Riccarton Two-Year-Olds In Force At Ashburton

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27752, 1 September 1955, Page 4

Riccarton Two-Year-Olds In Force At Ashburton

RACING

Eighteen of the 21 entries for the September Two-Year-Old Handicap at Ashburton next week are in Riccar • ton stables.

This race is a new one on the Ashburton club’s spring programme, and will be the first of the season m the South Island. Those youngsters whicn will be taken to Wingaiuj tor the McLean Stakes a week later will get valuable experience. Nine of the 18 Riccarton youngsters come from three stables, W. A. Welton, E. J. Jennings, and C. G. Humphries each having three representatives.

Abou Ben Adhem and Bobby Burns, two members of Welton’s team, showed ability in the parade for the colts and geldings on the second day of the Grand National meeting. They are well forward, and at this stsge may have the edge on several of the others they will meet.

Abou Ben Adhem is a grey colt by Kurdistan from Solicitude, owned by Mr R. E. Scorgie. Bobby Burns is a black colt by Callander from Sea Flower, and will race for his Invercargill breeder. Mi W. E. Hazlett. The third entrant from the Welton stable is Aquarius, a bay colt by Lucky Bab from Tideless, owned by Mr A G. Wigley.

Blue Borrage and Cruising, two entrants from C. G Humphries’s stable were both purchased by Mr L. R. C. Macfariane. Culverden, at the national sales in January.

Both are fillies. Blue Borrage ov Boissier from Blue Riband, and Cruising by Able Seaman from Lady Letty Day’s Bay is a Royal Arch col: owned bv Mr G. Lang, for whom Royal Tan. also trained by Humphries, was an outstanding v inner Toddle not Cobbler, as published in the nominations, is the name ot Mr D. F. Dailey’s bay colt by Pictavia from Bootees, trained at Riccaiton by J L. Barr.

Mr J M. Samson s chestnut Targui Quickly colt is Tarbillon, hot Tar Bullion. He is trained by A. J Williams, who also prepares Porcelain Prince, another entrant.

7Tie Wanderer is the only Wingatui two-year-old entered but he could be a decided prospect if he runs He showed speed in the parade at the Grand National meeting, finishing a good third behind the MoorcockPinnacle gelding in E. J. Jennings’s team, and Bobby Burns. Last Saturday The Wanderer decisively beat five other youngsters in a sprint at the Eastern Southland Hunt Club’s meting. He is a grey gelding by Kurdistan from Eager Lady, trained by H. A. Anderton for Mr H. R. Dennis.

Two Washdyke two-year-olds have been nominated. Drifting By is a brown filly by Perilous from Blue Smoke, trained by her part-owner, Mr A. Reid. Mr Reid will race Drifting By in partnership with Mr A. E. Parker.

The other Washdvke youngster is Poyal Halyard, a member of K. E. Wilson’s team.

Entries of a number of two-year-olds, with details of breeding, etc., had not been confirmed yesterday. ‘‘There are many galloping trainers slow to confirm nominations,” commented Mr J. B. Nicoll, secretary of the Ashburton County Racing Club, yesterday. Negative Returns Swabs taken from Ben Ledi. Mandrake, Brue. Spike Jones, and The Wake on the concluding day of the Grand National meeting at Riccarton

were negative. Mr F. T H. Bell, secretary of the club, has been so advisee by the New Zealand Racing Con.erence

Rev to be Sent Home Rev. wnich recently resumed training under W. Bryce at Trentham, has | not. pleased in his preparation for another campaign, and he is to be relumed to his. owners.

As a five-year-old in 1952, Rev won ihe Auckland Cup in the then New Zealand record time of 3min 10 3-ssec xhe next season he went amiss in a oreleg.

Filly St. Leger Favourite The champion English three-year-old filly. Meld, is expected to start at odds on for the final classic of the racing year, the St. Leger, at Doncaster next week.

Acropolis, which had been shading Meld, lest favour when racing at York last week.

In the Voltigeur Stakes, for three-year-old colts over a mile and a half. Acropolis beat the Princess Royal’s colt r Va Presto, on a protest, but was unimpressive. | Apart from Sun Chariot’s classic i treble in the substituted One Thousand, Oaks, and St. Leger run in wartime at Newmarket, a St. Leger victory for Meld would distinguish her as the first filly to complete at Doncaster this rare triple triumph since Pretty Pc.liy did it in 1904. Two years earlier. Sceptre was started for all five classic races and won four of them, failing only in the Derby. A filly has not won the St. Leger at Doncaster since the late Lord Astor’s Book Law was successful after deadheating for second place in the One Thousand Guineas and running second to Beam in the Oaks.

Call Boy. the Derby winner of that year (1927). did not run in the St. Leger. but Hot Night, second to him at Epsom, was also second to Book Law. She was very successful as a brood mare, her winners including Rhodes Scholar

In that respect the late Lord Derby’s Tranquil, beat the Derby winner, Papyrus, for the St. Leger of 1923, provides ouite a different story. She was a failure at the stud. Although she had daughters, none has a single tail-female descendant in the General Stud Book today. Tranquil, by Swynford out of Seren’ssima by Minoru, was three-parts sister to Selene, which as the dam of Hyperion and others proved one of the greatest brood mares of the last 30 years. Besides the St. Leger. Tranquil won the One Thousand Guineas, and though she was onlv fourth in ♦he Ca v s and Coronation Stakes, these were midsummer lapses in an otherwise exceptionally meritorious three- • career.

The famous stud to which Tranquil brought such extremes of satisfaction as a race mare and disappointment as a stud proposition has recruited a member of Meld’s remarkably flourishing female line, the three-year-old filly. Poetical, a recent winner over a mile and a quarter for Lord Derbv. She is bv Foigram (by Son-in-Law out of Duplicity, by Nearco from Doubleston by Bahram out of Double Li # e (dam also of Precipitation and Persian Gulf). Another of Doubleston’s daughters. Daily Double <by Fair Trial) produced Meld to Lord Derby’s great horse Alycidon.

Swabs Negative.— The secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club advises that swabs taken from Lady Cabana and Partake on the second dav of the combined Hawke’s Bay-Dannevirke Hunts’ meeting were negative.—(P.A.)