RACING Australian Interest In Yearlings In N.Z.

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29102, 14 January 1960, Page 4

RACING Australian Interest In Yearlings In N.Z.

“Why go to the Sydney sales and pay something like 5000gns to buy sprinters when you can buy potential Melbourne Cup winners in New Zealand for very much lower figures?”

A Melbourne owner, who has been in New Zealand since before the Auckland Cup meeting, takes that attitude towards buying yearlings. That, he explains, accounts for his presence in New Zealand at present, and why he will be at Trentham next week for the thirty-fourth national sale of yearlings.

That, also, will account for the presence of many other Australian owners and trainers at this year’s sales. The Randwick trainer, T. J. Smith, arrived in New Zealand last week. There have been several more arrivals in the last few days and some will leave for New Zealand after next Saturday’s racing in Melbourne and Sydney.

One of the late arrivals will be Frank Dalton, another leading Randwick trainer. T. J. Smith’s buying on behalf of his numerous patrons have been features of the sales in the last few years. Tulloch For 750gns

In the last five years he made 43 purchases for an outlay of 57.520sns—an average of 1085gns. And he paid less than the average in his greatest purchase of all. At the 1956 sales he secured the champion Tulloch for 750gns.

Last year Smith took 14 yearlings for a total of 13,475gns His biggest single outlay last year was 2000gns for a Marco Polo—Uist colt, and he went to four figures for three others as well.

Two years ago Smith secured 12 yearlings for 16.650gn5. Only three were below the four-figure mark, the range being from 2300gns down to 400gns. For 1300gns he secured the Marco Polo II colt Travel Boy, which in Smith’s own colours has won the V.R.C. and Queensland Derbys this season. Other Sydney trainers coming to New Zealand for the sales are Maurice McCarten, R. Roden. M. Anderson, J. Denham, and T. A. D. Kennedy. A.J.C. Steward Mr H. Crowley, a steward of the Australian Jockey Club, will be another visitor from Sydney The Tancred brothers, Arnold Jack, and George, former New Zealanders and prominent figures in Australian racing for many years, will attend the sales. Fred Best, a successful Brisbane trainer, is one of a party coming from Queensland. Best was an active buyer at the sales last year. Intending buyers from Mel-

bourne are Messrs Theo Lewis, M. Marshall , J. Mulcahy, L. Bloom, and Basil Conaghan. Mr J. P. Stratton, a leading trotting administrator in Western Australia, and a successful owner of thoroughbreds, will make the trip from Perth, and Messrs C. Hayes and B. Cummings will be two buyers for Adelaide owners.

The sales will open next Tuesday and will be completed on Wednesday. There will be a parade of the yearlings on Monday. Eighty new boxes have been built at Trentham for the yearlings and there are now 320. enough, probably, to house all the yearlings to be offered at the sale.

Originally there were 353 lots in the catalogue, but there have already been 30 withdrawals.