IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3276, 27 December 1916, Page 45

IN A NUTSHELL.

Comely has latterly been striding along nicely in her work. The hurdler Master Regal is reported to be returning to the Dominion. Nones has been troubled with one of her joints, and had to be cased up. Owing to scarcity of stable help, D. J. Goodwin is selling off his horses. The well-known performer Bluestone is in. work again after a lengthy spell. Marco Bello pulled up sore after work, and has been blistered and given a spell. Fifty yearlings are to go under the hammer at the Auckland blood stock sales. Nominations are due on January 6 for the Forbury Park Trotting Club's meeting. The D.J.C. should consider the wisdom of reducing the distance of the Otago Handicap. Gunrest and Buller may be found to have trained on when they next appear in public. Bee and Zuland have been doing easy work on the tracks since their return from Australia. Sir George Clifford is going to send a shipment of blood stock to Sydney for the autumn sales. The Auckland rider H. Goldfinch has had his license withdrawn as a result of indiscreet behaviour. —Mr H. G. Taylor, the owner of Bee and Zuland, has purchased the Martian— Nantes filly Matty. Taringamutu has broken down. She ricked a shoulder, and is not likely to race for some little time.

The Wanganui Trotting Club has purchased property close to the town in order to lay out a course of their own. A Bill to amend the Lotteries Act in Tasmania practically aims at the extinction of proprietary racing in that country. Panmure is being worked over a distance, and may be found racing over more ground than he has tackled up to date. A shipment of yearlings purchased in England by Mr A. Robertson for the Messrs Tye Bros, recently arrived in Melbourne.

Trainers are experiencing an increasing difficulty in getting stable boys and light youngsters likely to develop into horsemen. Three Wingatui horses in John Barleycorn, Ardenvohr, and Sedd-el-Bahr nro_ included in the nominations for the Wellington Cup. , ~ —Mr J. B. Reid will probably Bend some yearlings under the hammer at the blood stock sales to be held in Sydney m the autumn. . ,

The very-marked difference of opinion in connection with Wingatui and Wyndham has excited mnch talk. Both handicappers cannot he right.' According to the Blood Stock Review 50,000 horses have- been purchased by the Indian Government in Australia sinco tho outbreak of tho war.

roma run better at tho New Year Vhan ho did at tho last Oore meeting, where ho was unsiehted on both days. The imported Bayardo filly, owned by Mr W. Q-. Stead, has joined M. Hobhs's team at Auckland, and may bo raced at tho Wellington Cup meeting. Loading Lady is reported to have shaped ■well in a schooling lesson at Eiccarton.

She, however, does not figure amongst the acceptors on the first day at WingatUl.

According to a Wellington paper a certain racing club is to be prosecuted for an alleged infringement of the Gaming Act in the working of the totalisator. Fairly good acceptances have been received in connection with the Wyndham meeting, and the fields, although not on tuo big side, should supply an interesting card. The stewards at a recent Ballarat meetin" reported a bookmaker to the Victorian Racing Club for having publicly made remarks in regard to the running of a certain horse.

—lf Balboa races at AVingatui he will probably leave the course in an ambulance waggon. He is a very well handicapped horso, but not fit to take advantage of the opportunity. There is no law to say that either John Barleycorn or Ardenvhor will win a race during their North Island campaign; but all going well, they should give the moneybox a rattle.

Killena has gone amiss, and will be mated with Sunny Lake next season. Killena struck herself, and had to be thrown out of work. She has been an unlucky filly m no. scoring a win this season. The death of the one-time well-known handicappcr, Mr, J. O. Evctt, is reported from the North Island. Some years ago the late Mr Evctt acted for some of the principal clubs in the North Island. Marc Antony dropped out of the Auckland Cup owing to his trainer overlooking the date of the final payments. The eon ot Volodia was shipped north, and has been doing useful work at Ellerslie. Amberdown (by Downshirc) and V cnerable (by Achilles) were amongst the winners at" Queensland meeting held this month. Venerable was got in New Zealand, and sold in Australia when m foal to Achilles. , —A. Oliver has always a penchant for a chance to fly. and no doubt he would welcome an opportunity to join a flying corps. He 13 not a stranger to a fly from the barrier, and a higher altitude would not trouble him. . The northern riders W. Ferris, A. M'Donald, W. Chaafe, R. Gilbert, and L, Graham have been called up for military service. The North Island trainer P. M'Grath, who is at present in Melbourne, is also on the list. Handicaps for the North Otago and Southland meetings come hot foot on the conclusion of the D.J.C. summer meeting, and owners interested should note that acceptances fall due on the 2M\, the day alter the declaration of weights. The nominations for the two-year-old events at Wingatui may create the idea that ihere are no juvenile racers this season. That is not so, as 34 youngsters are nominated, for a two-year-old race to be run at the Wellington Cup meeting. Because there has been an alleged aouse in trotting in Hobart is no reason why Par-. liament should make any violent attack on racing in this State (says a Hobart paper). Genuine racing is not overdone, and, m fact, several country clubs have dropped out of existence. A Solferino two-year-old filly named Stop Watch won a selling race at Newmarket on October 20, and was afterwards bought in at SGOgs. Solferino's stock would be making their first appearance this season. The winner went out favourite, and easily defeated 14 others. This year's Middle Park Plate resulted in Mr J. Joel's North Star beating the Desmond—Pretty Polly filly, Lady Desmond, a head. Five others, including the Dark Dinah colt Grand Fleet, who was a smart earlier in the season, also .ran. North Star was got by Sunstar from Angelic, by St. Angela—Fota, by Hampton. There is not much doubt that the D J.C. would get better fields for the Otago Handicap if the distance went back to the old journey of 10 furlongs. It is not a wise policy to cater for. a horse that docs not exist. Sentiment calls for recognition of the stayer; but practical racing men know that sentiment does not spell success. Charlemagne II has not astonished the world with his success as a sire since going to Australia, but he has an occasional winner At Rosehill on December 8 Bratiano, a colt bv Charlemagne II from Braw Lassie, dcfeated"2s others in a two-year-old handicap, run over four and a-half furlongs. Braw Lassie was got by Wallace from Charmazel, by Malua „ T . , . . , Trac> operations at Wingatui prior to the arrival of visiting horses were remarkably quiet. On Thursday morning last the writer was in solitary possession of the course from about 6.30 to 8.30, and during that period and on till 9.45 only one gallop took place, whilst only half a dozen horses cantered, and a couple of others wore schooled at the barrier. —lt has been definitely stated that Pommcrn has been retired to the stud. An English writer states that the withdrawal of the°colt from the Champion Stakes a few minutes before the numbers went up depreciated his value several thousand pcuncls. It is understood that Mr Joel cabled to his trainer that Porrmern was not to run it there was any chance of defeat,. Duplication of names sometimes awakes memories of the past. The Great .Northern Derbv candidate, Rebel, who won at the Waipa meeting, carries the name of a good old-time performer over the sticks about » score or so years ago. The bygone Rebel fell and killed Jack Poole at limaru, and thus robbed the sporting world of one ot its most capable cross-country riders and one of the most popular sports of the day. Poole took Waitangi to Melbourne to race him in th* VRC Grand National Steeples, and brought back a kangaroo, which created a lot of interest, and which finally had to be shot, because it developed a very bellicose nature. The 'roo was probably the first ot the Australian freaks ever seen in Dunedm This year's Cesarewitch Stakes, ot 1206SOVS, two and a-quarter miles, was contested by a field of 19 and won easily by Sanctum a four-vear-old eon of Santoi and La Crois'ctte. who ran the distance m 3mm 48 4-SSC3 The world's record of 3min 47sec was put up at Newmarket last year by Son-in-law. Sanctum's sire is a tail male reprerontaiivo of the Speculum Hue of Vedette La Croisette was got by Cyllcno from Cuniez, by St. Simon from Antilles by Isonomy-St. Marguerite, by Hermit. Sanctum is inbred to Vedette, and obviously a good slaver to win easily over the distance fr record time. Santoi had sired two previous winners of the race m Fits Yarna and Yentoi, so that he lias won the right to be regarded as a sire of stayers.

MaTco Bello has been blistered ana thrown out ol training. Mr IT. Gt. Taylor has purchased tho Martian filly Matty from Mr 0. G. Dalgety. Glendower did nob work on Saturday morning, and up to that date had not thrown oft the effects of his fall when going out to work on the previous morning. The closing of the Turkish baths over the holidays made matters rather awkward for riders who had to take off weight for the Wingatui meeting. Tj. H. Hewitt solved the difficulty by catching tho first express south on Saturday, after riding work up to about 6 a.m.