VARIOUS JOTTINGS.

Northern Advocate, 26 September 1919, Page 4

VARIOUS JOTTINGS.

Loyal Arch has quite recovered from the accident she met with at Riccarton, and is being worked at Tauhcrenikau.

Sweet Tipperary is to receive a preparation for the New Zealand Cup at the hands of F. J. Oarmont at Levin. The black mare is one of the robust sort, and she should more than hold her own amongst the poor lot that are engaged in the big Iticcartou event in November next.

At the Home of Rest for Horses, Westerof t Farm, Cricklewood, Loudon, Sir George Greenwood said they had recently received an extraordinary old war horse, San Toy, aged 2S. It had served through the South African and the recent war without missing a day's duty. By the kindness of three women it was to end. its day there.

As showing the inconvenience owners are put to in getting their horses to a race meeting under present conditions, Mr A. McDonald, of ■Mastertou, had to charter two motor lorries to get four of his team to the Wanganui meeting. A specially-built padded box was made to fix on the vehicles for the journey. ~

H. Telford has a nice little team in work at Trentham, amongst the number being the English-bred filly Fulicia (Braxted— Bald Coot), who is the pr6perty of Mr lan Duncan, owner of the Waikanae Stud. Later on this aristo-cratically-bred mare will be an occupant of the paddocks attached to this well-known breeding establishment.

The Trentham candidates for the New Zealand Cup, viz., Mascot, Rose Pink, Sonnino, Bonnie Maid, Battle, Song, Risinghani, and Probity are all training on satsifactorily. With such a capital array of galloping talent from this province engaged the prospects of the big Riccarton race being won this year by horses trained in the vicinity of Cook Strait must be regarded as highly favourable.

Glenopal (who is a candidate at Whangarei meeting) was lame at work prior to the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting and pulled up lame after doing her preliminary for the Jellicoe Handicap and was not started, her backers without getting a run, losing their money. They were not many, as next to Maori Tikanga she was least supported. The bleeders Mullingar and Tabasco, the fifth and second favourites in order of investments, broke bloodvessels in the race and were pulled up. Tabasco led for about two furlongs.

Melbourne men who complain of the cost of fitting out their wives for a Melbourne Cup meeting will feel ashamed of their parsimony when they compare tho coat of dressing a wife for the Melbourne Cup with that of dressing her for Ascot (writes the London correspondent of the Melbourne Age). The expense of Ascot, which is always high, has been increased this year by tho reign of high prices in the shops, and by the fact that Royalty announced its intention of attending the four days of the meeting instead of two, which was the maximum in tho past years. There is no limit to what a society woman can spend in dressing for Ascot week, with its riot of entertainments in addition to the racing, but the following prices represent a moderate estimate of the cost of dressing a wife for the four days of the racing. Four frocks, at £40 to £70 each; wrap, £40; parasol, £15 to £20; four hats, £20 to £30 each; pair of 'suede shoes, £s;.four pairs gloves, 20s to 30s each. No wife who has any respect for her husband's position— and all wives are more keen on keeping up their'husband's position than husbands themselves are—could dress for this year's Ascot meeting much under £400.

The sporting journalist and novelist, Nat Gould, whose death was recorded a short while back, did not die wealthy, his estate being valued for probate at under £8000. In one of his books the author told his readers that his father "toiled amidst the smoke and grime of Manchester, but loved the old farm house whore ho was born, every stick and stone of it, and the beautiful peaceful, valley there, and many a time tramped the eight or ten miles to Buxton to look at £he old place and familiar scenes." Pilsbury Grange, according to one writer, was tenanted by the Gould family from the time of the Stuart kings, if not longer, and the Goulds were amongst the oldest of the Duke of Devonshire's tenantry until Mr Gilbert Gould, an uncle—the last of the members to occupy it —died, when ancient ties were" broken. This was while Mr Nat Gould was in Australia. It was no wonder he referred

to the letter of an unknown writer in a country paper, who was evidently a friend of the family, but who hid his identity under a norn do plume, in calling attention to the discontinuance of associations which had lasted for about seven centuries and the letting of the farm to another family. Amongst interesting sketches from the famous sporting novelist's pen was one when he revisited his old home after 15 years in Australia, and it made good reading.