NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 122, 24 May 1923, Page 11

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(SI " MR UNCItOT.")

There is a Queen Carnival on at present at Otaki. The secretary writes me that visitors frpin -Wellington by the early trains to the meeting will bo supplied with tea and sandwiches pear the station at a nominal charge, the funds going to beautify the local recreatiop ground. ' It is reportedthat an offer of 1750 guineas for the Kilbroney gelding Loughrea was recently refused. A. Reed has engaged, to ride the horses from the Alison, stable at thp Auckland Meeting.'

Mr. Ewan Campbell, president of thp Wanganui Jopkey Club, will celebrate his 80th birthday on Saturday next, and is to be entertained by the present stewards and pa?t officials of-the club at the racecourse in the afternoon. Oppprr tunity will be taken to present Mr. Campbell with a piece of silver plats, suitably inscribed. Mr. Campbell hap filled nearly every office in the club, and could be patron, but he prefers to be a ' worker instead of a figurehead. At the re'c§nt meeting the writer took tlio opportunity of wishing Mr. Campbell many happy returns of the day, and applogisec} for not being able to attend t"he fupctjpp. Mr. Campbell informed me that he witnessed the firs}, rupe meeting held at Wanganui in December, 1848, seventy.-five years ago. At. a later stage he filled the office of clerk of scales, and related an incident in connection with^the 1884 meeting, when Fred Hedge won the big race on Clarence, whp carried 13.0. The same afternoon Clarence, won the Grandstand Steeplecha.se, in which his only oppoiir ent, Billy-go by-em, refused to start, Iledge alsp wor) the Consolation on Black Doctor. Denbigh, the only other Starter, refused the second fence. Peiir bigh was a great .jumper, and won at Hawkes Bay, Wellington and elsewhere, It will give some idea pf the jumps in tliose days when she only managed to clear the first fence. Dr. Conpojly, whose name generally crops_ up at Wanganui at the winter meetings, and is always sppk.en of with reverence ani| respect, was riding at Clarence's meeking, and was second on The Demon in .the Ladies' Bracelet ' Steeplechase to 'Bradlaugh. An Otaki trainer who is interesting himself in the case of C. Jenkins, writes me that Jenkins is riding work. Spme members of Parliament are interesting themselves in Jenkins, and will inajie q, deputation -to the Racine; Conference ■when that body meets in July next-

S. Walls lias a number of mounts at ■Ellerslie, '■ including Pittsworth, No Bother, Paopui, and EJstgw.

According to a Christchurch scribe, Mr. 6. D. Greenwood's team for Ausr tralia will comprise Gloaming, Pluto, and the iwo-ye.ar-olds Lascelles, by Mar> tian from Mary of Argyle, and Golden Tresses, by Tressady from Lady Grafton. About a month ago Mr. Greenwood aiir nounced seyeij of Jiis team, for private sale. TJ?# writer has not heard of any of them changing owners, but Pluto is the only one in the team for Sydney, lu'the last isMJs of the "Sydney Refereo' 1 to hand, "Pilot" states that Mr. Greeir wood had decided to send the Jio.rses to' Sydney to Be sold in time for the A.J.O. winter meeting," which opens on 2nd June, tl looks as if the well-known Sydney sporting scribe was giving Chisr hqlm and C 0.," the Sydney stock aucr tionoers, a helpipg hand. Cupidon failecj to "pass the "doctor" when in Sydney in. the spring, apd Mr. Mason may depide not to i'is.k the Sydney market with other members of the team. The writer is more interested in the. two Derby candidates that are going across. Neither of . them have . yet started, Neither Gloaming nor diipidon racpd in the Do? minion a? two,-ye"arrolc|s, but they both won the valuable A.J.C. Derby, ialoami ing had "previously woo the Chelm'sford Stakes at .Randwiek Gupiden did not start in 'the Chelmsford Stakes. but he won the Novice Handicap, a mile race, the next event, on the: card.. "He was a|so beaten out of a- place in. tl>§ B.PSBhill. Guineas before he won the A.J.C. Derby. There fire more unlikely things than tj»t one of the youngsters going across will win, and the. writer's, only regret is. that he will not be at Eancl■wick. , The'bay colt Golden ■ Tresses • is from Lady Qrafton, who has produced half a^dozen winners by different sires. Lasoeiles .is-a brother to Ardenvohr (a New' Zealand. Cup . winner), Mascot (Auckland Cup), and Sunlnrd, and the. writer \ypujd take him to be, the one, tp win the Derby. , ". - A notable absentee from the list of jumping race.s this winter is Fisher, who is at present running out on'hisiowner's,', (Mr. Hf J. Palmer's) farm at Otaki. He wjll.-very likely be taken; up ; again in the spring.

A. H, Burt "will- probably go to-Dun-edin to ride Mr, W. R, JCernbaU's. jumpers in their engagements there. L\ Wilson's team at Greenmeadows includes the rising three-year-old gelding Director, by Nassau—Culross. He is a full .brother to Mixture, who scored 'two .wins at Taranaki meetings this season.

,Matarika and Bestir will probably represent A- D- Webster's team at the Otaki Meeting. Bestir has been jumped over the pony hurdles and! shaped satisfactorily. Mamunga, a- Jiuntqv from the Gisborne district, owned by Mr, Q, 3?ulton, the Canterbury pwner, was shipped South this week.

Mr. Baker, of the Clarendon Hotel, Pajmerston Nprtft! wa P *he successful tenderer for the publican's booth at the Otaki races.

Although the New Zealand bred False Note (Absurd, iiup.-r-Straga) had not) raced yon Sydney courses, she was well-backed for the third division of the ' Fourteen-two Handicap at Victoria Park on the 16th inst. A poor getaway was, responsible for the undoing of the good thing, who finished third, after being seventh to turn for home. Although by- no means a quality filly in appearance,.False,Note ha? an abundance of pace, and it is not likely to lie long 'ere she proves a credit to her jllustriona. half : brother, Hymesfcra, Her dam, Staraga, is by Sir Lancelot from 31flock,'by Nordenfeldf from Elfin, by IVlu&et from Sylvia, by Fisherman from Juliet (imp.), by Touchstone.

The .tfireeryajx-old fijly Arch Lady, by Marble Aarch—fAgneta, was among the. winners at Victoria Park on the 16th inst.' ■:■ • - . . ' .

H. Gray-does not appear to be doing much riding ie England. His only mount at Ppntefract'' on 11th April wss on Hunting Song (Hurry On—Pasta) in the Trial Handicap Plate. He started first favourite in a field of eighteen, and ran second." Hunting Song is a half-brother to Auckland, who raced in the colours, of the local owner ; Mr. William Higgijis, in the Dominion. ■ judging by the accommodation at Otaki that hag been bespoken by visiting trajners, there should be a good response 'from' owners at Otalii to-morrow night. ■ It was :a Vise move on the part of* tha; management when ifc. deleted thai steeplechase events and put back hack hurdle-races. . Sunny Spec (7.12) accepted for the first division of. the Flying Handicap, to ba run «t Victoyja Park on the 16th inst., but did not take part. , Since the spring meeting at Otalii sums additions have bsef} xp»4? *9 &» mem.

bers'"staud. The members of the Press now have an enclosure to- themselves, for which they thank Mr. Ben Lirig. Those important officials, the stipendiary stewards, also have their own room, and the accommodation for members, owners, and trainers has beep doubled in size.

In the open sprint race at Otaki, Mireusonta, tho Hawkes Bay Stakes winner. )b top weight with Solfanello. The latter has not had much of a letoff since he won the Stewards' Handicap at Riccarton.