HERE AND THERE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 73, 27 March 1931, Page 6

HERE AND THERE

Again in Work. Lyrical, tliu vising thrco-yoav-olcl half-sia-i tcr 'by Limoud to Crash, has l>eeu brought in agnin by S. J. Reid, but her preparation will not be hurried. Lyrical was in work early in the ..season, but jt was I deemed advisable to spell her. fclie has not yet raced. At Westport. Trcnthaiil will be represented at Wcatvort to-morrow by Gold tsancl unil fehoot-, ist both maidens. Si.iool.ist has two en-! n-a^ouicnts. but Gold San.l, who has not been long back from a spell, has only one, the Trial Handicap. Class Poor. The class of,the principal race at Westport 10-inortw is indicated by Luc fact that Warfillc heads the handicap with the obligatory 9.0. Most of the horses engaged have not yet left hack ranks. Unusual Appeal. Most appeals racing eonimiUec-i deal with are made by trainers or jockeys, but one that came before the. Auckland District Committee on Monday concerned a polo player. The Waiinai Polo Club recently disqualified a member for jostling, and he has appealed to the committee. It was decided to hear the appeal on 7th April. Always Backed. Such a situation as a horse running unbacked on the. par) mutuel (totahsutov) could not arise in France. The management of any meeting in that country takes a ticket on any horse that is. unbacked at the time of closing the machine, lnis procedure has occasionally given the race funds a windfall, but it might be safe to bet that in the long run the clubs are not gainers to any estenf, if at all. Sydney Handicaps. When the last mail left Sydney, Waterline and Pavilion shared favouritism for the Doncaslcr Handicap, witli Cathinar, Inist Arrow, Mollison, and Teinom, iullowiiiß in that order. l'"or the Sydney tup, Veilmond was a lone favourite, from Balloon King, AVaterliiie, and Chide. Waterline's success at Kosehill on Saturday last would, however, tend to make him favourite for both races. Habit's Mission. Trentham-traiued Habit has been accented for both the Jiiyerton Gold Cup and the Pourakino Handicap (one mile) at Biverton, so that no decision as to what race she will start, iv has apparently yet been made. Her chance reads better at 9 5 in the mile race, but her trainer {h. J. Mnrtagh) may be tempted to essay the Cup (one mile aud a quarter), which carries a substantial stake of 555 soys. Habit has not yet succeeded at a mile and a quarter, and her being by an Absurd, sire, Thespian, hardly suggests that she Will ever see out even a middle distance satisfactorily. The Riverton Cup field is a strong one both in numbers and in quality. New Regulations. ' Under the new Press regulations, the handicaps of only first-grade meetings are now telegraphed to newspapers, and_ therefore they are the .only.,ones;.that- in the ordinary course will appear. All' acceptances are telegraphed, as at present. Virst grade race meetings are defined as: —Auckland, Avondale, Takapuna, Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Wanganui, l('eilding, Marton, Egmont, Taranaki, Hawkcs Bay, Canterbury, Dunediu, and Southland. First grade trotting .meetings are:—Auckland (combined with Otalmhu), Wellington, Canterbury Park, Metropolitan, New Brighton, Ashburton, and Forbury Park. To Race Over Hurdles. It is evidently intended to race Pompeius over hurdles during the remainder o£ the season, for he has been entered in hurdle events at the Auckland and Avondale Meetings, to be held next month. The Lucullus gelding is a proficient jumper, having previously won over steeplechase courses, and with his pace he should have excellent prospects, as a hurdler. Another point in his favour is the fact that he is a proved galloper in heavy going, and with the winter season approaching^ he will be racing under favourable conditions and should do well. •A "Rough Outsider"? .While the generally accepted view in England since the acceptances for the Grand National were-made has been that the issue rests with three or four of the "swells," with Easter Hero the dominating figure, there have been some who have"been searching for a "rough »utsider." These, with recollections- of Tippera'ry Tim, Rubio, and other despised outsiders that have carried off the Aintree prize, have argued that the National does not invariably pan out in accordance with popular notions. Some of these have doubtless been attracted to the side of Apostasy as a consequence of her stylish victory at Birmingham a month ago. Gregalach's Chance. A question like this occurs bo far as Gregalach's chance in to-day's Grand National is concerned: If he can win the Grand National when his then trainer thought that he was not screwed up to "concert pitch"—there having been many difficulties to contend with in his preparation that spring—how much better horse may he not be now that his preparation is progressing,. as seems to be, so satisfactorily? So asks "Angur" in the "Sporting Life," and doubtless there will be many .in England to-day who will decide that his chance is well worth, monetary support. Odds and Ends. Acceptances for first-clay events at the Wairarapa Racing Club's Easter Meeting are due at 8 o'clock on Monday evening (telegraph office at Fcatherstoa closes at 5 p.m.). Acceptances for first-day events at the Feilding. Jockey Club's Easter Meeting close at 9 o'clock on Monday evening. Besides the stakes and trophies for the placed horses in the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase, there are cups valued at £50 and £25 respectivelyl for the trainer and rider of the winner; During the war years (in 191 C, 1917, and 1918) a substitute Liverpool Grand National was held at Gatwick, and the winner in the last-named year, Poethlyn, won again under the maximum, 12st 71b, when a return was made to the Aintree course in 1019. Double winners of the Liverpool Grand National are as rare as the diificuHies of the course would suggest. Since 1876, the year of institution of the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase, only one, Manifesto (1807 and 1S90), has won twice at Aintree. Previous winners engaged in to-day's race are Gregalach and Shaun Goilin. It is understood that the Waverley Racing Club is considering holding an extra .day's racing before the cad of the current season. Although Limerick apparent]/ ran bo poorly in the Awapuni Cup last Saturday, and was not produced on Monday, there is nothing the matter with his joints. The tracks were hard, and he would not hit out on them. On the softer tricks that can be expected shortly he will io better.