RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23128, 30 November 1938, Page 3

RACING NOTES

[By Sr. Clair. J

RACING. Deoember 3.—Otaki-Maori Racing Club. December 10.—Hororata Racing Club. December 10, 12.—Woodvillo D. Jockey Club.’ ■ . . December 17.—Waipa Racing Club. . December 24, 26, 27. —Manawatu Racing Club. , , _. . December 26.-Waipukurau Jockey Club December 26, 27.—Dunedin Jockey Club. December 26, 27. —Taranaki Jockey Club. December 28. —West Coast Racing Club. December 26, 28. January 2, 3.—Auckland Racing Club. . December 31, January 2.-Wairarapa Racing Club. . December 31, January 2.—Greymoutli Jockey Club. „ December 31, January 2.-Hawkes Bay Jockey Club. JOTTINGS Reminders. Nominations for the Gore Trotting; Club’s Meeting close on Monday next at 5 p.m. . . Nominations for the Winton Trotting Club’s Meeting close on Thursday, December 8. Forbury Gate Receipts. The gate receipts for the first day of the Forbury Park Meeting came to £428 16s 6d, and for the second day to £B2O 9s, a total of £1,249 5s 6d. The figures show an advance of about £BU on those of the Spring Meeting of last year.

Special Treatment. The New Brighton track is receiving special treatment, and a very heavy roller has been obtained to make a speed-assisting surface for Lawn Derby’s assault on the grass track record.

Largest English Stud. Lord Glanely has the largest breeding establishment in Great Britain. He mated 66 mares last season, and, notwithstanding that he breeds so many of his own, he is invariably a buyer of other breeders’ yearlings, and generally at high prices. Although Lord Glanely leads as the .owner ot brood mares in England, his total does not approach that of Mr P. Miller, of the “ Kia Ora ” Stud in New South Wales. Mr Miller has well over 100 mares, and at the last autumn sales at Randwick catalogued 81 yearlings.

In Footmark’s Colours. One of the best of the early two-year-olds in Western Australia this season is Saint Warden, a bay colt by Loral Warden from the Silverado — Starmist mare Halo. Saint Warden was sold at the January sales at Trenthato for 325 guineas, his purchasers being Messrs S. J. and N. V. Mills, the owners of Footmark. At the recent W.A.T.C. Meeting in_ Perth he was sent out second favourite for the Ha*ielin Handicap, fiv£ furlongs, in ■which he carried top weight, and he beat the favourite, a filly named Apt. to whom he was conceding 31b. P. T. Hogan Returns.

P. T. Hogan brought back four of his team from Australia by the Maungamii, which berthed at Bluff on Monday morning. They were Queen of Song, Toy Row, Netherlece, and On Call. Mr Hogan is keeping his horses in Invercargill for a day or two before leaving for the north. Thi Government’s Share.

Although Mrs A. Jamieson, owner of Catalogue, and Mr A. K. Firth, owner of Royal Chief, won some good stake money in Australia, the deductions tor taxation considerably reduced the amounts (savs the Christchurch ‘Press’). It is stated' that close on £I.OOO was taken from Catalogue’s Melbourne Cup prize, and Mr Firth was called upon to pay between £6OO and £7OO out of Royal Chief’s winnings.

Riding in France. At latest tbe former Sydney jockey, W. Johnstone, stood_ a first-class chance of heading the jockeys’ list in France this year. Up to September 23 he v/93 second, with 70 wins, being only three behind Dupuit. Duforcz, who had a useful lead up to the time an accident put him out of action for a few weeks, was third with 63. Outside the three mentioned, no other jockey had a chance of getting to th>* top. Australian Suggestion.

Although it has been announced that Defaulter is to visit Australia, says a Sydney newspaper, the intention is probably to bring him here in the spring of the coming year. As he has good engagements in the autumn in New Zealand, his owner may decide it is better he should fulfil them and tackle Ajax and others of Australia’s best at weight-for-age later. In handicaps in Australia he is bound to get so much weight that in consequence his efforts may be restricted to weight-for-age events. Flemington Figures.

During the Melbourne Cup Meeting the totalisator figures showed a decline on each of the four days, the total turnover being £331,327, as against £357,689 10s last year, which represented a decrease for the meeting ol £26,3^3105. Last year, however, was a record. To a large extent the drop in ihe totalisator returns was attributable to the fact that there was little betting on the weigh t-for-age rao#s. Ajax so completely dominated therm that there was little wagering, either with the bookmakers or on totalisators in the three races contested by him.

Picnic Racing at Hurunui. For many years the Hurunui Turf Club has held its annual non-totali-sator meeting on Boxing Day, and although the fixture was attended bylargo numbers from all parts of tindistrict, the class of horse engaged has not been very attractive, few entries being secured from Riccarton. This year" the club decided to hold the meeting on December 17. and as a result the list of nominations is the biggest and strongest in the history of the club. The course provides excellent going, and is within easy reach of Christchurch, and the opportunity to give their horses a race in public a few days before entering upon the holiday racing will be accepted by several Riccarton trainers. Horses from this centre include In the Dark. Grampian, Roy Run, Alby. Aggravate, Dropped Catch. Sir Rosenor. Haulhowline, and Palmyra.

Riding Horses Out. ‘ The stipeu' ,: nrv '.tewimls have evidently decided that jockeys must

January 2.—Waikouaili Racing Club. January 2.—Wyndham Racing Club. January 2, 3.—Stratford Racine Club, January 2, 3.—Marlon Jockey Club. January 3.—Oamani Jockey Club. January 3, 4.—Southland Racing Club

TROTTING. December 5. —Waikato T.C. December 3.—New Brighton T.C. December 3.—Wairio T C. December 10. —Waikato T.C. December 26.—Ashburton T.C. December 26.—Wairarapa T.C. December 26, 27. —Westport T.C. December 31. —Winton T.C. January 2, 3.—Canterbury Park T.C. January 5, 6. —Grey mouth T.C.

strictly observe the regulation that horses must be ridden out, 1 writes “ Pilot,” in the Sydney 1 Deforce.’ “ It is, however, something that calls for the exercise of discretion, and it will be interesting to note whether all offenders will be treated alike. “ At Canterbury on November 12 an apprentice who was on a two-year-old that was having its first run was suspended for a month for not persevering with his mount right to the end in order to get third place. It had not the slightest chance of running first or second, but the stewards must have been of opinion that it could have finished third. A more experienced rider would probably have made it less obvious if he did not want a place. In the circumstances a caution would probably have met the case. “It is galling for tote backers to be deprived of a dividend they should have received, but whether a horse should be punished to get third in a small race is a matter opinion. have seen prominent jockeys let their mounts drop back from fourth or fifth to nearly last at the finish of a race when they found they were beaten, but the recent action by the stewards suggests they will have to be much more careful in future.”

The Greyhound Visit. The proposed visit of Greyhound to New Zealand has not aroused much enthusiasm in some quarters. The attitude taken up by the Auckland Trotting Club docs nothing to help the project, and it is unlikely (says the ‘ Press ’) that any assistance will be coming from Forlmry Park or Wellington. This would mean that the Metropolitan Trotting Club would have to shoulder the expense of perhaps £7,000, even if the Citizens’ Committee does attain its object in raising £5,000. This is thought to be too big a financial hurdle for the Metropolitan Club to attempt, for after a long journey and change of climate there is no assurance that Greyhound would be in condition to give his best display of trotting. There is still a possibility that the unhoppled pacer, Billy Direct, may come to New Zealand, for although pacers are not so much in favour as trotters in America, to New Zeaand patrons there would be little difference. Billy Direct has paced a mile in Imin 55sec, and is the world’s champion pacer Greyhound’s trotting record is Imin 55Jscc. There is a feeling amongst members of the Owners and Breeders’ Association that much good could be done with £5,000 if subscribed by the citizens of Christchurch, and one member suggested that free-for-all racing between the champions of Australia and New Zealand would produce as much interest as a visit from Greyhound or any American hoVse. Another series of races as arranged during the visit of Walla Walla to New Zealand,, it is thought, would provide stirring racing, and with Lawn Derby I and Logan Derby representing Ausj traia against Indianapolis, Lucky Jack, ] Parisienne, and perhaps two others | from the Dominion, the contest would he the best witnessed for a long time. Free-for-all racing has not received the right encouragement, and one prominent member of the Owners and Breeders’ Association has expressed the view that at every meeting a free-for-all should be run. and that no penalty should be attached to the winning of such a race. The consensus of opinion is that the visit of Greyhound or Billy Direct to New Zealand would create the greatest interest for perhaps one or two days’ racing, but generally would have no lasting effect on the sport, and certainly would do little to improve the class of racing.

Ajax and His Records. Several inquiries have been received from readers asking how the record of Ajax compares with that of previous champions, and several persons have been confused by the original comparisons made by tbe cabled message from Australia (says the ‘ Dominion ’). Ajax has won 14 -aces in succession since he was beaten oy half a head by Hua in the V.11.C. Derby. When he next enters on his racing programme next autumn he will require six more races without a defeat to surpass the records of Gloaming and Desert Gold. Gloaming scored 19 consecutive wins at three years and four years, and he was only once out of a place in 67 starts. He won 57 races, was secona in nine, and was caught in the harrier in the other start. It is claimed that this great galloper should not have lost some of tho races in which he was second.

This was a great record, as Gloaming was often difficult to keep sound ; and on two visits to Australia did not have a race. Once he had an attack of bleeding, and on tho other occasion contracted a sickness that was epidemic among horses at the time. It was also a great record, because he met the best horses in New Zealand and Australia, and so had very few “ exercise gallops ” with the colours up. He was never raced in handicaps, and, like Ajax, was never tried beyond a mile and a-half. At that distance, however, he finished so stronglv that lie suggested that be could go on. His able trainer, R. J. Mason, always held that he could have gone two miles. Gloaming beat such Horses as Heroic, Poitrel Desert Gold. Reanford. Sasanof, Whittier, The Hawk. Ballymena Wolaroi Cetmue. and other notable performers. His half-mile in 45. from a (lat-footed start, remains a world reC °Desort Gold was also a free goer, and liked to be in front as soon as the bar-

rier rose. This was a peculiar characteristic. She won most of her races all the way, but in Australia failed to withstand the finishing runs of Poitrel, at 12 furlongs, and Wallace Isinglass at two miles.

Talk of winning sequences brings men long associated with racing to talk of the former champions. In Australia, a champion of bygone age was Grand Klanneur. a winner of both the Derby and the Melbourne Cup. He was unbeaten in nine starts and ended his racing career as a throe-year-old. Those nine wins paralleled the iccord of St. Simon, from whose line came the dam of Ajax. Ormonde, in the same sireline as Ajax, was unbeaten in 16 starts, and another famous horse to retire unbeaten was Raroaldine, whose line has produced so many of the noted stayers of recent years. His great-grandson. Hurry On, was also uiibeucn, but raced only as a three-year-old. And then thoughts turn inevitably to Carbine. He was only once out of a place in three seasons. '! hat once was in the Canterbury Plate, over two miles and a-quarter, in which Me split a hoof and finished last. He -'as unbeaten as a two-year-old, and his sequence was broken only in the next season, when he lost the Derby to Id resign ridden a wonderful race by T. Hales At four years he had one sequence of seven wins. At live years he non 10 races in 11 starts. His host sequence was 15 wins at four and live years. That sequence included the Sydney and Melbourne Cups, carrying 9.9 and 10.5 respectively. And so records go on. However, most of these sequences seem ordinary when compared with Kinmem’s record for the tnrf —54 races for 54 wins. In Eneland she wen tin Goodwood I'm and that was bio only race there. She was bred in Hungary and was by the Epsom Derby winner Ilisbcr.