NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 150, 22 December 1922, Page 23

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By "Sib Lancelot.") Aroythns is unlikely io compete during tho summer season. Ke is being exercised twica daily on the Otaki beach, •and provided he goes on the right way hopes are entertained that he will be ■seen out in the autiimn When the sting is out of the ground. H. Cairns tells me that the big contingent of New Zealanders now, domiciled in Victoria are all doing well, and mentions among others W. Eiorclan, M. T. M'Grath, D. J. Price, Gr. Delaney, and V. O'Neill. ' ! [ Fisher was recently put over the jumps ! at Otaki and gave a good exhibition. He | is to fulfil his engagement -at Manawatu, | where he is top-weight 6» tho opening day. Kilreid was backed and beatsn twice at the December. Meeting of the West j Australian Turf Club. " . ■ Since the last meeting at Eilerslie J (ths Aucklrtrid "Star" states) the totalisator facilities for the public to invest have been greatly improved, and dur- j ing the coming cummer carnival ■ those wishing to bet will, find every facility for doing so. The up-to-date new building, recently completed, will be open to.its fullest capacity and those in the paddodk and the L'eger enclosure will be well | catered for. Outside a new face has been erected on the totalisator house behind the Derby stand and this will cii' able those who patronise this portion of the course to follow the prices of the i various candidates just as easily &s these in the enclosure, thf> investments being registered both inside and outside as j they are made. It has long been recognised that the club's patrons on the pic- | hio grounds on tlie hill shou-d also be in a position lo have a bet without fcavirg to waik a-U the wa-y roUnd- to the t&talisator houses lower, do vn ihe coiivee ' To get over this difficulty a temixmry building has been put ink) pos'.n-n ja't shove the trainers' shelter shed, atid tbosb no inclined- vail be oble <:o f.i-t tickets^ and receive theil; dividends there.. TRis is only. a> temporary arrangement for tie time being, until the full system of the electric installation has been espied ir;ia effect, atld.it will tbersfore be found necessary at present to stop the taking of investments some ten minutes - ear'ier than at the main ina-joi.ies, ami investors would do well. to make ;i note of the fact. '

Killicrankie (Kilbrouey— Ftowery Spseiih) was among IhrJ winners at. Perth thin month.' He is expeowd to_ show up prominently in tho v'-'est AuttraJiiin Derby, to hb run on fJo.xmg ~D'\y. ■ The Auckland scribe Whalebeiic makes the following reference to the Taurangapito vinsihg-in. case. Tlib case'of A. Hall will be well remembered, the disqualification being inSicted in connection with,the Tunning of Ibex, which as well as Turangapito, raced in his colours. While the case was pending, Ibex and Turangapito both ohanged hands, the former being purchased by Mr. A. N. Gibbons, and the latter by Mr. White, ■both of Auckland.'' Many people have been curious for soffle time abolit tho whereabouts of both horse 3, and there was a very strong suspicion that one of them -won a; race at a Now Zealand niee'ting. under another name. It would be decidedly interesting to know who _tdok Turaftgapito to Australia, and when and where Ibex is at present. Tho "London Sportsman" states that a descendant of Musket "in the male line, through another channel than those' he. so successfully carved out in. New Zealand, won a "classic" last month in the Argentina. The colt, in question, Sofocoii, is a tail male descendant of Musket's soil, Dan Godfrey, who was foaled here in 1879, the year after Mu'skfet was' sent to the Antipodes. Sofocon's sire, Riesco, «was got by Dan God-' frey's Son, Tonic' ■ . In the "Australasian,"- EobinhooJ gives particulars of Gray'e Success m ■ the Autumn Handicap at 'Newbury. Thoiigthtless ir trained by O. BeD for Mrs. Boundeir. Thoughtless, who won easily-by a length and a half from tho King's colt, _ Will Somers—the King's horses have r"un an inordinate number of 1 seconds this year, since he brought off a nice winning double at Newbur.y, id the spring—is a five-year-old gelding by Birtingham. The last is a little-known but well-bred stallion, by -William the Thii'd, out of Queen Marguerite, who was bred by the Duke of Portland, and ■\von a good race as a' three-year-old at Hurst Park, beating Colonel Hall Walker's Night Hawk (who Bhortly afterwards oreated a big surprise by winning the .Doncastar St. Leger), arid Messrs. W. Clark and L. Eobinßon's Whroo, etc. By the way, Mr. Lionel Eobinson, in his will, has left instructions that his horses are to.be dealt witb as Mr. Clark thinks fit. Thoughtless was ridden in great style by the New Zealand jockey, H. Gray, who promptly followed up that success by winning the Theale Maiden Two-Year-Old Plate on Mr. J. Musker's bay' colt, by Gro^venor, out of "Belle. Royal, It was quite like old times to 6ee Mr. Mtisker's colours to the fore again, reminding one of the days when the two-year-olds carried all before them, and when Mr. "Bob" Sievier gave him £10,000 for' Toddingkm, with whom he promptly won the "Woodcote" at Epsom and a big race at Kemptoiu.PaTk, later selling tho colt to go to the United States of- America, wheTe the son of Melton" out of Minerva sired some winners, but none of much importance. At Newbury Mr. Musker'o unnamed colt beat a ''hot pot" from Gilpin's stable in M de Sb. Alary's Mammette and a. good field.

There is a lot of racing hi'the Commonwealth, and some extraordinary happenings, take place there occasionally. Recently, at Kosehill, J. Tpohey, rider of Lion Isle, failed to weigh in. _ The matter is thus referred to by " Pilot," of the "Sydney Bef eree " : Lion Isle's rider, J. Toohey, wa3 responsible for the sensation, as when ho returned to the enclosure on that horse, instead of immediately going to tho scales to be weighed in, he went, to tho^ jockeys' room, .whwh is nearby, and threw his saddle and gear down. For a few moments it wns not .realised that he had not weighed in, but when, it suddenly dawned on those responsible, a i'ush was made' for tho jockeys' room and Toohey was found sitting down resting. Toohey_ was asked why he had not weighed in, and, suddenly "remembering hi 3 duty, he gathered .together his sadcilo and gear and went on to, tho ccalcs hnd weighed in correctly. The. stewards; immediately Toohey had been weighed in correctly, deliberated, and after a short discussion Mr. Abel Hydo ga"^c instructions to an official to hoist the weight 1" flag. However, J. W. Cook, the traine;'. of the second horse, requested Mr. Kyd<3 to daisy the hoisting d the fiaj, to h$ Sighed i& #PK«I ft£abit ih% jisw^rdft'

I ■ . decision. Mr., Hyde disregarded Cook s request, and tho flag wa3 hoisted and the bookmakers paid on Lion Isle. The attitude taken by Mr. Hyde is extraordinary, as Cook had every right to appeal against the decision of the stewards to the committee of the Australian Jockey Club, and for tho chairman of tho stipendiary stewards to refuse to accept Cook's appeal is against the fundamental principles of the rules under which racing is conducted. At Belmont Park this month Leonard, who rode Tambaroora, complained that a darning needle about 3in long had been stuck into his leg during the race. It -was extracted by a doctor, but the stewards were unable to discover whether it was wilfully done or was by some mean 3 accidentally inserted.