SPORTING

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24736, 29 November 1945, Page 3

SPORTING

—♦ —. TURF GOSSIP

-Me Records *iftie list of time records on the Riccar- „- racecourse has been amended by the L> records put up last Saturday as folM«s:—Four furlongs. Surveyor (1918), 45 IW; five furlongs, Blue Trout (1945), {j 4-ssec; six furlongs, Irish Note (1945). iniin Ssec; seven furlongs, Density (1940), mill 23 l-ssec; one mile, Wild Fox (1941) yn 37sec; nine furlongs. ' Wild Talk 11940), Imin 50 2-ssec; mile and a quarm Bronze Eagle (1931), 2min 2 4-ssec; Bfe and a half. Argentic (1937) and First 17(1945). 2min 30sec: two miles, Serenata 3min 20 4-ssec.

soil Formidable Rakanui showed that he is far from wing a spent light by his all-the-way Sn in the chief event at Woodville last Jeek. He was closely attended by Theouteral throughout, and this pair fought a stubborn finish, Rakanui holding on j„win by a head, riders for India The North Island horsemen, J. A. Mcfarlane and W. J. Stevens, will s be leav-, ag this week for India in charge of seven sorses being sent to their owners in India. Both intend to settle in India.. McFariDe arrived at Riccarton by air from Wellington on Saturday, and had one jount only. Stevens, however, had a Profitable winding-up day at Woodville, sinning three races and had a fourth placing in four starts.

paid the Penalty It is not often that a maiden performer hj No. 1 on the card for a hack handicap. This is the case in the Otaio Plate text Saturday. Royal Chance, which has ,ot, won a race after 18 months' racing, an third in the open Riccarton Handicap hst Saturday, and has had to pay dearly jor his £75 prize by being placed 251b ibove the minimum in his own class, givhg away weight to many winners, induding Real Chase, winner of two races recently, and Royal Victor, a winner at Otaki before coming south. Without his ttjrd placing. Royal Chance would no doubt have been entitled to be on or near lh e 7.0 minimum. jn Favourable Positions Centime and Double Cross provide an interesting case for comparison in the Seymour Handicap on Saturday. Double Cross was weighted at 8-10 in the Apprentices' Handicap, one mile, on the first day, but being ridden by an apprentice who was penalised 51b for the number of winning rides he had recorded, his weight rose to 9-1. Double Cross ran second and Centime, which carried his original weight cf 9-2, was third. In the Seymour Handicap, also one mile, Centime has 9-3 and Double Cross 8-13; or, in other words, Double Cross went up 31b on his original weight for running second, and Centime's weight was increased to 9-3 for running fhird. Desert Gold Family The Ellerslie trainer I. Tucker has taken to hand a two-year-old gelding by St. Boswells from Fintry, by Chief Ruler from Desert Gold. Fintry is a half-sister to- Oreum, dam of Gold Rod, which won 15 races and £18,920 in Australia. Oreum Is also the granddam of Rakanui. The new arrival is a half-brother to Epping. which showed good form over hurdles, but whose racing career has been restricted owing to unsoundness. He is awned by Mr J. D. Simpson, formerly of Cbristchurch but now erf Auckland, who purchased him as a yearling for 475 guineas." Plenty of Size . Probably the tallest two-year-old seen out for some time in the north is Royal Sigma, a black filly by Christopher Robin from Sigma, by Psychology from War Scare, by Martian. She stands over 17 hands, and" as a result is not being hurried' in her preparation. Royal Sigma is trained by F W. Davis for Mr E. R. Worth, of Putaruru. who purchased her as a yearling for 350 guineas.

TROTTING NOTES

Answer to Correspondent 1.D., Whitecliffs: Gold Bar was the first New Zealand-bred pacer and Haughty the second to break fivo minutes for a mile Haughty established her record of lmin 59 3-ssec at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's meeting on November 11. 1944.

| A Possibility Our Lex which finished third to Brig o' Dee and Captain Gaillard at Waikato, lis a four-year-old mare by Indianapolis from a Great Parrish mare. This makes her second placing in three starts since August, and she appears as a possibility at the holiday meetings. Severe Loss

A well-bred filly by Springfield Globe from Bessie Dillon which was bred by D. [Bennett died recently as a result of injuries received when she was kicked by another horse.

Likely Type Darrlngton Hall Is rated as one of the most promising Improvers in Southland A gelding by Dillon Hall from Fair Wave. he began the season with a second to Stirling Castle in the Balfour Trot at Gore on Labour .Day, and at his next appearance recorded a comfortable win over Stimulant in the Novice Handicap at Invercargill on October 27. and at his next start at'Winton finished only a neck behind the dead-heaters. Grattan Wave and Master Robert, in the Oretl Trot Handicap. His dam. Fair Wave, is by Waverley from the Our Thorpe mare Fair Lady, and she has already left'two smart pacers in Willow Bank and Sea Born. Now at Russley County Clare, .a promising maiden pacer by Jack Potts from Queens County, has been sold by Mr F. Young (Methven) and has now gone into M. Holmes's stable at Russley. County Clare was placed tn three of his five races last season, and ne looks a good prospect for coming meetings. A Good Trotter

At his last start the Southland trotter Freckles attempted to give a field of pacers'up to 96 yards start In the Travis Memorial Handicap at Invercargill on October 27. and the fact that he broke after making up most of his handicap to be third into the straight does not detract from the merit of his performance. It Is interesting to note the confidence shown by investors in the Quite Sure gelding, though he was conceding most of the field long starts, and his position «s fourth favourite in a field of 15 Indicates the high opinion Southlanders hold of him. By Quite Sure from Honest Dillon, he is driven in most of his races by his owner-trainer, B. Rushton. who has enjoyed much success with the pacer Dundee Sandy in recent months. Freckles will make his next appearance at Forbury on Saturday. Should Win Soon Noble Star, the runner-up to Aerial Scott at Waikato, is a five-year-old geld«ig by Nobleman from Marble Step, and ne had previously shown some form for w. Gee by finishing second to Vindictive Lady at Auckland on October 6. This Jelding promises to develop into a useful jiotter, and he should have a win at the holiday meetings next month.

Retired Safety First, a winner at Rangiora on [Labour Day, has finished her racing career and is to go to the stud. By Quite Sure, j*e is from Marie Celeste, by Man o' War |from Princess Zoe. When trained and nriven by W. K Tatterson. Marie Celeste Won several races, and her daughter should be successful as a brood mare. Won Welf .Glamour Girl and Pukatee were the only wo contestants in the Wyndham Handicap at the Southland Trotting Club's matinee meeting to complete the course without Waking a mistake, and they finished first Jh? second. Glamour Girl, which was Inven by her trainer, A. McLellan. is a seven-year-old mare bv Quite Sure from oeile Norris. The aged gelding Pukatee. *hich is trained for Mr F. Baldy by N McLellan, did well to get within a length ?na a half of the winner, and his list of winor placings suggests that he should »>on win a race. *n Outsider no recent form to commend her, «eadline News was allowed to go out »-15 In the betting on the Hautapu HanMcap at Claudelands. but she surprised £n forward running to finish second » Nancy Potts. A six-year-old mare, she J. Py Jewel Pointer from Golden Cider. *Mcn is by Wrack from Alice Axworthy Successful Change Lord Grattan. which has done his precis racing as a trotter, was changed hh n * he P acin S S a 't recently and at k» i j a PPearance in hopples this season ill , f n the wa v to win the Gore Han•n~P from Rendezvous last Saturday ,, n \.Rattan Loyal gelding was trained lu»C i ,n £ ton for some time, but Is now M * in Southland. tittle-known Sire th!? a Spi'« Star, a winner of a division of an H '"fcpu Handicap at Claudelands, is &„„ ed .geldine bv Wrack's Star from brirt l Ss Wrack's Star, his sire, was VtoL y « Mr w Fa y- Feilding. and is by «*fph « m a ? 00d trotter in Native Star. Thi. J ook a record of 4min 28 3'ssec. B*k22L re , was br ed at Hastines by Mr limS? and 1s bv Native King from «uri» .f tar J. by Harold Dillon from imP ° rted """* ** Mistakes r^ 01 ,?^ a trotter by Lusty Volo VMr V ?, ffie - wnic h was recently sold SDea»-» F ' c - Hi nds, made his first *uthtf^ e^ for his new owners at the k [ww Trotting Club's matinee meetShno K e> ? riven bv s Todd, he lost his