NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 125, 23 November 1926, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY S'VEDETTE."}

RACING FIXTURES.

Kovember 24—Ashaurst-Pohangiua R.C. November 27, December I—Takapuna J.C. November 30, December I—Feilding J.C. December 4—Methven R.C. December 4—Taumaruuui r.c. December 8, O—Woodville District J.C December 10. 11—South Canterbury J.C December 11—Waina R.U. December 16, 18— Dargaville R.C.

The annual meeting of the AshhurstPohangina Racing Club will be held tomorrow. This meeting always attracts its full quota from both sides of the Manawatu Gorge, and this year's gathering promises to be no exception. The meeting this year will see the opening of a new official stand, which should add to the comfort of the club's patrons. The fields promise well all through the day, and as a good percentage of the runners raced at Levin on Saturday there will be some form as a guide. Killoch, a newcomer to the jumping ranks, heads the list in the Hack Hurdles. She has to be taken on trust, and is passed by. Axle is racing badly at prosent, but Good Mark raced well in Gisborne recently, and 13 sure to be well supported. Tamakaua has been so well boosted from Wanganm that he promises to be one of the wellbacked brigade. Tempean and Empire Camp on Levin form both have more than an outside chance, especially Empire Camp, who should be improved by the race. Blood Red is a fair horse, but he has not raced for somo time. Good Mark and Empire Camp may do best. «s Kilmezzo is not eligible for the Maiden Stakes, a five-furlong scramble. White Singlet, Molto, and Eloquent may be the best of a poor lot. . ■ Polyphemus probably ■ will be favourite in the Pohangina Handicap, but the turning course should suit Gold Box, who should run a merry six furlongs with 8.1. Penman ran a good race in the Levin Cup. The trio named should hold all the others safe, with the possible exception of Bonideer, who should scamper round the Ashhurst turns and set most of the others a merry dance for at least the greatest part of the journey. If Lin Arlington is a runner in the Komako Hack Handicap he should do well for all his penalty. He is in great heart at present. He reads the best of the topweight brigade, but lower down the list Kilmezzo and General Wai both have to be respected. Killocra and Kilfaire should dispute favouritism in the Ashhurst Cup. Killoera's form at Riccarton was really good, and there does not appear to be any reason why he should not rim out a good ten furlongs at Ashhurst, except that the turning course may be against him. Kilfaire meets Nukumai on "lb worse terms compared with Levin runnings but Kilfaire on Saturday decidedly beat Nukumai after having a good deal of the ill-luck of the race. Nukumai on the contrary had a beautiful run all the way. Merry Day does not appeal on this small course. The light weights all appear held safe by Kilfaire and Killocra, and there does not appear any need to desert them.

if Starboard Light is reserved for the Siberia Hack Handicap he should show up well. He has developed into a very likely looking horse. Cerf is a particularly smart hack at his best, and should show up in this field; Royal Land at 7.2 looks the best of the others. Killocra may be reserved for tho Raumai Handicap, in which his chances appear to be very bright. Misgovern is also one with two engagements, and she appears more favourably placed in this race than in the Cup. Lin Arlington is not by any means handicapped out of it, and Blonde has some fair form on her side, notably a second to Polyphemus at Trentham last month. Bonhomme should be a good favourite for the Manawatu • Gorge Welter. General Wai, Mountain Star, and Vexatious are possible outsiders, while Sottana, after his racing and jumping through the winter, may race more solidly. Form points decidedly to Bonhomme. At one time there was a decided prejudice against Martians as jumpers. Vagabond was about the first to explode the theory, and in Gauntlet the.Kinloch sire has a promising novice once he gains real confidence. Anchor, who paid a great price at Levin on Saturday, is a four-year-old geld ing by Acre from Lotus. The price was not surprising considering he had not started this season, and last year one winning performance, appears amongst a wilderness of blanks. There was little or no merit in that success, for he beat a poor field at Stratford on 2nd January. R. Johnson, the. Now Plymouth trainer, produced a finobig raking gelding at Levm on Saturday in Tho Swell, by Rangitiro from Tangimoana. The Swell hardly lived up to his name on this occasion, but probably it is a name worth noting for later on. Asleep put up a game performance to win at his second outing at Levin oh Saturday. He did not relish the turn, and appeared to be doing his best when he ranged up with the leaders in the straight. L. A. Pine drove him along, however, and he stuck on too well for No Favours, who came from even further back.' Asleep carried 61b overweight to obtain the services of L. A. Pine. The surprise of the M'Donald Memorial Handicap at Levin on Saturday was the pace shown by Star Shell. At the beginning of tho rj.ee he went away from good performers like First Acre, Star Area, and Epistle as if they were very moderate. First Acre, who had shown excellent form at Riccarton, in particular, was doing his very best to head off Star Shell in the run home. Star Shell should be well in the eye of the handicappers now if he is enter-d for any hack hurdle races. J. Beale will be fit to ride again at the llethven Meeting on 4th December. According to a ( Southern writer, Fresco is not to race at Auckland at Christmas time, but he may be seen out at Awapuni.

raced on for the first time on Saturday since the work has been done. Given a dry track, Nippy reads as weli as anything in the Alison Cup at the Takupuna Meeting. He should have won on the opening day of the Wellington Meeting, and has not had a track to suit him since. The stable has two runners in the Cheltenham Handicap in Le Choucas and Tea Bell, a solid pair. J- T. Jamieson thus looks like having a good chance of winning a double, for Tea Bell, 7.12, finished a good third to Fool's Paradise, 7.12. and Seatown, 7.11, at Trentham. This now has to be recognised as firstclass form. Acceptances of rather embarrassing size have been received for tho first day at Feilding. The fields in tbe Aorangi Trial Plate and Kowhai and Fitzroy Hack Handicaps are well over the safety number laid down, but as there looks a probability of these races fining down through dual engagements, etc., the inconvenience of divisions probably will be avoided. A most interesting race has been made possible in the Feilding Stakes with Lysander, Lady Cavendish, Grand Knight, The Hawk, Glcntruin, Tamatete, and Royal Ceres engaged. It should provide one of tho best contests in the history of the race. It is a long time since a field of horses gave such a display of kicking at the barrier as that in" the Levin Cup on^ Saturday. Bonhomme was getting all the blame, but there were half a dozen horses as badly behaved as he. Some were really worse, for he only refused to get in amongst the flying heels. It was noticeable that one or two horses who usually stand quietly were affected in the end by the general misdemeanours. The North. Island lightweight horse-, man, A. Brown, has decided to try his fortune in the South Island, and is now associated with G. J. Pine's establishment at Riccarton. All going well, Rapier is to be raced at Awapuni and Feilding during the Christmas and New Year holidays. There is not much doubt about the quality of the Greyspear horse, and he will add interest to the meetings. Archibald is said to be'in excellent order after his recent racing, and continues to move along nicely in his work at Ellerslie. As a result of his latest form his connections will no dcubt be encouraged to give him further opportunities on the fl.it before reverting him to hurdling, at which he did so well last season. Nancy Lee has taken no harm from her recent racing and sprinted well on Thursday. This mare is a consistent performer at Ellerslie, and is so well at present that she may soon, add to her record. Nothing very strenuous has been exacted from Chamotir in the past week, but he is being allotted useful tasks. The three-year-old has come through his spring campaign well and should be in excellent order for the summer carnival at Ellerslie. Polonett has been doing steady tasks and is fining down a little. This good horse came back very robust after his spell and it will bo a good tinie before he reaches anything like racing condition. The imported mare W 7hite Bird has so far shown no form in Now Zealand, but she may race in improyed fashion before the season is over. She sprinted well on Thursday at Ellerslie, and has probably j benefited by the racing she has been having.