RICH JUVENILE STAKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 9, 11 January 1934, Page 16

RICH JUVENILE STAKE.

ASHBURTON HITS OUT. : £1000 SAPLING STAKES. In deciding to increase the prize money attached to the New Zealand Sapling Stakes to £1000, the committee of the Ashburton Trotting Club has taken a courageous step, which other clubs would hesitate to follow; The Sapling Stakes is an event for two-year-olds, to be decided in June .next, and it is to be hoped that those actively taking part in the light-harness sport—those who have youngsters in training—will do everything possible to give that support to the Ashburton Club which it deserves. The committee has, in addition to giving a four-figure stake to the Sapling Stakes, also decided to make the prize money attached to the Champion Stakes, a classic for three-year-olds, £500. The race will be one of the big features of the programme next Boxing Day. PRIVATE TRAINER. D. Barron, a well-known reinsraan, who won a number of races with Dillon Logan and others of Mr. R. Rodgers* team a few years ago, has accepted the position of private trainer to Mr. J. P. McKendry, of Methven. Barron will start on a _ useful team, that includes Manoeuvre, Priceless, Ruin and Replica. HARD» PROPOSITION. Tret Logan, now located at Epsom, is doing regular work, but if his record over the last twelve months is to* be accepted he is not going to be a good proposition. On one day of the recent Cup meeting he was well away, but he soon petered out, and if he is to win it will be over short journeys. In addition to not being a stayer he is not always reliable at the barrier. * _____ ' PERHAPS ANOTHER. In addition to Walla Walla there is a possibility of another brilliant pacer, Auburn Lad, coming across from Australia to race in the Dominion. A Sydney writer a couple of weeks back stated that the owner of Auburn Lad had eyes on some of the good stakes offered here, and should this speedy pacer put in an appearance at Addington with Walla Walla at Easter the Metropolitan Club will indeed be fortunate. GOOD-LOOKING PACER. In Blondie, by Jack Potts—Alone, C. S. Donald has a good-looking pacer that should be greatly improved by the experience he has had in recent racing (says a Christchurch writer). Blondie is cream in colour and in action and conformation resembles his sire, Jack Potts, a great racehorse in his day, and a sire of distinct possibilities. Blondie races very si'een at present, but it should not be long before he gives of his best in races. RETURNED TO OWNER. Peter Pirate has been returned to his owner, Mr. W. N. Paul. The son of Peter Moko worked sufficiently well before the Cup meeting to encourage many to give him a chance of picking up a stake at the fixture, but he raced badly, and was clearly outclassed in his engagements. In heavy going Peter Pirate might be able to still win a good race, but he is not improving, and with so many younger horses about on good marks the task set him is always very difficult. kn-

PACER CONVERTED. R. Kennerley is making an attempt to convert Peter Junior to the trotting gait. The gelding has hitherto done all his racing with the hopples, and, though showing a fine turn of speed, has not had much success, although a winner at Epsom. Few pacers make good trotters, and invariably the result is that the task is not worth while. Peter Junior may turn out to be one of tire exceptions, but the chances are hg would do best as a pacer. DISAPPOINTED HER PARTY. The little bay mare Mazda had been working so well at Takauini for F. Smith prior to the Cup meeting that she was confidently expected to race prominently in her engagements at the meeting, but, as on numerous previous occasions, she let the stable down badly. She looked a picture of condition, and apparently the only conclusion to be arrived at is that she is not good enough to win in the company she is competing with. After the meeting she did not return to her Takanini quarters, but was placed with C. Smith at Epsom. PEGAWAY AT WELLINGTON. After his fine performance at the Cup meeting, where his only defeat was registered against him in the Cup, in which race lie was decidedly unlucky, there will be plenty of money to support Pegaway in his engagements at Wellington on Saturday. The bay gelding is right at the top of his form, and as his trainer, F. Smith, is also running in a winning vein, the combination will not be allowed to pass by backers. The Aucklander will meet stronger opposition than he defeated in Auckland, and the race at Wellington is by no means a good thing for him. CONSISTENT BRENTLIGHT. The consistent little pacer Brentlight has once again put in an appearance at Epsom with li. Kennerley. Last season the son of Matchlight raced with remarkable consistency, but did not meet with any great success, except at a Waikato meeting, where he secured a double. He rarely went a bad race, and had the three-dividends system applied when he raced in Auckland he would have been a great proposition for backers. There is a scarcity of handicap horses in Auckland just at present, and Brentlight should have good prospects of paying his way. A TROTTER IN THE MAKING. According to a southern writer Worthy Star is a seven-year-old bay gelding by Travis Axworthy from Nibbidard, and has as much speed as any trotter raced on the West Coast for some time. He gave a taste of his quality on the second day of the meeting, when he made an exhibition of the field over two miles, and it cannot be said that he was helped a great deal by reinsmansliip. Amateur trained at the present time, he might be improved a great deal if placed in the care of one of Canterbury's leading trainers. He has speed to epare, is good mannered, and he stays particularly well. BIG IN CONDITION, There is no more promising novice pacer at Epsom than Star Pronto, but he is not beirrg hurried, and for weeks past A. Dyer has been content to potter about the track with the black gelding. When raced last season Star Pronto rarely left the barrier correctly, but he showed sufficient speed to warrant the prediction that when he became settled down to racing he would give those he might meet a merry time. He was strapped up one morning this week, but only given steady pacing. It may be that his owner-trainer will wait till the country circuit of meetings opens before he thinks seriously of going; later the money, but when he does he will get some. NOT TOO GOOD. The failure of the Mangere trainer J. T. Paul to win a race with either of his four trotters—Bessie Parrish, Cray Paree, Moko Bells or Golden Eagle—at the Cup meeting shows that races for straightout trotters are not easy to pick up unless one happens to own a Nell Volo, and then they become gifts. Before the meeting it was confidently expected that Paul would win a race or two with his trotters, also that Ringti-ue would get a stake in a novice pacers' event, but he went right through the four days without saluting the judge. However, he should at least have-taken a race with Golden Eagle liad he driven the mare with anything like his usual good judgment. Ringtrue has still to win a race, but he is a good sort, and will keep. 1 WALLA WALLA COMING.' The announcement that Sydney's champion pacer, Walla Walla, is being brought across to New Zealand to . ra.ee at the Metropolitan Trotting Club's Easter meeting, will be well received, as it is a long time since one of Australia's best pacers or trotters made an attack upon any of the meetings in the Dominion. Walla Walla is undoubtedly a brilliant horse, but he will want to be all that is claimed for him, and a bit more, if he is to earn even expenses under the conditions which will apply to him. There is at present .an absurd rule under which horses coming from Australia are to be penalised two to the mile upon their best records. -. This does not onlv apply to winning performances, but it applies to a placed performance if such happens to be a horse's best time. That in itself is unfair to the visitor, but in addition the owner of Walla Walla will find, when he sees the handicaps, that there are horses, plenty of them, who, under the present handicapping system applying to New Zealand horses, are not handicapped within seconds of what they have gone. Fortunately, this is not so evident in the fastest classes, otherwise it would be uselss bringing horses across from Australia. Mr. Martin, owner of Walla Walla, is a real sportsman, and it is to be hoped that the Metropolitan Club carries out its intention of putting on particularly tight classes which will give the Sydney champion good prospects of picking up a substantial stake or two.

A WESTPORT CHAMPION

There are some very useful horses trained in the Westport district, and three of them in Bingen Palm, Worthy Star and Fernbrook Lass are likely to be heard of in much better company than they have raced against up to the present (says the Christchurch "Star"). Bingen Palm, who won two races at Greymouth, is a fine bold five-year-old pacer by Nelson Bingen from Olive Palm, and handles any kind of track as to the manner born. Uj> to the present he has done little racing, and is perhaps ( now developing the good racing qualities than can be gained only by experience in I public. His 2.50 3-5 for a mile and a quarter in the Victoria Park Handicap was a good deal better than the time indicates, for he was forced to go on the outside of his field —a big consideration on a half-mile j track—and lie was not even extended to I win. The time is not far off when his ■ owner, Mr.. J. R. Simpson, will have to travel farther afield than Greymouth to find races to suit his horse. Bingen Palm's dam, Olive Palm, is by Wildwood Junr. (a dual New"Zealand Cup winner) from Alice Palm, by Rothschild —Picnic Palm, by Emmerson from Puella, the dam of Almont, one of the best horses of all time, and holder of the world's three miles record, by Berlin. Puella was a full-sister i to Fraulein, the dam of Fritz.