RACING NEWS.

Auckland Star, Issue 38, 14 February 1929, Page 14

RACING NEWS.

STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.;

SEASON'S FIXTURES.

February 14, 3 6—Dunedin Jockey Club. February 14, 10—Waaganui Jockey Club. February 14, 10 —Poverty Bay Turf Club. February 16, 18 —Te Aroha Jockey Club. February 20, K.C. February 20, 21—Wooilville .Tockey Club. February 21—Tologa Bay J.C. February 23—Canterbury J.C. February '-7, 2S—Dannevirke II.C. February 28—Waipu Racing Club. February 28, March 2—Marlborough K.C March 2- Banks Peninsula K.C. March <">, 7—Rangitikei R.C. March 8, - Napier R.C. March D —Franklin Racing Club. Katuscha, who claims an engagement in the Waitoa Handicap on Saturday next at Te Aroha, is a half-sister to Lady Ridicule. She is owned and trained by Mr. R. Hannon, of Hautapu, but has done very little racing to date. Recent form points to Polyxena being hard to dispose of in the Juvenile Handicap at Te Aroha. This youngster displayed fair promise in her last couple of starts and is sure to have a strong following if she goes to the post next Saturday. H. Dulieu has been engaged to ride Star of the East in his jumping races at Te Aroha. The Matamata-trained gelding, who displayed useful form during the spring meetings, is a capable jumper, and he should show up in his races at Te Aroha. W. Ryan is not doing a great deal with Valsier and Importer just now and most of their work is confined to trotting and cantering on the tan track. They have no immediate engagements, but Valsier, who won at his last start, only requires a bit of fast work to put him in racing order again. J. Sharkey will ride Thanks in the Waitoa Handicap at Te Aroha next Saturday and Glenidle in the Manawaru Hurdles on the second day at that meeting. This rider, who has shown marked improvement as a hurdle and cross-country horseman during the past twelve months, finishes his terra of apprenticeship to-morrow. j That good horse Pegaway is due to have his next race among the sprinters in the Waihou Handicap next Saturday at Te Aroha. He has not had a run since the Auckland summer meeting, where he registered several brilliant performances, but if he is produced in the same condition at the country meeting at the end of this week he is sure to put up a good effort. Since competing at the Waipa meeting, where he won the Pirongia Hurdles, Highflown has not been raced. He is due to contest the Ruakaka Hurdles at To Aroha on Saturday and will be ridden by E. Stanway, who steered him in his previous victory. Highflown has won at his last two starts over hurdles and has a good chance of adding to his record during the Te Aroha meeting. A couple of seconds in his last two ■tarts over hurdles is down to the credit of Gala Day and he may improve on that record at Te Aroha. He is engaged in the Ruakaka Hurdles at that meeting on Saturday and if he has made any improvement since he raced at the Stratford meeting, when he acted as runner-up to Berinthia in the Makuri Hurdles, he should give a good account of himself. It was a good performance on the part of In the Shade to run second to Branson in the open sprint ~ race at Rotorua considering he was having his second race after a lengthy spell. This gelding, who has an Easter Handicap to his credit, figures in the field to contest the Herries' Memorial Cup at Te Aroha next Saturday, and it would not surprise to see him putting up a great race in the ten-furlong event. Odin, who was responsible for a firstclass jumping display over the schooling hurdles at Ellerslie last Saturday morning, is to fulfil his engagement in the Ruakaka Hurdle Race at Te Aroha at the end of this week. Although he may not be quite as well seasoned as some of the horses' he will be meeting in that race, he is a promising hurdle candidate who should be worth following during the country fixtures. Valuation has not had a race sincc he scored an easy win in the second division of the Tapu Handicap at the Thames. His victory in that event was impressive, although the opposition was not strong. Valuation figures ir. the Shaftesbury Handicap, to be run on the opening day of the Te Aroha meeting, and despite the stronger opposition he should put up a good showing if he is saddled up to content that event.

Queen Arch, who r?«ed very consistently at the Rotorua meeting, will have plenty of friends if she goes to the post in the Herries' Memorial Cup on Saturday. This mare is capable of running out ten furlongs in good style and will be racing on her home course, and that should be to her advantage, and although the field ib stronger than those that she met at Matamata and Rotorua she is sure take a lot of beating on the day Earlier in the season Te Ngeru attracted some attention by winning the second division of the Trial Plate on the first day of the Waikato spring meeting, and she also ran second to Hakanoa on the final day at the same meeting but has not raced since then. This mare is included in the field to contest the Shaftesbury Handicap at Te Aroha on Saturday and it will be interesting to note how she shapes among the better class hacks engaged in that event. iJti! n r. Sle ? py Sol and Mervette met on the W^u 00d « handicap < on e mile) t e Auckland summer .handicapped at a the race rifl.. Mervette (8.2) winrunning nrmi \° and Sleepv Sol engaged i* the fts hey are both (one miley the T pr l ngß Handicap next Saturday, thei T e Aroha meeting bemg Mervette w «ghts Sleepy Sol, who ftnkwT * I '* Sol 7 7 1 only start .ince IS*"!*'** in hfc wood Handicap, Goodof the argument,. the worst A : .

Prince Lu had his chances ruined at Rotorua on Monday by bolting through the tapes and going about six furlongs before he was pulled up. He has a good bit of speed, and has only to go away his field to stand a good chance in moderate company. Arclicen finished on well in the Mokoia Handicap, seven furlongs and 80 yards, at Rotorua, and won nicely. He was weighted at 8.8 and now has 8.6 in the Hot Springs Handicap, one mile, at Te Aroha on Saturday. He has only to run up to the same form to be a nuisance. Mosque, who figures at the minimum in the Te Aroha Cup, has more than a passing show for, only for getting a very bad passage in the Cup race at Rotorua he would have been troublesome in that event. He won well the second day, and looks as though he will stay on all right. New Moon, despite his years, still retains a good turn of speed. At Rotorua on Monday he finished second to Cynthia \\, and if he had succeeded in winning b would have been well received, for his owner, Mr. F. Baker, is widely known in the Waikato and is a most popular sportsman. Gay Duke, who is entered for the Juvenile Handicap at Te Aroha on Saturday, is by Lord Quex from Salvette, by Demosthenes from Bon Espor by Boniform from Ringdove, and is therefore closely related to Paganelli (Lord Quex —Ringdove). He has only had a couple of starts this season, but failed to get into the money on either occasion. Possibly the most consistent performer on the Taranaki circuit was Airway, the three-year-old chestnut filly by Tree Lucerne from Flying Wind. She showed plenty of pace on the first day at Hawera, and won on the second day. At Xew Plymouth she won again, and on the second day met something unusually good in High Disdain to relegate her to second place. She is a good sort of a filly, and one liable to improve into a useful performer. Cynthia N. was well up for a good portion of the way in the Mokoia Handicap on the first day of the Rotorua meeting, never being further back than third till the straight was reached and finishing sixth. On the concluding day she was a starter in the Farewell Handicap, and taking charge before the top was reached won very easily at the finish. Further races should go the way of the imported mare before long, for she is pretty well just now. Red Lion ran rather disappointingly at the Rotorua meeting. On the first day he jumped out smartly and was prominent to the straight, where he faded out. On Monday he finished fourth in a field of seven. The Messrs. Gleeson paid IOOOgs for him as a yearling, but, so far, he has only a second placing to his credit. He is only three years old, and as the progeny of Solferino improve with age Red Lion may yet recompense them for their outlay. The way High Disdain carried his 10.2 at New Plymouth on Saturday, and played with the opposition over five furlongs, suggests that he is good enough for any #print company (says "Vedette"). It is surprising that he has not been exploited in these events, but possibly juvenile handicaps, in which R. S. Bagby can ride him, are better propositions from the point of view of his connections. Bagby can be relied on to do his part, and with a very smart galloper the combination is a reasonably safe one for a good wager. When Llanore was disqualified for short weight at Hawera there were many people who destroyed totalisator tickets on Joy King, who subsequently received the race (remarks the "Post"). Many of these tickets have not been found, and the club has been left with a fair sum of quite unexpected profits in the shape of unclaimed dividends. The amount is not so much as one might expect, but it will help the profit and loss account along. Object lessons against the hurried destruction of totalisator tickets are always cropping up, and it is a wise plan to keep all tickets for some time after a race.

While the Taranaki Jockey Club had a first-class pool on the totalisator on the Taranaki Stakes, quite a fair amount of money was wagererl horse against horse and in other ways (says a Southern writer). Lady Quex had a host of backers locally, who found that they could bet useful sums sometimes at odds that the filly would be first or second. In extreme cases it was better that she would not be in a place. When she finished second to Paganelli, the locals were in high glee, and duly collected. Some in their enthusiasm before the race were prophesying what she would do with Limerick after she had finished with Paganelli. Over-enthusiasm always breeds this, and although Lady Quex is now proved good class, as has always been contended, she is not up to the Limerick standard by a long way. Paganelli beat Lady Quex comfortably, at Ellerslie Aussie gave Paganelli 71b and made him look like a Trial Plater, and it remains to be seen how Aussie fares with Limerick. FRANKLIN RACING CLUB. The annual meeting of the Franklin Racing Club will be held at Pukekohe on Saturday, March 9. An excellent programme has been drawn up and the fields should be large. Nominations close with the secretary, Mr. A. P. Daysh, Pukekohe, or Mr. A. J. Farquhar, secretary of the Avondale Jockey Club, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20.