AN UNUSUAL TREBLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 81, 3 October 1938, Page 13

AN UNUSUAL TREBLE

THE OTAKI MEETING

"LUCKY" MR. DEVON'S DAY

Though the weather beyond the Paekakariki Hill was dull and decidedly threatening, a brilliantly fine morning in Wellington assisted in attracting an -excellent crowd to the Otaki Maori "Racing Club's Spring Meeting at Otaki on-Saturday. If there had not been such a disappointing parade for the hurdle event, which drew a pool of . less than £.1000, the club would have -been well ahead with its turnover. As it was 'it finished up not far behind last year's total. - ■ .The racing was always interesting, with form working out satisfactorily in most instances and the generally large fields returning better dividends than are customary at Otaki fixtures. Cohort's surprise win in the maiden event produced one of the largest dividends paid on the course for many The principal honour was taken by Lucullus Lad, who led from end to end M the Ling . Memorial . Stakes. His owner's colours were also carried to success by Colfort in the maiden event and by Gay Chou in the open seven, atreble performance most unusual in prSnt-day racing the Dominion. The three hofsesrare trained at Opaki by A. Jenkins, who also rode all three. Trentham stables made a better Showing than at recent meetings, and t^o wins came their way through the agency of Southern Blood and Whue Lady. THOUSAND-GUINEA WINNER. The 1000-guinea Australian purchase Golfort stepped out to win the Puhi Maiden Plate at his first stait as a three-year-old. As a juvenile last season he was troubled with soreness, and he was not in the money in five appearances. His connections quietly fancied him on Saturday, but he nevertheless paid over a quarter of a centiJ Colfort jumped out smartly with Floral Robe and h? was never headed. Entering the. straight he drew clear and he-then hung on to withstand chat lenges from Chere Amie and Punarua %llto?£'nov? three years old is a ■u-v mit by Melfort, a son of the Australia for Colfort. dends. . +vrpp>-vear-old halfSS&t S theSSe W stage S . Snigger *^A VEBSATM PEBFOttMEft. mmm $te™iffcferh Blood was a winner over fe4nf Hurdles atg the Wellington fhe last five, furlongs, but Southern So stops quickly when given, the pance. Except for one fence he stSS^me set off at a strong pace and opened a wide gap. He knocked down the third fence, but still kept going, though he had not the steminl of the winner It was a promising debut in the role. He is a stablemate of Strolling under C. J. Thomson's charge at Awapuru. Otaki never looked like being m the money if the others stood up. A FUTILE CHASE. -Bowling along in his .usual free style outin.iront, Lucullus Lad ledl his> opponents a futile chase in the Ling Memorial Stakes. When Dorado ran uo -to.his outer quarters on the home turn his supporters were not too happy with themselves, for the- black horse Often stops under such attentions; but on this occasion Dorado was unable to maintain the pressure and Lucullus Lad was left to himself again, which Was all he needed to go on to easy victory. Lucullus Lad had the going to suit hUti as well as nothing in the field Capable of seriously taking him on, and under these conditions he is always a difficult horse to pull back. He won first up for the season out clear at Wanganui, but at Foxton he compounded badly when Happy Landing took him on and maintained the pressure. , . . It was the second success during the day for Mr. W. Devon, who paid 500 guineas for. Lucullus Lad a little over twelve months ago. However, Lucullus JLiad. was the favourite for the Ling Memorial and not at any such fancy price as Colfort was. . Dprado owed his second placing to being more forward than the others. It did not suit him, however; having the role thrust upon him of being the liorse to go after Lucullus Lad. He succeeded in just reaching the leaders tjuarters two furlongs from home but he was unable to sustain.his bid for supremacy further. Good Sun, though scratchy, came home resolutely from the rear when ■warned up, and he was fast catching Dorado at the post. The easy track assisted him, though, when free of soreness, he prefers it firm. Boomerang ran a useful race first up and will do better shortly. Siegmund, not at home on the turning track, will also £>c racing more conspicuously before joujg. Galteemore was not disgraced, ;

as, like Boomerang, he was having his first start this term. VADANOE BACK IN FORM. J After two inconspicuous performances at his first outings since resuming, Vadanoe revealed improved form to win the Pahiko Hack Handicap trom start to finish. At Foxton recently he was eleventh favourite in a field of a dozen, and at Marton he was fourteenth favourite in a field of seventeen, but, though he made no showings on those occasions, he was backed down to fourth favouritism on Saturday, which gave a good pointer to those who were studying the machine. Vadanoe won decisively. Colleen Gam accompanied him to the straight, but then he drew out clear and easily stalled off. a claim from Mother-in-Law. I Now four years old, Vadanoe is a brown gelding by the Valais horse Vaals from the Kilbroney—Glen Helen mare Idanoe, a descendant of Madowla, one of the stoutest foundations of the Stonyhurst Stud. The family was brought to the North Island when Glen Helen was secured by the Waikanae Stud from the late Sir George Clifford. Vadanoe runs in the interests of his breeders, Messrs. A. and A. Harrison, of Mangaweka, for whom he is now trained at Awapuni by G. W. New. His only win last season was at Trentham on Wellington Cup Day. Mother-in-Law, who had run prominently; to the turn in the hack middle-distance event at Foxton, was always handy over Saturday's shorter journey, and she secured second dividend by nearly a length from the favourite, Rowana.

Rowana was not helped by the start, as she was standing quiet while the others were dancing around, and the result was that she was badly placed when the field settled down. She put in a late claim out on the track, but had to come from too far back to reach a dividend.

Lady Melfort was also running on well in fourth place, but she was able to come by the shortest route. Colleen Gain failed to hold her place in the dash to the post. Haile Selassie, also not well served in the dispatch, was forced to go over a lot of ground, and was very wide making the straight. Greek Anna ran his likeliest race yet, and the imported horse Royal Star II was recovering lost ground at the death. Lady Lyric and Diamond Cutter were handy to the leaders till the straight. Race-Boy was caught backing out at the start, which settled his. chance. AT THE BIGHT END. Rustem, improving on his fourth at Marton the previous, week, finished all over his opposition in the Katihiku Hack Handicap. He was six or seven places back till the straight, but W. J. Broughton then brought him along, and he ran in full of dash to score by a couple of lengths from the betterfancied Trebor.

Rustem does not win out of his turn, as his only success last season was at Marton in July, but there have been times when he has shown ability that should take him further. He is a six-year-old chestnut half-brother by Colossus to those useful performers Maui and Arikira, and he also carries the same colours, those of his breedertrainer, Mr. V. E. Bryant, of Foxton. Trebor filled the role of runner-up for the second time in two starts this season, so his return to the winners' list should not be long delayed. He began well from the inner, but lost his position in the middle stages, and had to shift out on the track in the straight. However, no other excuse is possible1 for him, as the winner came from behind him.

Earl Colossus was with Trebor practically throughout and ran on best of the others. Son and Heir, who headed off Nereus/on reaching the straight, weakened into fourth. The padepoaking Nereus tired mto fifth. At the head of the others was Flying Acre, who came brilliantly from a hopeless position at the rear on the home turn. Merryman, Silver Fox, and Accomplice ran fair races among the rest. Sunny Blonde and Prediction were badly placed when the field settled down. A TREBLE COMPLETED. Gay Chou completed a treble for Mr "Lucky" Devon when he led practically from barrier-rise m the Hema Te Ao Handicap. Mr. Devon had four horses at the meeting, Colfort, Lucullus Lad, Gay Chou, and Nereus, and the first three were his winners, it was an unusual performance on a pro- j vincial track in the North Island. Gay Chou, an aged son of the Gayj Crusader horse Gay Lothario, was bought in Australia during the winter by Mr. Devon for 425 guineas, and he was a winner in Sydney first up in his new colours. He was a class performer before his sale, his successes including the Doomben Newmarket Handicap, and it was surprising to find New Zealand handicappers starting him off at 9.0 at his first appearance here, then dropping him lib after each of his two starts prior to Saturday, though he had run third in both of them. • The only horse who ever really looked like menacing Gay Chou on Saturday was the three-year-old Surmount, who' went with him a couple of lengths out clear of the rest. In the straight, however, better seasoning, as well as a nice handicap, stood to the older horse. Surmount stripped well and the race should do him a power of good. Meamea.came home best of the remainder for third. A sharp run round the field on the home turn took him up handy to the leaders, but in the straight he was unable to reach much further. He is another horse who is worth remembering for coming events. Old Surrey was third to the straight, but just lost that placing to Meamea. Cricket came from several places back for fifth. Silver River and Alunga, handy on the turn, failed to run on, Alunga stopping badly. Arctic King was nearer at the post than at any other stage. Dungarvan was first out, but he slowly dropped back. SLOWING-UP TACTICS. Amatory succeeded in slowing up the field almost from the start of thej Mema Champion Hack Handicap, and! when the others attempted to pull him | back from the top of the straight they found that he had too much in reserve to be caught He had failed with the same tactics at Marton. but that race j in him enabled him to carry thej gamble through on Saturday. Amatory, won a couole of middledistance races last season, but on each occasion the time was relatively slow. A four-year-old chestnut gelding, he is a son of the Tea Tray horse Kiosk, who is now a premium stallion, and he is out of the Glenullin—Lady Obligado mare Gold Peak, who descends from the Woodstock taproot. He has done all his racing in the colours of Messrs. E. A. and L. McD. Carvell, who do their own training at Wanganui.

Lustral, going his best race for some time, was second or third all the way, and, though Barley Almond came up and headed him in the straight, he made a late stab that got him back for second. The slow pace did not suit Barley | Almond, as it negatived her final briljliance. Iddo finished on best of the others for a moderate fourth. Revival and Raroa, who each moved up in the middle stages, were forced out wide i on the turn and could not improve further when the pace was increased. Warehi dropped out in the straight. FIRST UP FOR TERM. White Lady repeated her last seai son's feat of winning first time up for I the term when she took charge after] a furlong in the Tuari Hack Handicap and carried on to score by a length from Free Gold. It was her first start since the autumn, and she has now won twice in four appearances. White Lady was the third Australianbred winner during the day. She is a three-year-old well-made chestnut filly by Tippler from the Valais—Beanbri mare Valley, a sister to" Valwyne, a useful performer in Victoria,- and a member of the same family as that to which Patron (Melbourne Cup), Patroness (Sydney Cup), Belgambra /"+i>;rVla Bt T .aaav urinnorl and nlsn tViP

White Lady was the third Australianbred winner during the day. She is a three-year-old well-made chestnut filly by Tippler from the Valais—Beanbri mare Valley, a sister to" Valwyne, a useful performer in Victoria,- and a member of the same family as that to which Patron (Melbourne Cup), Patroness (Sydney Cup), Belgambra (triple St. Leger winner), and also the New Zealander Sunee belong. She is

held on lease by the Trentham trainer 11. B. Lorigan from her breeders, Mrs. L., Miss C, and Mr. H. White, of Sydney, and should continue to pay her way. She was accorded a nomination last week for the C.J.C. Stewards' Handicap.

Free Gold, also having his first start this season and the firjt since his operation for respiratory trouble, did well to gain second place, as he was jostled about in the start after having previously shot out and twice broken the tapes. He moved up rounding to the straight to second, and then stalled off a claim from the favourite. Screen Star. .

Screen Star began best of anything, but was unable to hold his place on the turn, after which he came out on the track in the straight and just failed in his dash for second dividend.

The Australian-bred Saki finished strongly into fourth, ahead of Colleen Gain, who was running third in the middle stages, but weakened at the end. Nelumbo and Flammarion possibly also suffered in the early jostling, as they never improved. Huntino was badly away.