TURF-TOPOCS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 16, 26 May 1939, Page 7

TURF-TOPOCS

WAIKATO WINTER MEETING The Waikato Racing Club's winter meeting that opened at Te Rapa oni Saturday ranked as a pronounced success. The track was in especially good order, and for the time of the vehr better than ever lie 1 ore, as prov ed by tile fuel that the President's one mile and a quarter, was run in 2.7 3-o, while the, fastest time previously for this event was "2.9 2-5 registered in, 1936 by Velocipede. TotaJisator investments were a. record for the winter meeting being £50,881 against £46,620 last year, and exceeding the first day of the r summer meeting in February by £500 The racing throughout the day was of a high order, and the jumping events were very keenly contested. Then came up for decision the President's Handicap r no less than 19 lining up at the barrier. The favour. ~ lte division composed V a,l ami to, Gay Rose, Du Maurier, High Sea and De Friend. Going along the back Black Musk and High Te a showed the way, -- and the latter was in front entering the straight. In the final run Gay Rose came through to win by threequarters of a length from Gay Rebel and Jonathan. The Gay Shield mare won the event in, 1937. There was a genuine surprise in the first division of the Steward's Handicap. The favourites were Brazilian, Rollicker, Maori Song, but Aero King', very capably ridden by

G. Giichrist, triumphed in fine style the resultant dividend being over a score. In favour with backers for the second division were Farland, Lady Mea.th, Royal Bachelor and Notium. Most of the running was carried on by prince Acrc ? Farland and Valimten, victory going to the latter who defeated Farland by a short head THE SECOND DAY The second day of the meeting will long be remembered by the racing public as an exceptional one in re. gard to the paying out of big dividends. Only one favourite won during the afternoon, and in the other six events there were two double figure dividends, one of over a century, one of a third of it, while as the day wore on the amounts solidly increased for the tote then paid out over two thirds of a century ; and beat the record jn the Farewell Handicap with the substantial dividend of well over the £100. The other side of the picture to be reluctantly related was the fact ""hat during the afternoon three good performers, Valpeen, Black Marlin --Uid Master Musk met with untimely ends. Valpeen ran out the two miles and a half of the Te Rapa Steeplechase, and dropped dead with a few yards of the winning post, Master Musk severed a tendon and ahd to be destroyed, and Black Marlin turned a somersault at a big jump half a mile from home and broke his neck.