RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23749, 3 December 1940, Page 2

RACING NOTES

(_ By St. Claus.]

RACING. December 6, 7.—Whangarei Racing Club. December 7, 9- Wood vide D. Jockey Club. December 14.—Otaki-Maon Racing Club. December 14.—Waipa Racing Club. December 14.—Huiorata Racing Club. December 21.—Manawalu Racing Club. December 26.—Waipukurau Jockey Club. December 23, 28 —Manawatu Racing Club. December 26, 28.—Taranaki Jockey Club. December 26, 28. Dunedin Jockey Club. December 28.—Westland Racing Club. December 26, 30, January 1. 2.—Auckland Racing Club. January 1. —Waikouaiti Racing Club. January I.—Wvndhara Racing Club. January 1, 2.—Hawke's Bay Racing Club. January 1, 2.—Wairarapa Racing Club. January 1, 2.—Stratford Racing Club, January 1, 2.—Greymouth Jockey Club. January 1, 2.—Marton Jockey Club. January 2.—Oamaru Jockey Club. January 2, 3.—Southland Racing Club.

JOTTINGS Answers to Correspondents. “ Inquirer.”—The picture you ask about is one of the finish of the King George Handicap run on May 4. 1935, at Forbury Park. Craganour, driven by S. A. Edwards. was the winner, Taxpayer, in the centre, second, and Great Logan third. The’ fourth horse is Avernus. “ Wager.”—The value of the stake attached to the Wellington Centennial Cup run last January was £3,200, including a trophy valued at £2OO. The winner’s share of the stake was £2,100 and the trophy. The platings were: Old Bill 8.0 (G. R. Taltorsall) 1, Beau Vite 8.7 (B. H. Morris) 2. Gladynev 7.11 (R. M'Tavish) 3, Beau Kopairo 7.9 (L. J. Ellis) 4.

Back to Winning Form. When A. Leach rode Blue Abbey to victory in the High-weight Handicap at Ashburton last Saturday ho was having his first ride since he was suspended by the Wellington stewards last October.

The Wellington Cup. Being endowed with a stake of £3,100, the Wellington Cup is now the richest stake in tho Dominion. The conditions attached to the race provide that only horses which, at tho time of entry (January 3), have won a race of tho value of £350 to the winner, or races to a collective value of £SOO, aro eligible.

Same Family as Bobrikoff. Cornish, tho latest horse to join tho open handicap winners in the Auckland province. is a member of the successful family of which Bobrikoff was the most distinguished member. He is by Foxbridge from Miss Egypt, by Egypt from Pourparler, a sister to Bobrikoff. Half-brother to M’Heath. On his performance in the Kimberley Hurdles at Levin last Monday week Segra will soon be competing for the best slakes for hurdle horses. He quite outclassed his field and secured his second success in two starts this season. He is a brother to Lockit and half-brother to M'Hcath, who did well as a jumper.

Leading Sires. For tho first four months of the present light-harness racing season in Otago and Southland the leading sires aro Jack Potts £1,600, Wrack £968, Grattan Loyal £670, and Key do Oro £665. Wrack has tho distinction of having sired winners or placed horses at each of the seven mootings at which light-harness races, were included in tho programmes. A Light Team.

The Chokobore Lodge stables have only an unusually light team in work just now, and Pleasing is tho only one from that stable who is yet definitely booked to race at Wingatui at Christmas time. Winning Rival, Good Passage, Wild Talk, Wild Fox, Bird of Prey, and Willow Wood aro other members of tbe team in work, and some of them may bo included.

Another English Stallion Arrives. Tweed 11., the latest English thoroughbred to bo imported to the Dominion, reached Auckland last week on consignment to Mr W. C. S. Hosking, of Waiuku, who has big interests in both racing and trotting, and is a member of tbe New Zealand Trotting Association. Tweed 11. is by the French sire Hotwecd, winner of over 2 600,000 francs, and half-brother to Foxglove 11., the Ascot Gold Vaso winner. ■ Stakes in Otago and Southland.

There have been seven days of racing in the Otago and Southland districts so far this season, and £7,370 has been given in stakes, as compared with £6,210 for six davs last year. There have been four days of "trotting in the same period, and, including the light-harness events on racing chibs’ programmes, £8,510 has been distributed in stakes, as against £8,320 for a similar number of days last year.

TROTTING. December 7.—Waikato Trotting Club. December /. Waino Trotting Club. December 7. — Now Brighton Trotting Club. December 21.—Ueefton 'trotting Club. December 26.—Ashburton 'Trolling Club, December 26.—Gore Trotting Club. December 26, 27.—Westport Trotting Club. December 27. 28. 31.—Auckland Trotting Club. December 28.—Winton Trotting Club. January 1, 2.—Canterbury Park Trotting Club. January 4, 6.—-Greymouth Trotting Club. January H.—Cambridge Trotting Club. January 11.—Timaru Trotting Club. January 22, 25.—Wanganui Trotting Club. January 23, 25.—Forbury Park Trotting Club. January 30, February I.—Wellington Trotting Club.

Racing for Patriotic Funds. The fact that the Dunedin Jockey Club’s Christmas meeting is being run to raise funds for patriotic purposes should not be lost sight of by owners and trainers when nominations close on FrMay at 5 p.m. Racing Sires. The , leading sires at the five race meetings held in the Otago and Southland districts for the first four months of tho present season are: Balboa £920, Paper Money £570, Iliad £565, Irish Lancer £565, Night Raid £395, Croupier £340, Myosotis £3OO, and Yalkryian £3OO. Ranks With the English Derby. From the Australian angle, the Melbourne Cup ranks with the English Derby in importance, and' ahead of the English iSt. Lcger (writes Claude Spencer, in the ‘ Australian Traveller’). Every angle has been searched by news scribes and hardly a point missed. To tel! something new is surely beyond tho capabilities of humans, and it would be necessary to learn horse language and have five minutes’ “ pow-wow ” with contesting prads to get a viewpoint not already exploited. ’ Old-timers. The Hastings correspondent of tho ‘ Dominion ’ writes: “ The southern controversy concerning tho first Grand National Steeplechase is naturally one turf topic discussed by Hawke’s Bay “ old-timers,” who are interested in a final settlement. However, in the meantime they claim that in tho middle ’6o’s a steeplechase was contested in this district designated tho Grand National Steeplechase. Another South Island quotation concerning ‘ old-timers ’ present at the recent New Zealand Cup Meeting has solicited an inquiry from J. M. Cameron as to what is au ‘ old-timer,’ as he says that even if lie had some of the qualifications for an old-age pension, his age would prevent the granting' of one.” Now More Solid. As a two-year-old Pleading, by SolicitorGeneral from Eulalio, bad four starts without getting into the money, and this season he started seven times before scoring a win. When he won tho Linwood Handicap at Riccartou last month ho was one of tho last of the big field to cuter the straight, then put in a remarkable run to just get up in time to beat Blandisher on the post,. At Ashburton last Saturday different tactics wore adopted in the Apprentices’ Plate, ns he was taken to the front from the rise of the barrier and led all the way to win in lmiu.2s 3-sscc for seven furlongs.. He is evidently becoming more solid now, and has the breeding behind him'to win good races. His dam is by Absurd from the imported mare Eulogy, who left a number of good ones, including Epitaph, Commendation, and Praise. Divided Races. Surely it is time something was done by the Racing Conference anent the division question (says the Auckland ‘ Observer’). Take the Alison Cup last Saturday week, for instance. The Auckland Racing Club was placed in the invidious position of having to make provision for dividing the cup field of 28, but fortunately late withdrawals obviated this necessity, to the relief of the great maiority of backers. It is felt by those well advanced in racing administration, as well as tho average speculator, that something ought to be done about this division business; it is anathema to the backer, at least. Just what can be done is the problem. The Metropolitan Trotting Club at Christchurch has a very useful proviso in conuoction with the' New Zealand Trotting Cup, that may commend itself to the Racing Conference in such races, reserving to itself the right to withdraw any horse in tho event of the field being too big. Fortunately la=t month this was not necessary. but tho lead was there had it been reeuired.

It is bad enough having division races for maiden and hack sprint', but it is more than a shade over the odd? if imnortant races like the Alison Cup and the Wellington Centennial Cup nest month have to be run in divisions.