THE RACING WORLD

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 5, 1 October 1929, Page 16

THE RACING WORLD

NOTES' AND COMMENTS

(By

"The Watcher.”)

Nominations for all events at the spring meeting of the Wellington Racing Club to be held on Saturday and Monday. October 20 and 28, will close at 9 p.m.. on I rlday, when forfeit (Isov.) is also due. for the Wellesley Stakes. First acceptances for the New .Zealand Cup and nominations for the Stewards and other principal handicaps at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Metropolitan meeting are due on Friday, at 8 p.m. Simba’s easy win at Hastings, on Saturday emphasises the fact that his connections threw away a good opportunity by taking him out of the Avondale Stakes and A.R.C. Welcome. Stakes. There may be one or two improvers in the Auckland province and possibly something that has not yet raced may be as good, but at the present time Simba Is outstanding amongst the two-year-olds. Hunting Cry’s win in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas was accomplished in such easy fashion that it is difficult to estimate just how good he is. He will contest the Great Northern Guineas next Saturday and-that will be a solid test for him. As Goldfinch will be required to ride Eaglet. Hunting Cry will be ridden by E. A. Keesing. Hunting Cry is a deceptive customer. Judged on looks he would be passed over as a very ordinary sort, but there is no doubt that he is a smart galloper. : F. Davis was very confident at Hastings that Chrysology wmuld give a good account of himself in the Nursery Handicap for he had shown exceptional brilliance on the track. Apart from losing ground by running wide on the'turn, Chrysology had every chance to beat Simba, but the latter beat" him so decisively that no excuses are In order. Chrysology has plenty of pace and is bound to improve with experience, but there is the possibility that he, majbe like his half-sister Oreum—a. watchbreaker in private but an : average racehorse. '' It was hard luck for Mr. T. H. Lowry that Great Charter should pull up so lameafter winning the Flying Handicap at Hastings On Saturday, for his form indi-- i

cated that he is well forward. He could hardly walk just after the race, but a bit. later ‘appeared to be improving and possibly the trouble is of a temporary. nature. It will be remembered that Gascony pulled up in a very similar state after beating Paganelli in the Manawaut Stakes last March, vet he was all right again in a few days if Great Charter does not improve F Davis's Auckland trip with him and Chrysology may possibly be cancelled. While Great Charter’s performance in the Flying Handicap at Hastings on Saturday was good class, it is possible that that of Arrow Lad was even better. Great Charter raced last in April, while Arrow Lad was making his first appearance since February, and was giving the winner 11b., and did not get away so-well from the barrier. In addition Arrow Lad went over more ground, and while it may be balanced by the breakdown of Great Charter, the form of Arrow Lad was a distinct indication that he is an Improved horse and likely to win a good, race before long. Little notice need be taken of the failure of Toxcuma on Saturday. In the first place, he was conceding, the best part of a stone to smart gallopers like Great Charter and Arrow Lad, and then, ridden by a horseman with little or no experience, he got badly off. Toxeuma was travelling well at the finish of the race, and under more favourable circumstances will soon do better. One of the features of the two-year-old race at Hastings was the brilliant finishing run of Mr. F. Armstrong’s Quin Abbey colt War Worn. War Worn is out of War Plume, a mare that never raced, being bred by Mr. W. 11. Gaisford, by Warplane from Sequinette, by St. Ambrose—Sequin, by Cuirassier. Sequin was the dam of that good horse Seadown, while Sequinette threw the speedy Backsheesh, so there is every chance of War Worn being heard of again shortly. There-was a'fair measure of support for Gay Ballerina's half-sister, Wedded, in the two-year-old race at Hastings. Carrying sJlb. overweight, with H. Goldfinch in the saddle, Wedded was never prominent. Like

Gay Ballerina. Wedded does not run to size but she is a neat filly who may improve with experience.

Goshawk's last appearance on the race track prior to contesting the Flying Handicap at Hastings on Saturday, was when he won the Pearce Handicap on the second dav of the 'Wellington spring meeting last year. Since then he has been operated on for wind troubles, and judging by Saturday’s running, he has come through successfully. Looking bright and well, Goshawk ran in promising fashion, and all .-Oing well he should again reach the high standard that marked his concluding races of last season.

R. W. King has tired of Royal Flower and the Kllbroney mare was sent home to her Dunedin owner after racing at Geraldine.

A Southern writer says that Black Mint did not appear to be at home on the Geraldine course and the turns seemed to trouble him a good deal. He stripped well and may be seen to more advantage at Wlngatul, where he won the Birthday Handicap last year. Rapier Soon.

Rapier ran two good races among the sprinters at Geraldine, carrying a big weight each day. He js in great health, and he will be hard to beat the first time he races over a long journey. He is due to race at the Dunedin meeting, after which be will make a trip to Trentham.

On the Easy List. Dutch Money is on tue easj- list at present. The filly was suffering from an abscess on her jaw, but it has been lanced and she is now making a good recovery. The filly will be sent south for the Dunedin meeting. Along with Honeycomb and the two-year-olds, -Tarquinius, by Nightraid from Week End and Pharaoh, by Shambles from Palestrina.

A Solid Mare. Narrative ran two good, races at Geraldine. Slie was in a head finish in the concluding event each day, for a win and a second. She is in great fettle at present, and another stake may come her waj’ shortly, as she is one of the solid and consistent'kind, whose chance must always be respected. Rapid Impovement.

Ranelagh, the winner of the Wainul Hack Handicap on the second day of the Geraldine meeting, is. a three-year-old gelding by Arrowsmith from Chukka, a sister, to the speedy pony Eighteenpence, by Nassau from Garston, by Birkenhead from Lullaby, by Apremont from Hammock, an imported mare who founded a good family. Ranelagh has a nice turn of speed and will win more races (says the Christchurch writer “Argus”). His succcessful effort was a remarkable improve-

ment on the form he showed the previous day, but it was fully expected, judging from the fact that he paid a comparatively short price, whereas on the first day, when he finished about last, he was a neglected outsider. Positive, a three-year-old filly by Chief Ruler from Narrative's dam, Parable, showed useful form when she finished second •to Ranelagh. She was travelling very fast at the end and she looks like developing into a good winner. She was a heavily backed second favourite, a great change after the first day, when she was one of the outsiders and raced badly. The extra furlong made a great difference.

Handicapping. Prior to the Ashburton meeting there was a chorus of disapproval in the south regarding Mr. Henry’s handicapping of certain horses, but the fact remains that his judgment was fully borne out by results. Chide, regarded as being asked to carry much beyond what he had earned, won the principal handicap, while Pink Coat, with 9.0 in the Farewell Handicap, just walked away with the prize. Rapier, Silver Paper and Black Duke did not accept for this race, allegedly due to their substantial burdens, but as the club had fixed a minimum of 7.7 it is hard to accept 10.9 as an unreasonable top of the handicap. The form of Rapier and Silver Paper all the season and at the end of the season was the best in the country, and if owners elect to nominate such horses for hundred pound handicaps in which hacks are engaged they surely cannot expect weights which they would get in a first-class field. While on the subject of handicaps it cannot be denied that the tendency to-day is to start the weights considerably lower than used to be the case, and this despite the fact that the minimum has been raised from 6.7 to 7.0.