RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23832, 12 March 1941, Page 4

RACING NOTES

COMING EVENTS [By St. Clair.] RACING. March 13, 15. —Wellington Racing Club. March 15, 17. —Ohinemuri Jockey Club. March 20, 22.—Manawatu Racing Club.March 22, 24. —Bay of Plenty Racing Club. . March 22, 24.—Oamaru Jockey Club. March 27, 29.—Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. March 29.—Waimale Racing Club. March 29.—Birchwood Hunt Club. April 3, s.—Wanganui Jockey Club (at Awapuni). April 4, 5. —Whangarei Racing Club. April s.—Otautau Racing Club. April 12,—Tuapeka County Jockey Club. April 12, 14.—Auckland Racing Club. April 12, 14.—Feilding Jockey Club. April 12, 14.—Wairarapa Racing Club. April 12, 14, 15.—Riverton Racing Club. April 14.—Waipukurau Jockey Club. April 14.—Kuniara Racing Club. April 14.—Beaumont Racing Club. April 14, 15.—Canterbury Jockey Club. TROTTINGi March 15.—Wyndhara Trolling Club. March 15.—Cheviot Trotting Club,. March 22.—Westland Trotting Club. March 27, 29.—Wellington Trotting Club. March 29 —Cambridge Trotting Club. April s.—Ashburton Trotting Club. April 5. —Taranaki Trotting Club. April 12 16, 17; —New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club. April 12, 14.—Hawcra Trotting Club. April 19. 23.—Manawatu Trotting Club. April 26.—Auckland Trotting Club. JOTTINGS Wyndham Trotting Meeting. A race card for the Wyndham trotting meeting, to be held next Saturday, is acknowledged. Left for Wellington. Mr D. P. Wilson was a passenger by the express yesterday morning for Wellington, where he has Hearth and Legis racing to-morrow. Back at Riccarton. The hurdle race and steeplechase rider, A. Leach, who has been in camp for some weeks, has been discharged as unfit for military duties, and is back at Riccarton. An Attraction. After the Wyndham Trotting Cup has been run next Saturday Cortissimus will trot a fast exhibition mile, and will be assisted by a pacemaker. A Good Score. Last season the progeny of Jack Potts won 121 races. The successes of Zincali and Pacing Power at Washdyke last Saturday took his total for the present season to 92. Retained. M. Holmes has been retained to do the driving of Mr J. E. M'Kenzie’s horses when ' not required to drive his own horses in races. Inquiry. After the Seadown Handicap at Washdyke on Saturday an inquiry was held into some interference to Gallant Chief during the running of the race, but the evidence tendered was not strong enough for the Judicial Committee to lake any action. A Generous Donation. , The well-known Victorian breeder, Mr S. Green; sent 20 yearl.ings to the Melbourne sales last week, with instructions that the net proceeds should be paid 1,0 a specified patriotic fund. Retired. Blair Athol, holder of the mile and a-half record, 3min 11 3-ssec, has been retired from the track. During his racing career Blair Athol scored a dozen wins, 16 seconds, and 13 thirds, and his total stake winnings amounted to £6,041. For Riverton. The steeplechaser Jewish Lad is definitely booked for a trip to Riverton at Easter time, and may he accompanied by another jumper in Streamline. Last National meeting Jewish Lad finished second in tho Hunt Cup Steeplechase, and since then has won twice over hurdles. Not Satisfactory. Complaints continue to be made against the manual dividend indicator used bn the totalisator at Washdyke, many patrons preferring to see the investments on each horse and estimate the dividends for themselves. In one race last Saturday when tho totalisator closed the total cm the win machine showed that 790 tickets had been sold, but when the balanced flag was hoisted it was found that the total was over 2.000. High Caste's Winnings. His successes in the King’s Plate and Lloyd Stakes at Flemington last week carried the stake winnings of High Caste to £30,475. This makes him thirteenth on the list of big stake winners in Australia and New Zealand. Those above him are Plvar Lap £66,450, Amounis £48,250. Gleaming £43,100, Ajax £40,275, Umerick £38,729, Heroic £38,062, Eurythmic £36,891, Windbag £35,939, Peter Pan £34,938, Nightmarch £32,137, David £31,410, and Mollison £30,829. Hearth Gallops Well. Before leaving Riccarton for Wellington Hearth was matched with Don’t Forget in a gallop over six furlongs on Saturday morning. Hearth had the inside running, and finished a neck in front in Imin 16 2-ssec, after taking 36 4-saec to run the first three furlongs. It was the best gallop over* the distance registered at Riccarton that morning, and has brought the Mosgicl Park mare into favour for the Thompson Handicap. Nicely Handicapped. Kentucky, who has 7.4 in the Thompson Handicap and lib more in the Railway Handicap to-morrow, is nicely weighted in both races. He has not won a race since he beat Sir Crusoe and Rakahanga over six furlongs at Feilding last November, but appears |o have been unlucky to have been beaten half a head by Cheerful Lady over seven furlongs at the Rangitikci meeting this month. He is one nf T. R. George’s big team, and they always have to be respected on tho Trentham course ‘ Evening Post's ’ Selections. The following are tho * Evening Post’s ’ selections for the opening day of tho Wellington autumn meeting ; Rimu High-weight Handicap.—Mataroa, Gold Bridge, Foxette. Trial Plate.—Wild Fox, Legis, Israel. Plunket Nursery Handicap.—Sports Flash, Bird of Prey, Corn Prince. Challenge Stakes.—Kindergarten, Sir Beau, Pay Roll. Thompson Handicap.—Sir Crusoe, Siglow, Kathbella. Tinakori Handicap.—Rakanui, Circular Note, Tavoy. Railway Handicap.—Not Out, Cheerful Lady, Leighnor. Silvcrstrcam Handicap,—Kotua, AngloIrish, Goldcraft, Well-bred Youngsters. The following names have been claimed by Mr W. T. Hazlett. for rising throe-year-olds that have been broken in by Mr W. E. Hazlett before shipping to Melbourne, where they will be trained by F. J. M'Kay. Tho filly by Man’s Pal from Glad Light has been named Glad Greek, a filly by Salmagundi fre-m Ruling Light, Grecian Rule, a colt by Salmagundi from Flicker, OriiHo; a gelding by Colonel Cygnus from

Bridget, Loyal Ulster; a filly by Colonel Cygnus from Lucky Night, Luz; a gelding by Salmagundi from Kindly Light, Smiling Greek; and a bay gelding by Colonel Cygnus from Irish Polly. Belfast Loyal. A Questionable Ruling. Teddy Gregg was in the birdcage at Washdyke last Saturday, with his owner in colours, to contest the Nursery Stakes, but was not 'taken to the starting post. The race was one confined to A grade drivers. C. C. Devine, owner-trainer of the colt, bad applied to the association tor an A grade ticket, and one had been granted, to apply only to the Nursery Stakes, by the Licensing Committee. It was not clear, however, that the applicant possessed the necessary qualifications, or that the rules allowed the committee to grant a license for one race. Tho Judicial Committee ruled that Devine was not eligible to drive, and rather than allow another reinsinan to steer Teddy Gregg, the owner declined to start him. At Trentham To-morrow. Tho autumn meeting of the Wellington Racing Club will open at Trentham to-mor-row, and as the best of the horses in commission in both Islands are set down to meet, keen interest is being taken in the fixture. The track is reported to bo in good order, having been watered frequently during tho dry weather, and the betting will be on the usual win and place system. Tho following horses are likely to be fancied ; 12.12: Rimu High-weight Handicap, milo and three furlongs.—Mataroa, Streamline, Bunco. 12.52; Trial Plate, seven furlongs.—Ann Mie, Legis, Wild Fox. 1.35: Plunket Nursery Handicap, five furlong^.—Corn Prince, Bird of Prey, Varuna. 2.17: North Island 1 Challenge Stakes, seven furlongs.—Kindergarten, Pay Roll, Foreign Coin. 2.58: Thomson Handicap, one mile.—Enrich, Don’t Forget. Hearth. 3.40: Tinakori Handicap, seven furlongs. —Halt, Blaudisher, Withdrawal. 4.21: Railway Handicap, six furlongs.— Rebel Mate, Not Out, Hearth (if reserved), or Kentucky. 5.2: Silverstream Handicap, one mile.— Anglo-Irish, Sanction, Kotua. Grading of Drivers Explained. The grading of drivers cropped up at Washdyke on Saturday (says the Timaru ‘ Herald ’). Drivers are divided into four classes, A, B, C, and D, but the D grade js practically a suspension list, and men included in it are debarred from driving in races. An A ticket entitles the holder to drive in any race, a B license makes its holder eligible for all races in which the limits are slower than 3.23-4.34 for pacers and 3.27-4.38 for trotters. C graders are restricted to races slower than 3.28-4.42 and 3.34-4.48 respectively. Before becoming eligible for a higher class a license holder must drive in his grade for three months and be placed in a race three times, and in the ease of a B grader a win must be included before ho can qualify for an A ticket. Having acquired the necessary qualification, a driver must apply to the association for promotion to the higher grade, and that body has power to grant or refuse the application as it deems fit.

North Island Challenge Stakes. The North Island Challenge Stakes was established in 1899, when the two-year-old Screw Gun won, and since then 22 other horses of the same age have been successful. The other winners have been seven three-year-olds, three four-year-olds, three five-year-olds, two six-year-olds, two seven-year-olds, and one eight-year-old. Among the winners have been such good ones as Menschikoff, Treadmill, Martian, Achilles (twice), Desert Gold (twice), Silver Link, Gloaming (three times), Grand Knight, Rcfemoana, Cylinder, Cricket Bat, Silver Ring, Royal Chief, Defaulter (the latter also winning twice). Two-ycar-olds have won five out. of the last six contests, and not one of those juveniles has failed to go on to the highest classes. Though two-year-olds appear to have tho best of the weight-for-age scale in the autumn, there is no reason why a good three-year-old should not be able to hold his own, and Martian, Bronze, Autumnus, Desert Gold, Cricket’ Bat,; and Defaulter proved themselves equal to the task. When Karapoti won the race was run at the spring meeting. The field in to-morrow’s race comprises three three-year-olds and nine two-year-olds, hut of the latter Monetary is likely to be an absentee. \ Both Kindergarten and Sir Bean are outstanding three-year-olds, and though they will be conceding nearly two stones to Pay Roll and Burra Sahib, the best of the two-year-olds, and more to the others, they are likely to he the best fancied, and may bo found slaying on better than their younger opponents. The lime record for the race is held by Golden Wings, who as a four-year-old carried 9.5 and won in Imin 24Jsec.