SPORTING

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23739, 10 September 1942, Page 7

SPORTING

TURF GOSSIP Answer to Correspondent "A.J.T.,” Merivale: Yes, eleventh choice each way. At Ashburton The Ashburton County Racing Club has received very satisfactory acceptances for its spring meeting on Saturday. The principal event, the Ashburton Handicap, has a field of nine, and nine remain in the other open event, the Spring Handicap. Special interest will be centred in the John Grigg Stakes for three-year-olds, the first classic of the new season in the South Island. Although the field has been reduced to six, all candidates have good form to recommend them, and a close contest is promised. Withdrawn Little Secret appears as an acceptor in the Penscroft Hack Handicap at Ashburton, but has since been withdrawn. A Classic Candidate Steward, who was one of the leaders for a good way in the Tally-ho Handicap at Wlngatui last Saturday, is engaged in the Dunedin Guineas. He is owned by his breeder. Mr J. Richardson, and is a brown colt by Salmagundi from the speedy Caterpillar, by Paper Money from Tortrlx, by Martian from Tortulla. Descendant of Limelight The Broiefort—Giselle two-year-old sold at the last Trentham sales for 165 guineas, has been named Richelieu, and will have his first race at Avondale. Giselle was bred at Riccarton by Mrs J. W. and L. W. Storry, and Is by Robespierre from Limelight. She is now the property of an Auckland district stud. Interesting Juvenile Subadar is the name bestowed on the two-year-old colt by Bulandshar from Rulette in R. S. Bagby’s stable. Subadar is a brother in blood to High Caste and Nizam, whose dam, The Begum, is a sister to Rulette, both being by Chief Ruler from Lucella. Strong Lines Gay Boa, the winner of the Otago Hunt Club Cup, was foaled In 1931, and is by Balboa from Geraldine, by Nassau (son of William the Third) from The Spike, by Charlemagne II from Marlin, by Artillery. Disappointed After her win at Riccarton Coy was fancied for her engagement at Wingatui on Saturday, but although she showed out two or three times at the barrier, she became one of the unplaced division in the actual race. Dunedin Cup Fixture The suggestion that the Dunedin Cup meeting should be held on Boxing Day has much to commend it, writes "Sentinel” in the "Otago Daily Times.” A change would help to strengthen the attractiveness of the holiday circuit formed by Wingatui, Waikouaitl, Wyndham, and Invercargill. The alteration would make Wingatui the dominating fixture of the Christmas and New Year meetings, and the combined attractiveness of the circuit would very probably bring down Canterbury horses, which are usually sent to the North Island. Last year the principal stake at Wingatui wgs the’ Otago Handicap, of £SOO, the Waikouaiti Cup was worth £6OO, the Wyndham Cup £SOO, and the Invercargill Cup £550. Hard to Understand A two-year-old named Bablllard was started twice In one day at Newcastle (New South Wales) recently. Bablllard is by Talking, and Is owned by Miss McCann, who has a chain of millinery shops in Australian capitals. She paid 1200 guineas for the colt as a yearling, and has hopes of winning a Derby with him. Two races in an afternoon does not seem exactly the way to achieve this ambition. A Wise Rejection With the racing and trotting conferences. co-operating In respect of the acceptance of names of horses, the latter body las taken exception to the name of La Bonne Fille for the Broiefort— Hunting Lodge filly engaged In the Wanganui Debutant Stakes. It Is a pleasing escape for racing enthusiasts, for It would have been productive of a variety of pronunciations, quite apart from Its cumbersome nature. Staying Blood • A member of M. McCarten's team in Sydney, Shining Night, who was bred In the Dominion, is being discussed as a Cup possibility. Actually, he is one of eight horses from the stable in the Melbourne Cup, and has been awarded 7-3 in the big Flemington race. Last season, when trained by J. T. Jamieson, Shining Night won the Maiden Handicap. at.fhe Warwick Farm.-meeting in January. This was a mile event; arid he scored by two lengths- in’ imin 39Jsec. That was apparently his only win of the term, but he later twice ran second in mile and a quarter events. It will be a sharp climb in class. New Zealanders will be Interested in the fact that he is by Foxlight from the Catmint—Serlta Thurnham mare Speed Mint, and was bought at the 1940 national sales for 750 guineas. Speed Mint was’a* Winner of thfe Great Northern Oaks, Serita was a half-sister to Lady Cilia, dam of Gasbag, winner of the C.J.C. Cup, and his fourth dam, Lady Cecilia, was a halfsister to Artillery (winner of the Canterbury Cup), Strathmore (winner of the V.R.C. Derby and St. Leger). and Hilda, dam of Antares (Auckland Cup), Fulman (New Zealand Leger). and Lady Lucy (New Zealand Cup and dam of Star Stranger, winner of the New Zealand St. Leger and A.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap). TROTTING NOTES Pacers at Ashburton Two light-harness events at the Ashburton County Racing Club’s meeting on Saturday have drawn good acceptances of young and improving pacers, and in each race a short limit should provide the best raging. The Selma Handicap, 3mln 43sec class, Is a race mainly for maiden performers, and Star Performer, a flve-year-old roan gelding by Acron from Pretty Pointer, is the only horse engaged that has previously won a race. His only win was at the Westport Jockey Club's meeting, He will meet better class than he has yet raced against, and Bonny Axworth, Castlebar, Courtcard, and Scottish Air have all shown . promise of better things to come. Early selections include Courtcard, Bonny Axworth, and Larissa, the last-named a three-year-old filly by Sandydale from Arethusa. Improvers The Rakaia Trot Handicap at Ashburton is for horses just out of the maiden class, and the handicaps are based on a 3mln 38sec limit. After his great burst of speed at Wingatui last Saturday, Sandstone is likely to find favour, but he will be meeting a much better class than he has met recently. Communique, Canister, Marco Polo, and Rainstorm can all pace fast over a mile and a half, and one of these may share favouritism with Sandstone. At Wellington The aged trotter, Axworth, has plenty of speed, but, a hard puller, he is usually well beaten long before the finishing post is reached. It would be hard to find a race more suitable for him, however, than the Army Handicap, for few of those engaged have any credentials. Some promise, however, has been shown by Safari, a four-year-old filly by U. Scott from a Wrack mare. She was successful at the last Hawera meeting, and was second at Manawatu In April, She Is an Improver, and for this reason must be considered. A Speedy Three-Year-Old In the United Nations Handicap at the Wellington meeting is engaged one of the best of last season's two-year-olds in Radical, from the strong B. Grice stable. In his two starts he was twice third and, but for lack of experience, he might have won two valuable races in the Oatnaru Stakes and Sapling Stakes. In the latter race he lost a big stretch of ground, and at stages of the race showed phenomenal speed. He will almost certainly be driven by O. E. Hooper. Few of the others engaged have shown any form, but a good word Is said for Gallant Navy, a three-year-old by Rey de Oro from Dcrryvale. Great Deceiver R. Towniey will take several horses to Wellington, and included in the number is Great Deceiver, whose most recent running suggests that he Is a pacer above the average. Twice recently he has beaten Sandstone In fast time, and the latter gave an idea of his quality at Wingatui last week. In the Roosevelt Handicap Great Deceiver will meet a smart field, and the strongest opposition may come from Free Bond and Certify. The latter is a consistent gelding by Quite Sure from Azaleas, and in seven starts last season he won one race, was second once, and was three times third. The Derby Favourite The champion two-year-old of last year and the early favourite for the New Zealand Derby is Captain Morant, and a good deal of interest will be taken in his Wellington running. His first appearance will be in the Churchill Handicap, of one mile and a half. 3min 32sec class, He Is a solid young pacer and may be too good for even such smart oerformers as Yon Yan, Symphony, and Silhouette,; He proved at Ashburton that he can handle a big grass track, so the going at Trentham should not worry him.