NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Grey River Argus, 13 May 1911, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Auckland* light-weight jockeys, R. W. and S. Brown, left Auckland on Monday with 'their parents en route to England. ■ A local writer stated recently that Wimmera Had never yet been beaten in a hurdle race. As a matter of fact, however, the Merriwee gelding was among the 'beaten division when Tauira won the open hurdle race on the first day of the Wanganui Jockey Club's spring meeting on September 29 last. Referring to the recent death of Flying Fox, an English writer has the following to say regarding insurance : Several other good animals have died recently, and the underwriters have had such a ;bad time that what used to. he a .remunerative .busiiness is now so very .much otherwise that it is very far: from; easy to get risks underwritten' at' Lloyd's, and insurers cannot be. too careful about accepting policies which are not so underwritten at Lloyd's, and insurers cannot be too careful about accepting policies which are not so, underwritten.' . There is, I understand, some question as to paying over the ' death of- General Symons, because that horse was notoriously crippled on his forelegs, but whether, this risk was or was not underwritten at Lloyd's I am' unaware. The latest loss is the famous brood mare Edmee, whom Lord Michelham bougfit mor.e than^ a year ago from Sir W. Cooper for -5000 guineas. She, too, was insured, prseumably for the amount she. cost, and so the trouble keeps upon accumulating. Referring to the Liverpool Grand National, that 'the owner of Playfair, in common with many others, gave at as his opinion that 'Cloister was the best 'chaser he ever saw.' Cloister won the Grand National only once. That was in 1893. I think that most ■racing men, will give their verdict to' 'that -peerless 'chaser Manifesto, also, an Irish horse. In addition to winning it twice, he van into third place on three occasions, and was fourth another year. In all, he ran eight times in the space of ten years — a number unprecedented dn the history of the race. His skeleton is in the Liverpool Musuem.' r . That Manifesto wa sa great horse we all know. The opinion I ventured to quote, however, is that of a number of the gTeatest authorities now living, each of whom was recently asked toy the London Sportsman to express his views. " Naturally enough, opinions differed, and .among the horses whose claims were put forward were Bourton, Alcibiade, The Lamb, Manifesto, and Ambush 11. The majority of the votes were, however, in favour of Cloister.

Mourning- stationery , which has tieen in use in all die Government Departments since the death of King Ldward VII., has, from the beginning of the present week, given ' way to the usual white paper. The mourning- was in three stages: ■ First a deep black, band, around the edge of the paepr, then a lighter band, and finally a black triangle in one corner onfy.