RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22720, 6 August 1937, Page 4

RACING NOTES

RACING. August 7.—Poverty Bay Hunt. August 10, 12, 14.—Canterbury J.C. August 21.—Pakuranga Hunt. August 28.—Otago Hunt. September 2.—Egmont-Wanganui Hunt, September 4.—Taranaki Hunt Club. September 9, 11.—Wanganui J.C. September 18.—Ashburton County K.C. September 18, 20. —Avondale J.C. September 18.—Foxton R.C. September 23, 25.—Geraldine R.C. September 25.—Marton J.C. October 2.—Otaki-Maori R.C. October 2. —Kurow J.C. October 2, 4.—Taumarunui R.C. October 7, B.—Dunedin J.C.

AT ADDINGTON TO-MORROW The Grand National Carnival Week will open to-morrow at Addington with tho first day of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s August fixtureOwing to showers during the week the track is likely to be slow, but should the weather be fine to-morrow it will quickly dry out and be in good order for the latter part of the programme. The fields are good, and, as is always the case at the commencement of a new season, punters will have little in the way of recent form to guide them, ihe following horses may be fancied in their respective races: — 11.30— Introductory Handicap, uuhoppled trotters (3.34). 14m. Polly Pan, Guy Hugo, Golden Eagle. 12.10 —Advance Handicap (3.52;, lj m .—Sage King-Harlequin bracket, Aircraft, Esplendor. 12.50 —August Handicap (4.29), -,m. —King’s Warrior, Lucky Jack, ReP °l!3s—Queen Mary Handicap (4.34), 2ni —U. Scott, Parisienne, King s Play. 2.15 —Stewards’ Handicap, nnheppled trotters (3.29), 14m.— Wahnooka, King’s Guard, Bittersweet - 2.55 —Trial Handicap (4.40), 2m.— Blair Athol. Frisco Boy, Great Jewel. 3 35 —Selwvn Handicap (2.47), lim. —Double Great, Pansienno (if reserved), Southern Smile. • 4.ls— lnternational Handicap (3.44). ] i ji] f Nervie’s Last, Supertax, Grand Mogul-Cloudy Range bracket. JOTTINGS The first race at Addington to-mor-row is timed to start at 11.30, and the betting will be on the wm-and-place system. Tho only winner of the Brabazon Handicap.to follow on with the Winter Cup is Toxeunm seven years ago. No Honieby Steeplechase winner has scored in the Grand National Steeplchase.

Though an acceptor for the Grand National Hurdle race, there 15 some doubt whether Red Sun will he able to start, as one of ms joints is causing a lot of trouble.

Billy Boy has been getting through some useful tasks at Riccarton during tho past week, and is likely to be a starter on the concluding day in the Lincoln Steeplechase.

As 30 horses is the maximum number that can be started in any race, provision will have to be made for the Avonhead Hack Handicap on Tuesd’av to be run in divisions, as o- horses have been accepted for.

Trench Fight and Dictate are the local favourites for the Winter Cup, Irish Comet and Nocturnes for the Grand National Steeplechase, and Jolly Beggar and Clarion Call in the Grand National Hurdles.

The acceptances for the first day of the Grand National Meeting must be considered very satisfactory. None of the fancied division during, the past woek has dropped out of tho threo big races, and, with the exception of the Enfield Steeplechase, big fields have been left in the other races.

Red Sun has been suffering from a bruised heel, received while working at Trentham before being shipped to Wellington. This has prevented his ownertrainer from giving him as much work as ho would have liked, and his Grand National Hurdles prospect has not been improved. Summing up the chances of souio of the North Island candidates m the Grand National Hurdles, “ Rangatira,” in the Wellington ‘Post says: “ Collision is one of the yojjHger hurdlers, but such horses have a good record in the Grand National in recent years. Callamart and Huntique were in that category when they won, and so was Jolly Beggar in the year or Jus first success. Collision might be proved by subsequent records to be as •good a hurdler as any of those noted. He is a fine stamp of horse, a typical representative of his sire, and one who had more than ordinary speed when racing on the flat, Journet, who tell in the Grand National last year, made an excellent showing in finishing second to Collision on Saturday., He is the type of a true staying jumper, but he is a horse of moods who does not always go on as expected. High Quality also demonstrated that he can negotiate the Riccarton sticks the left-handed way 7 round, but most northern critics are doubtful about whether his stamina is sufficient.”-

Nooturnus is a great southern fancy for the National. Probably no National horse has made greater improvement in looks and condition since last August. His backers were on good terms with themselves all through Saturday’s running, and when he went up to Cock o’ the North from tho last fence it looked all over. It came as a distinct shock, however, to his supporters to see him outstayed by the winner. There may be an element of luck in it, accounted for by tho miscalculation of his jockey, but even making that allowance, it looked suspiciously like Nocturmis not being the equal of Cock o"the North as a stayer (writes “The Watcher,” in the ‘Dominion’). I heard this doubt about Nocturnus’s stamina expressed in more than one reliable quarter after the race, and if this be so, ho will, have a much harder task to win tho National. It would, of course, be very foolish to discard him on that account. His form makes him look a good prospect. On pedigree, however, there is ground to justify tho suspicion that lie may not stay. His dam, Victory Lass, is not eligible for the Stud Book, and until the washing-up of the late Mr A. F. Roberts’s stud there was some doubt about her breeding. It was finally registered as by Triumphator out of a Castor mare. Blue blood, of course, is not such an essential quality in steeplcchasing as ou tho flat, but it will always tell, and Nooturnus’s chance of staying the National course out to tho bitter end would seem to rest on the legacy of his sire, Night Raid.

[By St. Clair.}

trot-tixg. August 7, 11, 13.—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C, August 28. —Auckland T.C. September ♦.—New Brighton T.C. September 11.—Wellington T.C. October 2.—Methven T.C. October 9.—New Brighton T.C. October 10.—Waikato T.C. October 16, 18.—Westport T.C. October 23, 25.—Auckland T.C. October 23, 25.—Cireymouth T.C. October 25.—Oamaru T.C. October 30.—Wellington T.C. October 30— Invercargill T.C. October 30.—Thames T.C.

There are now two Rebel Chiefs racing, the seven-year-old gelding by Robespierre from Berintia in New Zealand, and a four-year-old gelding by Chief Ruler from Lady Pym in Sydney. The latter was purchased at the 1935 national yearling sales by his present owner, Sir J. T. Cush, of Sydney, at lOOgs. In the official list of jockeys and apprentice jockeys published, in this week’s ‘ New Zealand Racing and Trotting Digest ’ there are only 13 jockeys that can ride under 7.0 and 22 that can go to the scales at 7.7 licensed in the Dominion. Of the apprentices there are 32 who can ride under 7.0 and 39 more who can go under 7.7.

Last season, Burglar won the Aylesbury Steeplechase on the third day at the National Meeting, he was trained by Mrs J. Campbell, and she holds a very high opinion of the Night Raid—Raid gelding. He is one of the best-winded horses in training at Riccarton, and having graduated from the hunting field the Riccarton country is no trouble to him. Both Rockingham (winner) and Moonraker ' (runner-up) in the Maiden Stakes at Riccarton last Saturday claim French-bred sires. The former is by Tidal and Moonraker by Rionscup, a sou of Teddy, and a good performer after his importation to Sydney. Moonraker realised 200 gs at the Sydney yearling soles, and was afterwards sold to her present owner, Mr H. D. Greenwood,

Before leaving for Riccarton Old Surrey and Catalogue recorded a nice gallop at Awapuni. With the trestles right out nearly to the outside of the track Old Surrey had the better of the start, and he retained some of his initial advantage until the finish, where he was a length to the good. It was over a mile, and the fractional times were 41$sec, Imiu 3sec, and Tmin Sljsee. With Wino at present not up to form, M. B. Edwards’s stable will now probably place more reliance on Ponty in the Winter Cup, in which ho ran third last year _to Wino. Ponty has progressed the right way since the Wellington Meeting, and, as ho usually races well when fresh, he will have to be once more respected. Ho will be ridden by P. Atkins, who won the last Wellington Cup on him.

Shy is to be ridden in the Winter Cup by P. Burgess, and will hare to put up about 21b overweight. The local apprentice, P. Spratt, who had the mount on him in the Brabazon Handicap last Saturday, says he had only three horses behind him running out of the back stretch, and even then thinks ho would have won but for beaten horses coming back on him during his passage up through tho field. So impressed were some good judges with Shy’s effort that Lewis was asked to put a price on him after the race, but he is not anxious to sell, for he is well aware that he has got a good horse.

Collision, whose win in the Longbeach Hurdles last Saturday has brought him into favour for the Grand National Hurdles, is an eight-voar-old gelding- by Colossus from Ardbroath. by Sylvia Park from Sanguine, by Apremont from Last Chance, by The Painter from tho Sir Hercules mare Chance. Collision was not raced until he was five years old, and in that season won four races, second twice, and third once out of 16 starts. His best performance that year was to win the Trial Plate (6f) at Trentham, heating a big field, including Debham, Valarth, and Terry. This winter he has started 10 times for four wins, a second, and two thirds. At Woodville, with 9.84, he beat Iddo 9.0, Ethiop 9.13, and Journet 11.5 over a mile and a-half; at Waikato, with 9.2, he beat Pango 9.10, High Quality 10.2, and Clarion Call 11.4 over two miles. At Ellerslio, with 11.0, lie boat Gay Broney 9.12 and Lady Ruler 10.4 over two miles; and in the Winter Hurdles at Trentham last month, with 9.8, was beaten two lengths by John Charles 9.6, Lord Val 10.4 being third, and Red Sun 11.3 also started. In next Thursday’s race he has 9.12, and meets John Charles on 6lb better and Red Sun on 61b worse terms. Collision’s pedigree is rich in staying blood, and lie is a very effortless jumper. Last Saturday he was conceding Journet 131 b, and meets him next Saturday on lib better terms. Cock o’ the North, who has come into favour for next Tuesday’s big steeplechase since winning the Homeby Steeplechase last Saturday, gave his owner-trainer, Fred Shaw, a lot of trouble shortly after he bought him. One of his front feet became affected and practically a new hoof had to be grown. Shaw bought him with the reputation of being a good jumper, able to stay for a week, and a notorious buck-jumper, and Cock o’ the North has now fulfilled all the recommendations. He has an unusual but very sound pedigree, and one which, when studied, will leave no doubt why ho is strong on stamina. His sire, Royal Mac. is by Mountain King, a brown horse bred in Australia by Carbine’s great son, Wallace, from La Veille, by Mostyn—Vigil, by Trenton—, Nightmare, by Paine—Evening Star, by Lord Clifden. Royal Mac’s dam is Flora Macdonald, by Boniform—Lady Lochiel, by Formosan—Miss Lochiel, by Lochiel. also tracing back to a Lord Clifden mare. On the dam’s side is equally stout Mood. Dabchick, who died in 1926, was by Formosan—Aqualis, by Perkin Warbeck ll.—Aqualate, by July —Teredo, by Apremont, a branch of Mermaid’s famous No. 14 family. It will bo seen that Formosan appears in the female pedigree of both siro and dam. Formosan, now probably unknown to most racegoers, was a brother to the brilliant Cruciform, by St. Leger—Forme, tho latter a close relative of -Multiform. Cock o’ the North appeared on Saturday’s card as 10 years old. but he was. according to the Stud Book, foaled in 1925, which makes him 12 years. It is nob a really advanced age for a steeplechaser, especially for one who has not been raced to any extent. It is also interesting to observe the ironical fate which sees tlte Grigg family breeding both Cock o’ tho North and his dam. and now one of the family trying to heat him with St reaniliue.