IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3018, 17 January 1912, Page 63

IN A NUTSHELL.

Figures cannot always be taken as facts in racing. -—B. JJeeley has been engaged to rid* Midnight Sun in the Wellington Cup. Tho Grand National Steeplechase winner Corazon ej again in work at Hastings. The Castashore gelding Sea Dog is amongst the recent arrivals in Mielbourne. The young Sydney rider W. Huxley had 459 mounts in England last EOlson, and rodo 62 winners.

Undecided, Midnight Sun. and Cottmandel are tho ruling fancies for the Wellington Cup. The Tapanui Racing Club's annuel meeting takes place on "Wednesday and Thursday of next week. —At the conclusion of tho Gore summer meeting extensive improvements are to bo carried out on the course.

During the late English moing season the Australian trainer, Richard West ton. won 47 races, worth £13,968. The ex-Sydney trainer R. Wootton saddled 4S winners in England last season, and topped the list in that respect. The reported sale of Palisade lacics foundation, and the colt will for the present, at least, carry the saaie colours as formerly. The racy-looking Boniform—Helen Portland filly which sold at 500 guineas at the November sales has been named Bonny Helen. -

The Wellington Cup meeting starts on Saturday of this week, and will b? continued on the following Monday and \Vednesday.

Carbine had five winners on the English turf last season, and the eight and a-half races they captured carried a value of 142€sovs.

Spearmint had four winners to represent him as a result of his past season at the* etud. They captured five race 3 worth C27Bsovs.

The well-known Australian hurdler The Reckoning recently changed hands at 500 guineas, and is now owned by an Adelaide sportsman. Nominations close for the Dunedin Cup meeting on January 26 Handicaps for th« first day axe due on February 5 and acceptances on February 9.

—F. Wootton had 747 mounts in England last season, and rode 187 winners. His p-roatest rival, D. Maher, had only 430 mounts, and won 99 timca.

A possible meeting between Autumnus and Prince Soult at Trentham wiTl give a good idea as to what is the best two-year-old of the season up to date. Thoso two famous American pacing stallions The Eel ('2.031) '™« Earl. Junior (2.02*). are not only keen rivals; they are also the two fastest grey pacers ever foaled. The French jockey G. Stern secured the best percentage of winning rides on the English turf last season with 33.33 to hia credit. Wootton came next with 2-5.05. The well-known hurdler Continuance. who won the last Grand National Hurdles, was recently schooled over the big fences at Ellerslie, and shaped in a very pleasing manner.

The .Government tax payable by the Auckland Racing Club over the recent summer meeting will total just about £4600. The totalisator contributed £4422 of this amount.

The Westland Racing Club held a very successful meeting at New Year, when they made a profit of £652. As a result the club is giving increased stakes for their meeting •to be held at Easter.

—lt is said that Beldam© ha? developed a weakness in her knees, winch has been causing her trainer ruucli anxiety. Doubts are expressed as to whether she will- be ab'!o to race again this soaron. Two-year-olds «ire catered for in the Dunedin Cup programme by the Champagne Stakes of 25030V5. City Handicap of lOOsovs. and Hopeful Handicap of 140sovs, and are-, of course, eligible for the Railway Plate of loOsovs, for two-year-olds and upwards. Sir Taiton Syk«s. the well-known English breeder of thoroughbreds, invariably receives high prices for his yearling, but he keeps a select band of rc<ares, «nd pays good pricrs for them. He recently pave £503) for Stolen Kiss, a daughter of Best Man and Breach.

—lt is understood that th« crack paoers Aberfeldy and Mvosotis will attempt to rreate a new track record at the Forbury Park Trotting Club meeting. It would make a very attractive item on the card if both horses drew for places and made a match of their assault on time.

Nominations for the Dnncdin Cup meeting closo on January 2G. The principal events will bo the Dunedin Cup of 60Cl?o-.'p, the iJ.J.C. Handicap of 400sovs, end *he Anniversary Handicap of SOOsov.s. All tho other events on the programme range in value* from 1CO;OV=. to 250sovs.

So far not a single apn'ioaf has be-vi received in connection with the offer to fic-T. Stavl. >v at 50 guineas—guaranteed found. Still. Stavboy has been figuring at the head of handicaps in his engagements. nnd it does not say much for tlie value of those who have been figuring 1 at the minimum.

Tt is: understood that the owner of Parable asked the Southland Pacing- Cub for an explanation of the manner in which the mar.* was handicapped in the Invcrcnrgill Cun. The fi<mTftfi at Tnvercareill made Parable out a decidedly better horse

than her form at the recent Cup meeting suggested.

The acceptances for the first day of the Gore Racing Club's meeting, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday of tilts week, suggest that fairly good fields should bo in evidence, and consequently the financial results sufficiently i-txong to give good. assistance towards carrying out the contemplated improvements on the course.

—So many of cur studmastors are going out of business that it will become a problem to find out who is going to W the annual demand for yearling®. UnOeas someone steps into the breach it •**=»* foregone conclusion that the yearling entrie? for the " classics " will show n decioeu slump during the next y:ar or two. -In answering a correspondent the Melbourne Leader Ws:~" Malt King 18 not the best horse 'at his distance, which «e piesumo is a mile, that has ever run in Australia Honea such as Carbme, Abercorn. M-alua, and several other old-timers would boat him, and it would take him all his time to beat Trafalgar over a mile now. —At JD-unedin, in the Federal Handicap, My Lawyer badly failed to give Stepmsrter 611 over six furlongs. Stepmeter was handicapped to give away 7lb on the second day, and now meets My Lawyer on 141 b better tanas at Gore. They did not meet m the meantime. If figures are facts, what chance will My Lawyer have at Gore over the same distance? , . , The Onkaparinga R.C.. which raess on only one day a year (Easter Monday), has distributed £62,920 in stakes during the last 23 years. During the sam« period a sum of X 414.571 has been invested in the total:©ator at the olub's meetings. For the seven events next Darter Monday tho Onkaparinga R.C. will give away .£2760, or an increase of £10? on last vear's total. The "Special Commissioner" gives the following list of the winning sires of successful brood mares in England during the recent!v-c.'osed 1 season :—G allinule. £28,840; Loved "One, £21,2.60; Tristan. £18.703; Surefoot. £17,275; Isinglass, £l6 550; Persimmon. £15,187: Ladas, £13.181 10s: St Simon, £11715 10s; Melton, £10.307; Hacklev, £10.059 9s; Royal Hampton, £99-36; Galopm, £•9025. , F. Wootton, who cannot now go to scale much under 8.10, has been given a big retainer for next season by Mr J. B. Joel. Stanley Wootton is even heavier than his bfother, and s>con both these good jockeys, if they wish to stick to the game, will have to seek employment in tho illegitimate arena. They are both very young, and are still growing. F. Wcotton will probably retire aiter next season.

Seventy-four horses bred in America won on the English turf in 1910 no fewer than 131 races, the value being 32,35950v5. This year tho figures are pretty much the same —viz.: Winning horses, 73; races won, 124; value, 31,33050ve. The more notable Ameri-can-bred winners in 1911 were Kempion, Mr Peeper, Runvrcede. Merry Task. Melody, Whisk Broom, Cataract, Sweeper 11, Toggerv, Outram, and Dalmatian. —An English exchange says the- most successful racehorse of the recently-ended e&acon in Germany was the two-year-old Do! omit, by Ard Patrick out of Danubia. who won four races of the total value of £7487 lCi Second in the list of winning horfws vku) Royal Flower, three years, by Florizcl 11, with £5742 10s to her credit, and third vxm Chilperic, three years, by Gallinule, with a total of £SOOO. —Of the 32 races decided at the A.R.C. summer meeting, the favourites secured 14, winning twice on Boxing Day and on tho second day, four times on New Year's Day, and six times on January 2. On eight occasions (says "Phaeton") the favourite finished out of a place, being last in one race. The smallest winning dividends of the meeting were those returned by Counterfeit. Delegate, Bleriot, and Miss Mishief, each being less than even money. The old Hutt course, one which for so manv years the Wellington Racing Club held' its meetings, will be trod by thoroughbreds no more. Since the opening of the club'-s new grounds at Trentham several trainers have continued to work their charges on the Hutt tracks, but they, too, have" now been driven out, for a fence has recently besn erected right •across tho course, which effectually prevents training operations l>e.ing carried on any longer. News.) a Maori race meeting, and the last race of the day. The judge had been breasting the bur all the afternoon, and it was only witli difficulty that he kept his position on top of the beer barrel as the noddies rushed up the straight. A white, a bay, and a black horse were in a bunch, and flashed past locked together. Henare Eeemed puzzled. "What won?" roared the crowd. "By cripe!" said Henare, "I thinkish te piebald horse efery time!" —lf there is any criterion to be gained by a liberality of prize-money the Dunedin Cup meeting, taking plaee next month, should easily constitute a record for Wingatui. The Dunedin Cup of OOOsovs is easily the richest stake offered in Dunedin for many years past, and other items oh the Cup programme carry stakes of 400sova, 300=ovs. two of 250aovs. whilst all the other* run from lOOvovs to 200sovs. In fact every race is really worth winning, and owners will no doubt make a. libera' response when called upon to send in their nomination®. The Mollvonrr.e Cup winner. Clean Sweep. is now doing etud dutv in England at a verv moderate tee. It was originally intended to race him on his arrival in the Old Country, but he became injured en route in a rather extraordinary manner, with the result that ho did not survive a preparation. Veterinary authorities stated that tho sheaths of Ins tendons had been damaged though the bandages he had been wearing having shrunk, and £0 tightened owing to the action of the sea water. His attendant, it eeems, became seasick, and thus omitted to remove the bandages as usual.

The Hon. G. Lambton, who trained for Lord Derby and other owners, was the moat successful trainer during tlie Bmrlish flatracing season. He won 48 races of the total value of £40,769. The ex-Australian. R. Wcotton. won 47 races of the total value of £13,003, which, it is almost needless to say, is a splendid record. Sundridgo (son of Amphianl was the m-sf successful stallion. He is the sire of Sunfitar. Sundridge's stock won 31 races of the total values oT £33.284; William the Third (son of St. Simon) was second with 40 wins of the total value of £20,305; Persimmon (by St. Simon) figuring in third plnce with 32 wins, the total value l>em<r £'19.201.

Mr W. O. B. M'Donc-ugh. a San Fra*cisco horse-fancier and breeder, has just secured the highest price ever paid for a shipment of American thoroughbreds into Great. Britain. Ilia five yearlings brought 2715K5. or about 13,585t101. One of the colts, a bay gelding bv Osserby—Saniabella, almost a full brother to Ormondale, the 1006 Futurity winner, was knocked down for 5600d01, l>elieved to be the highest price ever paid for an American yearling in the United Kingdom. All of the colts were raised on the Macdonougll Farm, near San Mateo. Each of these colts was a descend-

* ant of the famous Ormonde, imported by Macdanough at a cost of 150,000d01. There" are to be- seen to this day, in an outhouse at Bishop Burton, the bones of the mighty Blacklock, from whom are descended so many St. L-eger winners. These bones merelv need articulation to present as perfct a "skeleton as we now possess of Eclipse. Blink Bonny, Persimmon, arid St. Simon. Blacklock is described as having I been a bay horse with black points of I great size, 'splendid sjmmetry and action, ! fnd an ugly Addle head. He was by White. i lock cut cf a mare that was bought oi three sovereigns. He wee a fine performer on the turf, and in a field of 18 odds on were laid on him for the St. IrSger, but he was shut in, and finally beaten by a. neck —ln reference to a statement in a Christchurch con tempo ray that J. JllXJm.Be was bsfore the Wyndbamstewards for alleged foul riding at the W.J.C meeting ■ both club and rider give denial to that I assertion M'Combe called at this office in. : reference to the matter, and at. the writer S 'instigation a wire was sent to Mr H. r/aui. secretary of the Wyndham Club, asking in effect, " We* a-nv complaint lodged against M'Combe with vour stewards for alleged foul riding?" Mr Paul answered. "iNone; name ; not mentioned by anyone." It ssems strange, and is also a grave injustice to M Combe, that a paragraph should appear stating lie | was on the carpet for foul riduig when it is , absolutely lacking in fact. i Brinos Poult hos been sliipped from ! Auckland to Trentham to fulfil Iks cngo.ge- : merits at the Wellington Cup meeting It is to be hoped that both he «nd Autumnus will be fit and well when they come to fight for the two-vc-ar-old supremacy. Autumnus had to be let no as the result of a kick : received at the New Zealand Cup meeting. and consequently may not be quite art his i best. Prince Soult, on the other hand. 1 is 'aid to haw looked a bit backward even ! when establishing brilliant form at Auck- - land, and consequently it is only reasonable. ! to sunpose that he will be a better colt at ! Trentham. Still, racing when a home is not ! quite keyed un to the ordeal, sometime;. I sends them off a bit. mkl altogether the i situation, as far as condition is concerned. i looks fairly well balanced'. La*t week an unfortunate accident Pearl B-'Or. the well-known thoroughbred, owned bv Mir G. D. Greenwood. Pearl I) Or : and two other racehorses were sent from I Christchurch to their owner's run, Teysoti dalo Ambarlev. for a snell. On being liber--1 a ted Pearl D'Or immediatelv galloped away .from the flat and up a hill Mr G. D ■■ Green weed, on going to SS if the horses had i settled down, found the mare lame, and on I exanvnm-tion discovered that the fetlock joint ; was broken. A veterinary surgeon who was ! sMit for at once nut the injured limb in plaster of Paris. The racing career of Pearl D'Or is now ended, but should the joint mend she will be ured for stud purposes. The mare was one of Mr Greenwood's purchases at the sa'e of the late Mir G. G. Stead's horses, and cost the purchaser £2OOO.

trained horses in Masterton. arrived in "Wellington last week from Melbourne, where he has boen resident for the past seven months. Ha will rr-turn to Melbourne in about " fortnight's time. Just before leaving Melbourne, M'Grath pent Tumut to Bacchus Marsh for a *r-oll; but he has Zealand in work at Caulfield, and also Gunhoat. who now carries the colours of Mr E. A. Connolly. After reading the r-osults of recent meetings in the Dominion, M'Grath h»« adopted the prevailing opinion that form in New Zealand is poor at present. Rcs-nrding the agitation for the totnlisntor in New South Wales, Ha says that there opoeara to be some chance of the machine being installed there: but it is not asked for in Victoria, and there wotild be no chance of legislation to establish it there being carried. , Tho sensational warning off of the Austrian trainer, C. Planner, on the ground thit horses under his charge had been doped, is about to undergo a further development. When the case first attracted attention, the Hungarian paper Az Sport attacked Planner vigorously. and openly charged him with having made uso of the dope. Planner is now instituting proceedings against the paper named, and the whole matter iB to be thrashed out in the law courts. The Hungarian Jockey Club and the Az Sport, with all their analysts, will be on one side, and Planner, with his expert witnesses and experienced stablemen, on the other. Much interesting evidence is likely to be forthcoming, and as a consequence the racing public should gain more enlightenment in res<pect to the use and abuse of drugs in connection with racehorses than has ever previously been afforded. Following upon the shipment of Mr Harry Payne Whitney's horses to England, other American racing men have recently sent their thoroughbreds across the Atlantic. Mr James R, Keene's latest exportations include Ballot and four likely-lookir.g yearlings ; Mr August Belmont is sending over his crack three-year-old Watervale; and Mr Sam Hildreth left the States in November in the hope of being able to secure a satisfactory training ground in England in which to propare Mr Kohler's horses. If Mr Hi'dretn is eticccssful ; n this. America's best jockey, Carroll Schilling, will go over to do the riding. Those sportsmen still remaining in the States are yet clinging to the hope that tho obnoxious clause in the Agr.ew-Perkins Bill, dealing with betting, will bo repealed, and. in ovidence of this, it may bo mentioned that 2200 foils were registered with the American Jockey Club this year.

I have always maintained (says a writer in Dublin Sport) that the change in a.

horse's form which frequently occurs after a removal from one training stable to another, especially if he is sent to a foreign country, is mainly due to a different system of training and to taking daily exercise on a different state of ground, and not to the effect of " climate," as is CO generally maintained. For instance, a racehorse Rent from England to Belgium almost invariably goes to pieces after lie has been in that country a few weeks, and we are. then told that he has to pet acclimatised. Climate has little or nothing to do with the matter. Instead of galloping on the firm, springy turf of English downs, the animal is put to do his daily exercise on ;i sand track where an entirely different action is required. He is not nble to stride out with his accustomed freedom, and has to acquire a crip of the shifting sand with his toes. The muscles formerly in use become soft, and n new set have to be called into play and hardened.

horses to win in Australia, but it rarely happens that they account for the two principal handicaps at any big meeting, as Melotoi and Son of the Marsh did at Tattereall's recent . fixture at Randwick. Another English-bred horse in Sandbath won at the meeting. In Brisbane Red Knight accounted for the Newmarket Handicap, while «t the Perth Cup mooting imported winners were Apple Charlotte (Sir Geoffrey— Sweet Blenheim'). Wise Lass (Love Wisely-Golden), and Spring Note (Thrush— Lady Penzance). The big Australian races

won by Eliglish-bred horses now include the Melbourne Cup (Comedy King). Maribyinong Plate (Munilo), Newmarket Handicap (Playaway and Sir Foot*), Caulfield Futurity Stakes (Sir Fcote, Playaway, An-te-mo. and Comedy King), Williamstown Cup (St. Ambrose). Oakleigh Plate (Bright Steel), Doncaster Handicap Fcote), Carriugton Stakes (Melotoi), and Tattersall s Cup (.Son of the Marsh). With the passing of the Cambria Park Stud tho last extensive. collection of thoroughbreds in Auckland has been dispersed, and we have now tho unpalatable fact (pays '* Phaeton") before us that the place .holding the totalisator record for Australasia occupies but a very poor position as a breeding centre. If our racing is to be maintained at anything like; a high standard it requires no close acquaintance with the subject to show that the horses must be- produced, and the district that fails to maintain an important stud will assuredly, in a racing sense, go back. It is quite true that Mr Walters intends to keep Glenora Park going, but it will be on very limited lines compared with that existing prior to last years dispersal. No doubt a lot cf disappointments have to be looked for in the running of a stud, and therefore as a speculation tho breeding of b!o:d stock does not commend itself strongly to those who .size matters u>p on the £ s. d. principle. At present there does not appear to bo much hope of men, otherwise spcrtin.gly inclined, combining to win back to Auckland her old place as a home of the thoroughbred. Oiyoi did not accept at Gore, but on the Retires he was anything but harshly treated" in tho Gore Cup. At the recent Oamaru masting Oiyoi ran palpably out of racing condition, and it would be farcical to. take such running as a true indication of his form. The lost time Oiyoi ran at Goro he 28lh and a handsome beating to Waiju" and followed it up by winning, the Dunedin Cud with 9.0 in record time. The Stepniak—Hermosa gelding went one better by mis-fling the Groat Autumn through, bid luck to say the least, and afterwards split the Timaru Cup with Tikatere when giving 84lb to the unplaced Waiju. \\ hat sig-n of depreciation baa Oiyoi given in the meantime? Yet we find Waiju agreeing to meet him at slb in the Gore Cup. cor no Less than 29'b worse tha.n when they last met. It really ecots that figure.! cannot be taken as facts in racing, and owners accept, not because a handicap is just and equitable, but simply because they have cither to run or kesip their horses in the. stable. Jtt««t the same with Soldier's Chorus and Parable at Dunedin. The former was asked to give 17ib to tho latter over seven furlon<rs at Wingatui. but at Tnvercargill Parable was set to meet Soldier's Chorus on no less than 21 lb worse* terms.

■ — A good acceptance in comparison to nomination is usually taken ae an indication of a satisfactory handicap to all concerned. To show how far that opinion occasionally gets wide of the mark is furnished bv'the handicaps for the first day of the Gore meeting. On the second day at the Dunedin Christmas meeting Stepmeter 9.4 was handicapped to give a margin of 7.1 to Directoire over six furlongs. Neither of the pair accepted, and neither have met in tho meantime; but Stepmeter won in a most decisive manner at Oamaru, and Diroctoire has failed in weaker fields in each of her engagements. Consequently the margin placed between them at Dunedin, if anything, has been more than amply justified. Still, it is found that Directoire meets and accepts with Stepmeter on 9lb worse terms than when asked to meet at Wingatui. After such a discrepancy, it really seems that tho Gore Club was extremely lucky to got Direetoire's acceptance, and it is quite clear that her inclusion in the race was not at all based on satisfactory handicapping. Possibly Directoire may win; but that does not alter tho fact that the figures were dead against her as far as Stepmeter was concerned. Apart from Directoire other instances can be quoted, Stepmeter 9.4 was aske dto meet San Severo 7.7 and Kostroma 7.3 over six furlongs at Dunedin. Now they meet at — Stepmeter 9.3, San Severo 8.3, Kostroma B.3—that is to say, that San Severo is agreeable to meat Stepmeter on lllb worse terms and Kostroma on 3 slb worse terms than they weio asked to meet at Dunedin. In the face of such figures; can anyone say that the acceptances of at least three out of four is due to satisfactory handicapping. —By the last incoming mail (says "Sir Bedivere-") I received a most interesting letter from Mr Norman M'Lean, of Glusrevin. North Canterbury, who lias beon spending a lengthy holiday in England* and on the Continent. Mr M'Lean, who has gained experience on tho New Zealand turf both as a.n amateur horseman, an owner, and an honorary official, is. in common with everyone else who has visited England, immei sely impressed with the quality of ths horses racing there, but disappointed with the accommodation provided for the public. Ho was present at the principal fixtures in England, saw the Grand Prix run at Paris, and also the Belgian Grand Prix at Ostein!, and gives it n» his opinion that ono cannot see better sport, nor any run under more favourable conditions, than that to be had at Kiccarton. Whilst going through Wootton's etablo nt Ensom he was greatly taken with a filly by Carbine from Sceptre, which cost 45<X)gs as a yearling. Wootten had G! horses in work at the time of Mr M'Lean'a vifit. Tn November Mr M'Lean made a special pilgrimage to Liverpool for tho purpo-e e f inspecting the Grand National country. The fences were then iu«t as they are in March. when the National is decided, and in order to get :<n accurate idea of their dimensions, Mr M'Lean armed himself with a tape measure. "I always thought," he writes, "that their size was exaggerated. I found, however. that it is not so. and they were even higher and stiffer than I e>:r>eeled to find them. How horses can negotiate them after going two milei I cannot understand." He saw the two ln«t Notional winners. Jenkinstown and Glenside, race over them, however, and. whilst he describes the former as a good out of n horse, he did not much care for the appearance of Glenside.

Mavfowl, who recently won the Viceroy's Cup. also won the event In«t vir He is described as an English gelding. but. as a matter of he was bred in Trchir.d. Ho is by Son of th~ Marsh's giro, Wild fowl or (son of Gallimile). At on-e lim" Mayfowl changed hands in Ireland at f-Sflfr*. His last appearance, in the country of his birth was n winning one. It was in the Tower Handicap (a high-weieht race) at Loopirdst'.wn. and he carried 11.9. Previous to winning the Viceroy's Cun !a<f year he won a hurdle race nt Calcutta. He was a rank outsider last year, but would no doubt be In good demand on this occasion. Tbou»h the second liotho, Laat Call, is Engliehbred. his pedigree smacks of Australia, as he is by the defunct Melbourne Cud winner. The Victory (son of The Admiral) from Goo-oe. bv Trenton from Lady Sterlin \. bv Silver. Mr Lionel Robinson bred Last Call. and J. E. Brewer trained him in England. Last Call was a fairly good performer in England nmonsrst the races won by him being the Manchester August Handicap, of

£3SO Vavasor, who ran third, will bo remembered as winning the Sydney Cup of 1910 for Mr E. R. Frazcr. Vavasor proved a disappointment in the last Viceroy's Cup, and when the mail left there appeared some doubt as to his being well -enough to see the- post on this occasion. Mr Apc-ar won his first Viceroy's Cup in 1884 with the Australian-bred Statesman, and scored with another Australian, Moorehon&ex in 1891. The Viceroy's Cup lias now gone to an English or Irish-bred horse three years in succession. In liXtt) the English-bred Retort was successful. For the rrix previous years Australian horses won —Great Scot in 1903 and 1904, Long Tom in 120-5, Fitzgrafton in 1906 and 1007. and Wandin in 190 S. .The event was won on thre;> occasions by Kingcraft, and throe time.s by Myall King—both Australian horses. Mr R. K. Maitland. the wellknown handicapper. owned Kingcrr.ft, and red'. l him in two of his winning races. The splendid racing merit possessed by Lidv Medallist, who made a one-horse race of the last Caulfield Cup, makes it worthy of note that there are two St. Alwynne filliea amongst the stock to be offered "at the dispersal of the Elderslie Stud. When Mr J. B. Rei.l purchased Lady Medallist as a yearling he also acquired three other fillies rr.Tt by the same sire. The daughter of Diploma, was based to Prosser. who win the thick end of 103G3OVS in stakes wilff her. The other fillies were not put into- work, but were sent to the stud last season. One of these is an unamed filly bv St. Alwynne (St. Tmequin—Lady Alwynne) from Polio, bv Sardonyx from Polly John, by Hawthofnden (son of Lord Clifden). Sardonyx is n half-brother to Nordenfeldt. and was 9-ot by Fireworks, one of the best of his day, and who holds the unique distinction of winning two Victorian Derbvs. She was served byDownshire last year. Another St. Alwynne filly is Margaret, who is out of the imported mare Marsro. got by Hopbine fr-m Moon Dni-v. bv Oxlip from Flora M'Ponald, by Scottish Chief, the sire of Scottish Lassie, who produced Clanranald and St. Andrew. Margo won several races in England, and belongs to the Sunflower family (No. 1), which also claims Boniforra, Positano, Haut Brion, Martian, and other great horses as members of its tribe. This filly was bred to Boniform. The next St. Alwynne is named Latchet. She is out of Latchkey by Padlock (son of Wenlock) from Jess, a daughter of Grand Prix, who will I>3 best. remembered as ths sire of that brilliant horse Boulanger. who was a frequent winner in New Zealand some few years ago. Latchkey, the dam of Latchet, was a good winner in Australia, and Wenlock, her maternal grandsire, also got the dams of Isinglass, Best Man, and Sainfoin. Latchet was bred ' to Downshire.. Thp-on fillies are a Kf">utifu'l.--l>rrd '*>t. and would be a decided acquisition to any stud—in fact, their pedigrees are so full of good racing blood that it is a matter of re-rret fhat they were not tried on tho turf before being relegated to the paddock. No doubt some of their purchasers would be strongly tempted to aive them a trial before sending them back to the horses.