NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 24, 29 January 1929, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY "VEDETTE.">.

SACLVG FIXTURES.

January 30—Clifden B.C. January 31, February 2—Egmont It.C. February 2—Matamata It.C. February o—Tapamii B.C. February 7, 9—Gisborno It.C. February 7, o—Taranaki J.C. February !>. 11—Rotorua B.C. February 14, 10—Dunedln J.C. February 14, 18—Wansanui J.C. February 14, IB—Poverty l!ay Turf C. February ]0, IS—To Aroha J.C. February 20, 21—Wcotlville J.C. February 20, 21—Gore R.C. February 21—Tologa Buy J.C. February -'■> —Canterbury J.C. February 27, 28—Danncvirke X.C- ' February 2S—Waiapu It.C. February 28, March 2—JlarlborouEh R.C.

Reminders. , . . Nominations for the Woodville Meeting on 20th and 21st February close on Friday next at 9 p.m. Acceptances for the Taranaki Jockey Club's Meeting close nest Friday at 9 p.m. Winners at Hawera engaged at New Plymouth arc liable to ichantlicap. An Unusual Feature. The outstanding feature of the Wellington Meeting was the performance of two-year-olds. The event for them on the first day had to be divided, it was so unwieldy, no fewer than thirty going to the post. On the second day there were twenty runners, and on the last day no fewer than twenty-four went to the post. Some of the juveniles were asked to carry silk each day, and the majority raced twice. As seven youngsters also ram in the Wellington Stakes, the total of two-year-old starters in four events for which they were eligible at the meeting was eighty-one. This must be nearly a. record for any New Zealand racing club, and suggests that the breeding industry is in a healthy state. Still on Deck. Old Rapine stood up to his two races at Trentham in good fashion, and they should do him a vast amount of good. He is a great winded horse, and may be ready to win a race sooner than some expect. He is booked to go on the Taranaki circuit, and if ho does not win a race in the meantime, a race like the Wanganui Cup should'see him fit to give of his best. At the same time, he has run some champion races .at. a mile and a quarter, and he will have his chance in them prior to the Wanganui Meeting. Gay Ballerina. Outside-of Honour, Gay Ballerina came out of the two-year-old racing at Trentham with the best credentials. She carried the biggest weight and won over the longest course, six furlongs, and moreover won like a good one. There is not a great deal of this filly, but like quite a number of the Lord Qucs tribe she is a brilliant galloper, and judging by her ability at present she will stay on better than the majority of the breed. Oratrix Recovered. Oratrix Ims recovered from the lameness which prevented her starting at the Wellington Cup Meeting. It was bad luck that this marc could not be produced, for it ]oqks as if she would have earned some stake money. She is well engaged ahead in New Zealand, and is also in the nig handicaps in Sydney in the autumn Weights for these are not due until 11th March, about three weeks before race day, so that New Zealand owners are more or less compelled to take the trip "on the j blind" unless the horses do all their work at home and arrive in Sydney just on the eve of. the,meeting. . : Consistent, if Unprofitable. No more consistent horse raced at Trentham than Zeuxis, for he had the barren honour of fourth place-in "the opening event on each o£ the three days. He has clone very little racing for a five-year-old, two unplaced performances late last season being his first on the Turf. This year in the spring he won a seven-furlong minor event, and has failed since. The races he had at Trentham should be of some benefit to him, and later on he may make amends for the patience of his connections. It is not suggested that he will be high-class, but he should be a useful performer capable of paying his way. First Money. The trainer, and now owner, of First Money, J. M'Laughlin, has always held a good opinion of the Paper Money colt hut at one stage it looked as if ho had over-rated him. Of late, however, his Meas have been more than confirmed, and there are fnw faster juveniles about. ?- ?"?, "' has had some double with First Money owing to the minor lee ( troubles that affect more or loss all youngsters, but he has been well repaid for iiis perseverance and patience. First Money ran his best race to date in the Wellington Stakes, and he well tested the Jeading two-year-old Honour, oven though the latter gave him weight and a start in the race. v Trentham Trained Horses.

Trentham trained horses annexed a fair share of the prize money at Trentham last week. S Reid's stable did best -with wins with Panther and Roi de Val and seconds with Historic. H. 15. Lorigan had two firsts and two thirds each with Royal Duke and Cimabue. Tea Queen -won a division of a two-year-old handicap, First Money ran second to Honour in the Stakes, and ■Quantum was third in each of the hack races. The Acid Test. Subsequent events should show that Trentham form was high class form and good to follow at coming meetings. Horses I who won at Trcntham last week had to be ! Jit to give of their best and produce their _ best' efforts. The large fields on occasions may have made luck in running a big factor, but this did not apply generally. Horses came to the meeting with good recent records and yet they iailerl to survive the acid test and were down the course when that period of the race that counted was approached. On occasions Trentham form has been misleading, but such should not be (he case in regard to the meeting just over. Point of View. An interested spectator at Trentham last week was the experienced racegoer, Mr. E. Moss, of Sydney. Like most Australians, he was "loud in his praise oE everything appertaining to Trentham from (he racing to the appointments. However, he was not favourably impressed by the monopoly of betting given to the totalisator. "Competition is good for everything," said Mr. Moss, "and it would be all to the good of racing if only a few bookmakers were licensed, and before they were licensed compelled to lodge a good four-figure sum with the Government as a. guarantee of good faith. Strangely r.nough most New Zealanders who go to Sydney ignore the totalisator there and confine their betting activities to the bookmakers. For the experienced racing man the bookmaker system is the most satisfactory one, and for the big majority of racegoers the totalisator fills the bill. Whether one or the other is ethical is not going to be discussed here, but the rlemoi ratio voice up till mow has decided again*; bookmaking, and gaming legislation is regarded more or less as political dynamite. At the present time- the reintroduction of legal bookmaking looks as far off as ever. Gascony. Gascony was very generally admired when stripped at, Trentham on Saturday, and he looked the class horse of the meeting. Since he was affected last year with a persistent and peculiar soreness his owner and trainer have been anxious about him. So far it has not reappeared, but tliey are taking no risks with him. Accordingly after his arrival at Trentham ho •lid little or no work until the rain softened the tracks on Friday, when he had a. not-too-slremious' half-mile. It was thought that his quality would pull him through on Saturday, but shortage of work told its tale in the final, pinch. He has some good fixed and. weigh t-for-age classic engagements to fulfil, and Mr. T. H. lxwxy is'an ow.neir-w-ho appreci&tes that

type of event. Gascony is in the Taranaki Stakes to be decided on Saturday of next week. The Hawera Meeting. A popular move on the • part of the Egmont Racing Club was the installation of a ten-shilling totalisator for both lawn and "outside" patrons; an innovation that has been greatly appreciated, while the fact that the club has reduced the price of admission for ladies to the "outside" to | one shilling also appears to find popular favour. Higli-Priced Yearlings. The imported sire Limond is such ;i proved stud success and has received such pointed distinction by the brilliant exploits of • his son Limerick that it was well anticipated bidding would be of the spirited order when his progeny came to be paraded at the Trentham sale last Tuesday. This was endorsed in a pronounced degree, for a fresh record price for a yearling sold in this Dominion-was entered up. The yearling by Limond to obtain this distinction is a colt from the Absurd mare Waterwings, who fell to the bid of Mr. Vivian Riddiford at 2400gns. The following is a list of horses that realised 2000 guineas and over sold in New Zealand at the yearling stage of their respective careers:— 1800—Brown colt (Mousquctaire), by ' Gns. Nordenfeldt—Frailty 2025 IS93—Brown colt (HaToc), by Nordenfeldt—Frailty 2200 1922—8 ay colt .(Meteoric), by Martian— Folymnla 2000 1923—Brown colt (Mars), by Martian— Bronze , 2000 192G—Bay colt (Farrago), by Absurd— Leta 2250 1928—Chestnut colt (Honour), by Limoud —Homage 2300 1929—Brown colt, by Limond—Waterwings 2400 The: highest price paid for a yearling in Australia remained at 3050gns for a period extending to nearly two decades. During the past few years, however, the sum named.has been quite distanced. The following is a list of the highest prices paid for yearlings in Australia:— Chestnut colt (Dominant), by Saltash— j Gns. Weltea ... ...' - 6750 Bay colt (Arant Courier), by Valais— Courante | 5300 Chestnut colt (Gilt Edge), by Valais— Glittering Gold 5000 Chestnut colt- (Slon), by Valais—Galtee Queen 410° Bay colt (Orcus), by Positano—Jacinth 3050 Perhaps a Joke. There was a stir at Gawler on Saturday, 19th January, when it was discovered that somebody had tampered with the scales, and when placed horses weighed in for the Welter each of them was a pound short. It was found that a pound weight had been secreted in' a cup under the scale, and it is thought it was put there more in the nature of a joke than anything else. A Useful Family. Mr. S., J. Gibbons, who contemplates retiring from active participation in racing, offered all his horses at auction at Trentham, but none of them reached the reserves. Or'atress, the dam of the New Zealand Cup winner, Oratrix, and Concentrate, was accompanied, by a nice colt foal by Hunting Song, while she is in foal to Diacquenod. She was passed in at 500gns. There was no bid for Martianette, by Martian from Equitas, or for Windbag,, by Absurd from Oratress, each mare in foal to Hunting Song. The two-year-old filly Oral, by Chief Ruler from Oratress, was passed ia at 500gns, and the two-year-old filly Equitant, by Paper Money from Equitas, at 400gns.