ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 19, 9 November 1910, Page 12

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Doughboy. — No; Bridge never raced in Auckland. Mr J. Muir's brood marc Waiatarua has foaled a colt to Hierarch. Mr T. Cunningham’s brood mare Miss Shirley has foaled a colt to Spalpeen. H. French arrived at Ellerslie to-day from Papakura with his team for the A.R.C. Spring Meeting. Mr Theo Bowling’s mare Caracole has foaled a filly to Gladstone, and is to be mated with the same horse again this season. The southern horseman, R. Thompson, arrived in Auckland on Sunday, to fulfil riding engagements at tile A.R.C. Spring Meeting. The Southern horsemen. J. Morris and W Price, have arrived in Auckland to fulfil riding engagements at the A.R.C. Spring Meeting. The ex-Aucklander, Rauparaha, was seen Out on both days of the Masterton meeting, but had to be content with second place in the big event on each day. In accepting the certificate of identity for the New Zealand-bred mare Celebrity, a note was taken of the fact that there was Some doubt as to the identity of the sire. Auckland horsemen had a good time last Week. At Gisborne, J. Buchanan bad five winning rides and A. Whittaker four, while at Waihi, J. Conquest rode four winners. Mr J. O’Driscoll, the New Plymouth owner, is-again in Auckland, this time with Waitapu and Sinn Fein, which are to carry his colours at the A.R.C. Spring Meeting. F. Wootton, the Australian jockey, who is Competing with D. Maher for pride of position among the season’s winning jockeys, now leads Maher by seven points. Mr T. Cunningham is trying an experiment in breeding this season, and has mated a couple of light draught horses with Seaton Delaval, in the hopes of getting a jumper With a bit of substance. The Auckland Racing Club are keeping abreast of the times, and have now installed an up-to-date weighing machine at ißllerslie, which will greatly facilitate the weighing in and out of horses. D. Moraghan arrived back from Sydney by the Westralia, early on Monday, with Master Boult. The local champion is Buffering from a jarred joint, and will probably have to be given a good rest. Mr D. O’Brien, the well-known owner, has disposed of his business in Sydney, and is now on a visit to Christchurch. There is a possibility of his again taking up his residence in the southern city. The “Winning Post’’ says that though OLemberg took the rosette for quality and bloodlike appearance in the Doncaster St. Deger field, it never iemembers one of his make and shape that was a natural stayer. A number of small southern racing clubs, who anticipate going out should the Gaming Bill become law, are already contemplating amalgamation, with a view to holding a joint unregistered meeting. The Otahuhu Trotting Club have no Pause for complaint at the response made by borseowners for the opening day of their Spring Meeting, and everything at present points to an interesting day’s sport. The Victorian Racing Club Invited leaflets for the right of taking moving pictures st the Melbourne Cup meeting. The comjnittee finally decided not to accept any Of those sent Id.

There Is every likelihood of the Wan<anul trainer, A. Hall, staying in Auckland with bls team till after the A.R.C. Summer Meeting. St. Bill han been nominated for the Takapuna J.C. Spring Meeting.

Light Blue, the half-brother to Antarctic, is now being trained at Ellerslie by his owner, Mr T. Bowling. Light Blue is a much better looking horse than Antarctic, but it is doubtful if he will ever be as good.

The nominations received for the Takapuna Jockey Club’s Spring Meeting, which takes place on the 26th and 30th lost., are highly satisfactory, and are a good foundation for a successful gathering. The weights for the first day’s racing are due on Monday, the 14th Just.

After a lot of disappointments, the San Fran gelding Rangikapua managed to get his name on the winning list, accounting for the Welter Hack Handicap at the recent Masterton meeting. Rangikapua was boomed for a time as a likely N.Z. Cup winner, but was wisely allowed jo drop out of that event.

Son of Marsh, which, won the Hotham Handicap of a mile and a quarter, is evidently partial to that distance, as he holds the Australasian record of 2min sjsec for the journey. This performance was established at Randwick last year, in the Final Handicap, run at the Australian Jockey Club’s Spring Meeting.

I don’t expect that much sorrow will be caused by the announcement that probably the last has been seen of Nora Soult on the track, for the mad-headed daughter of Soult has been mated with Monoform. The Otahuhu Trotting Club, I am informed, intended refusing her nomination, but it is stated that her owner did not put one in.

A Press Association wire from Wellington states that Mr. G. D. Greenwood, of Canterbury, the owner of Danube, the winm<- of the Champion Plate at Trentham last month, has been elected a life member of the Wellington Racing Club. He has presented the club with a cup valued at £lOO, to be given to the winner of the Champion Plate next year.

It has been reported that horses wearing dangerous plates are working at Riccarton t and the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club has, therefore, drawn the attention of trainers and owners to the drastic rule which was passed at last Conference. The penalty, if the horse starts in a race W’ith such plates, is disqualification, while the owner and tiainer, and any person assisting in shoeing the horse, are to be fined not less than £25.

Nominations for the Feilding Jockey Club’s Spring Meeting are g'ood. Following are those for the Ht. Andrew’s Handicap, one mile and a-half: Sir Prize, Husbandman, Taskmaster, Countermine, Merrivonia, Birkdale, Teo-tane, Strathmoira, (Mendip, Sir Antrim, Kopu, Clemora Mallet, John, The Dark, Roosevelt, Vi, Sandstream, Koran, Waita.pu and Uhlando.

Carbine’s stock have not been pi eminent in England this season, but at the Doncaster meeting a daughter of his named Zohara. won the Prince of Wales’ Nursery Handicap defeating 23 others over a mile, in 1.39 3-5; and a Carbine yearling filly made IOOOgs at the sales. The “Special Commissioner’’ of the London Sportsman said the filly is the best-looking youngster ever sired by Carbine in England.

At Buenos Ayres racing takes place on the Palermo, Belgrano, and jxnnas courses, five days out of the seven in every w*eek, all the year round. Apparently the antigambling crusaders are unknown in the Argentine. During 1909, in Buenos Ayres, 757 races weie run, 7206 horses took part therein, and the prize money exceeded £310,000, and the public attendance was 606,128. The amount spent in betting tickets (3/6 each) exceeded £5,000,000.

One of the finest-looking two-year-olds seen in Auckland for some time is Silverlyte, by Birkenhead from Dazzle, one of F. Loo inb's team, which arrived from Gisborne on Sunday. Silverly te, which is engaged in the Welcome Stakes, was given a run in the Maiden Scurry at the lecent Gisborne meeting, but finished out of a place. The son of Birkenhead gives the impression that he w'ill not be seen at his best until later in the season.

One of Auckland’s leading penclllers will have cause to remember Comedy King's Melbourne Cup, for he experienced cruel luck in connection with the event. A particular friend of Mr. S. Green’s, he was advised to back Comedy King for the Cup, which he did, securing a thousand about him. Shortly after he received further advice to got out of his money, which he also did, and then acting on information backed Flavinius and Trafalgar for the double Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, and the result is now a matter of history.

A tremendous lot of money has been Bpent by Argentine breeders in importing some of the very best English thoroughbred stock. Apparently this is bearing goqd

fruit, for it is evident there are some particularly smart gallopers in the big South American Republic. Compare the following times with our best performances in the Dominion: Six furlongs iu Lil 3-5; one mile in 1.37; one mile and a quarter iu 2.3 3-5; one mile and three furlongs in 2.16 3-5. We have nothing equal to doing anything like such good w’oik, but, of course, their tracks are magnificent.

The Cambria Park sire Hierarch w r as not long in claiming a winner, and the second of his stock to race, Trize, succeeded in winning the Maiden Scurry at the recent Gisborne meeting. Trize, which is by Hierarch from Lute, evidently put up an attractive performance, for according to a Gisborne exchange, Santiago fund Josie drew* away iu the straight, and the latter looked all over a winner till nearing the post, w’hen Trize came with a maivellous run, and snatched a brilliant victory by a nose. Santiago was a neck away third. Trize's dash was meteoric, and quite electrified the crowd.

Writing from London to a friend in Perth, Mr A. Mclntosh, the West Australian veterinary surgeon, says: — “I shall soon be back in ‘God's Own Land,’ where a body is allowed to breathe free air. I was down at Doncaster yesterday to see the St. Leger run. Left London at 8.40 a.m., arrived 12 p.m., distance 150 miles. The return fare was 28/; grand stand 30/; dinner 5/; and racebook 6d. The St. Leger course, or rather Doncaster, is a fine place, and very pretty. I guess there was a crowd of over 230,000 people, and the only seats or conveniences are for the lords and their ladies. The public, well, all they do is to stand anywhere they can. I saw four men arrested for w’elshiug before the start of the St. Leger. The St. Leger was a grand race. Swynford, the winner, is a fine horse, and F. Wootton, who rode him, a fine horseman. He rode a grand race. He made a pocket for Lemberg, who, according to all good judges, ought to have won.”

The victory of Comedy King in the Melbourne Cup would not cause any surprise in Australia, for it was generally considered that were the English-bred ihorse to be in his best form, it would take something out of the ordinary to defeat him. Comedy King w r as bred in England, and is by Persimmon from Tragedy Queen. He was purchased in England when a foal, along with his dam, by Mr Sol Green, the well known Australian penciller, <and according to our time is rated as a four-year-old, although he w’ill not be that age until next autumn. He first came into prominence in Australia by winning the Caulfield Futurity Stakes, with 6.7 in the saddle. At the recent A.J.C. Spring Meeting he won the Spring Stakes, with 8.7, beating Prince Foote, 9.0, and Pend 11, 9.5, and if he had not run again at the meeting, -would probably have gone out one of the hottest favourites on record for the race. However, he was given a run in the Craven Plate, finishing outside a place, and it was subsequently discovered that he w r as suffering from a bad cold, and he had to be eased in his work. Comedy King also suffers badly from rheumatism, but evidently he was all right yesterday, and it is safe to say that his w-in has greatly increased his owner’s banking account, for he is one of the biggest betters in Australia. The honours of the race are w’ith Trafalgar, and it was a fine performance to get within a neck of the winner, to which he was conceding 191 b. According to the cabled account of the race, Trafalgar only came on the scene in the concluding stages, and just failed to get up. Undoubtedly the unlucky horse of the season is Apple Pie, and it must be a bit galling to an owner to run third in the Epsom Handicap, second in the Caulfield Cup, and third in the Melbourne Cup. 4 * i