THE RACING WORLD

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 220, 14 June 1927, Page 14

THE RACING WORLD

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By “The Watcher.”)

Acceptances for the Napier Park winter meeting to be held nest Saturday will close to-night at S o’clock.

Nominations for the winter meeting of' the Wellington Racing Club will close on Monday next at 9 p.m.

Twelve months ago the All Black gelding Gaze promised to take high honours as a hurdler, but after winning the Century Hurdle Race at Wanganui he went wrong on the ore of his Great Northern engagement. Nothing has been seen of Gaze in the interval, but ho figures amongst (he entries tor hurdle events at Hawke’s Bay next peek, from which it . may be inferred that bo is so far sf-.-mding up to another preparation. He has only got to go on ‘.the right way to have a big say in the decision of important hurdle races. ■

Passionate failed to laud a stake atthe Auckland winter meeting, although track conditions were in his favour J. Anderton intends to give the San f rancfsco gelding a run in hurdle events at the Wellington winter meeting next month. Two years ago ,Passionate ran very prominently on the flat at the same meeting.

Cults Brothers have- only two horses in active commission at present—Wild Work and Card Trick. They are get ting through useful tasks and they should bo in good order for engagements at Trentham next month. Wild Work has a.-good turn of speed, but her mate hatj very little form to recommend him.

The veteran Royal Bloo.d showed up in the Visitors’ Handicap on the non l eluding day at Ellerslie, finishing fourth, and he is being, discussed as a possibility for events ahead. Royal Blood was foaled in 1918, so that it is reasonable to suppose his best flat racing days are over.

Elysianor has been taken up again after a long spell, which appears to have benefited him. A recent addition to F. Lind’s string is a rising two-year-old filly by Archery. She is a shapely youngster and looks as if she ought to pay her way.

W. Rayner is well pleased with the progress his two youngsters arc making. The Limond—Homage filly is well grown and sturdily built, taking after Humbug and Grotesque in appearance. The Thes pian—Cowl filly is smaller, but shows quality. .

There will be racing at Wanganui on September. 17 if the Egmont-Wanga-nui Hunt Club obtains that day for its meeting. The Wanganui Jockey Club’s spring meeting will bo held a month later than visual, on October 13 and 15.

E. Shaw, who had the misfortune to break a shoulder blade when Blue Hall fell with him at the Dunedin winter meeting, is making a. good recovery, and he expects to bo able to ride again before the end of this month. When Shaw was injured Mr. J. S. Barrett communicated with T. H. Gillett, with a view to securing another rider for Charlatan at Trentham, but he has now countermanded the instructions, and Shaw will bo on tho Winkie gelding in the Wellington Steeplechase. F. J. .McKay, private trainer to Mr. W. T. Hazlett, was at Riccarton last week in an effort to find suitable accommodation for the fairly large string he will have racing at tho Grand National meeting. Evidently an early arrival is anticipated and another determined attempt on tho Grand National made with Frenchman. '

Kaihoro, tho rising two-year-old fullsister to Kaiti (Lucullus —Suratura), after being broken in by P. P. Neaglo, at Taradale, is enjoying a spell on the property of her owner, Mr. P. F. Wall, (t is intended later on that sho will be put into work for next season’s racing.

At a meeting of the stewards of the Masterton Racing Club last week the secretary reported that tho club’s annua] racing dates (October 29, 1927, and March 30 and 31, 1928), had been approved. and that tho Wellington District Committee had recommended tho Masterton Club for an extra day ou October 28. 1927.

Up to a couple of rears ago tho Egmont Racing Club held its meetings on mid-week days. Due to Mr. Massey’s death and funeral, however, tho winter meeting in 1925 was extended to a Sat-urday.-On the experienco tho club decided that tho Saturday was a better- lk day than the original mid-week conclusion, and havo since adhered to it. Recently tho Hawera Retailers’ Association wrote to tho club asking it, in the interests of tho business section, ,10 revert to Wednesday and Thursday as its racing days. In its reply tho club has declined, and states, inter alia: —“While conceding that the business of the town may be materially affected on the days of the races, tho committee does not share the opinion of your executive that business is affected to a much greater extent (taking the season through) with racing as conducted on Thursday and Saturday as against Wednesday and Thursday. The experience of this club,, during tho last three winter meetings, has been that the larger attendances havo been ou Saturdays, while Thursdays always show a greater return than Wednesdays, which proves conclusively that the club is catering for the majority of the race-going ’public. _ Another aspect of the matter is that racing dates require to be arranged with duo regard to fixtures of other clubs, otherwise horse-owners would be precluded from visiting various meetings, with a consequent decrease in attendance and returns. Tho fixing of dates for tho race meetings is a very important matter to the club, and a'ny arbitrary alteration to. meet purely local conditions, oven if such dates were approved by the New Zealand Racing Conference, may havo far-reaching results.”

Mr. G. .T. Barton, of Dunedin, has produced tho four-year-old Royal Head, by Autumnus—Kirriemuir, and the gelding will go into S. G. Ware’s stable at Wingatui. Ou tho first day of the recent Dunedin mooting, .Royal Head put in a great run over the last furlong in tho Janeficld Handicap, and ou a soft track is likely to win races. Ho is by Autumnus —Kirriemuir, so his breeding will not hinder him from reaching tho highest class.

To Mouauui, a first-class iiiccborsc, but. not favoured with the best of luck, will be put into training within the next week or so. His mission will probably bo tho New Zealand Cup in November.

A southern sportsman was.in treaty for tho purchase of Autobiography from Mr. G. D. Greenwood, bis idea being to place the speedy Sutala gelding in J. A. Beale’s stable, but the negotiations havo been dropped.

A. MeAulay has hud Sir Roy ami Sagittarius shod, and the two geldings, who havo benefited by their spell, will resume work at Riccarton in a few days. A brother’ to Sir Roy, rising three years, is being broken iu, and be will ioin (ho other pair when they go into training. (

Never has a race for the One Thousand Guineas been won with such ridiculous ease as was the case on April 29. Cresta. Run, from the first furlong, was showing her rivals a clean pair of heels, reminding one of the old phrase, “Eclipse first and the rest nowhere."” Nor was Balding leaving anything to chance, for hu wisely kept her on the stretch till the post was passed. Although Lieut.-Colonel Giles Loders Hiree-year-old is by the chestnut Hurry, On, and is out of a mare by Bridge of Earn—who has sired mostly chestnuts—tho filly is a brown. H»r great granddam was Adula, a sister to Pretty. Polly,

who was, of course, a chestnut, so it is not easy to see where Cresta Run gets her colour. She has well-developed quarters that droop a little, an intelligent head, and is altogether a charming filly. She is, nevertheless, somewhat highly strung, and was on her toes going to tho post. Balding did not excite her by allowing .her to canter to Iho start with the others, but was last out of tho paddock, and trotted most of the wav down. Gilpin’s charge dashed into the lead as tho tapes went up. and it is no exaggeration to say that she “came borne alone/’ her time being slightly faster than that of Adam’s Apple in the Two Thousand Guineas./

There is a move among a section of our owners and trainers for. an additional handicapper at Raudwick.... lattersall’s and City Tattcrsall’«s Clubs are to lie asked what they can do in the matter. It is no secret that * owners and trainers think Sydney should have more handicappers for its registered meetings. Tn consequence, Tattersalrs and City Tattersall’s Clubs are lu be approaclied on the matter. I believe tueio was to have been a deputation to those clubs this week, but.it was postponed (writes “Pilot” in tho “Referee ). One grievance with many owners is that once a horse is overrated at Randwick, it may remain so. Few handicappers like to peel off weight hurriedly oiwo they nut it on, and this occasionally means that a horse is kept near a mark where it has little-chance, of success. Even when handicappers know they have made mistakes it is natural they should not care to admit them. For my own part, I have great admiration for Mr. 1. G. Wilson’s work, but he, like any other handicapper, is loath to alter rapidly his opinion of a horse's merits, and I iliiiik this. is the real reason for the move for variety at Randwick. ' 1 have no idea how the clubs named regard the matter, but, as between them they race only six davs a year, it is doubtful whether they will bo ablo to offer a sufficiently largo salary to cause anyone to devote himself entirely to their handicapping. However, if they fall in with tho views of the owners and trainers who aro moving in the matter, they will probably have a wide choice among people who are prepared to take on handicapping as a side-line. One thing certain, however, is that it is impossible for any man to satisfy all owners and trainers, many of whom are indifferent judges of when their horses aro well or badly treated. With many the only “good” handicapping is when they believe they havo an advantage of at least 71b.

When it came to’the autumn, Limerick had his opportunity, and bo took full advantage of it. With Rampion out ot the way, the New Zealander stood right out from the others of his ago in the competition, and he also scored well against- the older horses at weight-for-ago (says a Melbourne writer). But it always has seemed to me that it requires a handicap event over a journey to thoroughly test a horse’s merit, and when given a chance of this kind in the Sydney Cup, Limerick did not quite come up to the required mark though it must be admitted that he made a gallant effort. Many horses of the same age had succeeded where Limerick failed, and taking this evidence for it we, may not be doing the gelding an injustice to say that so far he has not achieved greatness. A three-year-old entitled to that rank could have been expected to do a little better than Limerick did in the Sydney Cup. Be that as .it may, there can bo no denial of Limerick’s claims to be considered a good three-year-old of the staying type, and should he train on satisfactorily he might reap another harvest next season. At the moment our prospects of checking Limerick’s weigbt-fcr-age inarch do not look particularly bright. Should Pantheon and Rampion fail to come back, the forces opposed to the invader from the Dominion will be considerably weakened, unless ananother w.f.a. star arises. In that connection thoughts naturally turn to Amounis, who accounted so readily tor Limerick, Windbag, Valicare and Co. over-ten furlongs a few ivee.ks ago oo far Amounis has not -scored beyond that distance, but it may not be safe to put him down as a non-stayer on that account'. His trainer, Frank McGrath, may think it-.worth while to fully develop the gelding’s stamina, and if this is done we should find Amounis capable of taking care of himself over most distances next season. Meanwhile w-e can only hope for the best. Our New Zealand visitors always will receive a sportsman’s welcome, but we will leei more comfortable fif we can find an opponent worthy of putting against Limei>. ick before the spring.

The last-minute scratching of the horse Castles from a hurdle race at Randwick on Saturday caused an angry ferment among tho public and bookmakers. states a Press Association message. The horse had been strongly supported, and its withdrawal upset all the betting. Just before the time to start the owner asked to bo allowed to amend his entry on tho ground that the horse’s pedigree had been wrongly described. The stewards decided that the application was too late, and that they had no alternative but to reject the entry. ' RACING FIXTURES. June 18—Napier Park K.C. June 22—Hawke’s Bay Hu,ut Club. June 24, 25—Hawke's Bay J.C. June 25— Oaniaru J.C / j u l v 2—Ashburton County K.C. July 12. 14, 16—Wellington R.C. July 21—Waiinate District Hunt Club. July 23—South Canterbury Hunt Club. July 30—Christchurch Hum Club. July 28, 30—Gisborne R.C. August f—Poverty Bay Hunt Club. August 9, 11. 13—Canterbury J.C. Grand National. ~ , August 20—Pakuranga Hunt Club. September 3—North Taranaki ILC. September 7. B—Marton J.C. September 10—-Otago Hunt Club. September 14—Dannevirke K.C. September 15—Dannevirke Hunt Club. September 17—Egmont-Wanganui Hunt Club. ’ September 21—Ashburton County R.C. September 24, 26— Napier Park K.C. September'24, 26—Avondale J.C. September 29. 30—Geraldine R.C.