NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11250, 30 June 1922, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By

"Carbine."

In Wellington Coalition is favourite for the Wellington and the next in demand are Sea XWjl and Kohu. Red Cent is regarded as a certain starter in. tie Wellington Steeplechase, i Wellington acceptances close at 9 o’clock this evening. Poanui. is expected to arrive at Trent- __ ham next Tuesday or Wednesday. Ho ' will be accompanied by Mangamahoe. Pavo is looked on as an, unlikely acceptor for tho first day’s events at the Wellington, meeting. Wnikarotu will be ridden by E. Warner in tho Wellington Steeplechase. Tho Trentham pair, Royal Box and Dai ntv Step, are in strong favour for tho Charity Cup, the principal flat race to be run on the opening day of the. Wellington meeting. For the Winter Hurdles Poanui is a very firm favourite in Wellington. Alteration, who won the race last year, is well fancied and so is General Peta-in, who is generally reckcvned: the best hurdler in the South Island. Gloaming has made the voyage between 'New Zealand and Australia ten times. Mrs Gray, wife of Hector Gray, has left for England, there to rejoin her husband. Blufe Sox, who is being prepared at Trentham by J. Lowe, has a fino jumpers* pedigree. He is by Wolowa from Bas Bleu, by from The Henipie, bv Nntutor * from Romp, the dam of Norton. No Bother is being kept going in view of Trentham and Ricoarton engagements. If the proposal to reduce jockeys’ fees is carried next month some of our leading 'horsemen go abroad. The inducements in England are very attractive if one can get a good footing, and in India, it is said, retainers of <£2o per week are common and the percentages, etc., are big. Likelihood is improving in his schooling, and this week gave a pretty good display in two rounds of the Ricoarton country. However, he still exerts himself unnecessarily at every fence, and until he can be cured of this he is very unlikely to win over a long course. A good percentage of riders aTe nursing injuries as tho result of falls at the recent Hawke’s Bay meetings, among the number being S. Henderson, E. Warner, A. Oliver, W. Ayres, C. McSeveney, Wormald, Nixon, and L. Berry. Just before the last mail left England H. Gray had a couple of winning rides, one for Sir Cunliffe-Owen and the other for Lady Owen. For the former he rode White Satin to victory in the three-year-old. handicap at Newmarket, and for the latter was successful on Isle of Wight in the Voltigeur Handicap at York. The latter was favourite, although not very pronounced, but White Satin was only third in Teauest. Gray had hia first ride over the Chester course recently, and in. the course of an interview stated that he was greatly impressed with the little track. He informed an English writer that it reminded him very much of the New Zealand courses, though the rails at the turns were better placed. A cable message from Melbourne states that there are fifteen final acceptors for the Grand National Hurdles, including Beltane. Chrysostom was scratched.