DANNEVIRKE HUNT

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 174, 20 April 1937, Page 15

DANNEVIRKE HUNT

Meeting’ to be Held on June 26 NOTES AND COMMENTS Yearlings for Stable of F. Davis (By The Watcher.) The Dannevirke Hunt Club has been granted a change of date, Saturday. June 26, in lieu of Wednesday, June 30. Yearlings for Davis. The Limond —Jewel of Asia colt recently purchased by Mr. W. 11. Gnisford, is to go into F. Davis’s stable. • Mr. G. M. Currie .is also sending to Davis the full zsister to Heritage. It is likely that Davis 'will be taking a team io Sydney this spring. The colts Courtcraft and Francis Drake are both engaged in the three-year-old classics there. Southdown. Southdown, who contested the Highweight Handicap at Waimate on Saturday, was having bis first race since January 2. He has one or two good races to his credit, but on the whole his form has been very disappointing. Brilliancy Sold. Brilliancy has been sold by Mrs. W. D. Graham to a patron of R. Barlow’s stable. He has shown promise on the tracks but has raced disappointingly. He is an Australian-bred three-year-old sou of Excitement and Glittering. By Vaals. Rainier, who paid - a double figure dividend from the win pool after his Trial Stakes success at Whangarei on Friday, was bred and is owned by Mr. C. G. Macindoe. He is by Vaals from Ti Tree, by Tea Tray from Taiamai, an Australian-bred mare by The Nut from Lady Molly, by Aurum. Vaals, who is at the stud at Otahuhu, has sired some speedy horses with limited opportunities. Just recently, in South Africa, Brabant, who was formerly trained at Trentham by H. Telford, ran away with a race in a style which led South African critics to say he was the best importation of recent years. Polydora.

Polydora has been doing some great work over the steeplechase fences at Riccarton. This mare took kindly to the hurdling game and has run some excellent! races in good class company. As a steeplechaser she should reach high honours, for she has both speed and stamina. Mares are exceptions at. this sport, but when they are good they go to high class. Aurora Borealis was the best example in recent years.

In Work Again. Matoru, who graduated to open company early this season with a particularly good hack record, is back in active work under J. S. Shaw, and he is in excellent health to undergo a serious preparation. Now a four-year-old, Matoru can be expected to improve on the form ho has already shown. His record last season was two wins, three seconds and two thirds in eight starts, while this season he has started ten times for four, wins, four second’s and a third, and £.894 in stakes, bringing his total stake earnings in his two seasons’ racing to £1144.

Successful Jockey. J. A. McFarlane, who rode a couple of long-priced winners at M’aimate in Royal Gallant and Heloise, served his apprenticeship with L. G. Morris at Marton. Some time back he joined the stable of J. S. Shaw at Riccarton. Shaw trains Heloise, and formerly also trained Royal Gallant.

Back to Form. Royal Gallant was -sold from J. S. Shaw’s stable in August last, his first race for his new owner, Mr. J. Lindsay, Dunedin, being at the Otago Hunt fixture at Wingatui in September, when the track was very heavy. This was thought to be made to order for Royal Gallant, and he was in strong demand, but he failed, and he also continued to race disappointingly even on ground to suit him. It was not Until he won two races at the recent Beaumont meeting that he gave any return of his outlay, but after his Waimate Cup win, he now ranks as a cheap proposition. Royal Gallant will be seen out again in the Timaru Cup next Saturday, and as the going is likely to be as easy as at Waimate, he will have again to be taken into consideration.

Sold From North Island. Mazzini, who raced prominently at Waimate, was formerly owned by Mr. A. Giorgi, Palmerston North, aud trained at Bulls by A. E. Neale. He was recently sold to Mr. A. McDonald, New Brighton, and is in S. Barr’s stable at Riccarton. Mazzini is a three-year-old gelding by Chief Ruler —Dignified, an Australianbred mare who never raced. He was bred at Westmere by Mr. J. Donald.

Hawke’s Bay Cup. The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club’s meeting, to be held on Saturday and Wednesday, May 8 and 12 (Cornation Day) will mark the golden jubilee of the Hawke’s Bay Cup. This, coupled with the fact that the second day is Coronation Day, gives hope for a good response from owners. The Hawke's Bay Cup stake of £3OO includes a gold cup valued at 50 guineas. A special excursion train is running from Wellington at the weekend. Arrangements have also been made with the Railway Department to enable patrons from Palmerston. North and intervening stations to reach the . racecourse in ample time for the first race each day. The meeting will also be the first under the guidance of the new secretary, Mr. A. E. Wishart, with whom nominations will close at 8 p.in. on Friday.

An Early Return. Dropped Catch, winner of the highweight event at Waimate on Saturday, was bred by Sir Charles Clifford, who sold him to Mr. E. A. Rattray a few months back. He can claim some solid breeding, as in addition to being by the successful Winning Hit, he is from Robbie’s Mistake, who, bred by Mr. T. H. Lowry, is by Psychology from Lovelock, by Martian from Lovelorn, dam of several high-class horses, including Left, who produced Peter Jackson, Gaine Carrington, and Wotan. Dropped Catch is a well-gmwn three-year-old, and will be all the better with more time. His trainer, J. Lindsay, had his first success for a long time, and as Mr. Rattray has not had a great deal of luck since be launched out as an owner, Saturday s win was popularly received.

Racing in Australia. The position of racing in Sydney Is the cause of some anxiety among the authorities. The committee of the Australian Jockey Club bad good reason for believing the crowds would be larger at the autumn meeting than was the case last Easter, and made substantial _ increases to the stakes. The expectations, however, were not realised, as the aggregate attendance for the four days was about 5000 less than it was a year ago. It was a surprising result, because Sydney was full of visitors, and the weather on each of the four days was ideal. “Chiron,” of the “Australasian.” comments on this situation as follows:- —■ There does not seem to be much prospect of racing making any headway and regaining its old prosperity in Sydney until the sport is relieved of some of the burden of taxation it is carrying, and an effort is made to reduce the volume of starting-price betting. The new legislation in Queensland fans worked wonders for racing and the clubs, and unless

something of a similar mil are is done in New South Wales, and done very soon, there is not much chance of racing becoming prosperous. The sport is being slowly but. surely strangled by excessive taxation and off-the-course betting. Answers to Correspondents. “Anxious,” Palmerston North. —£4 15/-. '‘lnterested,” Eastbourne.—(l) £2 10/-. (2) £7/7/-. (3) £2/17/-. (4) £1 10/-. “Trots.” Wanganui.—£l/18/6. “Ewart,” Wellington. — Information written for. “Old Timer,” Waitotnra.—(l) £1 15/6. (2) £l/16/6. “A.Fi.K.,” Plimmerton,— (1) £4/6/-. (2) £2/1/6. (3) £2/5/6. (-1) £2/3/-. (6). £2/7/-.