TE AROHA TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 302, 22 December 1933, Page 10

TE AROHA TOPICS.

HORSES FOR ELVEBSWE. MUNGATOON IN GOOD ORDER. A very .appreciable sum of money came to Te Aroha at the week-end as the result of the victories of the local horses, Tin Lap and Mungatoon. Several sportsmen, . who considered their track work of high merit, invested freely, with very remunerative results. Mr. James Johnson's Keith Hall has returned from Auckland and being rather light in condition has been turned out for a 6pell. This Musketoon gelding is decidedly a better horse than he has shown this season in public, and being perfectly sound may prove this when next given a thorough preparation. Mr. R. Taylor's three-year-old filly by Spear Dance—Gold Plane is already shaping up nicely consequent upon steady work being allotted her on the tracks. She is a half-sister to Record Flight, who made his debut in the Waipa Plate, in which he finished in _fourth place. This was quite a fair beginning for one that has done very little on the tracks in the nature of fast work. He will probably contest hack events at the Auckland meeting on the second or third days. The Te Aroha horses to compete at Ellerslie on Boxing Day are King's Archer, Mungatoon, King Brierly, Moon fleet. Lagoon, King Mestor and Sandy Dix. all of whom are in forward racing condition. King's Archer looks all the better for his Te Awamutu trip, and in the Christmas Handicap should run a solid race, more especially as the field will not be a big one. He invariably races well on the course. Mungatoon is now in better trim than at any time since his return from Sydney. When trained there by J. T. Jamieson, the latter was firm in the opinion that the Musketoon gelding would get a middle ■ distance, and it can be said this was borne out last week at Te Awamutu, where he won over a mile and a quarter. King Brierly, engaged in the Great Northern Foal Stakes, has undergone a really thorough preparation and has been thriving on his work." He will have to meet some brilliant opposition, but will not be outclassed. Moonfleet's condition is very solid, but as he does not always get away quickly in the early stages, may be at a disadvantage in this respect for the Christmas Handicap. Lagoon is one of the improving brigade and can go fast, but Sandy Dix may not yet have reached his best form and may do better as the meeting progresses. Tin Lap is none the worse for her race at Waipa. A fortnight ago she was moving a little short in her track work, but any soreness has now been worked off. Her next appearance in public will probablv be at Thames next month, and it will be remembered that when trained by A. E. Cox she wdn on the Parawai course as a two-year-old. ~,,.-' Unoco greatly disappointed his party by his unsuccessful running at Te Awamutu. On the tracks he had been accounting for Moonfleet in really good time, but entirely failed to reproduce that form with the colours up.