NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 3 November 1926, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY J'VEDETTE.**)

RACING FIXirRES.

November 6, B—Auckland It.C. November C, 8, 10, 13—Canterbury J.C. November 13, 15—Waikato K.C. November 17, 18—Winton J.C. November 20—Levin R.C. November 24—Ashhurst-Fohanglna E.G. November 27, December I—Takapuna J.C. November 30, December I—Fellding J.C. December 4—Methven E.C. December 4—Taumarunui R.C. ' December 8, o—Woodville District J.C December 10, 11—South Canterbury J.C. December 11—W»lpa K.O. December 16, 18—Dargavllle R.C.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "'Essex," Willis street.—Stewards' Handicap candidates were not liable to be rehandicapped unless they had won a race of the value of 300 soys or any race or races of the value of 500 soys. Handicaps for the Levin, Meeting are due on Friday. Mares have a moderate record of success in the New Zealand Cup, Oratress in 1920 being the last to score, the most prominent cluster of wins by the sex being in 1909, 1913, 1914, Lady Lucy, Sinapis, and Warstep, the last-named deadheating with Indigo. There are only.three mares in the field this year, Kavenna, Clarinda, and Full Swing. All three have handy racing weights, are stout gallopers, and any one may be capable of springing a surprise. Under the law of averages it is about time that another mare won the New Zealand Cup. R. S. Bagby will ride Santiago in the Spring Hurdles at Riccarton on Saturday. .According to a Southern writer, Clarinda will be ridden by B- Rosen in the New Zealand Cup. H. Lee, an apprentice attached to F. Loomb's stable, will be up on Desert Glow. It is hardly necessary to state that the Masterton Racing Club has done well out of its- Spring Meeting at Trentham. The figures in connection with the meeting are not available for publication. Notwithstanding that he was unsuccessful in his three starts, there were not many two-year-olds in the Auckland province last season who showed more pace than Dimmer. His failures were due to the fact that he was never ready to show his best, and better things can be expected of him this season. Ballymoy 11. has now worked her way out of the hack class, her race, at Trentham last month putting her into open company. Full Swing did not shape at Gore in a manner calculated to cause one to enthuse about her chance in the New Zealand Cup. Still, the fact cannot be forgotten that she was running on well at the end of a mile and a half when she won the Birthday Handicap. Full Swing will have a lot of weight below her Gore burdens to carry at Riccarton, and under a light load may shape better. She looks really well, and lacks nothing on the score of condition. Arrowsmith as a sire has had something of an advertisement lately. Arrdwmir won a double at Gore, Sagittarius has been - racing consistently in Canterbury, and the two-year-old Arrow Lad raced very well at Trentham. Arrowsmith was a brilliant galloper himself, and a well-bred horse, so that it seems only a case of his getting a chance to do really well at the stud. ' The Invercargill Cup this year will again carry the good stake of £1000. After the Caulfield Meeting "Cardigan" wrote in the "Australasian" concerning Thracian, who gave Rampion a good race and beat Limerick in the Victoria Derby, as follows:—Thracian is never going to approach- Heroic's cla^s as a racehorse, and he is never likely to be anything -more than a moderate. On Guineas form —he was second to Rampion—he looked like winning the Burwood Handicap, a nine-furlong race for three-year-olds, despite his 9st. Henare was regarded as his most dangerous opponent, and he is a maiden like Thracian. Thracian had everything in his favour, as he jumped away well and Cairns allowed him to bowl along in front. His stablemate, Amarelle, was with him most of the way, and they turned for home with Henare and King's Consort next. Thracian was clear at the distance, but immediately King's Consort tackled him he closed up very quickly, and the filly ran home an easy winner from Henare, with Thracian a pooi? third. Subdivision, who has been racing unauccessfully in New South Wales, was due to return to Auckland yesterday. If an Auckland writer is understood aright, patrons of the lawn at Ellerslie if they wish to purchase ten-shilling totaligator tickets will have to go to the totalisator house on the hill, quite a distance away. The only ten-shilling windows in the paddock enclosure will be in the members' stand, and not available for 90 odd per cent, of the public. Some time ago the Auckland Racing Club was more or less forced to provide facilities for lawn patrons to purchase ten-shilling tickets. This ig now possible, but at the greatest possible inconvenience, and it looks as if the club has made the change with the .worst possible grace. Actions such as these suggest that there is much in the contention that the totalisator turnover is the chief concern of most racing clubs. Although a New Zealand horse did not win the Melbourne Cup there was quite a decided Dominion flavour about the result, V. O'Neill trainer and H. Cairng rider of Spearfelt both being New ZeaJanders. When- in Sydney prior to. the A.J.C. Meeting O'Neill made no secret of the fact that Spearfelt for the first time was back to his real three-year-old form when he put up. such a great race against Heroic and Nigger Minstrel in the A.J.C. Derby. He showed by his track work and his victory in the Spring Stakes at Randwick that he was certainly no mean galloper. By winning the Melbourne Cup with 9.3 he has emphasised once again what a great trio of three-year-olds met at Randwick two years ago Only a really high-class horse could have won a Melbourne Cup under such a big weight as 9.3 in very fast time. In Naos the Dominion had a representative, even if he is owned in Australia. Naos, who has been showing excellent form, is a three-quarter brother to Star Stranger. .Pantheon, as expected, ran a really good race and filled a place which looked a P««amty for him. The Banker faded out »t the end, and Rampion and Limerick apparently were never possible winners and finished together. Considering the pace at which the race was run and Limerick a various misfortunes, his looked a torlorn hope.