REAL VETERANS' DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 47, 24 February 1934, Page 21

REAL VETERANS' DAY

THURSDAY AT WOODVILLE

VERTIGERN STILL GOING

The success of two veterans, Yertigern »nd Aston both imported hoises, was the feature of the racing in the open events on the. concluding day of the

Woodville Meeting on Thursday. These two

horses are both ten years old, and were • it .not that the AVoodville opposition was exceedingly^ poor their wins might speak very little indeed for the merit of the Dominion's present younger generation of racing thoroughbreds. As it was not much lieed need be given their success, except that-it is rather strange that open laces with fair stakes could not provide better fields to contest them. It is not intended by this in any way , ,to detract from the merit of these' horses' performances, for each is still capable of succeeding in quite good company, but one wonders what the open, fields, at Woodvillc might have been if they and other veterans had not been so ready to step out and make some, sort of contests out of them. • Vertigern lias proved himself during his jfull nine seasons' racing to be a very fine and solid stamp of thoroughbred, and the Dominion's racingl record Svoultl have been the poorer if he had never loft Australian shoies In neaily e\eiy season he has beenva. substantial •stakc-wninei, and he letams his \itality and galloping ability m marked degiee. E\eu though theie .was no real meat m his Thmsday's wm, it cannot be o\ei looked that he has gone 3ie.ii succeeding %v othei occasions in Kood company this teim, ami i few imthcr successes weie oulv liv, deceits What a full caieei Veitigeni lias had may be indicated simply m the statement that hi? has already had 114 starts, iv New Zealand and Austialio, Them ate not many horses on. the. records-who have ..been laced more. He whs fust stepped out as a two-jear-old, imining second to fepode at Irentham, at his .initial slait, and since then.lie has won many important laces, including the Wellington, Awapuni, Taranaki, Fcilding, and AJ.C. Summer Cups. His racing recoid and winnings aio given in the following table:—

:: Until'iie was'eightVyears -old Vertigern ; was raced; first by the late Sir. C.'Elgar, and'then'by Mrß:{Elgar ) and most of his .:Ne'w, .'triumph* veuve irr the' well-' .known-tangerine- jacket. --: ■■"'■■■ ' ■ :.. V As: a. yearling lie .was" purchased by Sir. •Jilgar :f,pi;:,BOP.;,guineas,at .the Sydney autumn, sales in 1925,, and he was at first ;trainecl;by p;.,E. Hazelman. When, Mrs. lMgar : . retired from, racing he was bought by his present part-p\yner,' W. D. Mproricy, wHb.'had" beeir training* the Elgar 'horses Mince'lß26. y'MbVoney had planndd'-an. Australian'trip^ withhim,' and; in partner-ship-with his father-in-law, ,Mr. G. A; ;-Vincent, •he paced. -[■■■i him -.in New- -South Wales,-..•yictovij>, [ ;and: South Australia for seven ■oi--.eigh,t.. I nionths during .-1831 'and '.J932 .winning. the. Valuable .' Summer. ~,Cup , (13 .furlongs) .'at Randwick and an irapovtant ' 11-fuiTpng: handicap at Caulfield 'as -well as gaining^a-second in .the "V.R.C King's Plate and a third iti:ithe Adelaide -Ctrr^r.^rhis'.'sea'son th^ old-gelding made'a owelcpme Reappearance after a lengthy-Test ■at--.Car.te,rßbn .ifti'Novenabert'' {^'■■:.:-'ohrii{ I .-. ■ 'Yes tigejjn - : : is > a -good example. o£~ - liow (lardy the ,Eqssendale ; horses cun be... On ibreeding.aie.is. essentially..a midclle-distance : t liorse i; . Hiajipain-:lines are ,as follows:—

.- :.:,Sire: : ,■ Hossendnlt, imported black horee ■- by , St. .Frusqujii^pn, of. .St., .Sirnou) .from .-Jlenda ■ -A-,«W ,t0 ™r-, F rar idam: of Jfight:liaicl)V.'by ■GalUniile- (son -of " Isonomy).■.,;fr6m i Glhro (grandam of Prince Palatine, winner of S3G 851 I ia stakes and sold for .£40,000}, by Ayrsbiro (son-.6t'Hamptpri) from Footltght, by; Crembrne • from-Tarafßh- (ancestress also of1 Heroicr 3fa'cPie, Syce;-.'etc.)-. .'Family: No.; 1. '■ ■ ■■■'■<•*• • Dm,:: Pansy,, a : bay--nmrD who was never raced and,was imported to Australia especially for : the' stud, -by Polymelua • (son of Cyllehe) •"ftom^Rousseau's Dreamy by Saraband (son of 3 Mimcaster). from-nelqlss -(sister to Oahs and Guineas winner Thebias, and -tQ Guineas winner .&t r Marguerite,- dam .of ..Tredennis), by.Hermit ;(son .of (Newminster)' ftom Devotion,, by, Stock,iFamHy v well.. V No. 4> ' • • ■;•', ■ • . • ■•

Siy recoid is sufficient to show that staving -is his strength, despite the fact „that, he loafed all the way to. win on Thursday, buj^ tlio '\Vood\illo field was of little present account. His onl> success at weight-foi-age has been m the Awapuni Oold Cup, but Foi the mam he has confined bis 'attention t6 the handicaps,.* He . caines his age icmaikably well, indeed ievr would guebs he is ten jears old to Jook at him, and perhaps his winning lecord ii still some nay oft being closed.

' . Starts. Wins. Stakes. £ At 2 years. « 9 . 1 120 At 3 years 23 3 all At .4-years ,'..;..: 20 « 1781 At 5 years ...... ltt 4 2160 At 6 years 17 1 1023 At 7 years 23 , , i IoSO At 8 years In New Zealand t — 5 ■In Australia .. 23 2 137B At 9 years 1 — At 10 years 11 — ' 213 -"" .114 22 £9074