RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22326, 30 April 1936, Page 6

RACING NOTES

RACING. May 2, 4.—Nelson J.C. May 7. 9.—Kgmont R.C. May 8, 9.—Marlborough R.C, May 9.—Amberley R.C. May 16.—Marton J.C. May 16.—Southland R.C. May 16.—Ashburton County R.C. May 16.—Waipa R.C. May 21, 23.—South Canterbury R.C. May 23. —Carterton R.C. May 30. —Foiton R.C. May 30, June 3, 6.—Auckland R.C. June 4, 6. —Otaki Maori R.C. June 6. —Ashburton County R.C.

TURF GOSSIP Jottings. Sir Simper, who has boon, retired from racing wilii a view to doing stud duty, arrived at Bluff from Melbourne on Tuesday.

Formerly trained at Riverton. Mayam is now a member of R. K. M'Lollan's team at Invercargill.

E phial tes was given a turn over the Hastings steeplechase country the other morning, and for a beginner went fairly well. He will race at Woodville over the hurdles, and then will he given a course of schooling over the big fences.

A. Messervy and 11. Hibberd will attend the Nelson Meeting. The former will have the mounts on Royal Gallant and Needful, and Hibbercl’s rides will include Rose Val and Back Lead.

The veteran Ashburton trainer, J. J. Lewis, is remaining at Ricearton to prepare The Surgeon for winter racing. The Surgeon was one of the chief sufferers from the milling that occurred prior to the start of the Great Autumn Handicap, and he was badly served at the start.

F. Christmas, with Jolly Beggar and Gleuuvoii, and 1). O’Connor, with Royal Limond. will leave Ricearton for Waipa on Friday of next week, and the horses will arrive in plenty of time to give them some schooling before the Waipa Meeting is held on May 16.

Mr Desmond Davis, of Auckland, has purchased from Mr F. B. Donnelly, of Hastings, the two-year-old full brother to Flood Tide, of whom he is the owner. The juvenile is a chestnut gelding, and is to be named Rising Tide. He is not quite ns tall as Flood Tide, but is considered to be just as good looking. Rising Tide will be trained at Takanini by R. Miller.

The winner of the principal race, the Peninsula Handicap, worth £2,000, and run oyer a mile at the February Meeting of the Johannesburg Jockey Club, vyas won by the Blandford horse Happy \' enture 11. This black horse is bred on similar lines to the recently-imported Solicitor-General, as both are by the same sire out of mares by Desmond’s son. Land League. The only daughter of Land League to be. imported to New Zealand was Sparrow Hawk, whose mating with Martian produced that very briliant horse The Hawk.

Steve Donogbuc has been offered a retainer to ride in France for M. Leon Volterra this year. G. Bridglancl, first jockey to M. Volterra for the past few seasons, has contracted to ride for the American, Mr J. F. Widener. In reply to questions on the report. Donoghne stated last month that nothing had been settled. “ T .have one or two offers to consider,” he said. “ 1 may decide to ride as a free lance.”

At the close of the Easter racing Paper Money was approximately £350 ahead of Hunting Song on the winning sires’ list; Chief Ruler was third, about £2.500 behind ; followed by Illiacl. Lord Quex. and Acre. The situation should remain full of interest until the end of the season, as the competition between the two leading sires is sure to be very close. Paper Money is now 21 years old to New Zealand time, and lie lias headed the season’s list twice to date (1920-27 and 1928-29).

A Great Combination. The Randwick trainer George Price has done a tremendous lot for New Zealand’s breeding industry in putting it on the map with Australia’s richest yearling buyers (says a Sydney writer). He has had many rewards in the past with the success of the youngsters purchased for his own stable, but the current season’s sales conferred an indirect benefit upon the ex-New Zealand trainer. Jt was during his sale visit last January that lie was asked to train Cuddle, barely saw sufficient of her to develop her best form for Victorian autumn racing, though she scored a win and two seconds, but had

June 11, 15,—Hawke’s Bay J.C. June 20, 23.—Wanganui J.C. Juno 20, 23.—Napier Park R.C. June 23.—Opotiki J.C. June 23, 25, 27.—Dunedin J.C. TROTTING. May 2.—Forbury Park T.C. May 2.—Cambridge T.C. May 7.—Marlborough T.C. May 9.—Oamaru T.C. May 9.—Waikato T.C. May 16, 18.—Nelson T.C. May 30.—Canterbury Park T.C. June 13.—Ashburton T.C.

Iter fighting fit for the biggest win of her career and landed the Doncaster. Bevond doubt Price and New Zealand stock arc a great combination.

Marconigram Filly. By their respective victories in the Melbourne Chip and the Sydney Cup, Marabou and Contact have brought the hitherto little-known sire Marconigram to the fore. A yearling filly by Mareonigram, his only representative in New Zealand, is being handled! at Awa-

pirni by Airs A. AV. M‘Donald for Mr F. J. Nathan, whose colours have been seen more _ often in Australia than in the Dominion.

The dam of the filly is Pythia, by Psychology from Flora Macdonald, winner of the Dunedin Cup. Pythia. although her racing career was cut short by unsoundness, won a few races for Mr Nathan. Psychology is the sire of Cuddle, and the sire of Flora Macdonald was Boniform. so that the filly possesses some good staying blood. It is understood that she is destined for the Australian turf. J. S. Shaw's Success. The Ricearton trainer J. S. Shaw, who has been as successful as a trainer of gallopers as he was with the pacers, has enjoyed considerable success on the West Coast circuit this season, two excursions having yielded 19 wins and over 30 minor places with small teams, the total stake money being £1,473. On the Christmas-New Year circuit he took over seven gallopers—namelv, Sea Fox, Rebel Star, M'Heath, Dollar Bill, each of whom won twice, Bella Rosa, Princess Rawenc, and Dark Rose, who won a race apiece. During the Faster carnival Shaw was represented by four runners. Royal Gallant won three races, Rebel Star and Princess Rnwene two each, and Needful one. The nine horses produced were, therefore, all successful, a notable result.

In addition. Shaw drove a number of trotters with success on various courses.

Yearling Purchases

Four of the nine yearlings who arrived from Sydney by the Wangauella were acquired on behalf of a newlyformed Auckland racing syndicate, comprising Dr A. M'Grcgor Grant, Mr H. J. Court, Mr H. Morpeth, Air G. Deery, and Dr W. C. Ring. The yearlings concerned were purchased at last week’s Randwick sales on behalf of the syndicate by Dr W. C. Ring, who also returned by the Wangauella, and they are to he trained at Takanini by the hurdle jockey D. J. Burgess, who has trained the jumper Thespis with a good deal of success. Burgess will bo located with his charges at the stable formerly occupied by H. Gray. The yearlings acquired by the syndicate are a brown colt by Silverbnrn from Sun Dance, a bay colt by Excitement from Restful, a bay colt by Heroic from Lady Seaborn, and a brown colt by Baralong from Nobility. The Heroic colt cost 230 gs, the Silverbnrn colt and the Excitement colt 200 gs each; and the Baralong colt 180 gs. The other five yearlings to arrive by the Wangauella were consigned to Wright, Stephenson, and Co. Ltd. Four have been sent to A. Cook’s stable at Te Awamutn and the other to W. H. Maria at Avondale. The four to go to Te Awamutn were a brown colt by Constant Son from The Earth, a brown colt by Rosewing from Linlass, a bay colt by Baralong from Ednaver, and a brown filly by Rampion from Lady Garlocb. The one to go to Avondale was a bay filly by Brazen from Volume.

Wright, Stephenson and Co. Ltd. also ipurchasod on behalf of Mr M. O’Brien, of Christchurch, u colt by Excitement from Pcrion, at 160 gs. This colt is closely related to Beresina, winner of the V.A.T.C. Oakleigh Plate. The dam is by Shillinglee from Cast Olf, by Stepniak from Ambush. This is the family which produced Welcome Jack, Orloff', Golden Wings, First Acre, etc. Excitement, who is by Hurry On from Stefanova. bv Stefan the Great, from Glass Ball, ‘half-sister to the Derby winner, Captain Cuttle, sired the winners of 13 two-year-old races in his first season. Use of Batteries. The opinion of the Minister for Puhilc Works in the Queensland Govern- ; ment, Mr H. Bruce, on the respective “ merits ” of eloping and electric batteries for racehorses is as unusual as it is courageous. Mr .Bruce, who is a member of the Brisbane Amateur Turf Club and a keen racing man, declares .that the use of a mild battery, of a voltage to be determined by the stewards each race day, would be more humane than the use of drugs, which he denounces as a criminal practice. In Mr Bruce’s view a mild battery would rouse a sluggish horse without causing injury, and would be less cruel than the application of whip or spur by a vigorous jockey. TWTIMG NEWS Frisco Silk, who lias been nominated for both light harness events at the Amberley liacing Club's Mooting on May 9. is a threc-ycar-old gelding by Silk Thread—Grattan Queen. Ho. is owned bv Mr *l. H. M'Tvenzic, and at the last matinee meeting at Addington, be showed ipromising form in winning the mile and a-haif race for maiden three-year-olds. Amongst those that finished behind Frisco Silk was Bandit, who was later successful at Cheviot. At TTeddon Bush to-morrow Mr J. M'Tavish, who has disposed of his farm property, will submit for auction the

square-gaiter, Fair Voyage and a two-year-old filly by Adioo Guy (imp.) from Logan’s Mission, the latter youngster claiming full-sister relationship to tiro Canterbury pacer, Grand Mogul. The Adioo Guy filly is a fine type and has been handled and gaited, and has shown some ability to pace correctly without anything serious being asked of her (says ‘ The Southland Times’). She is particularly well grown for tier age, and possessed of a w underfill temperament. Fair Voyage has raced consistently in Southland during the current eason, although lie lias failed to get into the money. When first produced in public over 12 months ago the Happy Voyage gelding was scut out a warm second fancv in a good field, and since then has always been regarded above the average. Tn each start he has had this season he has finished about fourth, and these displays have all been full of merit. The fact that ho has been trained privately by nis owner may have caused him to race rather greenly, and this has been his undoing on more than one occasion. Ho joined F. Langford’s stable late in the season, and working in company made good progress. His dam Fair Noreen was got by Lee Norris (imp., a sire of winners at the square gait) from Young Weary (dam of Weary Voyage and others), by Sir Hector from Weary (the fountain head of a good winning line), by Brookholm. The Crack Four-year-old. Gamble lias come through the season with honours thick upon him. He has won a string of races in the manner of a real champion (says the Wellington ‘ Evening lost ’). As a baby lie was very coltish lor some time, and 'it seemed that ho would take nincli longer than lie has done to become a solid racing proposition. His battles with Graham Direct this season have infused an interest into lightharness racing that lias lent a rather needed zest to metropolitan meetings.

■ and although the two-mile record for tour-year-old pacers, 4min 21 2-ssec, still stands to the credit of Graham Direct, it now seems safe to say that Gamble is a superior stayer, and the one who will make the most improvement. If many another trainer than M. B. Edwards had had the training of the highly-bred chestnut colt, he would most probably have been ruined as a two-year-old or three-year-old. Edwards studied him most intently, and set him a programme that had the gradual effect of making a once tricky horse into a good and game racer. Edwards is one of the masters of his profession, and the way he turns his horses out is a very great credit to him. Gamble has now qualified for a 4min 26sec mark, and as it is practically certain he will be nursed for important August events, with the Mew Zealand Cup in November the main issue, he will lie the early favourite, War Buoy finished a good second to Indianapolis last year, and as Edwards does not attempt to hide the fact that Gamble can give War Buoy all he wants any day of the ■week. Indianapolis may have to be. something even better than a twominute pacer to give Gamble a substantial start.