NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9090, 8 July 1915, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

, The postponement of the Wellington meeting has quite upset the racing fixtures, and between the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting, which takes place on August 10th, 12th, and 14lh, there is only the Manawatu Hunt Steeplechase to engage the notice of horse ownersThe sporting public who follow horse racing closely form their opinions of the chances of success of jumpers by the performances shown at recent meetings. In this respect the jumping capabilities of horses as seen at Hawke's Bay. Napier Park, and Gisborne, plays a large part in the support given to the contestants for the winter events at Trentham, and similarly the Wellington and Auckland meetings are looked upon as the courses where the likely winners of the big cross-country to be decided at Riccarton may be, found, Owners and trainers have also been looking forward to the meeting at .Trentham as a trying ground for 'chasers, and now that this meeting has been abandoned it will be necessary to roly solely on track work. This will make the hurdles and steeplechase at the southern meeting more open, and what is lost by the Wellington body will be gained by the Canterbury Club, at least to some ! extent.

The fact that G. Jones has only booked accommodation for one horse for the Grand National meeting looks as if Chortle will be the only representative of the stable at Riccarton next month. The Multifid gelding is nominated for the Winter Cup. .Grand National Hurdle Race, and Sydenham Hurdles, and it is more than probable that he will represent the stable in preference to Multiply/ In anticipation of the coming meeting at* Riccarton trainers have been giving their charges light work in order to prepare them for the more serious training that they will require to undergo later on.. Warstep and Snub have been working together, and a southern scribe states that Warstep in particular looks in splendid order to stand a solid preparation. She is reported to be as sound as a bell, and unless something unforsecn occurs can be relied upon to acquit herself with every credit in the Cup at anything like a. reasonable impost. Wise Bi,rd is to be as forward as any horse that is being trained at Riccarton at present, and the- other Chofcebore representative who js showing excellent form' on the track is Nightwatch- •

Daylight Bill appears to have completely recovered “ from hie • recent, hurt, and ief reported to. be quite sound again. During his retirement he put on a lot of condition, but he is confidently expected to be in the best form before he is required to saddle, up for his engagements at the Grand National fixture. K. Longley has a three-year-old gelding in his stable, who is a half-brother to Fagot, the winner of the big events at the Gisborne winter meeting. Beldame, who knocked her knees when competing in the hurdle events at the Napier Park meeting, is picking up fast, find will be fit enough when the National iomes roundA southern writer says that as the season progresses' the lack of good crosscountry horses and hurdlers in the Eiccarton stables is the more apparent. Daylight Bill is the hope of the Canterbury sportsmen tor the big cross-coun-try events, and there are but few hurdlers that can he expected to uphold tho prestige of Canterbury. Corrie was the best horse over sticks trained at Eiccarton this season, and now that she has broken down there is only Moddite and Snowraker left to do battle-for Canterbury, in the National Hurdles. Neither representative can be looked upon as first-class, and under the circumstances it does not seem at all probable that the event will fall to the lot of a Canterbury horse.

The South Canterbury Trotting Club’s winter meeting takes place on Thursday, ■when some interesting races may bo looked tor. ] . -