NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 10 May 1921, Page 5

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By Maecenas.) What is virtually the opening of the steeplechase season of 1921 will take place on the Egmont racecourse tomorrow, when the Egmont Eating Club will hold their winter fixture. The acceptances are exceptionally big, and the nelds in the jumping events must be very gratifying to those members or the club who advocated another trial in Taranaki of this form of racing- A lot of rain has fallen during the last few days, and this may cause the track to become somewhat "dead " but apart from this the course will do quite as good as one could wish for at this season of the year. Patrons should not overlook the fact that, m the interests of all concerned, the committee have wisely decided to open the racing at 11 o'clock, at which hour the longahoe Hurdles is. timed to start. This event has drawn sixteen acceptors, many of which are useful over this distance. Of the number Slowcoach, Multive, and First Line are engaged in the Egmont Steeplechase. Of the other competitors, Oinahu and Lord Nagar appeal most to the writer. Both are very well just now. A number of promising 'chasers claim engagements in the Hack and Hunters' Steeplechase. Several of these would be better suited over stiffer country, but General Raven and Batftletide should each perform well. The third event on the programme is the Egmont Steeplechase, an event which carries the good prize of £650. This has drawn an acceptance of" a dozen horses of a class quite up to I National form. First Line heads the'" handicap, and on actual performances is possibly the pick of the handicap, ihis gelding has had the advantage of several hurdle races, and, should Wright rely on him, I feel confident he will be very hard to beat. Slowcoach, which follows in the handicap, • will strip very fit, and providing he can be induced to produce his best must be in the fighting line at the finish. Luke and Gang Awa' are both on the 11.0 mark, and of the two I prefer the former, as he has had the advantage of a race, while his black rival is somewhat backward. Multive may be a runner m the Hurdles, but Gladful will have many admirers, as his showing m the hurdle race at the recent Hawke s Bay meeting goes to prove he is well forward. Foeman is a stablemate of- First Line, and may be the elect, but I do not .think he will strip so well. Mattock, like several of his opponents, is well, and is much fancied by bis party,, a remark which applies to Ngakanui, which is next in handicap. Khartoum (10.5) is nicely handicapped, while the bottom weights (Sir Fisher and Polthogue) each have admirers. However, after weighing the pros and cons, I consider First Line and Slowcoach arc a pair worth remembering. The next ovonf is the Tonks Memorial, a race which bears an open appearance. Quite a half-dozen of the acceptors appear to have excellent prospects, but the writer fancies Mustard Pot and Kinsem will have most triends to-morrow.

Owing to the large acceptance the chib will divide the Telegraph field Q- Z° I d l lV]sions- the first Super Six should have a following, while Connemara. should command support in the second heat. -

I A good field will bne up for the MeRae Memorial Tilley holds a strong hand with Isaihel and Tame Fox but 1 quite expect Marqueteur and Malaga I the Fordell trained pair !fi, 5 ¥-1? Trci! lg wili include with :Xfte lawhiti Back, an event in which 'the northern pair. Knighton and No f other should command respect, as 'both are useful. ■' Arch iSalute, which has ibeen somewnat of a disappointment as a race-«°r-se, mlas sold recently. He will prabaibly <ro to Australia. Rangi Thompson was granted a conditional license by the Hawke's Bay District Committee at the last meeting. When at his 'best Rangi has not a superior on a jumper in this Dominion.

Mattock, which is usually a very safe conveyance over the "bio- country " came to grief on the Egmont course, and Trieklebank, his rider, got a iWI tall. _ Mattock is very weir just now, and is expected to figure prominently in the Egmont Steeple. Slowcoach and Gang Awa were sent for a school over the Egmont jumps. {".Ip* ' hlle Gan S -A^a gave a good exhibition, Slowcoach ran off at one fence and baulked at another. There is no doubt that 'the Australian-bred gelding is most unreliable on the track, but rarely shows the same temper in his puibhc essays. Still one takes en this 1-I.sk when backing, and i n the last Wellington Steeplechase he gave <i very (bad exhibit ion of temper, and absolutely refused to go at all with I'eiklmg. Yet an hour later he was 'again brmgh-t out to contest the Winter Hurdles, and, ridden by young Turner, he -badly beat Lochella and Lo.