JOTTINGS

Evening Star, Issue 20865, 7 August 1931, Page 4

JOTTINGS

The first race at Addington to-mor-row is limed to start at 11.30. Regal Voyage is at present a firm first choice for the principal race at Addijigton to-morrow. Neeoro ana Mountain Dell being other well-fancied candidates. . 1 A two-year-old paradc'will be held at Riccarton on the second day of the Grand National Meeting next week. A. E. Ellis has been engaged to ndo Make Up in the Grand National Hurdles next Thursday. - The appearance of the lion. Geo. Forbes’s Budget last week is not likely to help the totalisator investments at tho two Christchurch meetings next week. Tho non-acceptance of Vesuvius for tho August Handicap came as a. surprise, as the Matchlight pacer was ono of tho early fancies for the race, and lie lias been doing particularly well in his training work. Vesuvius is engaged in tho International, Handicap, ot ono mile, on the first day. * The North island horseman, L. G. Morris, had decided not to be present at Riccarton next week. He has changed bis plans, however, and he will bo on hand for the first day of tho Grand National Meeting, after which ho will return homo to look after tho team he lias in training for spring engagements. His rides at Riccarton on Tuesday will include Dunraven and Shatter.

Tho final payments for the big treble to be decided at lliccarton next Tuesday and Thursday leave possible fields of seventeen in the Grand National Steeplechase, twenty-five in tho Winter Cup, and seventeen in the Grand National Hurdles. Those who failed to make tho final payment are: In tho Steeplechase—West Dome, St. Warrigal, Fabriano, and Radiac; in tho Winter Cup—True Shaft, Town Major, Groat Charter, Arikiwai, and Pakitero; and in the Hurdles—Singleton and Nucleus. None of these horses were amongst the fancied division. AVilt.shiro was on tho tracks again on Wednesday, and, but for slight stiffness, which, however, worked oil after walking exorcise, ho appeared to have, suffered no iU effect’s from his experience on Tuesday. His injury was only skin deep, and his trainer hopes to give him another task over the schooling steoploohaso fences before the end of the week. Symo underwent an X-ray examination on Tuesday, but no .serious injury was disclosed, his trouble being confined to a. strained back, and he hopes to be lit again in a few days. Although ho has not been in the money since running second to Arctotis at Forbury, Great Way lias always run a good race in his three starts since then, and has not boon a long way hack at the finish, although iu those starts ho was conceding up to CUyds. From the front of tho Introductory Handicap on Saturday lie will have to be seriously considered, and if O'. S. Donald starts Great Way and Stand By tho bracket will come in for very solid support. After the first payments for the three big races and acceptances for the first day’s minor races an unusually large number of Otago and Southland-owned horses remain engaged at Riccartou next Tuesday. They are Calham and Captain’s Gift m tho Hunters’ Hurdles; Raineses, High Goar, and Cossack Chief in tho Trial Hurdles; Tippling, Ruling Light, and Chief Light in tho Cashmere Plato; Camisader, Apache, Overhaul, West Dome, and Membo in the Jump ers’ Flat; Paris, Tuki, Snowfall, Mato Kapuna, Umtali, and Tunamoe in tin l Grand National Steeplechase; Radine Taramoa, and French Fleet in the Kn field Steeplechase; Palermo, Royal Saxon, Red Boa, High Court, Royal Love, and Topere in the Winter Cup; and The Smuggler, Tippling, Quinopa], and Spanish Maid in the Avonhead Handicap. When Kahikatoii won the Members’ Handicap, run over seven furlongs, on the second day of tho Wellington Meet ing last month, ho registered a good performance, as the runner-up. Prince Val, who had won the Stewards’ Handicap on the first day with the greatest of ease, could make 110 impression on him at the finish. Red Boa, who ran third to fKahikntoa, and to whom

the latter was conceding 61 b, won the Winter Oats Handicap, one mile, on the last day of the meeting, further emphasising the merit of Kahikatoa’s win. With lOst 21h in the Wintci Cup Kahikatoa has 3lb more than lie carried to victory at Trentham, and when his form is summed up he must he hard to beat in the mile event at Riccarton on Tuesday. The highest fences to he negotiated in the three-and-a-half-mile course the Grand National Steeplechase will he run over next Tuesday are two brush fences, one at Cutts’s (41b lOin) and the other at the turn into the straight (4ft 9in). _ Each of these fences is jumped twice, and the layer is also the second last fence. Of the twenty-one fences to be jumped in the Grand National only eight of them arc under 4ft. At Elicrslie there are twenty-five fences to be jumped in the Great Northern Steeplechase, and eighteen of them are 4ft or under, and in the Wellington Steeplechase there are twenty-two fences, of which ten are under 4ft high. The brush fences at Riccarton are much stouter than on either of the other courses, and any horse that chances the last foot of them is sure to come to grief. The' fortune of horses carrying No 1 saddlecloth in the New Zealand Grand National Hurdles has been bv no means impressive, and in the fortyone contests so far decided only five have led the year’s field homo. Ixiou made a good start in the first race (1890), whether his weight be accepted as 10.9 or 10.2, as it is alternatively given, and four years, later Liberator followed with 12.6. Then Record Reign succeeded in 1900 with 12.12, the record weight yet earned successfully. Paisano, 12.1, in 1910. ami Nukumai, 11.11, in 1928, complete the quintet. Carinthia (11.61 will have the honour of attempting to improve the record this year if thefinal payment is made for him, otherwise Nukumai (10.11) will hold prxd-' of place in' the race book. Last year Mister Gamp (11.2) was No. 1, Nukumai No. 2, and Carinthia, the winner. No- 3- ... , The Carbine lino in Australia is to receive an addition by the importation of the five-year-old horse The Bastard who is by Spion Kop, a son of Spearmint and grandson of Carbine. Spearmint, and Spion Kop both won the Derby, and the latter’s son, Felstead. is also included among winners or the great English classic. The Bastard was a fair performer as a three and four-year-old. In the earlier term he won the Stotchworth Stakes, one mile and a-half, at Newmarket (July), the Warren Handicap, five furlongs ami a-half, at Sandown Park, and the Southfield Handicap, one mile and a-half, at Newmarket (October). Last season lie walked over for The Mlnp, two miles and 118yds, at Newmarke(May), and subsequently won the Yoi-kshire Gup, two miles. . A survey of the results of the Grand National Steeplechase since it was first contested under that name m IB'6 shows that horses hailing from. the North Island hold a much better wining record than horses trained in the South Island. In the 56 races decided the North has Avon 35, including the last 11, and the South only 21. Iho following arc the respective lists North Island: Mangaohane, Chemist, Waterbnry, Norton, Mutiny (twice), Levanter,* Dummy, Blackberry, Iho Guard, Gobo, Haydn, Awahun, limiskillon, Eclair, Eurus ; Nadador, To Aral, Paritutu, Captain Jingle, Ngatoa, \Vaimai, Master Strowan, St. Ehnn, Coahtion (twice), Oakleigh (twice), Sturdec, Tuki, Peter Maxwell, Beau Cavalier, Wiltshire (twice), and Aurora Borealis. South Island: Royalty, Fakir, Mousetrap, Agent (thrice), Clarence, Ivaterfoldt, Kosciusko, Moody, Canard, Faugh-a-Ballagh, Daddy Longlegs, Freeman, Ahua, Slow Tom, Phaetontis, Burns, Tim Doolan, and Lochella. Twelve of the South Island’s 21 successes were the first dozen contests. Horses from this island have been victorious only seven times in the last forty years, and not once' in the last decade. When Tuki won lie was owned and trained in the North Island. Some of the riding engagements for the first day’s (programme of the Grand National! Meeting (says the ‘Press’) have been made as follows:—J. Barry, The Quorn; D. O’Connor—Fabriano, Royal Saxon, Nino of Spades, Troilus, Riri; L. G. Morris—Dunraven, Shatter; B. 11. Morris, Knollraorc; G. Humphries—Belvoir, Jason’s Quest; F. Foster—Lucess, Prince Liu Arikiwai; A. E. Ellis—Snowfall, Slcipner, Great. Star, Make Up; H. Young, Rascal; D. Cotton —Tautbow, Eclair; R. Covenoy—Straightcourse, Good Catch, Owlsflight, Sailor’s Love; H. Dulieu — Kapuna, West Dome, Callamart, French Fleet; L. Dulieu.—Rational 11., Conjuror 11., Panther, Full Crop; B. Brodie, - Rose of Orange; M. Kirwan — Charmouse, Lancer, Ringing Cheer; I. Tilson—Aberfeldy, Sharp Thorn; A. Eastwood —Ramo, Jolly Beggar; R. Beale—High Gear, Oriflamb, Storm Raid; A. G. Campbell, High Pitch; R. Milos— Nukumai, Pangolin; A. McDonald—King’s Counsel, Llyn Du, Omeo; J. MTlae, Dark Prince; W. Cooper, Thurina ; G. Dempster—Cossack Chief, 'Apache, Paris, Taramoa; J. W. Jennings Royal Amphora 1 , Royal Love, Etude; J. Kerr, Tuki. The fact that A. E. Ellis has accepted the mount on Great Star in the Winter Cup serves to draw attention to the prospects of the Solfcrino gelding in the big mile race next week. Ellis is inclined to be careful in his choice of mounts, and generally succeeds in getting aboard something with fairly good prospects. He has twice ridden the winner of this race—Solfcrite in .1927 and Toxeuma last year. Groat Star has some really high-class form to Ins credit, though he has been a hard horse to keep at his best. The season before last he won only one race, but lie gave Hunting Cry 21b and ran him to half a length in the Auckland Railway Handicap. Other placed performances against good horses are credited to him. Last season his first performance of any note was to run third to Ladv Pam and Arrow Lad in the Criterion Handicap at the Now Zealand Cup Meeting. Ho conceded Lady Pam 21b, and behind him wore such as Great Charter, Silvennine, Consent, and Meadow Lark. His next time in the money was again in the Railway Handicap at Auckland, and once more ho beat all but Hunting Cry. This time Hunting Cry conceded 211 b and won by a head. There is no need to emphasise the merit of this form, but Fegaway, Toxeuma, Karapoti, Silvermine, Autopay, and others of top class wore behind. Paganelli and Leitrim beat Great Star on the second day, but lie never docs so well as lie does first up. Spoon and Stagbunter beat him in the Craven Plate at Riccarton in X r ebrnary, (or which he was No. 1 with 8.13. In Ids four starts since then he has been second, third, won, once, and again second. Charmouse beat him in the Groat Easter Handicap by three-quar-ters of a length in Irain 25 3-ssec, Great Star conceding 91b. He meets her 131 b better next week. On the second day he was third to Autopay and True Shaft in Imin 25sec, conceding each 21b. He meets True Shaft 91b better in the Cup. Ho won the principal handicap, one mile and a-qunrter, at the Amberley-Horo-rata combined meeting held at Riccarton, running the ten furlongs in 2min 5 3-sscc. His last start was at Ashburton on May 23, when, carrying 9,9 and ridden by I). Cotton, Limited beat him over six*furlongs when in receipt of 391 b. Great Star is a brilliant sprinter with a fine turn of speed early in a race. He looks like performing with credit.