WIDE RANGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 31, 6 February 1945, Page 8

WIDE RANGE

THIS WEEK'S RACING

Racing enthusiasts had a wide choice of events last Saturday, and they are going to be in the same position this week. Apart from the trots at Wellington and Auckland, there will be racing at Matamata (Rotorua Racing Club), Gisborne (Poverty Bay Turf Club), Gore, and Kumara. Form at Matamata last Saturday should be a valuable guide to performance on the same course this week, and on the Poverty Bay circuit there are the showings made at Wairoa last Saturday to take into account in looking to this week's events.

An entrant for the Gisborne Handicap next Saturday is the Wellington Cup winner, Lambourn, and, as to be expected, he is in pride of place in the weights for the principal event (one mile), which have been declared as follows: —Lambourn, 9.3; Regal Night, 8.0; Jonathan Jo, Joseph Conrad, 7.10; Atoma, 7.8; Lastik, 7.3; Silver Coin, Dark Morning, Hard Rock, Kinfid, 7.0.

For the main sprint event (Turanga Stakes), of six furlongs, at Poverty Bay the weights are:—Regal Night, 9.0; Jonathan Jo, 8.9; Circular Note, 8.6; Sorrel, 8.2; Lastik, 8.1; Silver Coin, 7.12; Lord Theio, 7.9; Barrosa, St. Bill, Pas de Cheval, Irish Rose, 7.0.

Falls afc Trentham. —Although the recent meeting of the Wellington Racing Club was unique in the matter of falls on the flat, two of the mishaps occurring in the Cup contest and Patriotic Handicap, these were solely attributable to errors in judgment on the part of the riders and in no way reflected on the state of the track. Nevertheless, the club's staff at Trentham has had no easy task in maintaining the course proper by reason of the amount of racing, both galloping and trotting, it has had to carry in recent months. In common with other districts at this end of the North Island, Trentham suffered from almost constant rains last year right up to the January Meeting, and the track was again soft for the July and October gatherings. To add to their difficulties 39 points of rain fell on the day preceding Cup Day, and as a result the track cut up badly after the first race, becoming almost in full. winter condition. As the second day fell on the Monday it was not possible to restore the track, but for the third day, on the following Saturday, a lot .of work was put into the track, harrowing and refilling holes. With the fine weather continuing, the track was appreciably restored, as was reflected by the establishment of two records, one being a Dominion record, and the other a course record. There were some trainers who attributed the falls to the state of the track, but this was not so.

Doing Well.— Signal Officer is one to be borne in mind for coming events in the south. This Salmagundi geldine is being prepared for the Riverton Cup. Starting out this season in a novice event, he was soon in the money, and from winning a division of a trial event in Southland he went on to win the Seymour Hack Handicap impressively at Canterbury, subsequently running second to Benbecula in the President's at Dunedin and then going on to win the Wyndham Cup Broken Down.— lt is reported that Airdrie has broken down at Wingatui He had two starts at the last Grand National Meeting and ntnrly brousht off a 'chasing double— ru-.ner-UD in the Enfield Hack and winner of the Hunt Cup. Rajputana Sold.— lt is reported that the Bulandshar-Medusa colt Rajputana, the subject of a Supreme Court action in Palmerston North in November, was sold by public auction in Sydney last week, and realised 220gs

Wairoa Cup Result.— A Press Association message from Wairoa statp-= that Lastik filled second place in the Sg°thSd P °n Saturda^ Silv*r Coin