RACING AT ELLERSLIE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 143, 19 June 1931, Page 13

RACING AT ELLERSLIE.

rOTALiSATOR INVESTMENTS. :last fourteen seasons. notes on recent form. During the present season the Auckland Racing Club put through the totalisator £601,355 10/, which is the smallest amount handled since the 1917-18 season, when £516,843 10/ was invested. However, during the latter period there were only eight days' racing —one at the spring meeting, three at the summer meeting and two each at the autumn and winter fixtures —against eleven days this season. In 1918-19 there were nine clays' racing, the winter meeting having extended to three days, and the sum invested amounted to £615,497 10/. In the 1919-20 season there were twelve days held, one being on account of the visit of the Prince of Wales. For the spring, summer, autumn and winter fixtures the sum invested was £974,669 10/, but with the Royal meeting the investments totalled £1,052,145 10/. This amount was exceeded the following season, when the sum of £1,146,510 was handled for the eleven days, and, though the million mark has been approached since then, it has never again been exceeded. The following figures, showing the investments since 1917-18 (excluding the Royal meeting mentioned), may prove of interest: —

DONE LITTLE RACING. General Lu showed his first glimpse of form when he ran third in the Hunt Club Hurdlee at the Great Northern meeting, and, having done little previous racing, he can be expected t6 improve. He has grown a good deal during the past twelve months, and on that account has not been hurried, but now that he is becoming more solid his owner is likely to give him further opportunities to prove his worth. TO RIDE DOWN SOUTH. The local riders L. Dulieu and E. Ludlow will attend the Napier Park and Hawke's Bay meetings. Dulieu will ride Mountain Heath in his engagements and Ludlow has been engaged to ride the other members of J. Lyford's team in the flat events. After returning from the trip Ludlow will spend most of his time at the Takanini track, where there is a big contingent of horses in work at the present time. SHOULD PAY HIS WAY. Town Beauty has done well since he raced at tho Great Northern meeting and he will be an improved horse the next time he goes out to race. He is engaged in the Waituni Steeplechase and the Hunters' Hurdles to be run at Ellerslie next month, and if he runs up to hie Hunt Cup form should be in the picture at the finish of those events. Town Beauty is a dashing fencer, who should be capable of paying his way in hunters' steeplechase events, as the class competing in those races is very moderate. MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. Though not entered for the Taumarunui meeting, the Romeo filly Lady Court is making good progress under her owner's guidance at Ellerslie. This filly ran a fair race in the Jervois Handicap and lias done well since then, but it is not intended to start her again while the 9.0 minimum is in operation. Lady Court has done little racing this season, owing to several minor accidents causing a halt in her preparation, but she is now getting solid again and will be competing at the early spring meetings. LIKES SOFT GOING. Lady's Boy usually puts up his best performances when the tracks are soft, and it would not surprise to find him on the winning list before the winter meetings arc over. His third in the Members' Handicap at Ellerslie was one of his best efforts this season, while he also ran another solid race in the King George Handicap a few days later. Both these performances indicate that the Some Boy 11. gelding is just about at the top of his form, and if started at the Taumarunui meeting he is sure to command plenty of support. PHILLIPPIC'S SUCCESS. During the past three months the exNew Zealander Phillippic, formerly owned by Mr. G. D. Greenwood, has won three races in Sydney—two at Gosford and one at Canterbury Park. Discussing the last victory on Juno 6 the Sydney "Morning Herald" says that although Phillippic had not shown any great success over a distance, backers showed remarkable faith in his ability, for he was sent out favourite against such good gallopers as Strength, winner of the Newcastle Cup, and Aorangi. Matters were somewhat easy for him by being allowed to open up a big gap in the early part with Hard Chip. Three furlongs from home he went past Hard Chip, and then the other riders decided to allow their mounts to take more interest in the proceedings. They closed up coming to the turn, but the move was made too late, for none could make any material impression on Phillippic in the straight, Aorangi and Strength occupying the minor places. LOOKED GOOD ONCE. The Martian gelding Battlement, of whom great things were once expected, is now in work at Hastings and is being tried ae a hurdler. He is reported to be giving encouraging displays, and perhaps he will make amends in this department. Battlement was bred by the late Mr. J. F, Buchanan, of Kinloch, and is a brother to The Cypher. He was' foaled in 1923, so he is not beyond an age to prevent him winning races as a jumper. As a three-year-old he won the Members , Handicap, one mile and a quarter, and the Waverley Handicap, one mile and three-quarters, at Randwick, was second in the A.J.C. St. Leger to Limerick, and occupied a similar position to Footfall in the Midsummer Handicap at Riccarton, and the following eeason ran second to Sir Roy in the Otaio Plate, third to Set Sail and: Ark Royal in the Teschemaker Handicap at Timaru, and third in the Auckland Cup to Rapier and Count Cavour. This was the high water-mark of his flat-racing career, as in five starts the following season he was unplaced. He has not raced since the Waipukurau Easter meeting of 1929. Battlement is due to reappear in public as a hurdler at the Napier Park meeting this month, and it will be interetsing to see how he shapes.

ENTERED AT NAPIER. The two full-brothers King's Folly and Rigoletto are in work again, the former under the tuition of Mr. T. E. Whelcli, at Wanstead, and Rigoletto being one of the pupils of B. McKay, at Waipukur.au (says a Hawke's Bay writer). The pair, who are by King Mark—Hoy, have both been nominated for the winter meeting of the Napier Park Racing Club. RELATED TO PHAR LAP. i Aristocratic blood was represented in a gallop over seven furlongs at Riccarton last Saturday, the participants being Fortune's Wheel and Nightguard, sister and brother, respectively, to Phar Lap. Although the pair were not sent out. against the watch they covered the journey in 1.33 3-5, with Nightguard always going the better. The youngster did not appear to be troubled by the distance and his connections have every reason to be pleased with the progress he has made since having his first race at Ashburton last month. A HARDY SORT. One of the hardy sort is Woden, who has been nominated for the two open steeplechases at Napier Park. The son of Hymettus, who is now in his fourteenth year, has been racing since he was a two-year-old, and in his time won many races, both on the flat and over the obstacles. His last win was registered last season, when he beat six other competitors in the Dannevirke Hack Steeplechase. SIR ARCHIE RESUMES WORK. After a lengthy spell 'in the paddock Sir Archie has been taken up again by F. Stenning, who works the Archiestown gelding in the afternoons. Sir Archie gave every indication of being a bit above the average at one stage of his career, but did not come up to expectations, and this was partly attributed to injuries received in a railway accident. He has not been raced since he contested the Kingsland Hurdles at the Avondale meeting in September last, but the long spell from racing may benefit him, although he is just on ten years old, an age when most horses are etarting to slip back. GAY COCKADE DOING WELL. Since competing in the Cornwall Handicap, in which he ran one of his beet races, Gay Cockade has trained on remarkably well, and it is doubtful if W. Hawki'ns has ever had the Depredation gelding more solid than he is at the present stage. He has not been asked to do any really fast work since the meeting, but he is putting plenty of dash into his taske on the track and is a very fit horse. Gay Cockade is due to make his next appearance in the Taumarunui Handicap, one mile and a quarter, to be run at Ellerslie next month, and if he reproduces his Cornwall Handicap form he will be hard to beat. CORNEROFF STILL A MAIDEN. Surprise may be expressed at seeing Corneroff's name among the maiden fiat racers at the Napier Park meeting, but as a matter of feet the Daniloff gelding, despite his excellent showings as a jumper, has only won one race in his career, and that was the Petane Hack Steeples at Napier twelve months ago. It is rather remarkable that a horse that has a second in a Grand National Steeplechase to his credit should have won only one race, but it should be remembered that for a long time he was making a very slow recovery from a serious accident, and last winter saw his first proper winding-up. Even then he was green as steeplechasers go, and it was a pity that he should have required another long spell after the Grand National fixture. According to reports he has done a fair amount of hunting with the Manawatu hounds, and this, with a couple of races on the flat at Napier, should see him fairly forward for one or two important jumping races later on.

£ s. d. 1917-18 516,843' 10 0 1913-10 615,407 10 0 1919-20 074,6G9 10 0 1920-21 1,146,510 0 0 1021-22 954,440 0 0 1022-23 S8S,717 10 0 1923-24 039,626 0 0 1924-25 992,197 0 0 1925-26 049,088 10 0 102G-27 &1S.450 0 0 3927-28 911,650 10 0 102S-29 7S3,034 10 0 1929-30 800,921 10 0 1930-31 601,355 10 0