WELLINGTON FIELDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1937, Page 13

WELLINGTON FIELDS

DROP, IN ENTRIES

QUALITY, HOWEVER, HIGH

Entries for the Wellington Racing Club's Autumn Meeting, to be held on Thursday and Saturday, March 11 and 13 were taken up till yesterday, and in View of the considerably. increased stakes that have been provided and the number of horses at present in ■commission they must be regarded as decidedly disappointing in point 01 quantity, though they are well up.to the high Trentham standard in point of quality. It is probable that the rather earlier date of the meeting this year and the early Easter are factors that have contributed to the decline m nominations. . . ~ The entries are the smallest m the last few years for this meeting. At a three-day fixture last year the average was 189 a day, and this" year the average is only 145. Two years ago, at a two-day meeting, the average was 157. The falling-oil is general, every race on the first day, for- instance, excepting the Thompson ■ Handicap, having drawn a smaller entry, and the Thompson number is the same as twelve months ago. The biggest decline is in the hack, highweight, and trial events, which tends to throw some doubt on the club's recent policy of advancing the stakes in the minor events in greater proportion than in the major events, a policy that it has always been contended is not in the best interests of successful racing. GOOD ACCEPTANCE LIKELY. Though'the fields may not be quite so large next month as usual, the class that will be at Trentham is of a quality that should assure the expected success to the meeting in general. It is now probable that the big majority of the horses who have been nominated will also be acceptors. The principal handicaps hay filled satisfactorily. In the Thompson Handicap are Silver Ring and Freisland, who were first and second last year, also most of the" best nailers in the Dominion at present. The Autumn Handicap on the. second day has similarly attracted as excellent a response as could be desired. The open sprints are of similar quality and dimensions to last year's. There look like being only about half a dozen runners at most in the St. Leger Stakes, but that would be better than last year's three, and the promised clash between Wild Chase and Martara will in itself: be one of the feature items of the season. The highpriced two-year-old Courtcraft is among the entries for the juvenile handicaps, but an indication that he may not be required to tackle classic company this season is given in his withdrawal from the Challenge Stakes on the second day, in which the stable has left Francis Drake and Relative in preference. Francis Drake and Haughty Winner are due to have their first meeting in this race. the'list of entries. The list of the nominations is as follows:— . FIRST DAY. Himu Highweight Handicap, £300; li miles. —Red Sun, Wananga, Brigadore, Bumble, Lady Wessex, Black Fox, Spender, Beau Gallante, Soho, Revival, Tail Light, Laggard. Trial Plate, £300; 7 furlongs—Good Sun, Myriam, Waitohu, Southern Blood, Peacock, Rapa Waiata, Gay Artist. Galteemore, Haupangi, Nelumbo. Sunbeam. Pacific Handicap, £500; for two-year-olds; 6 furlongs.—Royal Chief, Haughty Winner, Night Dress, Mulato, ' Lazybones, Screamer, The Crooner, Smoke Screen, Courtcraft, Relative, Top Row, Greenwich, Airam,. Barricade, Accomplice, Nuclei, Only One, Mother-in-Law. The Thompson Handicap, £750; 1 mile.—Master Cyklon, Brazen King, Trench Fight, Paper Slipper, Haut Monde, Entail, Rona Bay, Silver Ring, Travenna, Taitoru, Plato, Arctic King, Friesland, Loweu^erg, Alby, Mandamus, Chief Ranger, Laughing Lass, Dungarvan, Epris, Triune, Davolo, Big Dook, Darecourt, Debham, Deficit, ,Pukeko, Sir Nigel, Pladie, Knockim, Concertpitch. .. ' , ■ ' ; Tinakori Jaack Handicap, £30.0; 7 furlongs.—Collodion, Imposture, Gay Hunter, Wahohu, Barley Almond, Earl Colossus, The Bigot, Reipar, Hunting Step, Sea Wrack, Alunga, Old Surrey, Sunny Blonde, Maestro, Sanhedrim, Laggard, Terry, ■ Raepata. Railway Handicap, £450; 6 furlongs.—Friesland, Spiral, Gold Boa, Karl, Laughing Lass, Sansfoy, Dungarvan, Ben Braggie, Flammarion, Triune, Darecourt, Acceptable, Deficit, Peter Beckford, Hunting Mars, Knockfin, Silverstream Hack Handicap, £300; 1 mile.—Rousseau, Stratosphere, The Buzzer, Reipar, Hunting Step, Sea ■Wrack, Catalogue, Roaming, Lady Siegfried, Sanhedrim, Lucullus Lad, Raepata. „ ~ After payment of forfeit the following remain in the New Zealand St. Leger Stakes, £400; for three-year-olds; 15- miles.—Martara, Wild Chase, Sheeny, Cerne Abbas, Mandamus, jSiegmund, Flying Chief, Impact, KiridS^sart. ■ ■ ■ SECOND DAT. Ngaio Highweight Handicap, £300; 1J miles.—Red Sun, Wananga,, Brigadore, Bumble, Earl Colossus, Black Fox ■ Spender, Beau Gallante, Raupangi, Soho, Revival, Tail Light, WindPlunket Nursery. Handicap, £350; fbr two-year-olds; 5 furlongs.—Night Dress, Mulatto, Lazybones, Screamer, St. Cedric, The Crooner, Smoke Screen, Peach King, Courtcraft, Relative, Geira, Top Row, Greenwich, Airam, Barricade, Son and Heir, Accomplice, Raroa, Nuclei, Only One, Mother-in-Law, Lord Quex —Arizona f. . The North Island Challenge Stakes, £500; 7 furlongs.—Francis Drake, Namakia, Lady Portland, Paper Slipper, Haughty Winner, Relative, Royal Chief, Smoke Screen, The Crooner, Silver Ring, Pantoon, The Duel. . Autumn Handicap, £600; 1 mile and S. furlongs'.—Master Cyklon, Wild Chase, Argentic, Haut Monde, Spiral, Entail, Rona Bay, Silver Ring, Sunee, . Travenna, Taitoru, Arctic King, Lowenberg, Martara, Alby, Mandamus, Hazoor, Queen of Song, Chief Ranger, Last Refrain, Davolo, Big Doqk, Debham, Korero, Geitel. Pukeko. Sir Nigel, Pladie, Tunneller.

Champion Hack Cup Handicap, £500; 1 mile and 3 furlongs.—Brazen Kmg, Cerne" Abbas, Wananga, Gay Hunter, Kousseau, Barley Almond, Lady Wessex, Earl Colossus, Stratosphere, The Buzzer, 'Reipar, Spender, Eapa Waiata, Sea Wrack, Old Surrey, . Catalogue, Soho, Roaming, Revival, Maestro; Lady Siegfried; Sanhedrim, Laggard, Terry, Eaepata, Lucullus Lad. Suburban Handicap, £450; 6 furlongs.—Karl, Gold Boa, Laughing Lass, Sansfoy, • Dungaryan, Ben Braggie, Triune, Flammarion, Darecourt, Acceptable, Deficit, Peter Beckford, Hunting Mars, Knockfin. Emissary. Belmont Hack Handicap, £300; 6 furlongs.—Collodion, Imposture, Good Sun, Myriam, Waitohu, The Bigot, Peacock, Rapa Waiata, Hunting Step, Gay Artist, Galteemore, Sea Wrack, Alunga, Haupangi,. Old Surrey, Catalogue, Sunny Blonde, Nelumbo, Sunbeam. Hutt Handicap, £400; 1 •mile.— Trench Fight, Plato, Haut Monde, Entail, Rona Bay, Travenna, Arctic King, Gay Hunter. Friesland, Alby, Mandamus, Chief Ranger, Dungarvan, Epris, Triune, Big Dook, Beau Gallante, Darecourt, Deficit, Debham, Pukeko, Sir Nigel, Pladie, Sanhedrim, Siegmund, Concertpitch.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Punter."—G., £2 19s 6d; P. 0., £1 11s

6d; M., £2 12s. "Argument."—The totalisator, as dis- . tinct from the pari mutuel, was 1 first devised in New; Zealand by a man named Ekberg, and it was first used at a-.Canterbury Jockey, Club's Meetingiearlyjiin.llßßo/"' ' _.'