ACTIVITIES AT EPSOM.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 221, 18 September 1929, Page 15

ACTIVITIES AT EPSOM.

TRAINERS GETTING BUSY. LITTLE FAST WORK ACCOMPLISHED. Gold Jacket will probably be given his next race at the October meeting of the Auckland Trotting Club. In the meantime the Auckland Cup winner is being kept going, and will be ready when required. G. G. Lee does not take long to get rid of horses that do not look like winning a race for him, and with several novices to put through tlieir education, iie made room for one by getting rid of Bonanza. The chestnut was sold at auction, and went for a couple of guineas. Linnett the Great has not been noticed doing anything to set the tongues wagging. Jn a workout one morning last week she trotted far from solidly and broke up badly, and E. Smith will have to get lier to do much better if he is to get her to return the cost of lier fare out from England. Although 'Dick Dillon has not long made a return to work he is not carrying a great deal of condition, and G. Phipps will probably get the old fellow to come right quickly. Still he has the hardest part in front of him to win a race with so many improving young horses about. The application for the registration of the horse Shanghai is something of a hardy annual. Joseph Carter again applied to the Board of the Trotting Association last week, and it was decided to inform him that providing he complied with the rules in the matter of forwarding the necessary deposit, the case would receive favourable consideration. Anseline is being tuned up in view of the approaching meetings at the Waikato and Auckland. . J. Gee drove lier a couple of miles yesterday, but she made no time, and in addition left lier feet twice. She seems to go better in a race than when trotting on her own on the training track. jSTot until just before the Christmas and Xew Year carnival is commenced will there be a. cessation of racing at week-ends 011 the Perth and Frcmantle courses. There will be one meeting a month 011 the Eremaiitle course. It is expected that there will be a transfer to the new Perth course early in December. ' ' So far the grey gelding Stoney has not caused anyone seeing him working at Epsom to rush about trying to buy liim. Yesterday morning, with the conditions ideal, J. Shaw strapped him up and allowed him to pace a mile. lie went the first half in 1.12 3-5, and the mile in 2.22 1-5, but it was not an attractive effort, although lie could have improved upon the time. No more popular win could be scored locally than one by Tradesman or !Margaret Wallace. Their owner, 1:;. Sandal], is the veteran of the sport among trainers here, and in the old days he was regarded as right in the iirst liight. The pair he has got are not very promising, but he is giving Maragarct Wallace more long, steady work than previously, evidently in the hope of getting her to stay 011. .

Torpedo Hnon. has yet to make a return since Mr. E. J. Parkes paid u big price for him. The Australian-bred pacer had the hopples on yesterday doing half pace work over several circuits for L. McMahoii. He has not a nice action when going wlow, and paces much more smoothly, when going fast.

One morning last week the novice trotter by Al Mack —Natalie, owned by T. McQuoicl and trained by L. McMuhon, worked a mile and a-half, and after going the first mile at a comfortable pace, slipped over the last half in 1.13, which was fairly good for a novice. He did not put a foot wrong, which was in contrast to his display yesterday, when he broke up badly when not going fast at all.

J. Geo was at Epsom yesterday taking advantage of the good conditions to slip a bit of solid work into his team. Kewpic's Guy was doing nice work in company with R. A. Shepherd's three-year-old by Pcterwah—Princess Ena, but the latter was no use to Kowpie's Guy. The Pcterwah colt is in the Great Northern Derby, but he can have no chance in that/race. Yesterday C. G. Leo drove him.

F. Smith is being kept busy with his team of three. The speedy, but moody Dillon Huon is looking particularly well, and when in the right humour lie can get over the ground at a smart clip. Yesterday, after being jogged out, he was strapped np and allowed to go two miles at a steady pace, merely being out to do useful work. His fastest halfmile was the last, in 1.12.

Without being really fast; the best piceo of work yesterday was witnessed when Polly's Picture ((!. Mitchell) and Tony Victor (('!. Robertson) went two miles. Polly's Picture stepped away in front, Tony Victor trailing her. The first half, LIS 1-5, was very-slow, but the next half was passed behind in 1.11 2-5, the third in 1.11 4-5, and the last in 1.7 2-5. Polly's Picture led till tho straight was entered, but in the run to tho finish Tony Victor finished fast and beat her by just over a length.

F. Gilchrist, who trains both trotters and gallopers, has, owing to having horses engaged at the Avondale meeting, been working his trotters, Etta Cole and Direct Action, either in the afternoon or early morning this week. The pair have not been asked to show speed, but both look well. Etta Colo has hardly proved as good as was anticipated, and several times has been beaten when regarded as the best of good things. She will be next raced at the Waikato meeting. Direct Action never does much fast work, and as he is- nothing out of the ordinary, he is not going "to find it easy to win races.

Trotting was revived at Kalgoorlie on August 20, after a lapse of several months. At one time the light harness sport was very popular in the eastern goldfields of Western Australia. While the efforts to re-establish it have been strenuous there has not been the enthusiasm that has been anticipated, but that is a feature in respect to Kalgoorlie and Boulder in respect to galloping also. The best horse on the goldfields is Bluff, who at the opening of the carnival meetings won a race on a heavy track, stepping from a back mark at a 2.23 clip.

At the meeting of the Board of the New Zealand Trotting Association last week the deaths of the following horses were reported: Lord Heathcote, Rodgerwood, Royal Belle. All Bell, who did so well for W. Cockbill when prepared at Epsom, is- back with him, and the veteran pacer was jogging round the track yesterday. Thonglr well on in years, the son of Gold Bell—Agnita can still muster up pace, and when the field is not strong can get to the end of two miles in fair time. W. Ker stands Uncle Bert up to solid work, and the Gold Bell gelding does as much as the next. With or without hopples he is allowed to stride along, generally doing his work in saddle. He is handicapped up to as good as ho can go, and does not look to be a good proposition now. When Warplane raced at the Relief Fund meeting the son of Man o' War was not ready, but since then he has not been idle, and J. Shaw has slipped several good workouts into liini. Yesterday ho moved freely and evenly in a useful trip extending to a mile and a-half.