NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 35, 10 August 1925, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY "VEDETTE")

The nominations for the Wellington Fleet Meeting are particularly good, the horses being representative o£ all parts of New Zealand. Quito a large number of those entered are due to race at Riccarton this week, and these will have a. decided advantage over the others in point of condition. There are six Grand National candidates engaged in the Admiral's Steeplechase, for which a. very good entry has been made. From the appearance of the nominations the meeting will be quite up to the average for Trentham.

BationaJ's name figures in the open eprint races at ths Wellington Fleet Meeting. As predicted, he is not being raced over hurdles again—at least for the time beini.

Conditions at Christchurch over the week-end werfe Antarctic, and those who journeyed down, by Friday night's ferry steamer.in the hope of getting out to see the final gallops on. Saturday morning at Eiccarton experienced a rough and protracted trip, which landed them in Christchurch at 10 a^m. There was not a great deal doing at Riccarton, however, for the climatic conditions were very bad.

Practically all the Grand National Steeplechase horses were out, and hit out satisfactorily in working gallops. * - White Comet suited by the soft going, registered the best gallop' of tho morning, and impressed the track watchers .very decidedly. He was brought home by Heisler, who is himself a speedy galloper,- over the last four of five furlongs, which took lmin 8 3-ssec. If the track is very soft to-morrow, Whit© Comet will have a better chance, but tho Riccarton counse is bo different from that at Trentham that the conditions will not possibly be the same, no matter how much rain falls.

Anticipate was another Winter Cup candidate to gallop .well on Saturday morning. He had Kuhio for a mate, and beat him pointless over six furlongs run in lmin 25sec. —

Vagabond has improved a little, and the latest concerning him is that he is a very likely starter in the Grand National Hurdle Race. From all accounts, it may be unwise to dismiss him from calculations because he has been showing signs of lameness.

On going • through the report of the Annual Racing Conference it is noticed I that there wa3 an amendment to the j rules; whereby every race in which the | number of acceptors exceeds the safety number shall be divided. It will thus be I seen that, after all, if tlio Winter Cup field had exceeded twenty-one acceptors it would have had to be divided, or the barrier made wider at the mile post at Riccarton. So far as the back straight at Riccarton is concerned, there is ample room for many more than twenty-on« horses to race ■in line, but the barriers are not wide enough for more. The acceptances for tho Pakuranga Hunt Club's Meeting next Saturday are most satisfactory. The nominations for the Auckland Meeting were considered light, but there has been such a high percentage of acceptors that the club's officials should be more than pleased. Only three have failed to keep their engagements for the Pakuranga Hunt Cup, for which that good horse Llewellyn is top weight. Amongst the nominations for the Otago Hunt Club Steeplechase are Uncle Bob, Maghora, and Sporting Girl. The three-year-olds Circulation and Overdrawn have been entered for the Jockey Club Handicap, seven furlongs. At the annual meeting of the Ashburton Racing Club, the chairman, Mr. E. B. Newton, said that he wished- to congratulate Messrs. Henrys and Russell on their handicapping, and Mr. P.. D. M'Nab on his excellent starting. It will be interesting to see how Cureaform shape* in the Jellicoe Handicap at the Pakuranga. Hunt Meeting against Gala Day, Arch Amie, and Passionate.. Moorland is coming into favour in Christchurch for the Winter Cup, A good beginni*, he is sure to play a prominent part in the «arly.part of the race, but whether he will quite stay out the journey is another matter. He galloped very well at Riccarton on Saturday morning.