NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 131, 30 November 1926, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY i'VEDETTE.")

RACI.VG FIXTURES.

December 4—Methven K.C. December 4— Taumariioui K.C. December 8. 9—Woodville District J.C. December 10. n—South Canterbury J.C December 11—Waipa R.C. December 16, IS— DurgaviUe R.C.

Acceptances for the Woodville Meeting close on Friday, at 9 p.m. Nominations for minor events at the Auckland Summer Meeting, and first forfeits for the Foal Stakes, Derby, and Koyal Stakes are due on Friday next, at 5 p.m. Nominations for the Manawatu Racing Club's Summer Meeting and forfeits for the Palmerston North Stakes are due on Friday, at 9 p.m. Mr. J. M. Griffiths, secretary of the Wellington Racing Club, was present on the first day of the Takapuna Meeting. The Takapuna Meeting will be concluded to-morrow, and it is certain that the horses will have to race under similar conditions to those of the opening day. The course will I#ke a good deal of drying, and first-day form should work out .well. Cantab and Bahama should be the prime picks in the opening event, the Vauxhall Handicap, and Bahama, who commenced from No. 17 on Saturday and finished fourth after meeting all the bad luck possible, may make amends. Passionate is a newcomer in the "Highweight Handicap, but it is unlikely that backers will overlook Pouri, who should have won on the first day. The handicapper has put Pouri up 61b for running second, and risen Black Cruiser, the first day's winner, only 9lb. The handicapper's tip is obvious. Newbury and Judge's Box engaged in the Stanley Handicap were not runners on the first day. Judge's Box, who goes well in mud, and Maveelish, who raced prominently for a mile on Saturday, may both show up well. On a dry track Tea Bell would lie favourite for the Cautley Handicap. Nancy Lee and Ruffles now, however, should dispute favouritism. Moreover, they should be very hard to beat. Mosaic takes the eye in the St. Andrew's Handicap, for he is very well and a fresh horse. Aurumavis, Town Bank, and Boomerday are possible outsiders, but one returns to Mosaic. A rise of 121b should not trouble Lorna Doon in the Raldno Handicap, while Exalted, a really good beginner and mudlark, looks certain to show up well. Delightment ran such a solid race in the Takapuna Plate that he seems sure to be favourite for the Pupuke Hack Handicap for all his 9.5. Golden Krist showed that he could carry weight in the ground on Saturday. The Ngataringa Handicap should be a good betting race. The first half-dozen in the handicap, Dave, Le Choucas, Archibald, New Moon, Namutere, and Aurumavis, all ran well on the first day. Of the others True Blood at 7.7 takes the eye most, and with any luck in the running he should be hard to beat. The jockeys riding at Takapuna on Saturday had to give the new ground oh the course proper a wide berth, and it was noticed that the horses were well out from the rails making the turn from about the half-mile post. At times an incautious rider attempted to come through on the inside with the result that when his mount got into the new ground it stopped almost to a walk, and the others went right away from it. One experienced horseman stated that the holes were a foot deep and about the same in diameter on the new part of the course. A loose dog on the course at Takapuna on Saturday almost caused trouble in the Takapuna Plate. Ruffles, when in the lead at the turn, just missed him with his forelegs, and hit him with his hind ones. The dee then became mixed up with the hoofs of Delightment, Ned Kelly, Tinokoa, and True Blood, and it was a, marvel that one of these horses did not come to grief. Prom appearances it looked as if that particular dog will cause little further trouble, but it behoves racecourse officials to keep a very watchful eye on stray dogs. Jockeys nowadays appear to have a hazardous enough life without adding to the possibilities of trouble. Many experienced racegoers were rather astonished at Takapuna on Saturday when it was seen that Nippy had been withdrawn from the Alison Cup after doing his preliminary. There was apparently nothing wrong with the horse except that he did not relish the mud too well in his canter past the stands. When a prominent official was asked why Nippy was withdrawn less than thirty minutes before the starting time of the race, he murmured something about stomach-ache. "Whether this applied to the horse, the horse's connections, or to the whole-busi-ness so affecting him, is not known. While not a serious matter the incident reveals a rather extraordinary state of affairs, and emphasises once again the need of complete and competent stipendiary control. The Takapuna Jockey Club has adopted the Australian idea of showing the winning number immediately the horses flash past the post.- On Saturday last the winner's number went up with commendable .celerity, and then after a short interval '.•the numbers of. the first four horses were hoisted in the usual way. There is much to be said for the idea, for it shows the winner very quickly and then gives the -judge more time to check the minor placSngs. ' In Town Bird the Te Aroha trainer, George Reid, has a smart hack. He has been in work less than three months, yet he can gallop with the best, and when really seasoned it is hard to know how good he might be. He is a four-year-old gelding by Archiestown from Lady Birdwood. Mr. J. A. Taylor's. grey colt. Koyal Picture has improved vastly in appearance. He made very heavy work of galloping in the mud at Takapuna on Saturday, yet was with the leaders to the turn. The first time he strikes a maiden field on a dry track the event should be a procession rather than a race. Lorna Doon. who won the two-year-old handicap at Takapuna on Saturday, had gone to the barrier the first time only a week or so prior to the race. She showed plenty of promise on that occasion, however, and began like an old hand. In her first race on Saturday she .■was backed with plenty of confidence, and justified it by winning easily. By Tea Tray from Lassie Doon (dam of Master Doon), who is by Monoform, from Cardoon, by Cardigan, thoro is not much doubt that she will go on and pay her way Jhis season. By his win in the Takapuna, Plate JiufHes put himself out of hack company. Evidently his connections were fairly san'gutne, for it is noticed that he is nominated for open sprint events at fixtures rto come. Ruffles had not had a race for some considerable time, and this helped to make his dividend a good one. A glance at him in the paddock, however, revealed that he had done plenty of work. For all that, True Blood should have beaten him, and if the pah? were to meet again under decent conditions the odds would be on the three-year-old. They are a really smart pair of young horses, and one wonders how much could have been ■won with Ruffles had he been well exploited in Australia. Zarisee, Buoyant, Fool's Paradise, and Jemidar were scratched for all engagements at the Auckland Racing Club's Summer Meeting at 10.50 a.m. on Friday last. Tall Timber is reported to be a very fit horse at present, and he will have plenty of supporters the next time he is produced. The Absurd gelding Slump, who formerly raced in this part of the island, is now trained by A. Julian at Ellerslic. One wonders why only one stipendiary steward was left to supervise the racing at Takapuna on Saturday., The course has anything but a good reputation, and, considering that some thousands of pounds had been spent on the course itself since the last meeting, it certainly looked as if more of the regular officials of the Racing Conference should have been present. On small courses there are usually 'more, happenings than one pair of eyes can see, and the average amateur member of the Judicial Committee has but the foggiest idea of what happens in a race, and. is of little assistance to the paid .official. .Auckland racegoers are made of st' Hit Stuff. Considering the totally inadequate shelter provided by the antediluvian buildings at Takapuna, the crowd stuck out the programme on Saturday in an amazing fashion. The structures would not be v •credit to an obscure country club. Tholoaion was unlucky at Wintpn, and iraffered from indifferent handling in each

of his races. On the first day he apparently had the race won, and his rider did not see King Cup getting up on the inside. When he did it wan too late to get his mount going again, and a good winning dividend was converted into a profitable second one. Dismantle opened her account in open company by beating quite a useful field in the principal handicap at the Winton Meeting on the second day. Fred Shaw has this filly very well just now, and she led all the way, and in receipt of 191b from Full Swing gave her a good beating, says a Southern exchange. Dismantle looks like taking part in the finish of a good handicap before the present season closes. ' Full Swing must be a mare ot great constitution. She ran four good races at Riccarton, including a hard mile and a quarter on the fourth day. Two days afterwards she travelled 400 miles, and two days later ran second to Overdrawn in the Winton Cup, and _ she finished second again in the principal handicap next day. She has thoroughly earned the fortnight's spell her owner is giving her. According to a Southern writer, one of the best-looking maidens seen out at the Winton Meeting was the three-year-old sister to Listening Post. She is a well-grown and furnished filly, and much better looking than Listening Post was at that age. She ran gamely in her first race, but was not seasoned enough to see out the six furlongs in the heavy going. "