NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9171, 11 October 1915, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

Nominations for the Wellington spring meeting doe© today with the secretary at his office. Woodward street, at 9 p.m. There are sis withdrawals from the Spring Handicap at the Masterton meeting, which reduces the field to one of eleven. The horses that have stood their'ground are a good lot and-if they all face the starter on the 14th there ffill b© two more contcat<mtsr than l&st season for the corresponding event. The meeting at Mastcrton opens with the Trial Stokes, for .which tnere are twenty acceptors. A likely looking lot rf youngsters #md others tiiat have not been successful on the tua£ should . make the cvent an interesting- one, and the ultimate winner hard to -sort out. Merrio Poto, with 9 stone, will be in the running, and Pall Mall, after- finishing third to Papauira in tho Trial Handicap at tho Otaki spring meeting, should make a good showing.. Tho filly has advanced 51b since sh© was seen at Otaki, but is not too heavily handicapped. Privation is another horse that will probably come under notice during tho gallop. and tho Vasrq filly, ii she can be caught better manners at tho post, will put up a. good gallop. . Mystified is handicapped for the Telephone Hack at a very handy weight. It is 91b more than she carried in the Otaki Hack Handicap, and meeting Arlington on worse terms than: she did on that occasion, but her chances are not put too far in |the background. With Slta more to carry over tho six furlongs than when he won the Stewards' Hack Handicap at Otaki Botanist has got his work cut out to beat the field, in the Telephone Hack and tho Treadmill colt 'will not he found a sluggard when called upon ior on effort in the straight. ; Arlington is an in-and-out performer, bat he showed good form when ho secured the Welter Hack at Otaki from Mai Regard o and finished well up to Mystified m the Otaki Hack Handicap on the conducing day of tho meeting. With ; a furlong less to cover his chsnoes of success do not look as promising, but if ho is in a good position when entering the straight ho may catch the judge's eye. ■ ,

Happiness, who secured a first and a second at the Otaki meeting, has advanced 111 b in the Telephone Hack rac'a at Masterton and is not on such good terms with Botanist, who heat her in the Stewards’ Hack Handicap at the Maori meeting. She has only 11b more to carry, however, to the weight she had in a five furlongs race at the same meeting, when the filly had no difficulty in accounting for the opposition. •Maltegarde has 8.4 in the Telephone .handicap at Masterton on Thursday, hut the company she is called ujpdn,to meet is, in one or two instances, better than that pitted against her in the .Walter Hack at Otaki, when she ran second to Arlington. The mare is in'good form at the oresent time and may, run a good race, but a journey that is, a trifle longer would be more to her liking. . Last season the telephone Hack Handicap at Masterton was won by the late Mr H. Hodge’s Borsil, with a handicap of 7.!), Lady Vladimir being second and Aincdale fch rd. ■ The time occupied in completing the distance was Imin 15sec, A horse than can coyer six furlongs in Imin Hsec will give the Flying Handicap at Masterton a good'shaking.: Less time than this was put np by Peronilla in the Eaihvay Handicap at Otaki at the September meeting when she finished second to Taringamutu and in front of Pavlova,jGoldstream, Sinapis, among others. It must be remembered that the Achilles mare has £lb more to carry on Thursday, which, no donbt, will make a difference to her time, but she should give a good account of herself in the event.

The Australian bred filly Veronal that was made a firm favourite for'the Electric Hack Handicap at the autumn meetins at Maoterton has been, awarded top "•right in tho Flying Handicap at Ooaki this week. She ia by lamaere from Xbtolo, and when she von the Electric in March last carried 7,10 over the five furlongs which she left behind in Imin 3ebo. The time is creditable, although not great, and a dry course would represent at least a second less. In form -no filly is hard to throw oil, end this may Jig the case in the Electric if -she is a starter; , •

In the M-asterton Hack Janitor, who won the race last season, has a handicap of 7.9, which is 101 b more than she carried to victory in October of last year. .< On that occasipn Montana, with 8.10, ran second and Arlington with 8.9. third, and the former was close up to the winner at the finish. Montana has been given a big impost in the event on Thursday, but he recently carried 9.3 successfully in ainilo event, sind is equal to the task set. him if fit and well on the dpv. Both Plunder and. Martyncss arc well in among the handicaps. The termer found the weight she was allotted m a mile race at Otaki too much for her and had to be content with third position, while Martyrees ran disappointingly, .and although she got away well was not in the running at the conclurion of the gallop. She has probably improved since and with 7.13 her chances of success appear to be fairly good.