WANGANUI SPRING MEETING

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 75, 25 September 1914, Page 4

WANGANUI SPRING MEETING

AWAHOU WINS BIG HANDICAP. (»r TELKGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WANGANUI, 24th September. The Wanganui Jockey Club's Spring Meeting opened to-day in fine weather. There was a large attendance, and the profits are to be given to the Patriotic Fund. The totalisator handled £19,053, as against £20,114 on the first day last year. Concluding results : — Okehu Handicap Hurdles, of 150 soys ; one mile and three-quarters. — 1 Glenorchy, 10.3, 1 ; 3 ManiUui," 9.0 (carried 9.4|), 2; 5 Bercola, 11.2, 3. Also started : 2 Aruake 10.5, 4 Timothy 10.3. Time, 3mm 17sec. Gonville Hack Hurdle Handicap, of 120 soys ; about one mile and five furlongs.—3 Kew 9.U, 1 ; 5 St. Gate, 10.8, 2 ; 1 Glen Nevis, 10.13, 3. Also started : 4 Parewanui 10.3, 2 Harbour Light 9.7, 7 Grandson 9.0, 7 Ibhar 9.0. Time, 2min 59 2-ssec. Putiki Hack Handicap, of 120 soys ; six furlongs. — 3 Rene, 8.1, 1 ; 5 Ardent, 7.3, "2 ; 1 Tyson, ' 9.3, 3. , Also started: 12 Devise Orme 8.9, 8 Princess Mdutoa 8.6, 6 Fisher 8.3, 4 Submersion 8.2. 15 Kurapai 7110, 10 Bivouac 7.10, 7 La Favourita 7.8, 13 Erin Boy 7.7 (with 31b over), 11 Miralma 7.5, 14 His Eminence 7.4, 15 General Madero 7.3, 16 Quo Vadis 7.0. Time, lmin 15sec. Spring Handicap, of 250 soys ; one mile and 110 yards. — 4 Awahou, 8.1, 1 ; 1 Rewi Poto, 8.5, 2; 2 Mummer 7.12, 3. Also started : 7 Kooya 9.0, 3 Passadena 8.5, 5 Maniaroa 7.8, 8 Mulga Bill 7.8, 6 Smilax 6.12, 5 Waipaku 6.12 (with 51b over), 10 Royal Dragoon 6.9 (with 3jlb over). Time, lmin 47 2-ssec. Durie Hack Handicap, of 120 soys ; one mile and 110 yards.— 4 xiustin, 8.12, 1 ; 5 Sir Donald, 7.9, 2 ; 4 Garance, 7.8, 3. Also started : 3 Gerberga 9.0, 2 Montana 8.9, 9 Chaminade 7.12, 6 Gay Guard 7.9, 1 Want 7.8, 8 Sweet Van 7.2, 7 Steinhall. Time, lmin 49sec. C3TES ON THE RACING REPUTATION'S SUCCESS IN THE GUINEAS. (BY "SIR LANCELOT.") As matters have turned out, the committee of the Wanganui Jockey Club acted wisely in altering its previous decision to abandon its spring meeting on. account of the outbreak of hostilities. Its action in deciding to devote the whole of the profits of the gathering to the Patriotic Fund is an excellent oxample. Taking the result of last year's meeting 1 as a guide and the good attendance of paying patrons that put in an appearance yesterday, it is safe to assert that the amount to be handed over to the fund will be larger than has &o far been donated by any club in the Dominion. With the exception of the Open Hurdle Race, the sport provided was interesting, and in the Spring Handicap there was an excellent despatch and an exciting finish. The classic race — the Guineas — was the event most people looked forward to. All the nine acceptors were paraded, Sir George Clifford and Mr. T. H. Lowry having two representatives each. The Hymettus colt Hyettus, who made such a good showing at Marton against horses of older ages, was the actual favourite, and Sir George Clifford's pair came next in estimation. Football carried a little more money than Reputation, while F. Davis's pair were neglected. Pariform was the absolute outsider of the party. Balboa did not behave too well at the start, and got the worst of, the send-off. First Flight, who dre-\v No. 1, also got chopped out at the first turn. The favourite, a hard puller, rushed to the front, and with six furlongs to go Mia Cara joined him as pacemaker. Pariform got well away, but did not run generously, and instead of going on with it, dropped back. With half the journey gone Hyettus and Mia Cara were well clear of the others. At the top turn First Flight started to reduce the gap, and was with the leaders at the bend. At the top of the straight h* appeared to have the measure of the leaders, who had nearly run themselves out. First Flight's victory was proclaimed at the distance, but his supporters were all too soon, as half-way down the straight Reputation, on the outside, was seen putting in a brilliant run and, catching the Riccarton coif fifty yards from the post, lie won like a racehorse in record time for the race. Hyettus, although he had a stronger horseman on him, did not stay as well as at Marton, and does not look like getting to the end of a two-mile journey. He carried Bst 101b, whereas Football and Fast Flight carried only Bst 51b each. The winner had evidently done a good deal of work during the winter and came at the right end, when the others were stopping. Reputation is engaged in the Hawkes Bay Guineas, but his owner may decide not to send him through to Hastings as. a protest against the winner of the Wanganui race being penalised. He may make his next appearance in the Champion. Plate at Trentham, where ho ran two of his best races last January. Martian (sire of Reputation) was him- ■ self a great stayor, and his stock can get a journey. He sired a previous winner of the race in Danube. Neither Hon. J. D. Ormond, Messrs. Bidwill, Watt, nor Lowry were present to see their candidates race. Mr. Bidwill is just recovering from an illness, and two of the Hawkes Bay owners mentioned are in Sydney. Although members of the successful Stepfeldt family, to which the Guineas winner belongs, have carried the Wairarapa sportsman's colours to the fore in classic races at Wangaum—Gravitation and Provocation won the Jackson Stakes — this is the first time he has won the Guineas. Balboa, a successful two-year-old in handicap events, is not in the Hawkes Bay Guineas. Mr. Lowry 's only representative in that event is. Campeador (Charlemagne ll. —Neva), half-brother to Bunyan and Danube, two Wanganui Guineas winners. W. Young was to have ridden Football, but he could not do the weight, and B. Deeley was substituted. He did not have too good a run. but will have to improve to have a chance of winning a race like the Hawkes Bay Guineas or New Zealand Cup. On their form yesterday, I prefer Blackall (the half-brother to Midnight Sun and Noctuiform). L. Wilson., who ii ridin;,' a free lance this season and doing well, iodp the winner of the Guineas for the first time. Reputation does not appear to have grown much since he raced as a two-year-old. What ho lacks in size, however, is more than made up in quality. The Cup candidates Expect and Labour Dny were among those anddlod up for the Flying Handicap, a fast-run

race. The top weight was last but one (Our King got left) when the field settled down, but at the post he was galloping over everything, and with another furlong to go would have been in front. Grattan, who is now trained by M. Gardiner at Waverley, made the pace so solid that none of the others had a look in. Since he ran in the Winter Cup ' backers have been waiting for Mummer, who was sent out favourite. L. Wilson rode Mummer at Christchurch, but B. Deeley was substituted at Wanganui, and the first-named horseman had the satisfaction of being on the winner. The names of Flagfall and Don Francisco, both of whom had won races since j the nominations closed, appeared on the card in the Maiden Hack Race. Their owners considered they were eligible to start, but the stewards, after holding a meeting on the course to consider the matter, decided they could not run. The All Black colt Blackall (ridden by C Emerson) the Trentham-trained Rerehau, and Improve (a member of F/ Higgott's team) were the most fancied ana finished in that order. After being I badly placed in the first part Blackall csinie from a. long way back, ran round the leaders in the straight and won in a manner which suggests he will b© heard of again before the season has much further advanced. He is the first of the progeny of the Gallinule horse to get on the winning list. He ran a couple of times as a two-year-old 'at Napier Park, and was afterwards taken to Sydney, but was brought back after a few months without racing on th© other side. He makes the third of the progeny of La Notte (purchased by Mr. Watt for 1000 guineas) to carry that owner's colours to victory. The unsuccessful maidens at Wanganui included Cowl (a- half-sister to Bronze) by the imported horse King Rufus. Aruake (ridden by M'Cabe) and the Feilding-trained Glenorchy (who ran a couple of good races at Trentham in the winter) practically monopolised the betting in the Okehu Handicap Hurdle Race. Glenorchy was ridden by William Young, who rarely takes a mount in a hurdle race nowadays. Manitau was allowed to get a good break, and led to two furlongs from home, where Glenorchy cut him down, and won without the semblance of a struggle. Aruake was sore, and was not prominent at any part. At the second fence Timothy shot I'raill off, and that horseman landed on his feet. Bercola managed to secure the ten soys. attached to third place. It is a pity such a good cross-country performer could not be kept for the racing during the winter season. Although Glenorchy did not have much weight to carry, the time put up (3min 17sec) shows that there was no delaying. It was expected that Glen Nevis would repeat his Marton and Dannevirke performances in Lhe Gonville Hack Hurdles, but his successful run was broken. Harbour Light (runner-up to the first-named performer at Marton) was the best backed of any of the others, but gave a very poor display. He toiled in the rear all the way, having Ibhar for company. St. Gate set a solid pace throughout. He shook off Kew three furlongs from home, but the latter came again and beat him home from the last hurdle. The winner is one of F. Tilley's Fordell team, and is owned by Mr. H. M. Speed, a steward of the club. Kew let his connections down at Marton, and yesterday he was running for the stake only. St. Gate, who carries the colours of Mr. W. R. Tuck, the well-known Wanganui sport, was beaten by another of the Fordell team (Mescal) at the Wanganui May meeting. With two exceptions (Ngapoto and Maisonette) the whole of the twenty acceptors for the Putiki Hack Race Handicap were carded. King Chiara, the Marton winner, with A. Oliver in the saddle, drew a, good number and he was sent out favourite. He did not begin as well as some of the others, and gob chopped back, but came again and finished in a place. Ardent (Royal Fusilier— Sanguine), half-brother to Sanguinary, had charge at the distance, where the Trentham-trained Rene came with a late run on the outside and secured the verdict with something in hand. Rene (who had been galloping well at Trentham) was nearly as well backed as Flagfall, the second favourite. She will have to put up a penalty at Otaki. Submersion, who had done good track work with her stable mate (Reputation), was also well backed, but met with some interference. Tyson did his best, but was in trouble at the end of five furlongs, and struggled on'kito fourth place. In the Durie Hack' Handicap the Trentham colt Want was expected to improve on his Marton form. On account of a satisfactory gallop with Hyettus he was made favourite, but was never prominent. The Fordell-trained Austin, owned by a steward of the club, who adopts the norn-de-course of Wire Tokena, scored from Sir Donald, a place-getter at Marton and Dannevirke, and All Red's half-brother Garance. Steinhall (Martian— Class), # Bon Ton's half-sister, was among the runners, but is evidently not quite ready. Backers found difficulty in selecting a favourite for the Spring Handicap, for which four horses were evenly backed. When the bells stopped, Rewi Poto (of whose chance the Taranaki contingent were very confident) carried a little more money than Passadena. The favourite took charge three furlongs from home, and his victo.ry seemed assured. HaJfway down the- straight, however, Awahou challenged, and his superior condition secured him the verdict in a slashing finish — the best of the day. This made Awahou's third successive win, the previous being at Marton and Dannevirke. It was pleasing to see the brothers W. and C. Price doing their best against each other. The latter was making his reappearance. He , rode several members of Tilley's team, and scored a win on Austin. Mummer was saddled up again in this event, but it was asking too much of him, and the best he could do was to get third. Had he been reserved for this race he might have won. The best laid plans, of men and horses mostly come undone. The New Zealand Cup candidate Kooya made his first appearance for the season in the race, but wae not ready, and finished last. The gallop will help to sharpen him up.