NOTES FROM PERTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 263, 6 November 1929, Page 16

NOTES FROM PERTH.

ASSOCIATION'S NEW COURSE. A. SHEAHAN'S GOOD RECORD. The new racecourse at Perth will be ready for the conduct of meetings before the end of the year and the big cup carnival will be conducted upon it. The' grandstand is being built in sections, and the centre portion will be completed in time for the opening fixture. The spacious enclosures are being laid down in gravel with tar toppings and other sections have been well grassed. Roads ■past the imposing entrance gates are being made by the Perth City Council, and the tramway authorities are following up with a line which will permit of cars conveying passengers right up to the flagged areas in front of the turnstiles. The course is one of the beauty sights of Perth and is on the bank of the wide Swan River, just about a mile from the town hall. It is most picturesque, and will be brilliantly illuminated, while the race track will have lighting that will make the place like day. L"p to the meeting held on the Perth course on October 19, A. Sheahan had, in 41 drives, scored ten wins," three seconds and nine thirds. This placed him well ahead of other successful reinsman; J. Simmons being next with six wins and four thirds. Sheahan drove two winners on the night mentioned— Lamia and Yeringa. For some seasons past C. J. Clarke and L. B. Walton have been Sheahan's keenest rivals. All of them have big strings, but so far this season Clarke and Walton have not been in the limelight. Their charges are coming on and will be ripened some time before the carnival meetings, and it is anticipated that they will give Sheahan a close rim before the season is far advanced. Up to the date specified the Western Australian bred Willowcliffe, and the 14-year-old Yeringa, were the leading horses for the season, with three wins each, while twelve other horses had won two races since the beginning of last August.. These are Adonaldson, Barney Hood, Duke Derby, Harvetawah, Merry Huon, Osterley Breeze, Q>ueenie Wilkes, Royal Authoress, Roy Medio w, Suspender, Tasmania and Yank.

The success of the Fremantle Trotting Club during their first, season of operations was so great that many improvements have been made to the course appointments. The secretary and handicapper, Mr. James Farrell, is on a visit to Melbourne, and when he gets back he will probably set about making arrangements for the construction of a grandstand. Up to the present grassed ramps have been utilised by the thousands who watch the racing on the Fremantle course, but large seating accommodation is being demanded. The land upon which the course has been laid out is the property of the WA. Trotting Association, and that body financially aided the Fremantle Club to make a start. One meeting each month is held there, and much of the patronage comes from Perth and suburbs. When he returned to Perth after spending a couple of mouths in Melbourne, Mr. James Brennan, president of the W.A. Trotting Association, received a warm welcome. His executive fully endorsed all that he had done in assisting in the formation of the trotting league of Victoria, and expressed the opinion that the success of the Victorian organisation would have great influence in placing the light harness sport on a higher plane right throughout Australia. With characteristic energy Mr. Brennan has taken in hand the final arrangements for the opening of the new course and the conduct of the carnival meetings. These will be held during the Christmas i and Xew Year holidays. The principal event will be the Centerary Cup, which carries a s+ake cf £1500, and njrninations for which were Cue on October 28. Some very speedy horses have been bred in Western Australia during recent years. One that is prominent at this time is Willowcliffe, a four-year-old son of Alfred Donald. He is a bold mover and one that fights out a brilliant finish. At the meeting on October 12 he easily won an event when stepping at a 2.1 Sj clip, and he thus qualified for the Centenary Cup. Another son of Alfred Donald who is prominent, and who is also a four-year-old, is Adonaldson. He has gone to a 2.19J record. Both of them are capable of improvement, and should be able to step it with the best imported to the State from New Zealand and other parts.

The Huon's Double gelding Yeringa has been a profitable proposition for Mr. James Hand, of Perth, who has imported to Western Australia a lot of good horses. Going at a little better than 2.21 from the front mark at the meeting on the night of October 19, Yeringa beat a good field. He has been in Perth for about four years, and has won 15 races there. Yeringa is getting on in years, but his sort race on to a wonderful age. A one-time sportsman of Melbourne who raced a number of horses at Richmond up to about 15 years ago, in Arthur Gaulroger, is doing well in Perth. He has a good string, and with Decorum he won the last W.A. Trotting Cup. He has had up-to-date stables built at North Perth, and he gets his proportion of wins at the meetings held under electric light. Recently he added to his team Real Dillon, who was brought to Fremantle after a second trip to Victoria and Tasmania. In 1919, Gaulroger, who then had his quarters at Burwood, sold lan Junior to Mr. James Brennan, who sent the gelding to Perth. The gelding was then aged. During the past four years he has been raced at Western Australian country meetings, but the veteran is back in the metropolitan area, and was billed to run at the Fremantle meeting on October 26.