Tho winning form of Henry Clay at Taranaki and Egmont may make him favourite for the Wiritoa 'Hack Handicap, a mile and 110 'yards. Signorella was placed second each day at Egmont, and another of the Signpr breed in Silenus, a winner at Pahiatua, is nicely placed in the middle of the handicap. Last year Form Up got in the Flying Handicap with 7.9, and a penalty for the Woodville win did not etop him-scoring. This year he wae placed a pound above Croesus. The latter raced -consistently at Riccarton and beat Desert Gold at Trentham v The Egmont winner. Impediment, is down to ran, also two other good three-year-old performera in Nanna and Lingerie. Moutoa Queen i« nicely placed with .7.12, but Waimatao may. be outclassed. Moutoa Queen appears to hold him safe on Marton form. There are so many fast beginners engaged that it can hardly help to be a fast-run race.