THE Racing world

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3, 3 January 1903, Page 6

THE Racing world

Wellington Cup weights are due ©n Monday.

Nominations for the Wellington Racing Club's Summer Meeting close on Monday.

Weights for the Takapuna Cup and Steeplechase will be declared on. Monday.

At one time pacers were rarely seen at Auckland meetings. Now they are in a large majority.

The trainer of Romeo says he intends asking the stewards of the Auckland Racing Club to re-hear his case, as he has fresh evidence to lay before them.

On the Whole better average trotting was seen at Alexandra Park during , the first and second days of the A.R.C. Trotting Club's meeting than usual at North Island meetings.

While Bluejacket was racing at EllersHβ unsuccessfully on Friday, his fuillSister Bland was in winning form at Hawke's Bay in the Summer Handicap at Hastings.

At nearly all the midsummer race meetings decided in New Zealand there has been an increase of business at the totalisators. The Auckland and Dunedin metropolitan clubs both show a decrease.

Mr W. X.. Thomson, who purchased ■Walrilci's brother at the sale of Mr Walter's yearlings, must have been pleased to see Wairiki win the Derby next day. The colt would have realised more had lie been sold after the Derby was run.

King Log won three races; Wairiki, Okoari, Despatch, and Girton Girl each two events at the Summer Meeting of the Auckland Racing Club, the two lastmentioned scoring twice only through disqualifications of the horses that beat them.

The totalisator turnover at the A.R.C. Summer Meeting was £3042 short of last year. It is thought that but for the mauiries that delayed proceedings the record cf last year might have been reached.

day of the meeting, the day being the most suitable and the course no doubt in faster condition . than on the precea ing ones.

The starting at Ellerslie was«njfo«the pleasing features of the Auckland Racing Caul's Summer MeeUng. Mr OO Con Dor's work was accomplished m the best possible manner throughout and that official is to be congratulated upon his success. ■ . ■ '

There is one lesson more than another thafloeal owners of trotting and pacing horses should remember, and that that they cannot expect their horses to snow their true form on short preparations— afwweeksoff the grass. The trotter wants condition, like the racehorse, to maintain his speed.

Bad as He is in the organs of inspiration to six furlong course, and ,there are> so many bad ones invariably entered against him in his engagements, that.he is -ya tematically over-taxed with weight to tiy and give them a chance with him.

' Can anyone wonder at reversals of form amongst our ponies? On an average, they are more heavily weighted than big horses, and with f*ur races to run for at the Auckland Racing Club's meeting, and half a dozen at Alexandra Park all crowded into a few days, some of them get more than their share of toil under pretty racing colours at the festive season.

In each of her three last essays at Bllerslie though she won twice out ot four starts, Okoari unmistakably tried to quit at the business end of her engagements. She has almost invariably failed to run up to her best form on the right-handed course at Ellerslie, and has never yet succeeded in winning over a longer course than a mile and a distance. Of robust appearance at any time, Okoari was considerably lighter in condition than when she ran last at Wellington, ibut still looks big. She raced better as the Auckland Racing Club's Summer Stfee'tlflg advanced, and was a good mare on the last day of the meeting.

Wairiki is the first of the -descendants of Soult to run in a long distance race, and for Derby honours. His victory in the Gleat Northern Derby proved him able to stay well. Mr Bradley's colt was unlucky in the Royal Stakes, through stumbling just after the start, and never got to the front. In that event the Stepniak colt, King Log,' romped home an easy Winner, and in a manner avenged the Derby defeat on the previous day by Wairiki of his less robust relative, Orloff, who ran like a non-stayer In the classic event. Mr Stead has had to put up with several unexpected reverses in the Great Northern Derby, but in the one decided on Thursday Orloff was beaten by a superior to himself over a distance.

Mrr W. Walters has lodged an injunction against the stakes for the Visitors' Plate being paid over to Mr H. Friedlander on the ground that Rose Shield did not carry her proper weight as stipulated in the conditions of that race, which were that three-year-olds should carry 9.0 and two-year-olds 7.9, specified weights. The stewards of the Auckland Racing Club had the question raised before the race was run, and elected to treat it- as a weight-for-age race, and made allowances to fillies and geldings of both ages. Mr Walters contends that they were not right in doing this, hence the injunction. As the matter will have to be dealt with by the stewards, and probably by a higher court afterwards, I shall offer no comment.

I have always had a good word to say for Wairiki, the Great Northern Derby winner, but good as he is, I don't think it can be fairly claimed that he is the crack T colt of New Zealand, because he. has beaten Orloff aud Porlrua over a mile and a half. The claims of Achilles must not be overlooked. Orloff is not just the sort one would look to present ,a solid front against a high class three-year-old over any long distance, judging him on apijgarance. He does not look an every day horse, and is- known to be delicate. Wairiki is overgrown, but may, as he gets strength and age. develop into a veritable champion. I quite expect he will. It would be interesting should he and Achilles and Cruciform meet in the autumn,

all fit and well, at weight-for-age over a distance. It was only the other day that Wairiki was regarded by many as likely to show best over short courses, but just now it would appear that he is not au fait at sprinting. He failed badly in the Railway Handicap, at the commencement of the A.R.C. meeting, when he was one of the smartest away, but possibly like many big ones got tied up and carried off his legs in the first furlong or two, and was thus beaten. King Log, who beat him in the Royal Stakes, is no doubt the best two-year-old colt we have seen racing so far this season. Amongst the fillies Sir George Clifford's To-morrow must be awarded the palm.