STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 157, 5 July 1935, Page 12

STABLE AND TRACK NOTES.

LIKELY TO BE RETIRED. The Limond—Veil filly Visage, with whom Mr. E. J. Watt won the A.J.C. Gimcrack Stakes last year, has been very disappointing as a three-year-old and may soon be retired to the stud. VINTAGE'S PROGRESS. At Riccarton Vintage is reported to be bowling along in great .stylo and is stated to be tit enough to step out and race at any time. It is not likely, however, that he will race until the Winter Cup at Riccarton. NOVICE JUMPER PLEASES. Grand Vizier, one of owner-trainer E. Gregory's team at Clive, is stated to be showing exceptional promise in private as a jumper. This full-brother to Grand Jury has been very disappointing on the flat, but may develop into a payable proposition as a hurdler. SHOWS PLENTY OF QUALITY. A rising two-year-old filly that has attracted attention at Riccarton is Golden Emblem, a good-looking chestnut by Philamor from Bonrose, by Boniform from Pot Pourri. She shows a lot of quality and gives the impression that she will come to hand for early racing. IN GREAT FETTLE. The South Islander Guarantee is reported to be in wonderful fettle for the Trentham trip. When he won recently from a strong field at Timaru he looked a well-beaten horse before entering the straight, but his wonderful strong run over the last two furlongs is stated to have been the feature of the meeting. ADDITION TO TEAM. The latest addition to R. S. Bagby's team is the three-year-old Australian-bred gelding Prince Abb, who has returned after a lengthy spell. Prince Abb, who is by Doric from the Tressady mare Silk Tress, has never raced, but he comes from a successful family and is in the right hands to get every opportunity to make good. WON AT LAST START. Latest reports from Hawera state that Arouse has been galloping well at that centre and is in capital condition for the Wellington meeting. At his last start Arouse accounted for a useful field o£ maidens at Poxton, and is reported to be an improved horse since that meeting. He is to contest the Wobwin Handicap, to be run at Trentham next Tuesday and should be in the picture at the finish of that event. JUMPED FAULTLESSLY. According to his rider (P. Thompson) Diamond jumped faultlessly in winning the steeplechase at Levin last Saturday. As it was Diamond's first attempt over the big fences his performance was encouraging, and more successes look assured for him. Diamond will make his next appearance in the Mariri Hack and Hunters' Steeples at Trentham next Tuesday, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against better-class horses there. RECOVERING FROM MISHAP. Grecian Prince has improved in the last few days from the effects of the mishap that occurred to him when he slipped in his race at Ashburton, and W. McDonald hopes to have him in easy exercise before long (says a southern writer). He was ..nominated for the Winter Cup, but, realising that he would not be at his best, his trainer has withdrawn the gelding. It is unlikely that Grecian . Prince will race again before the Ashburton meeting in September. A USEFUL PAIR. The southern owners Messrs. Hunter and Webb have two horses among the acceptors for Trentham, these being Wino, trained by A. S. Ellis at Riccarton, and Merry Peel, in the team of E. J. Ellis at Washdyke. Wino is backward,, duo to lack of galloping opportunities during the .last few -weeks, and, though Mercy Peel has had two races lately, he has not shown his best form yet. It is in 'their favour, however, that both horses can act well in heavy ground, and they should improve during next week's meeting. VETERAN JUMPER RESUMES. The Quin Abbey gelding Aberfcldy, now owned by Mr. S. Andrews, has made his reappearance on the Riccarton tracks. He has not raced for nearly four years, prior to Which he showed some good form over hurdles. Aberfeldy has been qualified with the South Canterbury Hounds, and he is well forward in condition. He may be given a race at the South Canterbury Hunt Club's meeting, while he has been nominated for some of the steeplechases at the Grand National meeting. WAS SUCCESSFUL LAST YEAR. At the Wellington winter meeting twelve months ago Rasouli won the Trentham Hurdle Race, carrying 9.2, and is due to contest that event again next week. He has recorded a number of good performances in the interval, and consequently has to carry an additional two stone next Tuesday. However, he is a class hurdler, and even if he fails to win the above event, the Winter Hurdle Race, run over two rhiles and a quarter (which he also won last year) may not be beyond him. LORD AINTREE RECOMMISSIONED. Lord Aintree, the six-year-old gelding by Hunting Song from Miss Ainslie, has joined H. Dulieu's team at New Plymouth. When raced here a couple, of seasons ago Lord Aintree displayed a fair amount of promise, capturing a double at the Waikato Hunt meeting in October, 1932. He also won a six-furlong event at Whangarei the month following, but owing to injuring himself shortly afterwards had. to be thrown out of work. Providing he trains on correctly, Lord Aintree should win more money, for he is endowed with abundance of speed. OTAKI FORM WAS PROMISING. Sporting Song was responsible for a smart sprint over five furlongs on the course proper at New Plymouth on Tuesday morning (says a Taranaki writer), and is expected to show up prominently in his engagements at the Wellington meeting. This hack won a double at Otaki last month, beating several recent winners, and he gives every indication of fulfilling the promise expected of him earlier in the season. Like the. majority of Hunting Song's progeny, Sporting Song is partial to heavy ground, and that will assist at Trentham, where those conditions usually prevail. RELICENSING OF BOOKMAKERS. Those antagonistic to the rclicensing of bookmakers do so under the impression that it would mean a shrinkage of stakes and revenue to clubs (says "Sentinel" in the "Otago Daily Times"). Pacts supplied by circumstances in Australia, where the fielders and totaliastor have been operating cheek by jowl, do not substantiate that opinion, because if stakes are comparatively small the market supplied by the fielders is much better than that or the totalisators. If it were not so the annual exodiis from New Zealand would not exist. The exodus has been growing stronger from year to year, but even so, very few (if any) migrate with the hope of winning the Melbourne Cup. They go with the hope of success of scoring at the suburban meetings, where the market is considered more worthy of exploitation than that at Ellerslie. Trentham and Riccarton, which the hard heads consider the only three meetings in New Zealand where real money can be gathered from the betting market, and simply because the legitimate bookmaker supplies a market of set prices that appeal • far more than the unknown odds supplied by the totalisator. The legitimate bookmaker bets to the book, which may supply better and fixed odds in preference to the I doubtful ones supplied by the totalisator. | If a punter obtains a set bet from a book- ' makerthe odds obtained are not affected I by the fact-that a last-moment investment on the totaliastor may swamp the price on any horse in a field. There is no law to stop a man from making a last-minute investment on the totalisator and sending a horae from tens to even money; but in Australia that possible that of affairs does not come into consideration.