RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20720, 17 February 1931, Page 5

RACING NOTES

RACING. February 13.—Oiifdcn Racing Club. February 19.—Tolaga Bay Jockey Club. February 19, 20.—Wanganui Jockey Club. February 19, 21.—Dargaville Racing Club. February 21.—Canterbury Jockey Club. _ February 25, 26.—Woodville District Jockey Club. February 25, 26.—Gore Racing Club. February 26.—Waiapu Racing Club. February 27, 28.—Marlborough Racing Club. February 28, March 2.—Te Aroha Jockey Club.

[By St. Clahj,]

ST. SIMON BLOOD

Discussing St. Simon as a racehorse and sire, tho Morse and Hound ’ (London) recently gave the following terse but interesting account of Ids career:—“Ho was never’ beaten or seriously challenged in any of the nine races he contested, these not including the Trial Match at Newmarket, wherein ho so easily beat Tristan. The money he won in stakes for the Duke pi Portland, who gave 1,600 gs for him as a two-year-old in the Park Paddocks, Newmarket, on Tuesday, July 3, amounted to £4,675J. His stock won on the flat in England 567 races, worth £552,181 4s, his last winner being Sir William Nelson’s Juggernaut, four years, 7.10 (S. Donoghue), who easily boat six others for the Croxteth Plate at Liverpool on July 26, 1912. His first winner was _ the Duke of Portland’s Semolina, ridden by John Watts, in the Broeklesby Stakes at Lincoln on March 26, 1889. When returning from Ids usual morning exercise at Welbeck on April 2, 1908. St. Simon rolled on to his side and in a few minutes was dead.” In commenting on the remarkable decline of the St. Simon male lino in England during the past fifteen years, a writer in the London ‘ Observer ’ points put that in last year’s list of winning sires Prince Galahad was the only horse of St. Simon male descent in the first twenty. He was sixteenth. On the other hand the Bend Or male line did particularly well. They were neither first, second, nor third on the list; but eight of the first twenty claimed descent from him. They were Phalaris. Grand Parade, Beresford, Diophon, Teddy (who may go to America), Pomfnern, Friar Marcus, and Argosy. Son-in-law, who led in England last season, descends from Hampton, as does Gainsborough, who was third. Tetratema (second) represents the Lo Sancy line.

JOTTINGS

At last week’s meeting of the Taranaki Racing Club the charges for admission were reduced to os for men and 2s 6d for ladies to the lawn, and 2s and Is respectively to■ the outside stand. One of America’s lucky horse owners is a woman, Mrs Hertz. She bred the filly Anita Peabody, who won about £26,500; bought Reigh Count for £2,500 as a two-year-old; and gave about £BOO for Valenciennes, one of America’s best mares of last year, and winner of nearly £IO,OOO. Over sis furlongs, in the Newmarket Handicap, the handieapper makes Phar Lap, list lib, give Grcenline. 10st 71b, 81b, and in the Doncaster Handicap, run over one mile, Nightmarch lOst 21b, has to give Greenline, 9st 111 b, 51b. Handicappers are, taking no risks with New Zealand horses nowadays. As a result of allegations made respecting a recent winner in the metropolitan area, a new local rule has been framed ip Adelaide which makes it obligatory for a trainer" to have his horse on the course at least one hour before the advertised time of starting in the race in which the animal is engaged. -..There - must be much more money in training in America than in Australia. The prominent trainer S. C. Hildreth, wild:*died" last" year, 'left an estate of over £200,000, practically all of it going to his wife. In England last year the most successful lady owners of winners on the flat were; Lady Helen M'Calmont, 10 wins, £11.862: Mrs F. Hartigan, 4 wins, £.1,270; Dowager Lady Nunburnholme, 1 win, £2,828: Lady Ludlow, B wins, £2,271: and Mrs S. Whitburn, 9 wins, £2,659. .At a meeting of the Committee^ of the Invercargill Trotting Club on Friday evening it was decided that in view of the present financial position that no band should bo engaged for the meeting. It "was also decided to discontinue all complimentary luncheon and refreshment pnviliges, this to apply to officials as well as to others. It was . decided to make a donation of £SO to the mayor’s earthquake relief fund.

Two trotting: event! are included in the Oamaru Jockey Club’s Autumn Meeting; programme for Anniversary Day (March 23), a mjlo and a-half harness event, class 3min 43sec, and a mile and a-quarter saddle race, class 3in in 4seo. Each is endowed with £IOO, and Mr H.‘A. Jarden will publish his handicaps on March 13, the nominations closingon March 9. ;-An American writer, in discussing the objection of most English racing men to dirt tracks, gives reasons why they are preferable to turf in the States. The principal one is that turf would not stand the duration of tho average meeting in America. Oyer there a month’s racing straight off is jiot unusual at many tracks. ’ The Lexington ‘ Thoroughbred Record ’ says that Clarence Kummer, famous jockey, who rode Man o’ War in all his great victories as an undefeated throe-year-old, save the Travers and Miller Stakes, died of pneumonia on Thursday, December 18,_at his homo in Jamaica, New York. Kummer was only sick a week, and it is thought that an attempted come-back last spring, in which ho sought to reduce sufficiently to rido again, may have caused the lowered resistance which eventuated in his death. Ho was thirty-one years old. ' Ax’ikira, who won the Nolan Cup at Hawera, is aptly named, for he was foaled at almost the liour that tho clocks were first advanced for “ Summer Time,” and tho Maori word meaning '‘.lord of tho sun” was thereupon bestowed upon him. Tho name is additionally apposite, for Limqnd, his sire, is descended through Sunrise and Sunray from the famous brood mare Sunshine, and the component “ sun ” is common among the names appearing in his extended pedigree. Many'North Island dubs are reported to he considering cuts in salaries and fees. Most of these are on a much higher scale than rule in the South Island. After tho war period, payments in tho north were increased in accordance with the depreciated buying power of the sovereign, and some North Island country dubs are said to have been paying up to twice as much to their principal officials as shnilar clubs in this island _ have done. _ W ith losses staring them in the face, it is not surprising that they are anxious to economise in this direction.

TROTTING. February 21.—Kaikoura T.C. February 21, 25.—Otahuhu T.C. February 26, 28.—New Brighton T.C. March 4, s.—lnvercargill T.C. March 7.—Nelson T.C. March 14.—Timaru T.C. March 18.—Wyndham T.C. March 21.—Cheviot T.C. March 28.—Wellington T.C. March 23.-South Otago T.C. March 25, Manawatu T.C. March 28.—Thames T.C.

The Aga Khan’s high-priced yearling purchases of 1929 did not give him much cause for satisfaction when they raced as two-year-olds last season. _ Salcvo (6,ooogns) scored a third in his three starts; Nnshirawan (4,500g5) was unplaced in his only race; the best efforts of Buland Bib’i (4,100g5) in eight starts were two seconds and a third; Bartavelle (3,600g5) had _ three unplaced runs; and Novelaise <2,700g5) did not start in anything.- This year the Aga Khan is mainly depending upon two-year-olds of his own breeding. Last year his only four figures yearling purchase was Jai Singh (Gay Crusader— Rackety Coo), for whom he gave 1,250g5. The Oamaru Jockey Club’s programme for its one-day meeting on March 23 (Anniversary Day) has been issued, distributing £B4O in stakes spread over eight races. The President’s Handicap, one mile and a-quar-ter, carries £l5O, and the Flying Handicap, six furlongs, £llO. The Autumn Handicap, with a minimum weight of 9st and horses to be ridden by recognised hurdle or Steeplechase jockeys, takes tho place of the hurdle race, and will he run over a mile. other three flat races are for hacks. Nominations close on March 9, and Mr J. E. Henrys will declare his handicaps on March 13. In America the most successful sires last year were as follow: — Imp. Sir Gallahad 111., 1920, by Teddy—Plucky Liege ... £82,341 Pennant, 1911, by Peter Pan —imp. Royal Rose 47,427 St. James, 1921, by imp. Ambassador IV.—imp. Bobolink 11. ... 35,220 Black Servant, 1918, by Black Toney— imp. Padula 32,683 Imp. Sun Briar, 1915, by Suudridge—imp. Sweet Briar 32,136 Sir Martin (dead), 1906, by’ imp. Ogden—Lady Sterling 31,276 Whisk Broom 11. (dead), - 1907, by Broomstick—Audience ... 26,945 Imp. Donnacona, 1917, by imp. Prince Palatine—Kildonan 22,813 Imp. Wrack, 1909, by Robert lo Diable—Samphire ... _ ... 23,062 Sir Barton, 1916, by imp. Star Shoot—Lady Sterling 21,624

Zoppot (Danzig) aud not Andorra, in the Pyrenees, is to be the Continental headquarters of the sweep syndicate in which some Australians have a largo interest. The capital of the company is £IOO,OOO, and one of the directors is Mr J. A. G. Hadley, late chief inspector of the National Bank of Australia. Melbourne. It is to be a world-wide affair,- with . sweeps of £1,000,000 on such races as the English Derby and the Melbourne Cup. The possibility of a tremendous prize will draw- a certain amount of money from Australia but the chances are the speculative needs of most in this country will be met by lotteries conducted in Tasmania, Queensland, and New South Wales. We have not yet started in this State, but wo shall not have long to wait, as the church appeal in aid of the hospitals is not making the progress antici patecl. In England not many sires averaged over 3,000 gs each for their yearlings sold at auction last year. Coronach was first with 3,300g5, hut only two by him were sold. Blandford averaged LBslgs for nine; Tetratema, 1,762 gs for cloven; Solario, 1,521 gs for eight: Hurry On, 1,462 gs for ten; and Phalans, 1,350 gs for thirteen. Many Youngsters did not return the equivalent of their sire’s fee. and some very little above it. Gay Crusader, for instance, stands at 4Uogs, and his eight averaged only 435g5. Craig and Eran (250 gs fee) averaged 80gs for eight; Grand Parade (400 gs), 169 gs for eight; Pommern (400 gs), 136 gs for three; Polyphonies (300 gs), nine for 98gs; Salmon Trout (300 gs), twelve for 172 gs; and.Ellangowan (200 gs), eight for 173 g- As all these youngsters could not have been culls, it will be gathered that in England, as_ in Australia, there is a lot of luck in breeding. liven flie most careful milting does not assure a youngster that is sure to attract the attention of buyers. Referring to the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase, the London correspondent to the ‘ Australasian ’ says: “ These lines will be in print about the time when the Lincolnshire Handicap and Grand National weights are due, and in my last letter I ventured, an opinion that if all went well with the horso up to the day, and culinary running luck came his way, Grakle would be hard to beat in the steeplechase. Grakle, who, like so many present-day fencers, has a flat-racing pedigree, is not affected by the alteration in the scale of weights, which takes in only a 2st range. Thus the champion of ho time, Faster Hero, who almost emulated Cloister’s feat of making nearly all the running, and would probably have done so in the 1929 race but for spreading a plate, will have his usual 12st 71b. Last year ho “ sprang a leak,” and could not run, and, considering that the stable’s second string, Sir Lindsay, was beaten less than two lengths, and unluckily so, the associates of.both horses felt entitled to say that mishap had robbed them of the stake a second time. But Grakle, who had list 61b, was the victim of his rider’s blunder when going well and with not iar to continue, and 1 do not suppose that ho will now have any more weight. At nine vears of age, as he will be next March, ho is still well within the prime of a ’chaser’s life, and he never looked so much like “the business as he did last spring. Splendid old Manifesto was eleven years old when he won the Grand National under 12st 71b. Twelve months later he was third with 12st 131 b. Another third followed with 12st 81b,_ and once more there wore only two in his waj 7 when, at fifteen years of age, he shouldered 12st 31b.”