RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20612, 11 October 1930, Page 20

RACING NOTES

[By Sx. ’Clair.]

RACING. October 13.—Dunedin Jockey Club. October 16, 18.—South Canterbury Jockey Plub. „ . „ , October 18.—Masterton Racing Club. October 25, 27.—Wellington Racing Club. October 27;—Waverloy Racing, Club. October 27,—Waikato Hunt Club. October 27.—Waipawa County Racing Club. . . October 27.—North Canterbury Racing Club. October 27. 29.—Gore Racing Club. October 31, November I.—Poverty .Bay Turf Club. . , „ . November I.—Banks Peninsula Racing Club. November I.—Carterton Racing Club. November s.—Birchwood Hunt Club. November 6, B.—Wiangarei Racing Club.'

LIMERICK’S RETIREMENT DEMANDED Now Zealanders have become accustomed to searching and often rather unfair criticism by . the Sydney Press, says a Sydney writer, but lew will disagree with a recent spontaneous and general outburst; of condemnation- of Mr H. A. Knight and ( his trainer, F. D. Jones, in regard to* Limerick. It has been pathetic to see the. old fellow on more than one occasion on this visit to Rahdwick, .yet he has recovered and came „up smiling ‘again in amazing fashion. Having failed completely to show any of his old form in either of two races in-Sydney so far, most people expected that his connections would do tbs gracious thing and pension him off. He has been a wonderful , horse for both his owner and trainer, and with Phar Lap and Nightmarch in the way the very best they can hope for is a third prize or two. Criticism -has not been confined _to the Press, for more than one llandwick trainer has' been very outspoken. It is pointed. out that since Limerick showed his'real form as a two-year-old he has been kept for racing in Australia, and his starts ■in New Zealand during the. whole of his career are incredibly small in numbers. Even though Mr Knight is a steward of the Canterbury Jockey r Club, Limerick hardly knows the Tliccarton course except as a training ground. Mr Knight is a wealthy owner, he is in a position to race when and where he pleases, but it would be a sorry state of affairs for metropolitan clubs in New Zealand if all leading owners adopted with their horses a policy similar to that of Mr Knight. Limerick was certainly a good advertisement for the dominion 1 in Australia, but a little more could'have heeii seen of him iu New Zealand, even if the stakes in comparison with Australia were smaller.

AUCKLAND CUP‘AND RAILWAY HANDICAP [Spzcul to thii ‘Star.’] AUCKLAND, October 10. The following nominations have been received for the two* principal handi- ‘ caps to be run at the Auckland Racing Club’s Summer Meeting;— Auckland Cup, 3,ooosovs. 2m.— Organiser, Bold Front, High Court, Duellona, Bright Glow, My Own, Hunting Cry, Goshawk, Tunbridge, Count Palatine", Prpdice, Desert Glow, Trishua, Pahu, Count Cavonr, Gay Crest, Corinax, Motere, Seatown, ..Star stranger. Cylinder, Courageous, Nassoclc, Historic, Standfast, Monalof, Vali, In the Shade, Sargoh, Prince Humphrey, First Sight, Paquito,’ Concentrate, Nightmarch, \ Prince ■ of Orange, Gay Cockade, Bennie, ClareJohneen, Great Star, Patadawn, Spearraiss, To Hoia. Railway Handicap, 1,25050v5. 6f.— Royal Tea, Te Trarchate, Autopay, Organiser, Kingford, Honiton, Volimond, * Staghunter, Arrow Lad, Kiosk, Lucy Rose, Simba, Gesture, Hunting Cry, Valuation, Tenterden, Awamntu, Biddy’s Boy, Awarere, Sir Kay, Gleurossie. Merry Cry, "White Fang, Havering, Praise, Ilkeley, On Top, True Shaft, Royal Parade, Supremacy, Royal Ruler, Hunting Day, Love Song, Pomp, Silvermine, Chief Link. Awaken, Lady Ones, Valjar, Hard Words, Treasury, Refresher, Chief Joy, Hayeaspot, Toxeuina, Cimabue, Consent, Courtesy, CHromadyne, PaganelH, Great Star, Pegaway, Leitrim, \yiiito Wings, Karapoti. • ■ ‘

JOTTINGS The handicaps, for Monday's races will be declared at the Jockey Club’s office to-night at 8.30, .and acceptances .will close at 9.ls'o’clock. The D.J.C. Spring Meeting will bo concluded oif Monday, and the Dunedin Guineas will be the star attraction. The stake for the Winton Cup, to be run next month, has-been reduced to £250. Last year it was worth £3OO. A. Bryce, who has been so successful in the past with Gold Jacket, will drive the Auckland-owned pacer in the New Zealand Cup. A steeplechase worth .£l4O and run over two and a-half miles has been placed on each* day’s programme of the Winton Jockey Club. According to southern reports the imported mare Celerity 11. is galloping well at Invercargill, She will .add interest to the Gore Gup, a race she has previously, won twice. The Racing Conference has agreed to the request of the Winton Jockey Club that instead of a mile race each, day the club can substitute a sevenfurlong race. The Sydney * Morning Herald ’ states that the price offered and refused for Sargon was £2,000, with an additional £I.OOO if he won the Derby. Jock o’ Hazeldean ran out of hack class when he won at Kurow last Saturday, but he is still able to fulfil hack engagements at the Dunedin and South Canterbury Meetings. Returned New Zealanders from Sydney in Auckland last week-end stated definitely that Nightmareh would return for the New Zealand Cup. Mr J. B. Thomson, president of the Invercargill Trotting Club, has donated a handsome silver cup to the Winton Jockey Club, to be attached to the stake of the Winton Cup, to be run next month.

In making an all-round cut in the stake money the committee of the i Auckland Trotting Club also decided in connection with, the winter meeting to depart from the usual eight-event card and revert back to seven events lor the June fixture. 1 :

,■ The three-year-old Sleipner is still on the easy list as a result of a mishap a few weeks ago when _he received a knock below one-of his knees. It -is hoped, however, that he will be all right shortly, and that he will be able to resume racing next month. This speedy gelding only has to train on to get out of hack company before the season is over. Count Palatine is reported' to have run very disappointingly in the Mitchelson Cup, being one of the last four furlongs from, home, but this is accounted for by the heavy going. On Monday, in the King Edward Handicap, he was

November 8, 10, 12, 15.—Canterbury Jockey Club. November 13, 15.—Dargaville Racing Club. ■ November 15, 17.—Waikato Racing Club. November 19, 20.—Winton Racing Club. TROTTING. October 18.—New Brighton T.C. October 25. 27. —Groymouth T.C. October 25, 27. —Auckland T.C. October 27.—Northland T.C. October 27.—Oamaru T.C. November I.—Wellington T.C. November 11, 13, 14.—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. November 19, 22.—Auckland T.C. November 21, 22.—Nelson T.C. November 27, 29.—Eorbury Park T.C.

staying on at the finish, and accounted for all bub Standfast. Count Palatine is in the New Zealand Cup, but he will have to improve very considerably iu the meantime to have a chance, even on a firm track.. The opinion that in these times of stress when the Government badly needed money, the impost of increased taxation on racing should be accepted in a sporting spirit, was expressed at the annual meeting of the South Wairarapa Trotting Club by the president, Mr J. F. Thompson. Mr Thompson considered it high time tjjab Parliament gave serious thought to the Gamhig Bill, which aimed at directing betting from illegal to legal channels. There was rather a peculiar feature about the ■ betting at Ellorslio at tlio Spring Meeting, for on three occasions two horses, though not' coupled, had the same amount im;ested on their chances and were conjointly second lavourites. Lucy Rose and Awaken each carried £783 in the Shorts Handicap, Chromadyne being the only one better backed than that pair. In the Onehunga Steeplecase Copey (£353J) and Freyja (£355i) were equal second favourites, while in the Hobson Handicap Royal Finance (£494J) and Vandyke (£494J) were also second favourites.

Commandant, who won the Normauby Handicap at Ellerslio on Monday, is a very fine type of three-year-old. and, judging by his performance, he will win In much better company before, long, as he is still capable of much improve-, ment. He has only had three races and has won two of them, his other effort being ah unplaced one in the_ Great Northern Guineas. The race - in _ the latter event improved him consider? ably, and, with the going inuch firmer than it' was bn the, first day, it was more- in • his favour. Ho was always handy and won well, and if ho trains on satisfactorily there is little doiibt that he will have to bo reckoned with in the Derbies., As a yearling in Sydney Commandant cost Mr T. H. Lowry 725gns, and he looks like being a good investment. More than a month ago it was certain that at least one two-minute pacer would be entered on the official records for 1930, says an editioral writer in ‘ Trotter and Pacer ’ for August 28. That was when May E. Grattan was separately tinied in 1.594 or thereabouts when winning the Kalamazoo Derby. Just when Earl Pitman would turn J. C. Thompson’s sensational pacer loose, or when track and weather conditions were perfect, was something to guess about, but it turns out that May was sent on her way last week at Springfield, 111. After winning the first two heats in 2.1 and 2.14, Pitman came out for the third heat and drove May E. Grattan a milo in 1.595, not only establishing a season’s record, bub also a record for a three-heat race. .Tho sensational turf deeds of the champion American colt Gallant Fox had a reflex action on the Saratoga vearling sales in the first week' in August. There was remarkably keen bidding for youngsters by Sir Gallabad 111., and a ‘dark bay colt by that sire from Frasnct by Wrack topped tho market. Ho was bred by A. B. Hancock, and was bought by the Three D’s Stock Farm stable for £6,000. Tho same stable paid £5,000 for a bay colt hv the same sire from Dare Say, by Cudgel, and £6.000 for a bay filly by Sir Gallabad from Embassy by Ambassador IV. E. R. Bradley paid £3,500 for a brown colt by Sir Gallabad )rom Chewink bv Celt, sire of Marguerite, dam of Gallant Fox and Petce Wrack, another good performer in America. The following shows the decrease in stakes proposed by tho Auckland Trotting Club this season as compared with last year:—

Totals £29,875 £34,200 £4,325 In addition to the actual prize money last season the Auckland Cup carried a gold cup valued at £lO5, the Howe Trotting Cup, a gold cup valued at £IOO, and the Adams Memorial Cup, a gold cup valued at £lO5. This season the value of each cup has been reduced to £SO. A cabinet of cutlery valued at £SO was attached to last season’s Otahuhu Cup, but this season the race, the name of which has been changed to the Otahuhu Handicap, does not carry any trophy outside the prize money. In a recent issue of the London ‘ Sporting Life ’ there was a com-

parison of totalisator dividends and bookmakers’ starting prices for favourites from March 24 to July 26. The days of racing totalled 61, and the number of races 818._ Of these 325 were won by first favourites, and 164 by the second favourite or joint second favourite, In prices of winning favourites the hooks led the tote 114 times; the tote heat the hooks 189 times ; and in 22 races they were equal. In respect of winning second favourites, the bdoks beat the tote 56 times; the tote beat the hooks 09 times; and they were equal 9 times. The books’ average’ 1 price for first favourites worked out at 16i to 10; and that of the tote 19 to 10. In winning second favourites’ prices, the tote averaged 4- to 1 to tho books’ 7 to 2. Iu many cases, however, the average price for the whole of the business done by tho hooks about a favourite would, owing to market fluctuations, be higher than the tote return.

Cragford, who won the A.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap, has so far dona all that lias been asked of him. Ho is not being over-raced, despite tho fact that he was started at the very beginning of the season. At Caulfield on August 2 last ho won the Crimean Trial, nine furlongs, with 9.5, and a fortnight later at Flomington was successful iu the August Handicap, one mile and a-quarter, with 7.3. On September 6 he gained more admirers for the Metropolitan and for the Caulfield Cup when ho won the Heatherlio Handicap, nine furlongs, witli 8.2, at Caulfield, beating Kenney and Calmond, a promising three-year-bld. It was then decided to take him to Sydney, and be had almost immediate success. Opposed by a strong field in the Rosehill Cup, one mile and three furlongs, he carried 8.5—14|b more than his Metropolitan weight—and won in fine stylo. TTis time of 2min ISiscc equalled tho course record for the distance. TTis next start was the Metropolitan, and this ho won rather easily from the New Zealander, In the Shade, in the Australian and New Zealand record time for a mile and five furlongs of 2min 43sec. Having been penalised 101 b for his Metropolitan Success, his weight in the Caulfield Cup is Bst 41b, still 10!b under weigiit-for-age. The A.J.C. Breeders’ Plate winner, Movie Star, was bred by Mr W. G. Stead, of Flaxmere, Hastings, who also

bred a previous - winner of that two-ycar-old classic in Nincompoop, 1 who was successful in 1924. Movie Star is a chestnut gelding by Lord Quex, son of Lemberg and grandson of Cyllcne, from Painted Serpen, by Leighton, sou of Roi Herodc and grandson of Le Samaritnin, from Valvate, by Feramorz, son of St. Frusquin_ and grandson of St. Simon, from Shrill (imp.), by Llangwm. Movie Star’s third dam, Shrill, was a brilliant galloper, and among tho races she won in New Zealand was the Thompson Handicap at • Trentham in 1917. Mr Stead did not retain Movie Star to carry his colours, having parted with him a few weeks ago to another New Zealand owner, Mr 11. J. Stanbridge, whoso colours, black, rose pink sleeves and sash and violet cap; have been carried successfully by Second Thoughts, Bonhommb, and others. Movie Star, who is trained by A. D. Webster, has a number of classic engagements in tho dominion this season, including the Wellesley Stakes at Trentham this month, and much interest will bo centred in his form on bis return to New Zealand.

A year of progress, ending with a satisfactory credit balance, was disclosed to members at the annual meeting of tho New South Wales Trotting Club. Tho season concluded with a profit of £9Ol, although prize money was increased by £2,000, distributed over 1 the twenty meetings. At a time when unparalleled financial stringency was being experienced in the country this state of affairs is most satisfactory from the point of view of members. During tho year tho admission taxes were reduced, but tho relief came too late to have any appreciable effect on the finances. The balance-sheet discloses the assets as more than £55,000, of which £5,000 is at fixed deposit, £25,797 represents the value of the track at Harold Park, and £13,926 tho expenditure of permanent improvements to the racecourse in the year. Tho principal sources of revenue wote; —Admissions, £14,698; registration of bookmakers, £4,374; receipts from totalisatovs, £8,059 (of which £4,686 was spent in working expenses and the payment of the Government tax), nomination fees, £3,507 ; and sale of race books, £1,890. Stakes for tho year amounted to £16,440. Taxation from all sources absorbed £9,962, and salaries and wages £3,447.

DeMeeting. 1930-3]. 1929-30. crease. Spring ... £4,550 £4,900 £350 November 4,950 6,100 1,150 Summer 10,950 12,150 1,200 February 5,075 5,150 75 Winter ... 4,350 5,900 1,550