NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 114, 17 May 1927, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY •'VEDETTE.' 1)

BACING FIXTUJIBS.

May 19, 21—Wanganul J.C. Juue 1, 3. 4—Dunedln J.C. June J, 4—OtaU Maori B.C. June 3. 4, B—Auckland R.C. June IS—Napier Park R.C. June 82—-Hawkes Bay Hunt Club. June 24, 25—Hawkes Bay J.C. June 25—Oamaru J.C. ' July 2—Ashburton County B.C. July 12, ri, 16—Wellington K.C. - July 31—W&lmate District Hunt Club. July 28—South Canterbury Hunt Club. July 28, 30—Glsborno R.C. July SO—ChrlMchurch Hunt Club.

TROTTING FIXTHBES.

May 21—Oamaru T.C. June 3, 4—Canterbury Park T.C. Jons 11—Aahburton T.C. June 18, 22—Auckland T.C.

. Handicaps for the minor events on the first day of' the" Auckland Racing Club's Meeting; are due next Monday. Handicaps for the Otaki Meeting will appear next Tuesday. The class engaged at this 1 fixture appears to be above the average. ' -Wlrile at Hawera last week an opportunity was taken of visiting the Strat: ford Club's course., Enthusiasts from Taranaki have eternally, sung its[_ praises, and an inspection reveals every justification. The racing track on which the cluh^ has spent in the region of £9000 is a' particularly fine one, wide and well graded, and resembling in great measure that at Awapiini. The buildings arq large and the enclosures roomy, particularly when it vis-remembered 'that the club has only two racing, days a, year.' Stratford's failure to secure more, totalisator permits out "of the last additions was another marked" example of::the undeeirability of political interference with racing. Clubs with no appointments, no assets, and no district to support them, received licenses with which so far they have been unable to do anything. They are still "cuckoo" clubs,;forced to race on another club'B course.- Meanwhile clubs of solid standing —^of whom Stratford is only one, and for whom no brief is held—have been left out. '.-.■•..

Seatown.is running out in the paddock adjoining that of his half-sister, Seastar, and their dam, Seasprite, at his owner's borne in Taranaki. All three" look in excellent health, the old mare being in foal ftp Chief; Ruler.' Seatown, who is particularly lively in the paddock, may not bei raced next, season. He has had a little trouble in the fetlock joint of hit' off-foreleg, and his owner intends to give > him every chance to get right. He may • be raced over hurdles, as a five-year-old. ■ What. a Grand National proposition he should* be if he jumps hurdles as well as he did the paddock fences in his younger days! Then it was never known in which paddock he would be found any jnormng. _Archeen was sent home after racing at " ±J as';mBS, and will ■ not be . seen out at Wanganui this week. He is due to' make hir next. appearance at Ellerslio in June. The continual drop in totalisator turnover draws attention to the unremitting taxation by the Government, but at the same time it is just a natural corollary that the Government is receiving leßs. A ■ * correspondent points out that while the State ■is receiving a large sum out of racing, a good deal of expense is incurred by totalisator inspectors being sent from Wellington to.all parts of New Zealand. ,It is stated that these are high-Tank offi- , ciaUi of the ■Internal Affairs Deoartment, who leave their own duties to carry out a_ simple task oh courses from the Far North to the Far South; It is contended that.the task*is a straightforward clerical one' and could be done quite as efficiently by an officer of the town in which the race .meetiag is held. : There is no doubt that the tripping of these Government officials all over New, Zealand from Wellington is. costing the country a vast sum of money, an expense.which on mostoccasions'can hardly be justified. ' A. new, racing writer in the South, in , making his bow to the public, stated that he to deal with racing from its higher aspects. If there are any, they have been well concealed to date. Any- - way, his altitude test is not likely to be a severe 0ne....... 35den Hall is having a spell and will not race again until the spring. The Quiu Abbey gelding has paid his way handsomely since being purchased at Wanganui 12 months.ago by Mr. C. G. Macindoe, and 1 has earned his holiday. This Benson he contested 18 races for three wins, two seconds, and two thirds, and iuvariably ran good' races. His winnings for the season include £1662 and two gold cups, one valued at £50 arid the other at £100. -Eden Hall is only rising five years and should have'much more, success ahead of him. i

Comical continues to go on well in his schooling over, the steeplechase fences at Wanganui. He should play a prominent part in the big races this winter. . • . The imported marc Ballymoy 11. .was allowed to stride along at three-quarter pace for four furlongs at Ellerslie last week, and seemed to relish the task. This mare comes to hand quickly and has made excellent progress since she resumed work. The hind leg she had injured is^still enlarged, but it is going down gradually and seems quite likely to stand the strain of training. - ■ . Romantic, who ran. a fair, race at Hawera on' Saturday, cost 700 guineas when sold as a yearling in 1924. He was a complete'disappointment arid is still a maiden-. He was sold last New 'Year's Day at auction for 35 guineas. In the event of Oniahu figuring in the list of' contestants for this year's Great Northern Steeplechase, he will have the record of having taken part in the big crosscountry race at Ellerslie on no less than six occasions. 'On three occasions Omahu has filled the role of runner-up. In the race of 1921 he ran second to Coalition, the succeeding year he beat all his field with the exception o£ Sea De'il, while in the race of 1924 he finished second to Sir Roseberry. In the race of 1925, when going in gteat style four fences from home; Omahu

overjumped- at the post-and;l'ail fence and

fell. Omahu is rising 13 years old, and although Great, Northerns may not come his way he showed at Hawera on Saturday that he has a" kick left in him yet. Denier, who was unlucky enough to lie beaten into second place in each of his races at Hawera on Saturday, is a three-year-old gelding by Bisogne from Deeima. He has an attractive style of galloping and when thoroughly seasoned should win his share of races over short courses. , Peter.Rosa was asked to mix it at Ha- ; wera, arid alter his good effort in theEgmont Steeplechase it was expected..that he would contest the cross-ebnntry event on the second day. The hurdle race was selected for him, t however, and he ran , quite a respectable race. I£ he is sent to contest the Wanganui (Steeplechase with , only 9.9 to carry he should be very hard to beat. . \ Llewellyn was shipped back to '■ Auckland after winning the Egmont Steeplechase. He is not engaged at the Wanganui Meeting. Quite a number ; of people will want to be on Kqauau in the Century Hurdles at Wanganui. He finished ahead of Zircon on the i first day at Hawera, when both horses made very good, but much too belated, efforts. Koauau carried 10.8 last year into third place in the Century Hurdles behind Gaze and San Fera. This year he has 10.5 and promises to take' at' kinds of beating. Income ran two fair races at Hawera, and he might be worth keeping in mjnd for a race when the.tracks become really, muddy. He looks, well, and hit out very' freely in his preliminary on the soft track at Hawera on the second day. M. W. Payne, who held a jockey's license for a week or two in New Zealand, but whose license was soon withdrawn, is reported to be in. Brisbane, and is applying to the Queensland Turf Club . for a permit to ride. Orazone is one of , the most improved gallopers produced this year. She'sticks on. very well, and later on should win

good races. A. M'Corraac rode Yoma very confidently on the first day at. Hawera, but it looked as if Orazone should have beaten him.

Rowley is improving with his recent racing, and if all goes well he should repay a portion of his owner's outlay very shortly. He has heen a costly proposition to his owner and an army of backers. Kilbroney was sent to Auckland at the end of last week for stud duty in that province. , -

Eonmark, who ran prominently in both of his steeplechase engagements at Ha-

wera, is engaged in the cross-country events at the Dunedin Winter Meeting. Master Doon, who raced well without winning at the autumn meetings, is being kept moving with a view to keeping his engagements at Ellerslie nest month. The Lucullus gelding is partial to soft going, and should have the conditions to his liking at the winter fixture.

The three-year-old Cbamour and his stable-mate Haereva are going along nicely in preparation for the winter meeting, and they should strip in great heart next month. Chamour has shown his best form in heavy going and ho should have opportunities of racing under his favourite conditions in his coming engagements, as the ground is usually very heavy at Ellerslie in June.

The hurdle horseman C, Regan, who was badly injured in the accident that occurred in the Northland Hurdles at Whangarei in April and resulted in the death of £. Copestake, has made a good recovery, and has been discharged irom hospital. It may be some time before ho is able to resume race-riding, but he was out at Ellerslie watching the work last week, and stated that he hoped to be back in the saddle again shortly. R. J. Mackie is reported to be making good progress after his recent operation, but it will be several months at best before he will be able to resume riding. Kacing writers in England not being hedged around with footling laws, have a great deal more latitude than thoso of New Zealand. . Amongst their tasks is one of doubtful satisfaction, an endeavour to ■ tip winners. This appears to result in a good deal of correspondence not always of a complimentary nature. After the last Grand National one London pressman received a rude note from Golders Green, signed "A Mug," and suggesting that he would be,better employed tipping dustbins. His retort courteous was that if ever he got the Gblders Green job he would look out for a cracked mug.