TAPUNUI MEETING

Evening Star, Issue 23492, 5 February 1940, Page 4

TAPUNUI MEETING

WINGATUI HORSES SUCCESSFUL DOUBLE TO PINK DRESS Wiugatui stables won live of the six galloping events at the Tapanui Racing Club’s annual meeting on Saturday, the • successful horses from that centre being Our Empire, Pink Dress (twice), Pink Robe, and Half and Half. The only successful Southland horse was the Gore-trained Verdure. The meeting opened in light rain, but the weathei cleared earlv in the proceedings, and the track was always fairly firm. Though the gate receipts of £ll2 represented a drop of £5 on last year s figures the attendance was surprisingly good considering the stonily conditions prevailing in the surrounding districts. Betting was quite brisk throughout, and there was a pleasing increase in the investments of £563, £4,119 being handled, as against £3,556 last year. TRIAL HANDICAP, £BO. Six furlongs. 4 OUR EMPIRE. Mr R. Green’s eh m by British Empire— Wiugatui, 4yrs, 8.2 (L. Hare) 1 1— Green Locket. Mr W. Wayte’s bm, 8.10 (G. Barclay) ... 2 5 Rod Feather. Air S. Lynch’s b m, 8 7 (H. Phillips) 3 Also started: 3 Fire’s Ruin 8.2, 7 Pretender 8.0, 6 Rondini 8.7. 2 ValTock 8.7. „ . Won by a length each way. Rondini was fourth. Time, Imin 17 2-ssec. PRESIDENT’S HACK HANDICAP, £IOO. Six furlongs. S—PINK DRESS, Mr -1. M. Samson’s ch f by Pink CoatGold Dress, 3yrs, 7.12 (L. Clutterbuck) ••• 1 2 Blissful Lady, Mr A. C. Mills's hr f, 8.4 (G. Barclay) ... 2 3 Exult, Mr J. P. Herlihy’s ch f, 8.0 (L. Hare) 3 Also started: 7 Silkwood 9.0, 3 Gusterina 8.0 (bracketed with Exult), 6 Prince Flaneur 8.5, 1 Kemembo 8.5, 4 Aravane 7.9. Won by a neck; length. . Remembo was fourth. Time, Imin 15 2-ssec.

MTNTYRE’S HANDICAP TROT. . Saddle. £95. One mile and a-half. 1 — BANSTOCK, Messrs Cross Bros.’ b g. by Worthy Bond—Lovematch, 4yrs. scr (D. M. Kerr) 1 4 Night Nurse, Mr G. Waite’s rn m, 36yds (.1. Langford) ... 2 2 Happy Erin, Mr W. L. Abernethy’s ch g, scr (W. Thomas) 3 Also started: 5 Temple Bar scr, 3 Blue Spot scr, 9 Young Dewey scr, 6 Woolwich scr, 4 Hoyle 36yds, 7 Our Guy 36. Won by five lengths; eight lengths. Young Dewey was fourth. Time, 3min 30 2-ssec. TAPANUI HANDICAP, £125. One mile and a-quarter. 2 PINK ROBE, Mr A. Ferguson’s b m, by Pink Coat—Lock Tava, aged, 8.10, car. 8.3 (H. J. Powell) ... 1 3 Atua Here, Mr W. L. Milne’s b ■ g, 7.4 (H. Phillips), 2 ,4 —Roseman. Mr A. Reid’s ch g, 7.5, V; car 7.0 (L. Hare) 3 Also started: 1 Sparkle 8.7, 2 M'Heath 7.8 (bracketed with Pink Robe. Won by three lengths each way. M'Heath was fourth. Time, 2min 6 l-ssec. DWYER MEMORIAL HACK HANDICAP, £9O. Five furlongs. 1— PINK DRESS, Mr J. M. Samson’s eh f, by Pink Coat— Gold Dress, 3yrs, 7.10 (L. Clutterbuck) ... I 2 Aspire, Mr J. A. Rowland’s b m. 9.0 (G. Barclay) 2 5 Our Empire, Mr R. Green’s ch m, 7,2 (L. Hare) 3 Also started!: 4 Gipsy Fair 8.9, 3 Pink Bond 8.7, 6 Pretender 7.7. Won by six lengths; two lengths. Gipsy Fair was fourth. Time, 64sec. FASSIFERN HANDICAP TROT. Saddle. £95. One mile and a-qnarter. 3 TEMPLE BAR, Mr J. H. Winter’s ch g,_ by Adioo' Guy— Ladv Adonis, aged, scr (W. Todd) 1 2 Oregon, Mrs W. Mackenzie’s b m, scr (J. Walsh) 2 6 Blue Spot, Mr C. Smaill’s rn m, scr (O. Pringle) 3 Also started: 9 Young Dewey scr, 4 Woolwich scr, 5 Undaunted scr, 7 Sister Joan scr, 1 Night Nurse 36yds, 8 Hoyle 36. Won by 12 lengths; six’lengths. Woolwich was fourth. Time. 2min 57 3 QUIN MEMORIAL HANDICAP, £lO5. One mile and 100yds. 1— HALF AND HALF, Mr T. Deegan’s b g, by Balboa—lnsolence, syrs, 7.4 (A. Anderson) 1 2 Vanity Queen, P. M. Lawlor’s b in, 7.0 (W. F. Ellis) 2 4 Silkwood, Mr T. E. Pankhurst's b m, 7.0 (J. L. Stratheru) 3 Also started : 3 Roseman 7.6. ' Won by half a length; two lengths. Time, Imin 50 4-ssec. STEWARDS’ HACK HANDICAP, £IOO. Six furlongs. 3 VERDURE, Mr T. Dorgan’s ch m, by Woodend—Bright Mark, aged, 7.8 (H. Phillips) 1 1— Exult, Air J. P. Herlihy’s ch f, 7.5 (L. Hare) 2 2 Aravane, Messrs Butel Bros.’ bm, 7.5 (W. F. Ellis) ... ... 3 Also started: 5 Gipsy Fair 8.8, 1 Gusterina 7.5 bracketed with Exult, 7 Prince Flaneur 7.10, 4 Recall 7.8, 6 Vallock 7.7. Won by a length each way. Gusterina was fourth. Time, Imin 17 3-ssec.

NOTES ON THE EVENTS [Special to the ' Star.'] The Trial Handicap was won in convincing style by Our Empire from the favourite, Green Locket. Vallock tried to win all the way, and with three furlongs to go he was five lengths clear of Green Lodket, Pretender, lied Feather, and Our Empire, but he collapsed near the home turn and Our Empire came through at the top of the straight to beat Green Locket going away by a length. Red Feather finished fast into third place a length away, and Rodini was a poor fourth. Vallock burst a blood vessel, otherwise he would have made no race of it. • » ♦ • Favourite for the President’s Handicap, Remembo could only finish a poor fourth, and the winner turned up in the fifth fancy, Pink Dress, who took charge at the start and was never

headed. Pink Dress drew out by four lengths in the first two furlongs from Blissful Lady, who was a similar distance in front of Remembo and Prince Flaneur. Blissful Lady threw out a strong challenge in the straight, but Pink Dress was always going like a winner and stayed on well to win by a neck. Exult came from well back after nearly falling early in the race to be third three lengths away, and Remembo was a moderate fourth. Aravane, who was left badly at the stait, was next. * • • •,

Bankstock was a firm favourite for the M‘lntyr£s’ Saddle Trot, and he justified the confidence by leading all the wav and winning as he liked. Temple ‘Bar broke at the start, and Bankstock was followed out by Happy Erin, Woolwich, Blue Spot, and Young Dewey. With about seven furlongs to go Night Nurse ran into fourth place and continued to improve her position along the back, but at the half-mile Bankstock was still going well in front, and he led into the straight from Night Nurse. Woolwich, and Happy Erin, who was losing ground. Bankstock drew right away in the straight and beat Night Nurse by five lengths. _ Happy Erin was 10 lengths away third, and then came Young Dewey and Blue Spot. * # • *

Sparkle was a good favourite for the Tapanui Handicap, but after holding a winning position over the first mile collapsed and finished a bad last. Pink Robe was always well placed in what was a slow-run race, and she led into the straight to win going away. Roseman made the running over the first six furlongs, with Sparkle in close attendance and Pink Robe fairly handy. Roseraan was a length clear with about half a mile to go, but Pink Robe had his measure before reaching the home turn and came right away to win by three lengths from Attia Rore, who finished on well to beat Rosoman by a similar margin. M'Heath, who was never dangerous, was fourth. Sparkle’s form was very disappointing, but the race should improve her a lot, as she has had a fairly £asy time since racing at Wairio.

Pink Dress was penalised 51b in the Dwyer Alemorial Handicap for her previous success, but she had a 71b allowance and won more easily than on the first occasion. She again jumped out smartly and quickly opened up a good lead from Aspire and Gipsy Fair, who had- got away badly. Pink Dress increased her lead across the top and turned for home four lengths to the good from Aspire and Gipsy Fair, who were clear of Pink Bond and Our Empire. Pink Dress made no race of it in the straight and beat Aspire full of running by five lengths. Our Empire was two lengths away third and Gipsy Fair next. Aspire was not knocked about in the run home when faced with a hopeless task, and the race should improve her.

Temple Bar, who had stopped on the mark in-the earlier trot, made no mistakes in the Fassifern Saddle event and scored the easiest win of the day. Oregon made the early running from Sister Joan, Woolwich, Blue Spot, and Temple (Bar. _ The last-named improved his position in the back stretch, and with half a mile to go Oregon was still in charge, but Temple Bar ran past her approaching the home turn, and came right away in the straight to have a winning margin of 12 lengths at the post. Oregon beat Blue Spot just as decisively for second money. Woolwich was fourth, with Sister Joan and Night Nurse next. » » * * Only four horses contested the Quin Memorial, and Half and Half won the event for the second year on end. Roseman soon raced away to a three lengths’ lead from Silkwood, Half and Half, and Vanity Queen. The lastnamed joined Roseman at the end of half a mile and took charge in the nest furlong, but Half and Half had the measure of Vanity Queen at the top of the straight and beat her home decisively by half a length. Silkwood was two lengths away third, with Roseman, who stopped badly, in fourh place. *‘» * ♦ Exult was backed down to a very short price in the Stewards’ Hack Handicap, but she was again slow in getting into her stride, and was decisively beaten by Verdure, who was never headed. This was Verdure’s first sue-

cess since she won this event two years ago. Verdure began best, and established a lead of four lengths in the first couple of furlongs from Vallock, Gusterina, and Recall. The lastnamed fell when crossing the top, and Verdure led into the straight three lengths in front 'of Vallock and Gusterina, with Exult coming fast in fourth place. Exult sustained her run in good style, but she had no chance with Verdure, who had a length to spare at the winning post, and Aravane beat the tiring Gusterina for third money by two lengths.