GOOD FIELDS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 151, 23 March 1938, Page 17

GOOD FIELDS

Response To Higher Hawke’s Bay Stakes NOTES AND COMMENTS Grand National To Be Run On Friday !

(Bx

THE WATCHER.)

The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, whose lean years are uot yet forgotten, showed commendable courage in offering a substantial increase in prize money for its autumn meeting at the end of the month, including £5OO for the Hawke a Bay Cup. It is pleasing to note the good response ot owners to this gesture. _ Excellent fields have been nominated, including -4 or good representative class for the cup, and stables represented are as far apart as South Auckland, Rangitikei and Trentham. In the Discard.

At a sale of racehorses in Melbourne thia month Radiant Star, the six-year-old chestnut horse by Hunting Song—Spotlight. was sold on account of his owner, Mr. G. L. Scott, for 27igns., and Mr. W. R. Kemball received only 12Jgns. for the five-year-old Cape Horn Unlock gfilding North Cape. On the other hand, 150gns. was given for Superior, the rising three-year-old filly bv Siegfried—Princess Bell. She went to Western Australia.

Grand National on Friday. Run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards, the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree (England) will be contested on Friday. The world’s greatest steeplechase, it is run ever the stiffest of country. The course is two miles and 428 yards round, with 16 fences, and with the exception of the water jump and the one which precedes it, the field completes two circuits of the course. East years Winner, Royal Mail, is at the top of the Weights with 12.7, seven pounds in advance of the improving jumper Airgead Sios. Drinmore Lad, a stable companion of Roval Mail, has 11.12, a pound less than RoyalrMail was successful with-last vear. Cooleen. who was second in 1937, has 11.8, and Pucka Belle, who followed them home, has 10.7. Davy Jones, who was the most unlucky horse of the 1936 field, has 10.13 this year. In 1936 he was ahead of Reynoldstown coming to the last fence, when the buckle holding the reins broke and Davy Jones, with his rider powerless to stop him, ran right off the fence. All the horses engaged this year are aged with the exception of Takvor Pacha, a French steeplechaser La Touche, and Under Bid. Golden Miller, who has shown a repeated dislike for the country since his victory in 1934, was not entered this year. He has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the last five years in succession, and he -will attempt to add .to his great record in this race again this year. -

A Sweepstake. That there should be a substantial sweepstake attached to the Thompson Handicap in order to eliminate the starters with little prospect of success is the suggestion of the Dunedin writer “Sentinel.”

No Appeal. It was the intention of Mr. A. J. McGovern to enter an appeal against the decision of the judicial committee of the Ohinemuri Jockey Club in disqualifying Rulette when her rider weighed in 2}lb. overweight in.the St. Patrick’s Handicap at Paeroa last Thursday, but the_matter is not f.ubject to appeal. Rule 325, paragraph 2 of the Rules of Racing states that the decision of the stewards with respect to any matter of fact in connection with weighing, a start in front of the post, or on wrong course, or before the appointed '’time, or in connection with the running of a race at a wrong distance shall be conclusive'and not subject to appeal.

Great Autumn Ride. -■ L. J. Ellis has been engaged to ride Galleon in the Great Autumn Handicap.

Few from North. Brunhild, Lady Ina, Haughty Winner and Alunga are the only North Island horses nominated for the Great Easter Handicap, and Lowenberg and Arctic King are the only northerners in the Great Autumn Handicap. Riccarton supplies 16 of the 26 entered for the Great Easter and 10 of the 19 in the Great .Autumn.

Feilding Cup £"00. A fine prize of £7OO has .been allotted to the Feilding Cup, the principal event on the Feilding Jockey Club’s Easter programme, April 10 and 18. The Mangaone Handicap has- been raised to £350 and the Halcombe Handicap to £220, and there are also the usual races with good stakes for hurdlers, maidens, two-year-olds and hacks. On the second day the Easter Handicap has a stake of £4OO. the Orona Hack Cupjis worth £3OO and the Denbigh Handicap £250. Entry fees have also been reduced. Nominations will close on Monday next nt 8 p.m. with the secretary, Mr. E. G. Goodbehere, Box 45, Feilding. telephone 44. C.J.C. Easter. Handicaps for the C.J.C. Great Easter and Autumn Handicaps are due on Monday next. Following Races by Car. The Australian- Jockey Club’s stewards at the Warwick Farm meeting followed each race in a car. This is the first time such a practice has been carried out on Sy dairy courses. The car, which contained' different stewards for each race, was kept practically in line with the last horse. The chairman of the stewards, Mr. G. Williams, said the innovation had giyen him a better view of the field, and he considered he was in a much better position to see interference. A report is to be made to the A.J.C. committee, and it is considered that the practice will be adopted on all suitable Sydney courses. Beau Pere. Mr. W. J. Smith, the owner of Beau Pere, landed in Auckland last week on his return from England and America. Mr. Smith said that he bought 16 mares while in England. It is doubtful if any outside mares can be taken to Beau Pere, whose fee will be 200 guineas. Billv Boy. Billy Boy pulled up very lame after contesting the McGuire Steeplechase on the first dav at Paeroa, and it looked as if the last might have been seen of this fine jumper. However, his condition suggests that the trouble is not very serious and with a couple of weeks’ spell it is expected that he will be fit to resume a preparation. Sergia. The Te Rapa-trained mare bergia was injured while being transported to Paeroa last Saturday, and was unable to fulfil her engagement in the Shaw Handicap. Providing she makes a rapid recovery Sergia is to race at the Manawatu meeting this week and will later go on to con[»st the Hawke’s Pay Cup at Hastings. Good Passage. According to reports several people would like to buy Qpod Passage at a fair price. There is a general-opinion that she should be a winner. Bred in New Zealand. The horse on which the commanding officer led a parade of Light Horsemen through thd streets of Perth (W.A.) re-

cently was Second Wind, winner of a King’s Cup in Tasmania, a dual winner of the Williamstown Cup, and other good handicaps in Victoria and W.A., and runner-up to Phar Lap in the Melbourne Cup. Another cup winner in the parade was Bonny Note, whose successes included a Perth Cup. Second Wind has long since retired from the race track, but he is still owned by Mr. E. Lee Steere, chairman of the W.AJ’.C. committee, whose colours he carried to victory in so many races. The Ok! chestnut looked bright and sprightly on the parade. Shu. Mr. J. McCartin told me last week that Shu was being used packing wire on the station. He be tried again later on if he shows signs of remaining sound. Stratford Additions. Additions to ths published list of nominations for the Stratford meeting on April 2 are W. H. Maria’s horses. Eastern Heir is in the Juvenile, Triune in the Flying, and Airam in the Anniversary and Highweight Handicaps. Extra Day. According to northern reports the second vacant racing day % resulting from Woodville’s abandonment of its meeting has gone to the Mataraata Racing Club. Bost Judges Make Mistakes. A racing contributor to a London paper in writing about the, Liverpool Grand National, which was first run 98 years ago, says old racegoers still discuss the respective merits of Cloister, Manifesto, aud Jerry M. Although Manifesto won the race in 1897 and 1899, and finished third in 190(1, 1902 and 1903, the writer states that Cloister was probably the best of the three. His 40 lengths’ victory with 12.7 in 1893 was an outstanding performance. A well-known hunting man who inspected Cloister as he was being saddled found much to criticise and little to admire. ‘‘He’s wrong here,” be said, “and no good there. I never saw such an oddly-made one.” Dollery, the jockey, was standing by. “Oddly made, is it?” he said, indignantly. ‘‘You'll be wishing the ‘oddity’ was yours in 20 minutes’ time.” Answers to Correspondents.

“Fairplay,” Wellington: Airam was scratched for the Thompson Handicap at 12.10 p.m. on the day. “Beach,” Wanganui: (1) £3/1/-. (2) £5/14/-. (3) £2/3/6. “LAV..” ’Wanganui: £6/10/0. “R. 8. Wanganui: (1) £23/10/6. (2) £5/14/-.