ON VERY HIGH PLANE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 140, 10 December 1935, Page 6

ON VERY HIGH PLANE

RACING IN AUSTRALIA

H. B. LORIGAN'S OPINION

The opinion that racing is on a very high plane at present in Australia is voiced by the trainer H. B. Lorigan, who returned to the Dominion from Sydney on the Monowai yesterday. "The class is extra good evert at provincial meetings such as Gosford and Menagle, and a horse has to be really fit and well, besides possessing ability above the average of other years, to win," Mr. Lorigan added. "This is the paramount reason explaining the failures of New Zealand horses in Australia during the past year." Mr. Lorigan was formerly a wellknown Dominion trainer, his principal patron being Mr. R. J. Murphy, for whom he prepared such horses as Oratrix, Concentrate, Gesture, etc. He also trained Mr. H. Murphy's horses, including Cimabue. He made several trips to Australia for these patrons. Three and a half years ago he decided to set up training on his own account at Randwick, where he received a No. 1 licence. At first he was successful, but luck later turned, and then he had a breakdown in health, from which he has only recently recovered.

Mr. Lorigan some months ago decided that he would like to return to his native Dominion. He still owns his former stables at Trentham, and he has now come back to resume possession of them. He brought, over two horses whom he owns himself, and he intends to race them in the Dominion during the next few months. He is still uncertain whether he will settle here permanently. The two horses he has brought are Geitel and an unnamed maiden. The former is a four-year-old brown mare by Blankney II from the Cyklon mare Soa's Daughter, and she has won only one race, early last season. The other is a threei-year-old bay gelding by Tippler from the Roger di Busli mare Lady Busli and he has yet to race. The horses did not have the best of trips, especially the mare who got down several times and knocked a lot of skin off herself. The mare has lightened up, but she is well put together and apparently was fit before she left. The gelding is still big and will require a fair amount of work to muscle him up. Geitel may be entered for Wairarapa, where she will race if she is deemed sufficiently recovered.

Besides the members of the team he was racing for a time for the late Mr. V. Riddiford, the best horse Mr. Lorigan had in Sydney was Frimsel (Grand Knight—Rachel), but she proved a veritable paragon of ill luck. She was three times early a winner, but then she ran eleven seconds, on many occasions being just beaten. He sold her early in the year to go to the stud. ■ • ■=

Mr. Lorlgan's advice to Dominion owners is that they should not send horses over to Sydney at present unless they are really good. And even the good sprinter is not much use, unless he be a maiden and that is the only success aimed at. The only type of good horse that has a chance of paying his way just now is the weight-for-age. performer or the true stayer. It is only.sin these two departments that there is any present weakness in the racehorses of the Commonwealth; -v:,.;■■"■'? - ■.'.■■ ■.■••■. ■ ■