SPRINT EVENT AT AVONDALE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26205, 31 August 1950, Page 4

SPRINT EVENT AT AVONDALE

SMART GALLOPERS ENGAGED

The appearance of TuGor .’rince and Mainbrace will add considerable interest to the Sheriff Handicap, the main sprint at the Avondale Jockey Ciub’s meeting on Saturday. Tudor Prince was fourth on the list of leading stake winners iast season with £8505, and he was one of the outstanding three-year-olds m a season notable for gallopers of that age. At the Wellington cup meeting in January Tudor Prince deieated Beaumaris by a head in the Gloaming Stakes, one mile and a half, and five days later he beat Beaumaris into third p.ace in the Trentham Stakes, one mile and three furlongs. They were separated by the champion filly, Sweet Spray. At Trentham in March Tudor Prince again beat Beaumaris, this time in the New Zealand St. Leger Stakes, one mile and three-quarters. Mainbrace won six of his seven races last season and he easily estaolished his supremacy among the two-year-olds. He will be making his first appearance in an open handicap on Saturday. Tudor Prince has been handicapped at weight-for-age with 9-0 Mainbrace has 8-7, or 71b more than weight-for-age. Gold Script, the champion two-year-old of his year, carried 8-7 in the Sheriff Handicap last year when making his first appearance as a three-year-old, and was beaten by Dixie, also a three-year-old, which carried 20Jb less. Dixie will attempt to win the race for. a second tinte on Saturday. She is weighted at 7-6, which is 51b more than she carried last year. Tests for Stamina Sir Abbot, which joined C. G. Humphries’s team earlier this month, is being Kept in work with engagements at the Wellington spring meeting in view. He will probably contest the distance races at the meeting. ~ Sir Abbot is by that sire of good stayers, Royal Chief, and his dam is Wingatui. which was by Tractor from Marianne, by Kenjlworth from Ruenalf’s Daughter, by Ruenalf from Edinglassie, by Albatross (son of Exminster) from Langoa, by Chester from the imported Lily Hawthorn. wingatui has also left Lance Wing, which was a good winner for Mr D. H. Blackie. Ruenalf produced Taboo, a Solferino horse which won 24 races, including the Wellington Stewards’ Handicap and the C.J.C. Islington Handicap. Marianne left Mei Tui (by Tractor), and she produced Spare Part, winner of the Wellington Cup and several other good races. Likely Stayer The Laird, winner of the Robinson Handicap at Foxton last Saturday, showed good form as a three-year-old last season, He lost his chance in the New Zealand Derby at Riccarton when he got his tongue over the bit. He was runnerup to Johnny Peep in the CJ.C? Stony* hurst Handicap, and second to Bhutan in the New Zealand Cup Trial at Levin. His next appearance after racing at the New Zealand Cup meeting was in the Wairarapa Cup, which he won narrowly from Veine d’Or. The Laird is a chestnut gelding by Coronach from the Rabbi mare Jewish Girl, whose dam, Cessation, was by Li* iftond from Termination. This is a good cup-winning family, among its members being Lord Chancellor (Auckland Cup), Happy Ending (New Zealand and Wellington Cups), Stanchion (Wellington Cup), Rapier (New Zealand, Auckland, and Wellington Cups), and classic winners Elevation ana Devotion. Yearling Sale Entries Entries for the twenty-fifth annual national sale of New Zealand thoroughbred yearlings to be held at Trentham in January total 487, compared with 318 last year. The record catalogue was in 1948, when 519 yearlings were entered. This season’s offering comprises 288 colts and 201 fillies. Seventy-nine sires are represented in the catalogue. Columcille has the largest representation with 23, and others with double-figure drafts are: Gold Nib 22. Balloch 20, Pherozshah 20, Milling 19, Ruthless 19, Neptune 17, Fair’s Fair 15, Underwood 15, Lamboum 13, Timanova 13, Bulandshar 12, Sun Kihg 12, Beau Vite 12. Finis 11, Foxbridge 11, Red Mars 11, and Hiawatha JO. There are nine lots by Admiral’s Luck, the leading sire of two-year-olds last season. In January last year, 291 lots of the 518 catalogue were sold for an aggregate of 149,165 guineas, an average of 513 guineas. This was the third best average on record, the highest being 604 guineas for 301 Jots in 1947. The second best was 563 guineas, for 270 lots sold in 1946. Fair Trial Leading Sire “There IS a tremendous race for second place on the list of sires of winners between Hyperion and. Nearer, which, on figures confined to Great Britain, is now only about £750 behind Lord Derby’s horse,” says “Horse and Hound” of August 19. "Nasrullah, which is now fourth, is over £7OOO behind his sire. The leader, Fair Trial, is some £7400 ahead of Hyperion, w|th 17 winners of 29 races, valued £34,211; so if either Hyperion or Nearco produces a St. Leger winner, which seems very unlikely, he will probably become leading sire for the year in Great Britain and Ireland.” Of the 12 leading sires, six—Nearco Donatello 11, Djebel, Goya, Faatnet, and Maurepas— were bred abroad. Or these, the first two mentioned were bred in Italy and stand in England. The remandler were bred in France and stood there when siring the winninfg offspring. If Fair Trial remains at the head of the sires of winners at the end of the season, as seems likely, it will be the first time a short-runner has occupied this position since Tetuatema headed the list in 1929, 21 years ago. In 1928 and 1925 Phalaris headed the list; but although not a middle-distance horse he proved capable of getting stock which stayed better than he did himself.

In 1919 The Tetrarch, which did not run at three years, but which sired two St. Leger winners, was top, Avondale Scratchings. Scratchings posted yesterday for the Avondale Jockey Club’s spring meeting on Saturday were: Henderson Handicap. Relentless (9.20 a.m ); Avondale Stakes, Arawa, Dusky Brief (11.30 a.m.). —(P.A.) Ashburton Racing Club Nominations for the spring meeting close with the secretary, Ashburton, on Monday, September 4. at 5 p.m. —Advt.