STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 88, 15 April 1931, Page 13

STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

ENGAGED AT WAIEATO. Soloist, the full-brother to Supremacy, won the Victoria Handicap at Ellerslie very nicely and showed a lot of speed in the event. He was not raced at Avondale, but-is due to make his next appearance at Te Rapa on Saturday and should again go well. A GOOD YOUNGSTER. High Comedy was not started at Avondale, but figures in the Juvenile Handicap, five furlongs, at Te Rapa on Saturday. He won the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes from a good field and finished second to Bronze Eagle in the Great Northern Champagne Stakes. If taken to the Waikato meeting he should make his presence felt. FINISHED WELL IN EASTER. Mervette made a good showing in the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie, finishing on to dead-lieat for third place with Gold Day. She was made favourite for the Islington Handicap on Easter Monday, but failed to show up in that event. She is engaged in the Storey Memorial Handicap, mile and a quarter, at Te Rapa on Saturday, and with 7.4 is not overburdened. At the spring meeting she finished third in the Waikato Cup in very heavy going, and if the ground had been firmer she would have been closer. LIKES TE RAPA COURSE. Prince Val is very speedy when right and he has run some good races oil the Te Rapa course. At the spring meeting there he beat Pegaway by a neck and Karapoti defeated him by half a length on the second day, both being six-furlong events. At the last Auckland summer meeting ho annexed the Bowen Handicap, and his best performance since was a third at the Rotorua meeting. Prince Val was a starter in the Railway Handicap at Avondale on Saturday and, after getting away badly and losing a lot of ground, ran up to the field quickly, but he was well back at the finish. Prince Val is engaged at Te Rapa on Saturday next.

MAY DO BETTER. Rafflight made a good showing at the last Takapuna meeting, and at the Auckland autumn meeting ied for the greater portion of.the way in the Eden Handicap, one mile. He has been going along all right since then, and if started in the Beerescourt Handicap, seven furlongs, at the Waikato autumn, meeting on Saturday should run prominently. A DUAL ENGAGEMENT. At the last meeting at Te Rapa Cruachan won a double, the Taupiri Handicap, one mile, and the Waikato Hack Cup, of similar distance, so that he goes well on this course. He has a dual engagement on the first day of the forthcoming Waikato fixture on Saturday next —the Frankton Hurdles and the Puketaha High-weight—and whichever he is started in he should give a good account of himself. NOT OVERBURDENED. Eaglet won the Foley Memorial Handicap, one mile and a quarter, at Avondale on Saturday in good style, carrying 8.4. As the result of that victory she has been raised to 8.11 for the Storey Memorial Handicap at Te Rapa on Saturday, but this should not greatly inconvenience her, seeing that she won the Islington Handicap, one mile, at Ellerslie on Easter Monday with 9.3, and ran the distance in 1.38 4-5. If Eaglet is started she should go well. THRICE SECOND AT ROTORUA. At the last Waikato meeting Steady Fire won the Tauwhare High-weight Handicap, one mile, after making a good showing to the straight in a similar event on the first Since then he ran three good races at the Rotorua meeting, being second in the Geyser Handicap, the Ohinemutu Hack Cup and the Borough Handicap, Refresher, Prince Val, Royal Ruler and others being behind him on the last occasion. Steady-Fire has been paid up for in the Puketaha High-weight Handicap at Te Rapa on Saturday and he would only have to run up to his best form to be very troublesome.

MR. CURRIE'S TEAM. Mr. G. M. Currie's team, controlled by W. Raynev, will not be .seen in action again until next season, but they will be well forward when the 1931-32 racing campaign is launched. Impetuous, who made such a good impression when ehe raced in the early autumn,, is building up well and should be a good stake-earner next season. It is a pity that she will not be able to take her rightful place in the three-year-old classics. The yearlings Rayner is handling are a promising trio. One is a colt named Linoleum (Limond— Inlaid), and the others are fillies, Midinette (Limond —Motley) and Jeanetta (Thespian—Damaris). They are all bred well enough for anything,, and if they can gallop as well they should compensate Mr. Currie for the lean time his representatives have had of late. SHOULD GO WELL. Pegaway has raced oil nine occasions this season and has won one event and been placed on four other occasions.. He was second in the Cambridge Handicap, six furlongs, at the Waikato spring meeting, carrying 9.9, second in the Flying Handicap at Waipa with 10.1,' third in the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie with 9.0, but failed to get into the money in the Summer Cup with 9.8 and the Clifford Plate with 9.3. He finished third in the Cup at Te Aroha with 9.5, but won the President's Handicap, one mile and a quarter, with 9.7, on the second day. His next two outings Avere at Ellerslie, where, after showing up in the Easter Handicap for half the distance, he dropped right back. He carried 9.0 on that occasion, but in the Huia Handicap, six furlongs, on the second day, with a similar impost, he ran a fairly good race, finishing about six Hi. Pegaway has been accepted for in the Storey Memorial at To Rapa on Saturday, and with 9.6 should be in the picture. He looked a very fit horse when raced at Ellersl' •

TO RESIDE AT TAKANINI. It is stated that R. Home, the apprentice jockey, will join E. Pope's stable at Takanini. DEFACING A BRAND. George Power (trainer) was recently lined £5 in Brisbane on a charge of having defaced the brand of a bay gelding, identified as the notorious "ring-in" Red Fortune, otherwise the New Zealand performer Chairman. Following the disqualifications of the parties connected with, the Red Fortune "ring-in" nearly three years ago, the horse disappeared, and he was not located.until a few- weeks ago, in Power's charge. The action against Power resulted, the Crown case being that the brand had been. defaced by the use of a corrosive of some kind, which burnt a patch of hair off the shoulder. WHANGAREI MEETING. In connection with the nominations for the Whangarei Racing Club's autumn meeting, Owairaka should be included in the Northland Hack Hurdles, and not in the Portland Hack Handicap. FRANKLIN RACING CLUB. Nominations for the Franklin Racing Club's meeting, to be held at Pukekohe on May 0, close with the secretary, Mr. W. J. Short, Pukekohe, or Mr. A. J. Farquhar, secretary of the Avondale Jockey Club, at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 24.