TOPICAL COMMENT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 163, 12 July 1945, Page 9

TOPICAL COMMENT

CONDITION OP WHITE BLAZE White Blaze will soon make a reappearance on Takanini tracks. Her mentor is well satisfied with her progress towards recovery, and it now appears that the Foxbridge filly will again prove a force to be reckoned with. Her injury, which has been under treatment for almost four months, has almost completely disappeared, and unless she suffers any recurrence she may regain racing condition soon enough to take a part in the clecisioi#%f some of the three-year-old classics. DOING PLENTY OF WORK During the short period that Gaelic Salute has been in commission, the son of Saleve and Royal Shadow has got through a good deal of useful pacework and is thriving on it. He has also been sprinted on several occasions and, judged by the wav he acquitted himself, this galloper will be ready to race early in the new season. During the present season Gaelic Salute contested eight races and won two of them, being successful at the Waikato Hunt meeting in October last and the Auckland Racing Club's meeting on January 'Z. HAWKE'S BAY DOES WELL There have been occasions when horses from Hawke's Bay have played prominent roles at Wellington meetings and visitors from that area took a lion's share of the prizemoney on Saturday. With Master Meruit winning the Wellington Steeples, Ramicourt the Whyte Handicap and Royal Heir the Stewards' Handicap, three of the principal events went their way. With the more modest stake that came Kilmanagh's way by her second in the Mariri Hack and Hunters' Steeples the Hawke's Bay contingent took no less than £2615 of the stakemoney. A CHANGE OF LUCK Unlike last July, when horses from that centre won the Stewards' Handicap and the Trentham Hurdles, in addition to filling six minor placings on the opening day, Awapuni visitors fared badly on Saturday, Kanui te Pai's third and Foxiana's fourth in the big steeples being the only returns. Trentham - trained horses »vere also in subdued mood, a brace of seconds and a third only coming their way. The only winners from the home circuit were Abdicate, whose home quarters are at Levin, and Ganges, which is trained at Opaki. TRAINER* INCREASES TEAM F. E. Hall, the Takanini trainer, has increased his team, »nd recently acquired a chestnut gelding by Tidal owned by a Pukekohe sportsman. This is an upstanding three-year-old, with four white stockings and a big white blaze, and his condition is such that he should be ready to show his capabilities at an early date. ' Another arrival is a two-year-old by Dink— Crooning, thus a full-sister to Kindroon. Steppeland, by Diatomous— Foxstep, is also making propress, and will most likely make his debut at Pakuranga. FAILURE AT TWO YEARS As a two-year-old Ramicourt did not finish in a place in his three starts, but early in the current term he gave the impression that he was a good one in the making. His first success came at Foxton and he followed it up with another win at Hastings at his next start. Three outings later he won the Belmont Hack Handicap, one mile, at Trentham last October very impressively and he had another successful outing at the recent Wanganui meeting. By Lang Bian from the Leighton mare High Art, he is a half-brother to Ivar and Nora Gregor and looks like being the best of the family. One of the early leaders on Saturday, he allowed Derryogue to pilot him to the straight, • but when J. Campbell, who has ridden him in all his successes, asked a question of him, Ramicourt ran past the pacemaker very easily.