PROFITABLE MEETING

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 42, 13 November 1936, Page 15

PROFITABLE MEETING

Sir Charles Clifford at Riccarton

EIGHT WINS SO FAR Dominion Special Service. Christchurch, November 11. The amount given in stakes for the three completed days at Riccarton totals £10,605, and of this Sir Charles Clifford has won £3285 for his eight successes and two minor placings. Sir Charles headed the list of winning owners for last season with £4450, and with a little over three months of the present season covered his stake earnings have amounted to £4920. It is interesting to relate that at the New Zealand Cup meeting of 1904 Mr. G. G. Stead figured as the owner of 12 winners on the four days’ racing, all trained by R. J. Mason. These were: Maiden Plate, Golden Knight; New Zealand Cup, Grand Rapids; Welcome Stakes, Munjeet (Sungod second) ; New Zealand Derby, Nightfall: Juvenile Handicap, Sungod; Spring Nursery, Delaware; Canterbury Cup, Nightfall; Electric Plate, Machine Gun; Members’ Handicap, Savoury; Jubilee Cup, Cruciform; and Randolph Handicap, Machine Gun. Stakes won at the meeting by Mr. Stead amounted to £4725. Sir Charles will be well represented by numbers on Saturday’s programme, but will be without the services of Wild Chase and Trench Fight, who were withdrawn from their engagements yesterday afternoon, while Counterblast may not be produced.

The Oaks Winner. The Chokebore stable has had several horses in work by Day Comet, but many have been disappointing, and it would appear as if Top Notch will turn out the best of the breed. She is a sister to Rocket, who executed some good races, but at the same time did not carry on up to expectations. Top Score, dam of the pair, is by Autumnus from Winning Way, and is a sister to the successful sire Winning Hit. Winning Way was by Cannie Chiel from Lady Wayward, by Bill of Portland from Elusive, by Trenton from Eleusis, by Barcaldine. Top Notch has not had a great deal of racing, but has shown promise of developing into a high-class distance performer. Likes Hard Track. Emissary was not produced on either of the middle days at Riccarton, owing to the soft going, and his programme on Saturday will depend on the state of the track, which must be firm for the big Legionnaire gelding. Riding Difficulty. Fersen was withdrawn from the Canterbury Cup owing to the difficulty in securing a suitable rider for him, bis previous pilot, L. J. Ellis, having been suspended. He is to he paid up for in the Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday, but will Only be started if a strong horseman is available. Below Standard. Custos had better track conditions in the Canterbury Cup yesterday, and when he was in a handy position about five furlongs from home he appeared to have prospects of taking part in the final stages, but from that onward; he gradually drifted out of the contest.

Bright Prospects. Spearmarch has not been long in giving a return of his purchase money, and credit for the progress he has made since coming south in August, is due to his trainer, D. O’Connor, who lias ridden him in all his schooling and racing. Spearmarch is a big gelding by Spear Dance, who claims Spearmint as his sire, and his dam, Lady March, is a sister to Queen March, dam of King March, Gay Marigold and Limarch, all good winners, the last-named beating Blixten and Hall Mark in the 1934 A.J.C. St. Leger. Te Kara, an Auckland Cup winner, comes from the same family. Spearmarch was purchased by Mr. H. Elworthy, of South Canterbury, with the ultimate idea of making a steeplechaser out of him, and judging by his displays over hurdles to date he should make good over country.

Coming Good. Mandamus, winner of the Otaio Plate yesterday, was purchased by Mr. W. H. Gaisford as a yearling at Trentham for GOO guineas. He had one win and two second plaeings as a two-year-old, and this season won a six-furlong Trial Handicap at Wanganui in September, followed by two unplaced performances at Ellerslie last month. Drastic, dam of Mandamus, is by Absurd from the Spearmint mare Drax, dam of Spiral. At the conclusion of yesterday’s race, a silver plate attached to the stake was handed to Mr. Gaisford on behalf of the club by the Hou. P. C. Webb.

Substantial Investments. The increase of totalisator investments on the three completed days of the meeting, as compared with last year’s figure for the corresponding days, amounts to £25.578, and should fine weather prevail on Saturday this should be considerably increased. A comparative list showing the investments on the three first days for the past eight years is as follows: —

Cup Day. Derby Day. Oaks Day. 1929 63,776 46.038 44.859 1930 48.674 33.727 33,300 1931 34.417 22.137 22,207 1932 28.635 16.592 16.492 1933 35.940 13,485 22,414 1934 36.322 22.451 20,764 1935 11.341 28.907 22.670 .1936 49,637 30,548 38,256