RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22524, 17 December 1936, Page 5

RACING NOTES

[By St. Ci,aih.]

RACING. December 19.-otaki Maori Racing Club. December 26.—Waipukurau Jockey Club. December 26, 28— Dunedin Jockey Club. December 26, 28.—Taranaki Jockey Club. December 26, 28, 29.—Westland Racing Club. , „ , . December 26, 29, January 1, 2.—Auckland Racing Club. . . . , January I.—Waikouaiti Racing Club. January I.—Wyndham Racing Club January 1. 2.-Stratfc,-d Racing CJub January 1, 2.-Havrke’s Bay Jockey ° January 1, 2.—Marlon Jockey Club. January 1. 2.—Wairarapa Racing Club. January 1,2 Greymouth Jockey Club. January 2.—Oamaru Jockey Club. January 2, 4.—Southland Racing Club. January 7, 9.—Reefton Jockey Club. January 8, 9.—Vincent Jockey Club,DATES TO REMEMiER With the Christinas holidays coming on owners and trainers will have to keep a busv eve often on the calendar tor acceptance and nomination dates During the next few days the following dates and times will claim their attention ; Winton T.C., acceptances-, Friday, 18 at 8 p.m. . ~ , Dunedin J.C., acceptances, Monday, 21, at 5 p.m. , Oamaru J.C., acceptances, Monday, 21. at 8 p.m. , ~ Waikouaiti R.C., acceptances, Mondav. 21. at 8 p.m. Wyndham R.C., acceptances, Tuesday 22, at 5 p.m. . Vincent J.C., nominations, Wednesday, 23, at 7 p.m. Canterbury P.T.C., acceptances, Monday, 28, at 6 p.m. Southland R.C., acceptances, Wednesday, 30, at 5 p.m. . Clifden R.C., nominations, Wednesdav, 30, at 9 p.m. Wairio J.C., nominations, Wednesday, 30, at 8 p.m. _ JOTTHWS •Cloudy Range and Blue Mountain are the ruling favourites for the Ashburton Cup. Casanova always does his best racing on grass tracks. He is reported to be in excellent order. In addition to riding Cuddle in the Auckland Cup, L. J. Ellis will handle Gustos, Cerne Abbas, and the old Elanago at the Auckland Meeting. The betting at the Otaki-Maori Meeting to be held next Saturday will be on the single pool system, with two dividends in races of five or more chances. Tonnerre was the only winner last week to earn a penalty at Auckland. His handicap has been raised by 31b to 8.0 in the Railway Handicap. The Gore Trotting Club has received excellent acceptances for its Annual Meeting on Boxing Day. A field of a dozen has been paid up for in the principal race. At a recent country meeting in Victoria there was a shortage of professional riders, only three being in attendance, and consequently many horses had to be scratched. F. E. Ingram, who sustained a broken leg yesterday during training operations at Mosgiel Park, was well known a couple of seasons ago as a rider over fences. P. Atkins will be on Aiwai, Brun■<hilde. Mandamus, Relative, and Small Boy in their engagements at the Auckland Cup Meeting. S. Wilson has been engaged to ride Hunting Queen in the Manawatu Cup, and the members of T. George’s team racing at that fixture. Hunting Queen, who staged a return to form recently at Feilding, is considered in knowledgeable quarters to have good prospects of winning an open handicap during the early holiday racing. Vintage and Tunneller were sent a mile at Riccarton on Tuesday morning. After running the first three furlongs in 37 l-ssec and the half-mile in 50 l-ssec, the full journey took Imin 44sec. Tunneller was going the better at the finish. Padishah, who recently returned from an unsuccessful trip to Australia, is due to resume racing in the Dominion, in the Manawatu Cup. Tl’i; halfbrother to Cuddle gave gnjat promise as a stayer just over 12 months ago. Until last week Mr G. Aitcheson only held Southern Smile on lease from Mr .1. M'Tavish, of Southland, but he has now purchased the Adioo Guy—Regina Logan mare, and the price is reported to have been £SOO. Marsceres was prevented from keeping his Forburv Park engagements when he injured himself while being unloaded at Dunedin last month. However, that he had made a good recovery is suggested by his nomination for Ashburton. Handicaps for the racing events on the Waikouaiti and Oamaru programmes were due to be published today, but have evidently been delayed. Owners will have to accept for these two meetings before the tn'o days’ racing at Wingatui have been decided. A Taranaki writer states that the New Zealand Cup winner Fersen, who is working well at New Plymouth, is an extremely doubtful starter in the ‘Auckland Cup. is is probable Fersen will_ be kept for racing on the Taranaki holiday circuit. It is a fact that heat evaporates moisture, and at a trotting meeting a successful demonstration took place in America some years ago. The Americans spent a few pounds and saturated the track with cheap petrol and set it alight. In less than an hour the track provided a dry foothold for the racing. Last night’s rain would be welcomed by trainers at Wingatui, and it will now assure the course proper from being too firm for next week’s meeting. It will also freshen np the flower plots o,n the lawn. The caretaker has an excellent show of blooms on the roses, and the rain will help to keep them blooming until after the meeting. Some little time ago a three-year-old filly was sent by a Winton owner to P. Gallagher’s Washdyke team, and more than ordinary interest will be shown in her efforts in public. She is a daughter of Adioo Guy from Logan’s Mission, and a hill-sister to Grand Mogul. _ A good offer was refused for the Adioo Guy youngster some time back.

January 13.—Clifden Racing Club. January 16. —Wairio Jockey Club. January 20, 22, 23.—Wellington Racing Club. TROTTING. December 26.—Ashburton T.C. December 26.—Gore T.C. December 26, 28.—Wairarapa T.C. December 26, 28.—Westport T.C. December 28, 30, 31. —Auckland T.C. December 29.—Winton T.C. December 30.—Westland T.C. January 2, 4.—Canterbury Park T.C. January 4, s.—Greymouth T.C. January B.—Reefton T.C. January 9. —Cambridge T.C. January 16.—Timaru T.C. January 23.—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. January 28, 30.—Forbury Park T.C. January 30. February 1. —Nelson T.C. If the Dunedin totalisator contractors, W. F. James Ltd., accept the ultimatum of the Forbury Park Trotting Club with regard to the sale of win and place tickets at the same window other Southland and Otago clubs will not be backward in demanding the benefit of the fulfilment of this long-felt want (‘ Mata run. Ensign : ). Had the Winton Jockey Club not decided in favour of February dates for the future it looks as though they would have had a chance of getting back their old holiday date, the King’s Birthday (writes “Starter,” in the ‘Ensign’). Their old dates came very close to it, but after the trouble they have gone to in securing the recent change it is not likely that an application for a change back in the future will be entertained. Reports from Te Aroha state that Golden Sheila, the favourite for 'the Railway Handicap, is getting through her track work very satisfactorily, and she should! be in excellent condition for her Auckland engagements. This Gay Shield fillv appears to thrive on light work, and is seldom galloped against the watch. Hitherto she has won races on what may be termed light preparations; and she is stiJl being worked accordingly. One win ticket worth £2l 13s and eight place tickets worth £5 2s 6d each were among the totalisator dividends not collected by backers of Wotan in the Melbourne Cup. These amounts were included in a cheque for £2lB paid on Saturday by Automatic Totalisators Ltd. to the Victoria Racing Club. The money represented unclaimed dividends over the four days of the V.R.C. spring meeting. It awaited claimants for four weeks, but now it goes to the Government.

Talking, the £19,000 colt, is te be trained by F. Williams he returns to Sydney next week. Williams thus will-have a class horse to follow Sylvandale and Chatham. A. G. Papworth is to receive two horses from Mr Alan Cooper in lieu of Talking. Mr Cooper said that he had decided to send Talking to Williams instead of back to Papworth on account of the insurance. Williams occupies stables owned by Mr Cooper and he trains at Randwick, whereas Papworth has his horses at Rosehill.

Ponty and Argentic were companions over nine furlongs the reverse way at Riccarton on Tuesday morning, the last mile taking Imin 44 3-ssec, the first half in Slsec, six -furlongs in Imin 18 3-ssec, and seven furlongs in Imin 32 l-ssec. Argentic finished in front, but they were not sent out for a serious trial. W. Broughton is available to ride Ponty in the Auckland Cup (says the Press’). There is, however, a possibility that he will start in his mile engagement on the first day in preference to the cup, and should this arrangement be decided on, Broughton will be offered the ride on Argentic.

While Cuddle’s 10st at Otaki next Saturday is a welter-weight, she is in reality not harshly treated, considering that she was handicapped at 9.12 in the A.J.C. Epsom Handicap, and her connections have decided that she will take her place in the field on Saturday. She has been working in greatly improved style at Trentham since her return from the New Zealand Cup Meeting, and the race will give a more reliable line on her prospects of winning her second Auckland Cup. On Saturday morning she eclipsed Rona Bay very comfortably at the end of a satisfactory gallop over a mile and a-quarter in 2.11 2-5, and the track at the time was not fast.

King George VI. is not unknown to racegoers at Addington, for during his tour of New Zealand as Duke of York in 1927 a meeting was held in his honour by the New Brighton Trotting Club. The present King took a keen interest in the racing, and after Great Bingen had registered one of the greatest performances at Addington by winning the Royal Handicap after giving away 108 yards, he discussed trotting with officials of the club and later started the field in the Eclipse Handicap. This race was won by Mac de Oro, whose driver, Fred Holmes, was congratulated on his success by the Royal visitor.

Charles Fox, one of Melbourne’s best sprinters, was entered for the 100,000 dollars Santa Anita Handicap, to be run in America on February 9, but because of the American shipping strike he will not make the trip. Mr S. Green entered Charles Fox a month ago for the Santa Anita Handicap, but he found that no steamer would go to San Francisco until January, and as that would leave no time for diaries Fox to acclimatise, Mr Green decided to call off the trip. Mr Green said he was very disappointed that the shipping strike had interfered with his plans. “If Charles Fox would start he would be easily the best miler in Australia,” he said, “ and I think that he would have done well in America, where he would have started from a box separated from all other runners.”

Mr A. Pearson is proving a worthy successor to Mr Geo. Wishart in directing the affairs of the Cromwell Jockey Club (reports the Cromwell ‘Argus’). He has already succeeded in securing some valuable trophies for the forthcoming race meeting. Included in these are three handsome cups, from Messrs R. Wilson and Co., R. Powley and Co., and W. Scoular and Co., while Wilson’s Brewery Company has made a donation to the club. The programme commit tee of the club met last week, and, with the increased stake money and the cups referred to, drew up a very attractive programme, which has now gone to headquarters for approval. Public interest in the club's affairs is being well maintained, and the club seems well on the way to another successful year.

Jonathan’s fourth in the Te Awamutu Cup was an improvement on any of his recent efforts, as he beat Master Brierley at practically even weights. In the Auckland Cup Jonathan is in re-

ceipt of 91b from Master Brierley, but he is by the Absurd horse Thespian, which is no recommendation for a twomile assignment. He may be speeded up for the Railway Handicap, in which he has been allotted about a stone less than he carried to victory last Boxing Day. Although 10 horses have been accepted for in the Auckland Trotting Cup, it is expected that the four Canterbury representatives will fight out the finish (says the ‘ Star-Sun ’). While Grand Mogul is favourite, he must have a firm track. If conditions are favourable he will be very hard to beat. He has done exceptionally well since his success at the cup meeting at Addington, and, being a good traveller, he will go to the starting post in the best of health. He should race up to his best form. From 36yds behind he will be assured of a smooth passage until such a time as his driver deems its prudent to go after the leaders. Grand Mogul has a great burst of speed. His last mile in a trial at Addington in 2min o 2-ssec, with the concluding four furlongs of that trial in .59 3-ssec, provide evidence of his ability. He will begin quickly, and go a true race, but if the course is soft or heavy he will be easily beaten.