AWAPUNI TRACK NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 51, 1 March 1930, Page 23

AWAPUNI TRACK NOTES

horses, for rangitikei 1 ■'meettntq

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") PALMERSTON N., This Day. With Rangitikei, Wellington, and .the local meeting looming up iti the immediate future, Awapuni trainers have plenty to engage their attention. The tracks are at present in splendid order, although the plough, on- which the majority of the fast gallops are carried out, is at present heavy. Four Aces, who hails from L. Knapp's jumping stable, has run a second and a third over the battens to date, and the Warplane gelding will make another attempt to get on the winning list at Bulls. On Thursday morning, with R. Reed in the saddle, Four Aces kept Democratic (Melh's) quite busy over six furlongs on the plough,'the pair being together at the close, the full journey being accomplished in lmin 20see, and the last five furlongs in lmin 7 2-ssec.

Democratic, who has proved a, great stake-earner since passing into Knapp's bauds, does not claim any immediate engagements. His two winning eJforts over a mile and three-quarters at Waiiganni made it apparent that more will be heard of the Thurnham gelding. Since the opening of the season Democratic has won £843 in stakes for Mr. W. H. Gaisford.

Fiery Comet, First Ruler, and Roues are a trio who will be found contesting the hurdle event on the opening day at Bulls. Fiery Comet made an excellent debut at Ashhurst, where he ran fourth. Yesterday morning, with P. Adam in the saddle. Fiery Comet outjumped Rouex (A. E. Stratton) at'every ■fence, and the latter had to be hunted along on the flat to recover the lost ground. First Ruler is making steady improvement iv her jumping, and as the mare has plenty of pace, she should fare well later on and bring the Chief Ruler family into the limelight in this branch of the game.

Otairi, the Stewards' Handicap winner at Wanganui, will make his next appearance in the Rangitikei Cup, wherein he will clash with Merry Damon, the Woodville Cup winner. On the occasions when these two have met in their track work there has been little between them, and at a difference of lib in the weights they should furnish a great contest. There is, however, a possibility that Merry Damon will forego his engagement and wait for the Napier Cup. When Otairi came into L. Knapp's. charge he was put to the jumping game, but while he displayed distinct possibilities, the brother to Cashier was not persevered with, and since the opening of the present season he has credited his young owner with the substantial figure of £1120 in stakes from flat racing. G. New also secured a quick return with Merry Damon, for the Polydamon gelding had his first outing since linking up with his team at Ashhurst, and then scored in the Woodville Cup., Callanmore, has been entered for two engagements at Rangitikei—in the Scott Memorial and the Clifton Handicap—the one being over six furlongs and the other over seven. Despite his faulty respiratory organs, the Absurd gelding almost invariably runs out a good seven, and on the second day at Woodville he was beaten a head for second money, with the winner but a short neck further away. Dobbin has found the Bulls course to his liking in the past, but track conditions might govern his prospects on the day. Save for a clear-cut victory in the Final Handicap at Hawkes Bay at New Year time, Dobbin has had to be.content with minor placings, but his turn should not be long. He was unlucky to be beaten at Dannevirke.

Two of the open class hurdlers, in Red Fuchsia and Aurora Borealis, are still eligible for hack flat events, and they will contest the Pukenui Hack Handicap at Rangitikei, but whereas the former tops the weights with 9.6, the latter comes in at 7.8. Iv his four outings to date this season Red Fuchsia has won three times, and filled second berth once, His stakeearnings amounting to £650. He is in great order at. present, and it was unfortunate that the Wellington nominations were overlooked. Aurora Borealis has done all her winning over the battens, but in getting to the end of half a mile on the plough yesterday morning in 53 l-ssee the Day Comet mare showed that she is not devoid of pace.

Mister Gamp, who will be making his next appearance at Trentham, was given a couple of rounds on the plough yesterday morning, when the Bronzetti gelding bowled into his work in great style. Whila he. hardly ran up to expectations at his previous appearance at Trentham, he had, after all, been up but a short time, and he should strip a fitter horse next month.