ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 292, 10 December 1929, Page 12

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

SPORT- (Tauniarunui).—The distance of ! the English Derby is given as about i one mile and a half. Refresher is apparently thought a good ; ' deal of by his connections, for he not only figures among the entries for the Railway Handicap but has been paid up for in the A.R.C. Royal Stakes. Corinax failed in the Alison Cup, but ; won the St. Andrew's Handicap on the . second day of the Takapuna meeting. He is engaged in the Te Awamutu Cup next Saturday, but may find the impost ( of 8.13 a bit too much for him. Sir Russell is top weight in the Kihi- \ kihi and Ohaupo Handicaps at Te Awamutu next Saturday, seven-furlong . events, and by the manner in whirh he won in both starts at the Waikato spring meeting he will be very hard to beat. These were mile events, and on , the second day he led practically all the way. Catonian made his first appearance in public over hurdles at the Auckland spring meeting, winning the Trial Hurdle Race on the first day and finishing second to Elysianor in the Manukau Hurdle Race on the second day. He has not raced since, but is engaged in the Pirongia Hurdle Race at Te Awamutu next Saturday. He should go really well, for he is a capable jumper and has plenty of pace. Ti Tree won well over seven furlongs with 8.12 at Te Kuiti, and appeared back to her best form, but when tried over a longer distance on the second day she failed. She has 9.0 at Te. Awamutu in the Kihikihi Handicap, seven furlongs, and if produced in the same order as she was at Tet Kuiti, will trouble the best of them. Romford has not started for a long time, but a couple of seasons ago he was a really promising sort. He won the Waikino Handicap, seven furlongs, at the Ohinemuri meeting in good style In 1.26 3-5, which was. a very good performance. He is engaged at the Waipa meeting on Saturday, and would only need to he in the same form to be very hard to beat, for he is a hold galloper when right. Mervette has a good turn of speed and has shown winning ability up to a mile and a quarter. She is engaged at Te Awamutu next Saturday, and even if she does not win there she should , be in good form for the Auckland summer meeting. At Ellerslie last Christ- ' mas she won the Glasgow Handicap, seven furlongs, and the Goodwood j Handicap, one mile, and is entered for , these events again. I Valuation is engaged at the Waipa 8 meeting next. Saturday, but his stable- , mate, Lunette, is also engaged. Valuation scored very nicely at Te Kuiti over six furlongs, and won so well that he looked as though* he would run out an extra furlong. Lunette was a strong j tip for the Tauwhare High-weight Han- i dicap, one mile, at the Waikato spring ( meeting, and after getting anything but j a good run, finished third. Whichever c A, Tinker, who trains both, elects to « start, will have some supoprt. ( Plying Juliet has disappointed this season. After running fourth in the . President's Handicap, six furlongs, at ; Avondale, it was thought that she would ! return to form quickly, but she has \ failed to run into a place in her seven subsequent starts. Of course, it has to be considered that she has not been quite herself during the spring, and as soon as she is really right she should be hard to beat, as she is now down at the bottom of the weights. She is engaged in the Te Awmutu Cup next Saturday, a«d if she races up to her best will have a show.

Merry Lu, a four-year-old filly by be Lucullus from Malaya, is one of the ca most .recent additions to the active be brigade at Ellerslie. m During, the week-end the good-looking two-year-old Our Comet was operated m] on, and he will race as a gelding in the a future. rp e nc The following horses, trained in the Auckland district, appear among the entries for the Manawatu Summer meeting:—Norval Tea, Valuation, Oscar, al Lunette, Macroom and Paganelli. S c p H Avoncourt is making good progress in H her training tasks at Ellerslie, and t\ ai Gilchrist expects to have her ready to wi race at the approaching Aucldand meeting. The Lucullus filly is still eligible to compete in hack events. ] 1C . in Lunette, who is engaged in two w events at the Waipa meeting next Satur- j n day, ran a fair race at Te Rapa last er) month, when she finished third to Sir f u Russell and Macroom in tlie Tauwhare High-weight Handicap. She won the Orakau Handicap at this meeting 12 months ago. . Archeen is engaged at the Waipa meet- S a ing next Saturday. He has recently ™ x been put to hurdling, and won at Te Kuiti, while at Taumarunui he was Y;' 8 beaten by Master Roley, after leading ~° for the greater part of the distance. * u: The hurdles at Taumarunui had not m( nearly as much lean on as he encoun- 1U( tered at Te Kuiti, but still he jumped wa them well, and should have some friends if stepped out next Saturday.* ' en. In his first race this season Glenartney foi was unplaced in the Electric Handicap tin at Marton last September. He has not tin had a run since but is due to contest go the Mangarawa Handicap at Woodville he to-morrow. As a two-year-old last sea- sh son Glenartney was started four, times, to winning the last event that he contested, thi the Juvenile Handicap at the Wanganui Fe autumn meeting. He has abundance, of ini speed and should pay his way in hack fai sprint races during the season. up foi The Lamb has been • most successful wl over hurdles this season, and he will wc have a lot of friends at Te Awamutu Pa next Saturday. He was only tried at hurdling just prior to the Auckland spring meeting, where he fell, but he ( j a won at Te Rapa and also at Te Kuiti, . while he was third on the second day „ of the latter fixture. He is engaged . at Te Awamutu next Saturday, and even .*' with 11.6 he will v run a good race, but Ue there are some below him who will make ra him carry his big impost all the way. m ' _______ St Paganelli has been entered for sprint f>l races at Ellerslie, and also the King's j n Plat© (weight-for-age), one mile, the 1° : Clifford Plate (weight-for-age) one mile ca and a quarter, and the Summer Cup, one da mile and a quarter. He has also had his be engagements continued in the Palmerston be North Stakes (weight-for-age), six fur- Ci longs, at the aMnawatu summer meeting, which clashes with the fixture at Ellerslie --at Christmas time. Paganelli is better suited by the Awapuni and Trentham tracks than he is at Ellerslie, but all the same ha may race at Ellerslie. After winning the Thompson Jlandicap, one mile, at Trentham last season with 8.12, and his subsequent performances in sprint races this season, he looks to have a great chance in the King's Plate. i Thirteen figure in the Great Northern | Foal Stakes, and there is plenty of j material fW a really good race. Praise j won the Welcome Stakes and the Pioneer Handicap at Riccarton last month, which were her first starts, and the sister to Commendation will have a lot of admirers if started. Royal Ruler accounted for the Welcome Stakes at Auckland, while Gesture has won three events out of four starts, including a ! double at Trentham. Princess Betty j won the Prince of Wales Stakes at j Napier, was second to Gesture at Mas- j terton, and occupied a similar position to Praise in the Welcome Stakes, at the Canterbury Jockey Club's spring meeting. She won the Spring Nursery at the same fixture. Chrysology has been placed in three out of four starts, and Cylinder showed improved form at Feilding. Princess Betty and Cylinder are engaged at Woodville. i I I [ I i i

Clockwork and Serang, two hurdle candidates in R. W. Lewis' stable, have resumed work again at headquarters. Both these geldings will contest hurdle events at Ellerslie at the end of this month. . Daylight and Romford, who have, both been paid up for in the Kihikihi Handicap at the Waipa meeting, have not been seen out in public for over 12 months. Parfait Amour won well at the Taumarunui meeting, and he looks to have a good chance in the Waipa Plate at Te Awamutu en Saturday, .for they are not a very good lot engaged. Glena Bay won well at Te Kuiti and also at Takapuna, but the state of the going was against him at Taumarunui. He is accepted for in the Paterangi Handicap at Te Awamutu on Saturday, and on recent form should go really well. Patere showed a return to form when he won the Hangatiki Handicap, six furlongs, at the Te Kuiti meeting. He won the Waipa Plate at the last meeting of the Waipa Racing Club, and is engaged in the Orakau Handicap, seven furlongs, at the forthcoming meeting on the same course. With the first forfeits declared for the Great Northern Derby, 13 are engaged, including Honour, Count Palatine and Eaglet, who filled the places in the New Zealand Derby. Eaglet afterwards won the New Zealand Oaks and Count Palatine is engaged at Woodvillc this week. If he has improved in the meantime he is expected to be a much more serious rival to Honour than he was at Riccarton. Cashier has "been scratched for all engagements at Auckland, but is entered for the Manawatu Cup. After winning the Marangi Handicap at Wanganui in the spring he was thought to have a good chance in the New Zealand Cup, as he has always shown a fair , dash of staying ability. However, though taken to Christchurch and well supported for the Metropolitan Handicap and the Fendalton Handicap, he failed to get into the money. Cashier, despite his failures at Riccarton, can be depended upon to run much better at Awapuni, for he will strike smaller fields, and when at his best is a good sort. He is worth bearing in mind for events at Palmerston North. Marble King was a starter on Friday at Taumarunui and finished third in the Flying Handicap. This is his first race since he competed at the Avondale spring meeting, and he should be improved as the result. In July he ran three great races at the Wellington meeting, finishing second in the Steward's Handicap, six furlongs, to Black Duke, third to Kaiti and Taboo in the Members' Handicap, six furlongs, and winning the Onslow Handicap, six furlongs, on the concluding day. Although his racing has recently been confined to sprint distances, he has been paid up for in the Te Awamutu Cup next Saturday.

Spalpiko was first tried in public over hurdles at the last Waikato Hunt meeting and finished a creditable third. He was second to The Lamb at Te Kuiti, but all the same does not appear to stay too well. Macroom is entered for the Waipa meeting. Owing to the state of . the going at Taumarunui on Friday she was not started, but after her success at Te Kuiti she would only need to strike a firm track to be hard to dispose of in her engagements on Saturday. Perennis is accepted for in the Waipa Plate at Te Awamutu next Saturday, and by the manner in which she finished on in the Matapuna Handicap at Taumarunui, after being well back for the greater portion of the distance, she should run well. Kawainga has been showing some improvement in her work at Ellerslie, and if taken to the Waipa meeting should give a good account of herself. During the autumn this mare put up two good performances, winning the Oakley Handicap at Avondale and the Pukekawa Handicap at tlie Franklin meeting. Leitrim has a record of two wins and one second in his last three starts, and he will be in demand if started in the Flying Handicap at the Waipa meeting at Te Awamutu next Saturday. This gelding has probably never been better than at present, and some are giving him a show in the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie, in which he is in at tbe minimum. Praetor, who has not started this season, is paid up for in the Waipa Plate, a weight-for-age event; run over six furlongs at Te Awamutu on Saturday. Last season he ran second to Bennie in the Onslow Stakes at Ellerslie, and should, be a useful hack this season. He has been going along well in his track work at Ellerslie during the last few weeks. The Lover was a good performer last season up to a mile and a quarter, while recently he dead-heated with Ohinemuri over nine furlongs at Te Kuiti, was second to Prodice in the Alison Cup at the Takapuna meeting, and third to Corinax and Hipo in the St. Andrew's Handicap on the second day of the same meeting. The Lover is engaged in the Te Awamutu Cup next Saturday, and with 7.8 should again run a great race. Richfield has been accepted for at the Te Awamutu meeting on Saturday, and he also has engagements at Ellerslie at Christmas time. lie is a five-year-old gelding by Acre, and has run most promisingly this season. He won the Ruahine Hack Handicap, six furlongs, at the Wellington spring meeting with 8.7, running the distance in 1.113. At the recent New Zealand Cup meeting he was only defeated by 'a nose by Disorder in the Linwood Handicap, seven furlongs, in 1.25 3-5. If he reproduces this form on Saturday at Te Awamutu he will be hard to beat.

. Otranto is Improving at the hurdling game and she should give a much better account of herself later on. She is a full sister to Gala Day and Boomerday, who have both proved' successful over obstacles. Gold Money looks all the better for her short let up and has freshened up considerably. She had a lot of hard racing last autumn and was kept going right through the winter with the result that she trained off. However, she is doing well again, and should soon lie back to her best form. Shrewd is a likely winner of distance handicaps this year, and it is not top much to say that he has even an outside chance in the Auckland Cup (says a Southern writer). He is a natural stayer and invariably has been going very strongly at the finish of middle distance races. He ran a great race in the Feilding Cup, and, owing to a slow beginning, was compelled to race right round his field on the turn to the straight. But for this he would have made Rabbi's task more difficult. It is not absolutely certain whether he will go to Auckland or whether lie will be kept for meetings in the Wellington district at the end of the month, but the Auckland meeting is the more likely. The flattering handicap in the Auckland Cup has not favoured him, but for all that he should give a good account of himself.