STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 258, 31 October 1929, Page 16

STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.)

Bob Amans, the Avondale-trained gelding, who is entered for hurdle races at the Whangarei meeting, gave a satisfactory display when schooled over six hurdles at Ellerslie during the week. He is a solid-looking sort and just the-type to develop into a useful hurdle proposition when he hae had the necessary experience.

Le Ghoiicas, who ..has previously raced successfully on the Whangarei course, is among those engaged to contest the Cup at the northern meeting next Saturday week. In his second start' this season Le Choucas ran a good race when he acted. as runuer-up to- Eager Rose. in the . Liverpool Handicap at Ellerslie, and, as he looked susceptible to ,improvement on that -occasion, he should strip a fitter horse the next time he goes out to race. ..,- • . ■

Hoylake .ran third in the New Zealand Cup, .last season, and wpn -the • Metropolitan Handicap. He had his first serious test in the Wellington Handicap at Trentham last Saturday, and is reported to have run a "respectable race." Hoylake was well beaten in'the Harcourt Cup on the second day, but. he is a very moody customer, and on that account is not too good a betting proposition. When he takes it into his head he can gallop all right.

Historic figures in the Bunny Memorial Handicap, six furlongs,' to be run at the Carterton meeting next Saturday; and that will be his only start prior to contesting the New Zealand Cup; at Riccarton on November 9. He is not meeting a- formidable lot in the sprint race at Carterton, and, though he may be beaten, the race will serve" to' sharpen him up for the ,big event to be decided the week following. The rccent performances under big weights put up by Historic stamp him as a great handicap horse, still" he will require to eclipse all. his previous efforts to defeat those opposed to him in the two-mile race at lliccarton with.the big impost of 9.5 on his'.back.. , ,>

Chansonette, the two-year-old filly by Catmint from Soliliquy, who had to be stopped in her work through contracting a cold, is to be turned out for a spell. By winning the Brewer Handicap at Waverley the Absurd gelding Limited commenced the new season in promising style. Limited has always put up his best performances when fresh and he .should be worth watching in eprint events from now on. Fernden, .who did his early racing in the Auckland province, scored an impressive win in the Jackson Handicap afc Waverley last Monday. This gelding, whiis now in hie fourth year, is a brilliant galloper who should soon win his way out of hack company. The Peach Brandy two-year-old Kairangapai, has done exceptionally well since H. Jury took him over and is shaping up into a. nice looking sort. He has been sprinted a few furlongs on several occasions, and had shown sufficient pace to indicate that he is worth persevering with. Though Eaglet was beaten for the first time this season (in half a dozen starts) in the Harcourt Cup at Trentham on Monday, she looks as though she will be very hard to dispose of in the Oaks at Eiccarton if taken South. The field in the "Ladies' Race" at Riccarton is not very strong, and her fourth in the Harcourt Cup at Trentham on Saturday was sufficiently good to warrant the trip. Great Star, who is engaged in the Stewards' Handicap, put up an excellent performance at the North Canterbury meeting on Labour Day, when he carried 9.3. to victory in the Flying Handicap, six • furlongs, and ran the distance in 1.13 2-5. With 7.13 in the Stewards' Handicap, Great Star will prove a difficult horse for the top-weights to contend with.at Riccarton next month.

Though Arrow Lad failed to get into the money in the Shorts Handicap at Trentham, he ran a good race in the Nainai Handicap. F. Gilchrist is speeding British Princess up in her track work, and the Australian-bred filly is showing promise as a galloper. She shaped well in a three-furlong sprint at Ellerslie a few mornings ago, and is due to have her first race in public at the Waikata meeting next month. First Money showed a lot of speed as a two-year-old last season, during which period he raced rather unluckily. At the recent meeting at Masterton he was third in a seven-furlong event, while at Trentham he ran third to Paganelli and Toxeuma in the Shorts Handicap, and second to Cimabue in the Nainai Handicap. He has only started on four occasions this season,- and his form points to him winning a good sprint event before long. Recent track form points to Golden Wedding being back to her best form and the chestnut mare has been responsible for several smart gallops during the paet few weeks. She is engaged in hurdle races at the Whangarei meeting, and if taken up to that fixture should pay expenses during'the trip. It was. at the autumn meeting at Whangarei in ■April last that she first came into prominence as a hurdler, by running second in the Northland Hurdle Race, on the first day, and winning the Parua Bay Hurdle Eace, on the concluding day of the same meeting. ■ .The Welcome Stakes, one of the chief two-year-old classics in New Zealand, which is to be decided at the Canterbury Jockey Club's spring meeting next month, has not drawn a very good field so far as two-year-old form is concerned. Simba has been withdrawn since the for.feits were declared last Friday. Praise, who cost Mr. G. D. Greenwood HOOgs as a yearling, has not yet started. Satisfy won the McLean Stakes at Dunedin, with Spoon second, and Al Jolson fourth, .while in the Dominion Handicap on the second day at Wingatui Spoon was second to Kerbside and Al Jolson was unplaced. Satisfy started in the Wellesley Stakes at Trentham on Saturday and finished fourth, but it is stated that she was not herself. Of the others War Worn has the best credentials.. Concentrate ran a good race ' in the Metropolitan Handicap at Eandwick recently, and was a starter in the Harcourt Cup at Trentham last Monday, in which he finished third. He is reported to have rim excellently, and with 8.4 in the New Zealand Cup he should make his presence felt. Concentrate won both St. Legers last season. In the New Zealand St. Leger at Wellington he looked to have an impossible task to catch Toxeuma, who had a long start on him when well into the straight. He showed great grit, and eventually got up to win by a head. At Ellerslie he won the Great Northern St. Leger in. good style. Concentrate comes from a family that have made their presence felt in the New Zealand Cup. He is by. Kilbroney from Oratress, who won the New Zealand Cup in 1920. His full-sister Oratrix won last year, and he has only to go on the right way in the meantime to be very hard to dispose cf.

The heavy going at the Poverty Bay meeting was in Valsier's favour, and after running third on the first day he won the Matawhero Handicap on the concluding day. The Valkyrian gelding should be capable of winning again among the class he will be meeting around the East Coast district. Paganelli has 9.11 in the Stewards' Handicap at Riccarton, and with that weight he should be hard to beat if taken South. He has 31b more than he won with at Wellington, and is not set an impossible task, for Arrowsmith won the event in 1920 with 9.13, which is the highest weight yet carried to victory. Although Hyde Park has not had a race since the Avondale meeting, where he ran third in the Cup, the Marble Arch gelding is doing plenty of serviceable work at Ellerslie and appears to be thriving on it. He is included in the entries for the Wailkato Cup, to be decided at Te Rapa next month. Austerity won at the Masterton meeting, but was beaten in the Rimutaka Handicap, seven furlongs, on the first day of the Wellington meeting. However, she was only defeated by a very narrow margin by Count Palatine in the Tararua Handicap on the second day, which was a furlong further. Austerity has been nominated for events at the New Zealand Cup. meeting and should run well there. Evidently the connections of Silver Paper were not at all pleased with the ehowing of this gelding at Trentham, for he has been scratched for the Stewards' Handicap at Riccarton. In the Shorts Handicap his half-brother and stablemate, Aspiring, finished in front of him, the latter being fourth, while Silver Paper was sixth. Silver Paper was never very dangerous in the Harcourt Cup on the second day.

Sleepy Sol hae been hitting out in improved style in his ; track work at Ellerslie now that the sting is out of the ground. He is engaged in hurdle races at the Whangarei meeting, and if the going happens to be at all yielding he should improve on his past performances. In a reference to the number of 6uccesses registered in Auetralia by New Zealand-bred horses, "Beacon," writing in the "Melbourne Leader," remarks: "I suppose Australia breeds five horses for every one they produce in New Zealand, but the New Zealandere are never without horeee able to hold their own with the best Australia can produce, and their percentage of goad horses is much higher than it is here." The performance of Cimabue in winning the Nainai Handicap at Trentham on Monday with 9.0 in I.IOJ was a good one, and he will be one of , those fancied for the Stewards' Handicap at Riccarton next month in consequence of that effort. He has 9.4, and apparently the handicapper intends to allow his weight to remain. According to Australian writers, just before Cimabue left Sydney, he was expected to win a race there if he had remained. As the result of his fa'l during a gallop at Ellerslie last week Bennie has been displaying distinct signs of soreness and has had to be eased up in his preparation. Bennie had been showing improved form on the track previous to the accident, and his connections expected him to ehow up in handicap events at the approaching country meetings. He is engaged in the principal events at the Whangarei meeting, but the halt in his preparation may prevent him from being at his best -for his engagements at that fixture. ; ' , The practice of making forfeits due the night before a big meeting in-another centre is one that should ■ not' commend itself to racing clubs, and next season if they are delayed until the metropolitan meeting is over probably there will be large fields. The forfeits for the come Stakes at Auckland fell due the night before the Debutante Stakes at Wanganui was run; otherwise Simba, who won, would have been included. Last Friday forfeits for classic races to be decided at the New Zealand Cup meeting fell due, and the Wellington meeting took place on the Saturday and the Monday. If these had been delayed till after the Wellington meeting.probably the field for the Welcome Stakes would have been better. ... : ••.'.,•■'•'■