BLUE BOY'S IMPROVEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 138, 12 June 1936, Page 13

BLUE BOY'S IMPROVEMENT

In recent years it has become very common for the novice jumpers to win the Hawke's Bay Hurdles, and yesterday's race, with Blue Boy the victor, confirmed the present rule. Last year the winner Koyal Banquet was having his first start in the role, and Emotion and Miss Hastings, the winners the previous two years, were also without much experience. Blue Boy made his debut as a hurdler at Foxton less than a fortnight ago, when he ran an excellent rage and finished fourth. At Otaki last week he went hack to flat racing, finishing fourth and impressing as one capable of doing better on the first day, but failing unaccountably to make any showing whatever on the second day. It was thought then that his hurried racing after being > only a short time up from, a spell might have given him a setback, but this explanation has now been rather ruled out by his ability to win yesterday's hurdles. It was Blue Boy's first win in the colours of Mr. J. C. Wilkinson, of Wellington, who recently leased him from Mr. E. N. Grenside and handed him to A. M. Wright to train. Priorly he had been off the scene for eighteen months. He is still in the rough to look at and ha should therefore be susceptible to continuing improvement. As far as can be recalled he is the first son of Gainscourt to go over fences, and he is at least the first winner. RECORD HURDLING TIMES Although the 3min 36 4-ssec recorded by .Clarion Call in winning the Revnuera Hurdles at the recent Auckland Meeting was a record for two miles over hurdles in the Dominion, it is not an Australian and New Zealand record. The fastest figures for the distance were recorded by Blackford in winning the Pines Hurdles at Flemington on February 29 last, the day on which the Newmarket Handicap _ was run, his time of 3min 34tsec being not only an Australian record, but also a world's record. On the final day of the same meeting Blackford won the Autumn Hurdles in the course record time of 4niin 34sec for 2i miles. This is much faster time than Prince of Orange's ■Jmin 41sec for the recent Great Northern Hurdles, which lowered the record Cor that race by eight seconds. In spite of these brilliant times Blrckford is well down in the early quotations for the Victorian Grand National Hurdles next month. ENGLISH HORSES FAIL Several of the horses imported to Australia from England, last year were expected to earn winning honours on the Turf prior to going to the stud, but Manitoba, by Manna, and Berestoi, by Beresford, the only ones that were called upon to carry silk, failed to score. The former was not long persevered with; and Berestoi, who it was fondly hoped might win a good race, has now been withdrawn. In regard to Berestoi, it is stated that he suffered an injury when contesting the Melbourne .Cup, which is given as the cause of his retirement from the racetrack. Plymouth Sound, a son of Coronach, who is included with the English-bred horses imported to Australia this year, is referred to in eulogistic terms as a horse likely to distinguish himself in high-class company next season.. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. •M.S."—F.G.. £1 2s and £2 Us Gd. "Wager."—F.G., .£2 lis Gd; T.S., 19s. "Inquirer."—Sunny Sky, under 7.10, won the Cornwall Handicap jri