NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 53, 4 March 1922, Page 12

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By "Sir Lancelot.")

The Victoria Baoing Club's Autumn Meeting opens at Flemington to-day, ■when the Newmarket Handicap was to 'be brought up for decision. At the head of th,e list for the great sprint handicap is the doughty Eurytmnic l'(10.'3), and as no such burden has ever been carried to victory in the race under review, a very wide interest is centred in the performance likely to be recorded by the son of.Eudorus. That Eurythmic caii oalf up a great dash of brilliancy he has! given abundant proof, and his weight-carrying abilities being also tlearly established we may see another record shattered, with the chestnut son of ■ Eudorus and Bob Cherry again prominently in the picture. The Australian Cap is the leading event of the second day'a programme. Tangalooma (8.3) and The Sever (8.8) were the ruljng.. favourites at last advices: The 'latter won the race las^year under 7.2. Frank Flynn, that one-time fine hurdle and. steeplechase rider, is at present in '"Wanganui confined to his bed and in a very low state of health. Another wellknown jockey in R. Tapp is also- seriously ill. '

Supporters of favourites had a good innings at the Clifden Meeting. Four won, one ran second, »nd> the other events went to the second favourite.

Mr. C. W. L. Murchison, who was for twelve years stipendiary steward in :New Zealand, has accepted the position of stipendiary steward to the Australian Jockey Club.' He considers the Australian plan of placing the stewards in full control on race , day far superior to the New Zealand system, under which they possess only advisory powers. Clean Sweep and Mustard. Pot are reported to be doing excellent' trackat Riccartori.,

An interesting record in connection with the Caulfield Futurity Stakes -is that Eudorus won the race of 1913, and, his son Eurythmic played the leading part in the same race this year. According to tho Sydney ■ Referee the ex-New Zealand rider, H. Cairns, holds the best winning average amongst .Victorian riders this season. ' ■ ■

', The number of new 'aspirants far steeplechase honours this season promises to be very much larger, than in. any previous year. ' . ■ ■ Big things have been expected of the well-bred Bonny Briar on several %ccar eions, but her Turf career has been disappointing. It is reported that she may not race again. ( Birkenella is to be put to the jumping game for the Kemball stable. The English mares which Mr. J. F. Buchanan imported a few years ago have turned out'well. • It was very unfortunate for the Kinloch studmaster to lose Sparrowha,wk (dam of The Hawk), but Trichas and^ Torqtiato, the dams of Quest and Martial Dawn respectively, look like proving .profitable investments. The two-year-old filly Epitaph has won £4110 in stakes this season, as a. result of being seven times first andi once second. She has been off the scene'for about two months, but she should earn a lot more money in the'autumn, providedi she comes'b&CK.,to ;any,thing.likeiher best form.

- Reports from Hastings credit Epitaph with looking in.the.best ,of health, and, further,. thht she continues to furnish in a. marked degree. Mr, A. B. "Williams acted' wisely when he decided ai giving Epitaph, a rest after her efforts at the A.R.O. Summer Meeting-in. January. An English-bred sire located in' Auckland who.has succeeded in raising himself greatly in the list under some disadvantage is Quin Abbey. .'ln 1919' the total earnings of his stock only amounted to £525, but in the following year his total was raised to £5330, while la'sfc year it went up to £7157. With only half the present season concluded, descendants of Quin Abbey ha.ye captured stakes to the value of £7930, so.that .with; reasonable luck he should be placed in the five-figure division this season. An interesting fact in the breeding of Quin Abbey is that lie is in-bred .to Galopin in a. marked degree. His sire, Morganatic, was got by St. Simon (son of Galopin), while' his dam, Honeypound, was got by Somer; ford (son of Galopin). •.' .. ... ..••; ,Foo Chow, looking none the'.w'ofae.for his Wanganui racing, was given" good half-pace work, and moved freely, . at Riccarton this week". He was galloped on in the Wanganui Cup, and though a little tender on the injured leg the second day, is quite right now. A very useful field remains in the New Zealand Trotting Derby after the second payment. This race i 6 one of the attractions of the May meeting 'at New Brighton. Great Hope, winner of the Great "Northern' Derby, Betrayer, who created, such-a good impression at the recent meeting at the Metropolitan course by winning the Juvenile Handicap, with Ratana and Latona, besides several other useful youngsters, are left in.

Despite the fact that the Dannevirke Racing Club offered 1825 soys for eight races on the first day, the fields were very poor. r Inhere were only three starters in the Juvenile Handicap, and three in the Hack Hurdles. Five horses contested the President's Handicap, and six the Dannevirke Cup. The totalisator figures showed an alarming decline, shrinking moro than SO per cent. The fields wore a little better on the second day, although only fivo started in the chief handicaD event.

Mr. J. Richardson, a prominent South Australian sportsman, who was a visitor to New Zealand this summer, and who ' was present at the Auckland and Wellington Meetings, has returned to Adelaide, and on being interviewed in regard to his experiences in Maoriland spoke in eulogistic terms of the manner in which racing is conducted in this Dominion. '•• Beports from llasterton state that' of the big string of horses now ( being; trained at Opaki, nothing *has come on tetter than Gladful, the winner .of. tho last New Zealand Grand National Hurdles. The son of Birkenhead and Gladiola is reported to be sound, and will be ready to race early in the winter jumping season. It is stated that the New South Wales breeder, Mr. Percy Miller, has expended '■£50,000 in the space of eight years in laying the foundation of the Kia Ora Stud. He gave 5000 guineas each for Magpio and Demosthenes, and last year 'he bought Sarchedon for 7000 guineas The last has been seen of Marula on the turf, her owner having decided that it was no use persevering with the King Mark mare. Bred as she is, Marula should make ,a successful brood mare. . Goldplane, the winner of the final event at Thames, has won five times, and been in a minor place three times, this season. She is a five-year-old baymare by Merry Moment—Rhodium. Elelis, who was kicked at the C.J.C. Summer Meeting, is to be turned out ' and fired. V Gasbag's nanie- appears amongst the tatriee for the Napier Cup and M'Vay Memorial Handicap, the latter the prin- • cipal race on the second day of th» 'Napier Park Racing Club meeting. Gasbag's last race was the St. Leger Stakes nearly a. year ago, when, he was,second to Duo, with ListoWel in third place. .Gasbag, (who, is a four-ye^sld hiqyja

colt by Demosthenes—Lady Cilia, prom> dsed to be in the front rank, and it is to be hoped that he comes through a preparation without mishap. The three-year-old chestnut filly Ditchley, by Boniforni—Puttee, has been accorded a nomination in the Marlborough Cup. Ditchley won her only two races this season, but unfortunately ■met with a mishap and for a time it was thought that she would not race again. Evidently it has been found that she will stand a preparation, and as her numerous admirers claimed the Boniforra filly to be much above the average, ehe should be worth watching.

Arthur Orrell, who recently returned to Newcastle from New ZealancT, was disqualified for two, 'years for improper ■ practices after the stipendiary stewards had held an inquiry into the running of Raven's Bock at Wallsend on Saturday, 11th February, as compared with his . display at Newcastle on the previous Wednesday (says the Sydney Sun). The gelding ran last of five, with 8,2, in the Newcastle Flying Handicap, for which he started favourite. He was then ridden by Orrell. C. 0. Da vies piloted Haven's Rock in the Wailsend Shorts Handicap, and won by three lengths, with 8.10 up, when Eulet's chance was preferred to his. Raven's Rock's owner-trainer, L. Wellard, was exonerated. Orrell has given notice of appeal. Sir Rosobery, who revelled in the mud in the Nelson Cup on Thursday, and won v with ease from American Beauty, was bred by the veteran ownertrainer, R. Knox, and is by the useful Sir Knox out of Merrie Rose. The gelding would appear to be equally at home on hard go.ing, for he raced very. consistently at the Wellington Summer Meeting. Each day he. started in the Jumpers' Flat race ; ran second to Hyttus the first day, second to Royal Gift the second d_ay, and on the last day won by a head from Explorer. Imaiibbon, who has not been .too sound, has been awarded pride of place in the adjustments for the Marlborough Cup with 9.1, which is four pounds less, that Matatua carried to victory in the same event last year. Matatua the previous week had been narrowly defeated by Insurrection in the Nelson Cup, but on the opening day of the Marlborough Meeting, won the President's Handicap (seven furlongs) with 9.1 up. In the Marlborough Oup this year Matatua has the handy weight of 7.10. Kick-Off (All Black—Fair Rosamond), ■who was among the winners on the opening day at Dannevirke, was a member of W. J. Donovan's team that went to Sydney for the Spring Bleetings and was making his first appearance since his return to the Dominion.

Mountain March was taken across to Nelson, but owing to the unfavourable weather conditions prevailing on the opening day was not started,

Sir. T. H. Lowry was not present at Dannevirke to see Aureate win, being on his way ba-ck to England. Aureate ha« scored her only two wins this season on the Dannavirke course. The fact that Royal Gift ran second, somewhat discounts' the strength of the opposition. The King Ruins gelding beat Hyrax, who has been winning tip the Ea«t 'Coast. Royal. Gift has been a useful stake earner this season. - Trentham stables were well represented at Nelson on Thursday, and the winners from head-quarters were Wae Tea and Jackaroo, both of whom carried Mr. W. H. Ballinger's'colours. Rose of, 'Athens and Island, two other North 1 Is--. land representatives in Gold Problem and Lord Rosebery, won the other two races. The Hastings-trained but Invercargillowned Gold Light scored her second win at Dannevirke. ■■' Mr. J, J. Corry, the Blenheim owner, started five horses at the opening day at. Nelson,-but none of them returned a dividend. Passionless," the full sister to Passenger, did well at Dannevirke on her first appearance in open company. She ■Finished in front of * her stablemate (Birkie) who was penalised for the Wanganui win on. the opening day, and on the second day ran second to Mireu,sonta. Suspicion (Mystificgiion—Tattle), who was-oamong the Dannevirke winners, is a full brother to Teka, and is trained by R: 1 - Goosetnan, at Hastings.-