FIXTURES.

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1923, Page 20

FIXTURES.

Spvember, 3 and s—Auckland K.C. Spring. Kovember 3; 5, 7, and 10—Canterbury J.C. Metropolitan. November 10 —Upper Clutha R.C.- Annual. Kovemfeer 10 and. 12—Hamilton-K.C. Annual. November H and-15—Win ton J.C. Annual.

Monday will be Derby Day at Riclarton. The Canterbury Blue Riband

race is one of the oldest on the cal-

endar except the Canterbury Cup, which was established five years earlier. In the old. days, when the Riccarton carnival was held over three days, it

was not an unusual thing for a good thiee-year-old to win the New Zealand Cup, Derby, and Canterbury Cup. Among those that won the three events were Manton, Euroclydon, and Tirailleur. Since the meeting has been extended to four days and the. stakes improved, three-year-olds are not asked to do so much. Winning the Derby in the .Dominion does not carry the same

prestige from a breeder's point of view as. winning in Australia or the Old Country. Very few of ihe Canterbury Derby -winners can be mentioned as having been great stud ;uccesses, although several of them have got winners. Stepniak was a notable exception. Sir-Modred-and Maxim did well in America, " while Oudeis, who went to Wagga Wagga, Manton, Scots Grey, and others-have got winners in New South Wales. Multiform, Uniform, and Noctuiform went to the Old Coun-

try.; Elevation, with limited opportunities, got some useful winners over a distance in the Dominion. Of the fillies that have won the race, probably none have a better record than Florrie,

the '• daughter of Tasman and • Rubina (purchased by Mr. Dan O'Brien out of a selling race at Riccarton). There was? great rivalry between Messrs Stead ancC O'Brien 'inT.those "adys. Florrie wort the Derby, beating Lebel, and the Oaks, and in the Canterbury Cup Mr. O'Brien won with Freedom, again beat-

ing,'Lebel.^rMr.;Stead won .the Welcome Stakes with Stepniak and the Metropolitan with Palliser, which was some consolation for - the defeat of Leh;el. . '

With Ballymena and Murihaupo in Monday's race, F. D. Jones appears to hold a strong hand. The first named is evidently a good stayer, and may equal the performances of "Noctuiform and ..Gloaming , and .Sviri. at Riccarton after at; Randwick. On. actual performances Razzle Dazzle appears the". Hardest-they-.will have to.beat. She is n,d. fillies^";do.. not win the Derhy>very;--often.-j -jnv"f act, --until Enthusiasm won last "year,, one of the weaker sex had not scored siriceVDes'ert Gojd won in r1 ..1915...:,. Fillies" have only won the race*-;bn '-three -occasions- since 18914, so,.''tKe"Co"dds' 'fare Hgainst. Razzia Dszzle.T.iOther.Cnllies" engaged are Gay Juliet; and-'Wild Hind: - ■• . ' The''Canterbury Cup: and the Oaks are, Jfoth "run' oh. the third day of the meeting?;-; -/The ■ winner of the Derby generally'-wins ■ the: old-time long-dis-tance-".'.■Si-eiglit-f br4a'ge;'race 'if he starts.' TheretTreill.'only.'be-a. small,field in the. Oaks, and if: Bazzle Dazzle- is p not knocked'out .with her efforts in the Stewards' Handicap and -the Derby, she should win the Oaks. Last year Gold Light won the" Riccarton WeHe'r on the opening day, and dead-heated ■with Enthusiasm (who had won the Derby) in the. Oaks. It was a much fairer dead-heat than some the writer has witnessed since. Gay Juliet is in the Riccarton Walter on the opening day, snd if she is successful in that event -may have, a, say- in the decision of the'race for three-year-old fillies. After the great race he ran in the Randwick Plate—some New ZeaUnders consider-he was unlucky to lose—Rapine is exnected to make a >rnnr] slinv.-inir in

the Melbourne • Cup on Tuesday. The ■writer would like to see the New Zea-land-owned horse win, Lmt is afraid he has a hard task. There are half a dozen horses above Rapine in the •weights, some conceding as much as 101b. The result of the Hotham Handicap, decided at Flemington this afternoon, may throw some light on the two miles race. Last year King Ingoda won both events. There Ere other per- I formers from' South Australia down to run who may. be heard of this year. They include Bitalli, the Adelaide' Cup •winner, and King of Mirth, who has won three times in as many starts this season. The last-named is one of the Comedy King tribe. He'has the handy impost of 6.10. Mr. J. F. Buchanan is unlucky that he has only one Martian colt to go into the ring at the spring sales next Thurs- ■ day. Last November the full brother to The Cypher realised 2000gns, and it is safe to conjecture that the full brother to the performer named will again go to Melbourne. Mr. Sol Green also gave 2000gns for the Martian—Bronze colt at ;Wanganui. It is roported that a well-known Victorian owner has sent a commission to Christchurch, and it . will not be surprising, therefore, if the colt follows the other Martian colts to the other side. Acceptances for -the Pahiatua Meeting are due on Wednesday rest. Handicaps for the Ashhnrst Meeting are due at the same time. In the Maiden Stakes, of 100 soys, at Ashhurst, there are 36 nominations at £1 each. As there is an acceptance of £1, owners should find the biggest half of the stake. Among the" Trentham-trained horses engaged at the meeting are Stream, Eene Mavis, and Backsheesh. Enßlefield, who has won the Werribee Cup two years in succession, is by the Carbine horse George Frederick, from the New Zealand mare Advantage, who won races- in Victoria. At the same meeting M. T. M'Grath won t welter handicap with El Capitan (Hieh field—Yosemite):- B

An enterprising English breeder has sent the brood mare Soft Nose to Australia to be mated wilh The Welkin She arrived at Melbourne by the Sophocles last week. Unfortunately ■ The Welkin's list is full for this season, so another sire will have to be chosen The mare is by Bridge of Allan {son of Love .Wisely) from Dum Dura, by Carbine from: Charm, by St. Simon, and therefore is a half-sister to imported leppo (dam of Thrice, Deneb Volpi Elkin, Three, .Trey, and Isa), all of Whom have won races. The fact that the seven horses were got by The Welkin no doubt influenced the owner of Soft Nose to take bis unusual action. According to Mr. Sam Griffiths, "Touchstone," of th 6 "Australasian," the;-well-known Melbourne suburb got It 3 name from Bob Fleming, one of the firsts of the early Victorian colonists whtjßettied on the banks of the Salt■waterythe name subsequently being extended- to the raceecourse.