NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 15, 17 July 1918, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(M "SIR UHCEIOT.") When the stewards of the Wellington Racing Club decided to remove from the old Hutt Park racecourse, one of the main considerations in favour of Trent- ' ham' was the fact that the railway ran past the property. The executive • little dreamt that circumstances would afiso which would make it necessary ! for patrons to travel to the course by : road. Fortunately, the increase in the use of motor-cars, lorries, and 'buses has enabled the club to carry on without all the expected assistance from the railway authorities, and the executive : of the club is to be congratulated on the result of the year. The Autumn (Thompson Handicap) Meeting was cut out, reducing the number of meetings for the season to three. Taking the tota-lisator figures, appended, as a guide, it will be seen that the club is making steady progress :— 1917-18. 1918-19. £ £ Spring 78,227 76,829 Summer , 3 days 145,782 2 days 102,123 Autumn 76,350^ — Winter 3 days 111,112 2 days 99,960 i 10 days 411,4714 6 days 278,922 i Morecambe, who has been off the scene since he fell in the Great Northern Steeplechase won by Gluepot, is engaged at three events at the-South Canterbury Hunt Club's Meeting. The Birkenhead gelding has only started once in the last three years, as above stated. He has been a good but unlucky horse since he started as a jumper. He won the Trial Hurdle Race at Riccarton, where he also ran second to Royal Arms in the Grand National Hurdles, and to Fashion Plate in the Sydenham Hurdles. He was then put by until the following winter,. when he ran third in tho Great Northern Hurdles to El Gallo and Tragedy King, and second in the Great Northern, Steeplechase to El Gallo. Referring to the first appearance of Association in Sydney a writer in the Sydney Referee says:—"A New Zealandbred gelding in Association, by Elevation from Black Scotia, made his appearance in a Flying division at Rosebery, and ran well enough to suggest that his visit will not be unprofitable." Mr. Jas. Bull, jun., informs me that All Red has been fully booked up for the season. Colorado may make the trip to Riccarton, where the going is generally fairly good in August. The imported horses Day Comet and Archiestown, purchased in England by the South Auckland Country Breeders' Association, have arrived in Wellington after a good trip. Day Comet, winner of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Goodwood as a two-year-old, was foaled in 1910. He is a chestnut horse by St. Frusquin from Catgut, by Lactantius—Catkin, by Dog Rose, by See-Saw. He is a full brother to Quinologist (a successful performer in New South Wales) and Planet, who this season ran second in the Manchester Cup. Archiestown, who has won both on the flat and over hurdles, was foaled in 1912. He is a chestnut horse by Sir Archibald (by Desmond, son of St. Simon), from Craigellachie, by Wolf's Crag from Catchwood. Day Comet, who was bred by Mr. L. de Rothschild, has been at the stud in the Old Country, and was represented last season by one or two two-year-olds. The See-Saw mentioned above in Day Comet's pedigree is also the sire of Kubezahl, imported by the late Sir George M'Lean, also sire of Beauharnis (dam of Soult). As a three-year-old, Archiestown won the Easter Plate, of 10C10 soys, at Kempton Park. Both horses appear in tho English Stud Book. Although nothing has been definitely decided on the point, one of the horses will probably take' up stud duty at Te Aroha or Morrinsville, and the other at Hamilton. When they get thoroughly acclimatised they should prove an acquisition to tho blood stock of the Waikato district. In August last a New Zealand horse and its owner were disqualified for two years by the Williamstown Racing' Club. The owner in question attended a race meeting held by the Takapuna J.C. early this year, and as this procedure was a violation of the law of disqualification, the New Zealand Racing Conference, on having the matter brought under its notice, extended the disqualification to September, 1921. That means that the owner will now be four years under the ban. ••' . ! St. Elmn has been an unlucky performer in jumping races this season. He has been placed on five occasions in important races, and secured 570 soys in place money. Unfortunately, the St. Ambrose gelding is not sound, and will not stand winding up. He has been lame since racing at Trentham. An 'effort will be made to get him to Riccarton, where' he ran second to.Master Strowan in/the Grand National Steeplechase last August. The Sydney mail brought particulars of tho first and second day's racing at the V.R.C. Grand National Meeting. John Bunny (Bunyan—Carreno), who accompanied Gluepot to the other side, ran third in the Maiden Steeplechase on the opening day. Hugh Cairns rode Bardol (Bardolph—Lady Portsea) to victory in the Iramoo Welter. Bardol is owned by W. Riordan, formerly of Wellington, and is trained by M. T. M'Grath, for whom Cairns used to ride in tho Dominion. On the second day Cairns scored on Hobgoblin. (Famous — Dixie) in the Koilor Hurdle Race, two miles. The .Maniapoto gelding Sir Fisher has had a successful season. Ho has won three races and 1000 soys in stakes. The sportsman who races as Mr. "C. Machel" formerly resided in Christchurch before settling in Auckland. He has decided to be represented at Riccarton, and E. J. Rae goes South to-night with Moddite, Meltchikoff, and Notability. The place money won by Coalition at Trentham brought his total winnings for the season up to 1490 fi-ovs. • P. Hogan, the Southland trainer, informs me that Giralda did not start at Trentham because, he knocked himself while working at Trentham. Giralda will probably run at the South Canterbury Hunt Club's meeting, and so will Fleetham and Sylva. The latter. is n, New South Wales bred gelding by Sylvanite, and was among the winners at liiverlon at Easter time. Fleetham and Giralda were shipped South on' Monday. For. several winters past V. Colello, the Hastings trainer, has been well represented at the jumping meetings by Corazon, Nadhdor, and Bvaeburn, who have between them placed most of the important cross-country events in the Dominion to the credit of their owners. Colello came through to the Trentham. ■ meeting and took Ormeso'y back to Hastings with him, the Birkenhead gelding having been purchased by Mr. H. A. Russell. Two sons of Carbine, in Carbinier and Amberite, sired the winners of the two last races for the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles, and on Saturday last another eon, Bundook, was. represented by (Job-

ram, the winner of the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase. Bundook (Carbine—Moonga) was a full brother to Mongonui, and half-brother to Seahorse, Zealous, Rattler, and Powerful, all of whom were bred by the late Major Nelson George at Epsom. Cobvam was in tho Flemington race with 9lb above the minimum weight, and was in receipt of 301b from Booligal, who earned IK 0 into third place in the same race two years ago. Cobram showed some form recently in Victoria. At the V.A.T.C. meeting on 22nd June he won the Wanda. Steeplechase, the race in which Caibye met with injuries which necessitated his destruction. Cobram is a grey gelding, and is owned by Mr. H. Connolly, a well-known Victorian owner of jumping horses. Mr. W. Oorlett, of Carterton. bred both Master Boris and Sir Agnes, and owns and trains the last-named. Racegoers at the old Hutt Park will remember another horse named Sir Agnes which Mr. Corlett. owned. He was also a. chestnut gelding and a useful performer. He beat Tortulla in.the Parliamentary-Han-dicap, much to tho surprise of C. Jenkins, who rode the black mare. He was by Master Agnes (Cassivelaunus-Fair Agnes) brought to the Waira-rapa district by Mr. Corlett for stud purposes after he won the Wa'rara Pa Cup. Master Agnes was a champion hurdler of his time but never sired anything as good as himself, probably on account of not getting the opportunity. Fair Lady (dam of Master Boris) and Miss Foreshore (dam of Sir Agnes) are full sisters by Master Agnes-Foreshore (by King Cole-Lake Superior). Later on Mr. Corlett imported the Maxim horse Mauser to take the place of Master Agnes. Fair Lady had a filly that died and missed another season, while Miss Foreshore produced Foreshot and a full brother to Sir Agnes named Master Jack. To Boris, Fair Lady produced Lady Daylesford, Lady Boris, and Master Boris. Peter Pan (Stepniak-Annilla) was Mr. Corlett's next purchase, and he has done several seasons at the stud. Mr. Corlett informs me that Fair Lady and Lady Foreshore are both dead. The former left two fillies by Peter Pan that will be put into training. Since ho won at Trentham, Mr. Corlett has had some enquiries for Sir Agnes. If not disposed of he will go South to fulfil his Riccarton engagements in the interest of the Carterton sportsman.