RACING FIXTURES.

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 150, 29 June 1929, Page 23

RACING FIXTURES.

July 10, 11, 13,—Wellington K.C. July 25—Waimate District Hunt Club. July 25, 27—Gi3bornB B.C. ruly 27—South Canterbury Hunt Club. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. **very," Wellington.—Nukuniai won the Egtaont Steeplechase with 11.13 in May, 1926 This is his only win over the bigger itfces. Next Week. There will be no race meetings in New Zealand next week, the first complete break for some time. Acceptances for the first day of the Wellington Meeting and for the Winter Hurdles (third day) close on Monday at 9 p.m. Nominations for the Gisborne Meeting close on Friday. Waimate handicaps are due on Thursday. Dunedin Notes. Amongst the youngsters now being handled by C. Giesler at Wingatui is the brother to Night Effort, who has been named Glorious Uncertainty. At the present time he is on the small side, but a veil-shaped colt, and looks as if he will gallop early. Nedda is a regular attendant on the course and looks very well. She does not get much work and is consequently above herself, but in tip-top condition for a two-year-old at this time of the season. Sail Home, three-year-old brother to Set Sail, has grown' into a big horse, and though not as long as his sister, is higher. He is a very level-headed horse and gallops a good deal like the old mare. The rising two-year-old by Rosenor from Monoxide is said to be a good looker and a good advertisement for his sire. The Lucullus—Miss Muriel filly in G. Christie's stable is showing plenty of pro- ) misc. About Glendowie. A writer in a Taranaki paper, who is domiciled in Wellington and is usually well informed, has the following about Glendowie:—Some months ago Glendowie was operated on for a growth inside one of lxis fore legs. This was not the success desired, and after his efforts at the recent meeting of the Auckland Racing Club, Glendowie suffered some ill effects through the old wound opening. W. J. Tomkinson is best known as a trainer of trotting and pacing horses, but of late he has taken a number of gallopers into his stable. He was recently offered Glendowie and had practically decided to take him. Just at present Tomkinson is undecided on the matter. Glendowie's name appears amongst the nominations for the coming meeting of the Wellington Racing Club, but he can be regarded as a very unlikely starter _at_ the meeting. Glendowie was disappointing at Ellerslie, and some keen judges say that the best of him has been seen. A Solid Customer. Admiral Drake is wintering wonderfully well -and gives every indication of stripping an ideal Derby colt in the early spring. His work will soon be increased, so that when the Wanganui and Hawkes Bay Guineas come around in September the Chief Ruler-^-Tame Duck colt will •want for nothing in the nature of condition. Many astute judges are of the opinion that Mr. F. Armstrong's colt will prove one cf our best three-year-olds nest season. - I Roya! Elm. . | According to a Haivkes Bay writer the win of Royal Elm in the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase was far more meritorious than most think, as he got into one fence badly, taking over six inches of skin off ais stifle, but like all descendants of Soult se gamely stuck to his task to worry the Aucklander, Young Thurnham, out of first money, biit his accident prevented him from starting on the second day. Considering that this gelding has contested so very few jumping events his record is most creditable and speaks most favourably for his future as a 'chaser. Fortunately his accident at.Hastings was not attended with any serious results, and he is now quite himself again and bowling along fine in his preparation for the Wellington Steeples. Brothers. During his spell Bernera did not furnish as expected, but being of the tall, lean kind he is not the sort to thicken out like the more compact ones; nevertheless, he is in fine health. This gelding has undoubted pace, and should his barrier manners be mended since the autumn the Lord Quex Perplexity gelding should develop into one of the Bay's best sprinters next season. Hia younger two-year-old brother has, or is, _developing into a fine three-year-old and,, without exception, is the most promising young horse in work on the Hastings tracks, states a Hawkes Bay exchange. In quality he shows more than the_ majority of his sire's progeny, and in action is one of the best—altogether everything points to Auda making a name for himself in New Zealand's Turf history. The National Nominations. There is every _ reason for satisfaction with the nominations for the three major events to be decided at the Grand National Meeting. All the available jumping talent la engaged in the steeplechase and hurdle race, both proved and improvers. The popular flat event, the Winter Cup, has, as usual, _ filled particularly well. Commendation is a class entry superior to the usual, and last year's winner, Bisox, as engaged again. Piuthair, Paitonu, isenzora, and Royal Saxon are other proved gallopers, while the improving brigade is particularly large and promising. The race looks like being one of the best Winter Cups of recent years. Quality and Quantity. in 1909 the fact that the Melbourne Cup' entries numbered 225, then a record number, caused much comment. For that race, won by Prince Foote from Alawa, Aberdeen, and Trafalgar, there were 26 starters. Could the last Melbourne Cup field be classed as good as this notwithstanding the calibre of Strephon and Statesman as stayers? asks an Australian critic. Last year there were many more horses from which to draw the field. Going back another 20 years, the Melbourne Cup entries for 1889 were only 127. " Of these 20 started, and the first three were Bravo Carbine, and Melos. In 1890 the Melbourne Cup stake was raised to £10,000, and optimists expected international competition. This did not come to pass, though the race became the most famous of all Melbourne <jups. The entries numbered 149, and a record field of 39 started, Carbine winning from Highborn and Corteze, with many first-class stayers unplaced. Forty years ago the proportion. of races for stayers was very much higher than it is now, and they attracted larger fields than now. What has been the cause of the decline? No Outsiders fop Tlpplor. When the first of Tippler's stock were offered for sale as yearlings in Australia in 1928, _ they did not excite any sensational bidding, but the youngsters have done so well in their first season on the Turf that breeders have rushed to secure bookings to Mr. Hunter White's imported stallion for the approaching season. All have been doomed to disappointment, however, as Mr. White has decided to reserve Tippler for his own mares. Already he has refused between 40 and 50 applications for the horse's services. With such speedy two-year-olds as Malvina, Cathmar, Firbolg, Toper, and Lorason representing him, Tippler has certainly made a fine start at the stud. Small But Good. Taj Mah, who won the One Thousand Guineas, was bred by HJEL Aga Khan at his stud in Ireland, and was sold in Prance as a yearling for 250,000 francs to M. Simon Guthman. She was trained for the English classic by Torterolo, who hails from the Argentine. It is unnecessary to state that there was decidedly international flavour about her win. After her success an English writer penned the following about her:—That the Aga Khan had let go a smart filly was shown when she won races as a two-year-old. Had she not possessed such winning credential she would not have been sent from France on an adventure which has ended so splendidly for all concerned with -her. All I can say is that her owner and trainer cannot have had much respect for our own fillies, for in the matter of looks Taj Mah did not compare with the majority oi those that went to the post at Newmarket. Certainly no judge of a horsa, Ster seeing her in the paddoofe before go*

Jng out to race, ivould have been persuaded to pick her out and back her as the probable winner. Though she has racing lines and some quality, she is strikingly deficient in size. How could one expect such a pony to beat the best of our normalsized ones as, for instance, the runner-up, the fine rangy Sister Anne? It is said that as Taj Mah has no other engagements of importance she is to be mated with her owner's horse Biribi, who is also a grey.