THE MINOR EVENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 129, 3 June 1933, Page 7

THE MINOR EVENTS

RACING IN HEAVY MIRE Weather > almost as bad as could be imagined prevailed early for the opening day of the Otaki Maori Racing Club's AVinter Meeting at ,Otaki yesterday, but later on in the day there-was an improve-, ment and the rain cleared off. The track was very heavy and it soon cut up, making, the straight little better than a mire. Considering the conditions the attendance was very satisfactory. Favourites had their share of success, but there were a number of good prices on. both .machines. HURDLES TO ADVENTUS. Adventus and Ruanui carried much more than halt' the small aggregate pool in the Tararua Hack Hurdles, and the former duly won comfortably, with the latter tiring out of a. place. Whereas Adventus was nearly twice as well backed straightnut, Ruanui was .a much better favourite for a place. Palm, though third selection, whs relatively neglected. First > Capetown, then Sir Kcd and Kuamii had turns at setting what pace there was, but going to the back Taura Lad ran to the lead from Ruanui, Vitaphone, Sir Red, Ramanu, Capetown, and Adventus. Taura Lad nearly fell at the first fence in the back stretch, but made a good recovery. Then Adventus began to move up along the outer, and he finally went past Taura Lad to the van at. the turn into the straight. Vitaphone challenged him below the last fence, but he was not seriously troubled to win by a length and a half. Taura Lad was third casing up six lengths behind Vitaphone, and next to finish were Ramanu, Pahu, and Ruanui. In such appalling conditions it was only to be expected that the horses would slip into their fences, but there were no falls. Adventus was always going like the winner over the last half circuit, and his jumping was superior to that of anything

else in the race. Vitaphone's fencing was not so good, but he had the speed on the flat. Pahu, always well tailed oft' til) Waring thfc finish, Iran much below his Woodville form, his fresh rider (W. J. Bowden) appearing to take matters very easy on him at the back of the field. Kuanui, after getting into most of his fences, tired half a mile from home. Taura Lad went his best race to date. ANOTHER FAVOURITE WINS. Another win favourite came home in the Kuku Maiden Race when Mercian Prince fairly easily accounted for his opponents. As in the previous race, however, he was hot the place selection, this honour going to the two-year-old Stadium, who was strangely only sixth fancy straight gut. Mercian Prince was always in a winning position behind tlie leading bunch, which comprised Boon, Stadium, and Te Rangitumau in line in that order out from the rail till the straight was attained. There Boon momentarily drew out, but Mercian Prince came through in challenge, and., quickly reaching him, left him over the last furlong to win easily by three lengths. The winner has been unlucky not to leave maiden class previously, especially when just beaten recently in a highweight at Feilding. He is a big three-year-old gelding by Mercian King owned by the starter, Mr. H, E. Connop, and he is likely to pay his way among the hacks. Boon once again was just so good but not quite good enough. He began well and had every chance. After Money was always near the winner, in the running, and she came home well into third place a couple of lengths behind Boon. Te Ua also finished strongly, being a close fourth after haying run in from the outside to the rail in the straight. Dignified March, Stadium, Secrecy, Aryan Beauty, Te Rangitumau, and First View were nearest of the others. The nature of the track may be gauged from the fact that the six furlongs took lmin 26see to run. WEST TOR'S SURPRISE. West Tor, of whom very little has been seen since he won at Masterton in the spring at his first start, came from the clouds in the Waitohu Hack Handicap to take the race off Foreign Queen, just as Voitre was counting on having added another point towards his riding record. He was a quiet fancy in certain quarters, but, although he was backed down to third favouritism straight out, the support for Foreign Queen and Slippery enabled him to pay double figures. ' West Tor was last except for Aroma most of the way to the straight, where his chance looked forlorn, for Foreign Qiieen, Arena, and Slippery were a, long way ahead of the others, and, excepting the- tiring Arena, looked like going on with it. Foreign Queen had soon disposed of Slippery, but below the halfdistance West Tor began to fly over the ground'over near the rail and he had caught the leader and was a length and a half ahead before they reached the post. Slippery, nearly three lengths away, just beat Arena for third place, and after a gap. were Aroma, Golden Chant, and Clangor. . . It was a phenomenal effort by the winner, who seemed to find no bother with the going. He is a three-year-old brown gelding who was sent over to last year's Trentham sales from Mr. E. A. Haley's Tekoona Stud, New South Wales, and he was purchased for 55 guineas by Mr. W. Cooper, of Masterton, who is racing him. He is by the Sir Eager horse East Tor (a close relative to Valais), and his dam is the Redfern mare Regent Street, a full-sister to Korokio and Fernden. He has in the past been afflicted with a chronic lameness after gallops on . the tracks, and this is why he has been so seldom produced as yet. B. Burgess trains him at Opaki. Foreign Queen went an excellent race out in front, and there was no disgrace in her final defeat, as the winner^ run through the heavy mud would have beaten very much better horses than she is. Slippery was moving back at the start, but he immediately received a run along the rail and afterwards had every chance. Arena appeared beaten at the straight entrance, but she came again nearly to catch Slippery before the post was reached. Clangor failed hopelessly in the heavy going. STABLE'S SECOND WIN. Kalmuck, running a similar race to what his stablemate, West Tor, had done earlier in the day, came home strongly from a long way back, in the Otaki Hack Handicap to give the apprentice, C. Carroll, his second success for the day. It was an excellent effort, Kalmuck passing the others in. the last furlong as though they were standing. . - Kotaki Eka, beginning fast from the outside fence, quickly settled down in front, and out of the straight and into the back he was followed by Ida Merling, Palace, Shootist, Beacorisfield, Chief Line. Plateau, and Kalmuck. Palace improved a place at the half-mile, but he was weakening nearing the straight, where Kotaki Eka was still just in charge from Ida Merling and Shootist, with Plateau handy and Kalmuck running up through the field. Ida Merling was the first to cut down the pace-maker, but she soon yielded to Shootist, *who in turn proved unable to cope with Kalmuck", who won by over two lengths. Shootist was half a length in front of Ida Merling, with Kotaki Eka close up, then Red Flush, Plateau, Palace, and Chief Line. The winner has been finishing well in all his recent races, and the heavy track evidently suited him. Shootist looked the likely victor fifty yards off the post, but over the last bit he was doing little better than going up and down. Ida Merling also was able to make little headway at the end. The judge placed Palace third, and it was not till some time afterthat he altered the placings. Ida Merling's backers, however, received the dividend. Kotaki Eka, started on. the outside, went well to the straight, but then weakened out of it on the torn-up coins down the home stretch. Plateau, though moving up on the- turn, was also unable to handle the going in the straight. WITHOUT MUCH TROUBLE. Dick Whittington made amends for his narrow defeat at Woodville last week by beating a much reduced field of five runners in the Te Horo Hack Handicap without serious difficulty. Voitre had him always within striking range of the pacemaking St. Roger, and he brought him along in the straight to score comfortably by a couple of lengths. The win lifted Voitre's season tally to only one short of H. Gray's Dominion record. It was one of the few successes that Dick Whittington, a five-year-old gelding by Solferino, has yet registered, but he is always knocking about the money and he may come quite useful yet, as the Solferinos require a lot of time. St. Roger, now racing in the colours of Mr. J.- Wilkinson and trained at Otaki by A. M. Wright, went surprisingly well, as it was *his first race since the gprirnr, when Mr. H. Murphy owned him. Ho has been back in work only a very short time. Walton Park, third only half a length back, came home well, just as his two stablemates, West tor and Kalmuck, had earlier in the day, and he would have been second had the post been a few yards further on. Redtop was a fair fourth, but he had every chance, being on the rail throughout. Minstrel Lad, the favourite, made a likely move when he went up to Dick Whittinftton on the turn, but ho stopped in the straight. TURNOVER AND RESULTS. The totalisator handled £4489 10s for the day, compared with £10,557 10s on the first day last year, which was the holiday, and £5722 15s on the second day. a Saturday but the off day. Results were:— Tararua Hack Hurdles, of 00 sots ; 1 '~•• miles.—l-2 Advcntus, 10.4 (31. H. Klcol), 1; 4-4 Vltnphone, 9.4, 2; 5-5 Taura Lad, car. 9.2, 3. Also started: 3-3 P.ihu 11.2, 2-1 Riinmit 9.12, 4-4 Capetown 9.2 (brackoted with Vitaphone), 7-7 Te Hekenga car. 9.1, 8-8 Itamanu 9.0, 5-3 Sir lied car. 9.2. Time, 3m!n 17see. Kuku Maiden Flat Race, of 60 soys; weights 8.10 and 8.0; 0 furlongs.—l-2 Mercian Prince, 8.10 (S. Anderson). 1; 2-4 Boon, 8.10, 2; 3-3 After Money, 8.0, 3. Also started: 4-."> Dignified March 8.10, B-G Whetu-ma 8.10. 5-8 Te llungitumau S.lO, 12-12 Star Acre 8.10,

8-0 Te Ma S.lO, 10-11 l.'ahiko S.lO, 13-10 Aryan Beauty car. 5.4, 0-1 Stadium 8.0, 11-10 First View 8.0, 9-7 Secrecy 8.0. Time, lmln 2Gsee. Wnitohu Hack- nnndlcm.. of SO soys; C fur-longs.—3-G West Tor, car. i'.t (C. Carroll), 1; 1-1 Forel«n (Jucen, 5.4. 1 ; 2-2 Slippery. 9.r>, 3. Also started: 4-5 Clangor 9.1. 7-3 Arena 5.12, 6-7 Golden Chant 18.1, 5-4 Aroma 7.3. Time, lmln 22scc. KAUKAWA CUP, of 17,'TaoTs; IVi miles. S—S—Retract, 8.7 (G. TUV. fwny) 1 7—7—Copper King, car. 5,\7 (K. Glading) 2 I—3—Lucky Alice, ear. S.:\ (B. H. Morris) 3 Also started: 9-9 Kmlnei'irt S.lO. D-0 Spearfu) 8.3, 4-4 Little Doubt 7.13;. 3-2 Courtyard oar. 7.9, 2-1 Navaho car. 7.2, ,0-5 Cape Fair car. 7.7. Time, 2min 15 1-53 >c. Otaki Hack Handicap, -cif 80 soys; 1 milo and 55 yards.—4-3 Kalmuck, ear. 7.7 (C. Carroll), 1; 6-7 Shootist, uar. 7.9, 2; 2-1 Ida Merllng, 8.3, 3. Also htnrtcd: 1-2 Plateau 8 11 9-9 Palace 8.3, 5-4 ]Kotaki Eka car. 7.13, 3-5 Chief Line car. 8.1, 8-8 Beaconsneld 7.10, 6-0 Bed Flush 7.0, 10-10 Flaslon car. 7.1. Time, lmln 09 1-Cisce. Hula Handicap, of 110 isovs; 0 furlongs.— 3-2 Farmer, car. 7.10 (K. Voitre), 1; 2-3 All Humbug, 9.0, 2; 7-7 Sir- Pombal car i.4, 3. Also started: 4-4 The Tiger. S.S, 1-1 Good Hunting 5.5. S-S Playground ear. 7.13, 0-6 Lyrical car. 7.1, 5-5 Leisu.ic 7.0. Time, lmm 24sec. To Horo Hurts Handicap,! of 80 soys; 6 fur-longs.—2-2 Dick Whtttlngton, 8.4 (X.Goitre), 1; 3-5 St. Roger, 8.11, 2 i 3-3 Walton Park, 8 6 3 Also started: 1-X Minstrel Lad 9.2, 4-4 Rcdtop 8.3. Time, drain 41scc.