RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 24002, 29 September 1941, Page 4

RACING NOTES

(By St, Clair.] RACING. October 2, 4.—Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. October 9, II. —Mastcrton Racing Club. October 11, 13.—Dunedin Jockey Club. October 11, 13.—Auckland Racing Club. October 18. —Otaki-Maori Racing Club. October 18.—Stratford Racing Club. October 18.—South Canterbury Jockey Club. October 13.—Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Hunt. October 23, 25, 27.—Wellington Racing Club. October 25.—Poverty Bay Hunt. October 25, 27.—Gore Racing Club. TROTTING. October 4.—Methven Trotting Club. October 4.—Thames Trotting Chib. October 11. New Brighton Trotting Club. October 25, 27.—Greymoutb Trotting Club. October 25, 27.—Auckland Trotting Club. October 27.—Oamaru Trotting Club.

JOTTINGS Dunedin Spring Meeting. Handicaps for the first day of the Dunedin spring meeting are due to-morrow, and acceptances for the first day close at 5 p.m. next Monday. Airline Amiss. Airline was sore afler winning the Geraldine Cup, and must, he counted a doubtful starter at the Dunedin spring meeting. Dunedin Handicapper. Mr W. P. Russell was present on the opening day of the Geraldine meeting to watch the running of the horses engaged at the local meeting. Bad Meeting for Favourites. Strip, winner of the Squatters’ Handicap on the opening day, was the only first favourite to score in the racing events at the Geraldine meeting. Not in the Guineas. Good Scout, a winner at the Ashburton meeting, and placed in each of his starts at the Geraldine fixture, was entered for the Dunedin Guineas, but allowed to drop out. His presence in the field would have added interest to the race. New Zealand Cup Candidates. No fewer than 14 New Zealand Cup candidates were scon in action at the Geraldine meeting. Airline and Parchment were returned winners, Parchment, The Wrecker, and. Prudent Prince each scored seconds, and Don’t Forget a third. The others were Good Health, Foxette, Yalcron, Cherokee, Gay Parade, The Raker, Dictate, Boloyna, and Iceland Spar. A fair number of these can be expected to drop out when the first acceptance, £3, is taken next Friday afternoon.

Dunedin Guineas Candidates. Sir Gundi and Kernel were the only Dunedin Guineas candidates racing at tho Geraldine meeting. Sir Gundi was unlucky in the draw for positions ait the start of his race, being on the extreme outside of a field of 19, and because be did not show up should not be discarded in the Wingatui classic. Kernel stopped badly over six furlongs on the opening day, but on Saturday was one of those favoured by a ragged start and finished third over the same distance. His performances did not suggest that he would be' able to run out a solid mile. Parchment Beaten. After over an hour’s heavy rain the course was greasy for the running of the South Canterbury Champion Hack race, for which Parchment, with a 51b allowance, was backed down to an odds-on price. He had every chance in the running, but the going may have been against him. The Southland-owned Ackemma,' who has previously shown ability to handle soft going, took charge early, and though the favourite challenged her gamely from the home turn found he could not concede her 151 b and a couple of lengths start over the short straight. No. 13 Lucky at Geraldine. Through the strong support accorded Festivity in the Winchester Trot, Countless, who had won so well on the opening day, was only second favourite. Beginning more smartly than in his previous race, he was within"striking distance of the leaders, Colleen Travis, Bedrock, and Sandeways, before reaching the home turn. Finishing very generously wide out, Countless beat Saiidiways comfortly and returned quite falsely good dividends on both machines. Ho carried No. 13 saddle cloth, previously carried by Loyal King and himself on the first day, and Cannister, who finished second in the first race on Saturday. Swagger Jack at Last. After her good finishing run to Loyal King on the first day, Canister was made a good favourite for the slow class trot on Saturday and when she turned into the straight just behind Rainstorm and Bright Lass it looked good for her, but it was the consistent but unlucky Swagger Jack’s turn. With a much better sustained effort than he had shown in any of his previous races he finished wide out and beat tho favourite fairly comfortably. Bright Lass, who was second at the distance, would have returned a win dividend round about £SOO had she won, as there was only £2 invested on her winning chance, but she failed badly over the last furlong and finished outside the first half-dozen.

Four Horses Fall. No fewer than four of the nine starters in the hurdle race fell, and A. Stokes, the. rider of Ferriby, the first to go down,, sustained a broken collarbone, when Ferriby fell at the first hurdle Gay Boa appeared to trip over him and came to grief also. Flame Queen took charge after half the journey had been covered and at the home turn was being challenged by Roddy and Knight Commander. At the last fence the latter, who appeared to have a good chance of boating Flame Queen, struck the course railing as he jumped the hurdle and fell heavily into the inside of the course, and also checked Roddy, leaving Flame Queen to win comfortably from Roddy. Recollection carried his 11.10 well, but the fast pace set by the light-weights over the early stages made the task just beyond him. Fanara was well back when she fell at the end of a mile. None of the placed horses is engaged at the local spring meeting. Sham Boy Turns the Tables. The Stewards’ Stakes Handicap was run in a bitter hailstorm, and the officials of tbo club showed little consideration for both the horses and their riders in sending them out to the post over 20 minutes before closing the totalisator. Strip, who had a 71b allowance and was meeting Sham Boy on only 4 lb worse terms than on the first day, was again made favourite. He and Sham Boy wore the smartest to find their feet, but after going a furlong Strip was steadied, and Sham Boy had nearly three lengths’ advantage approaching the home turn. Though vigorously ridden down the straight, Strip was not able to bridge the gap and Sham Boy beat him by a good length. There was solid support also forthcoming for Boloyna. He jumped out smartly, but at the end of a furlong was last, and tailed the field nearly all the way, only Waitoru finishing behind him at the post. Uneducated Horses. At the beginning of each season of late years there have been far too many horses lacking education at the starting barrier seen at the meetings, and this was very noticeable at the Geraldine meeting lastweek. Their behaviour at (he barriers was the chief cause of the bad dispatches in the shorter distance hack races. The consideration given these horses was much too lenient and often at the expense of the better behaved ones. One trainer was so disgusted with the starling on the opening

day that he railed his horses back to Riccarton and withdrew them from all engagements .on the second day. Starters have the power to place unruly horses either on the outside of, or behind, the fields at Ae start. Placing them on the, outside does not appear to help much, but if they were placed behind the fields they could not interfere with those horses - that stand up to the barriers quietly. First Start First Win. Lord Dundas let bis backers down again in the Wainui Hack Handicap, but on this occasion both he and they were unlucky, as be only suffered defeat by a head to Bali, who, starting from next the rails, with Kernel, got two or three lengths the best of a very ragged start. Bali, who was making his debut in public, is one of F. Trilford’s team, and bad beaten Rebel Mate in a trial. On that performance he was fancied by bis connections, yet thanks to the solid support given to Lord Dundas, Kernel, and Lady Nottava, returned a win dividend of nearly a quarter of a century. Kernel stayed on much better than on the first day, but was lucky to secure third money, as a good-looking three-year-old in Lunaria finished only a head away with a very fast finishing run which might have landed him the winner had he been better placed in the early stages of the race. Kernel is engaged in the Trial Handicap on tiie opening day of the Dunedin meeting, and the racing he has had should improve him, but he does not look like, staying out the Dunedin Guineas distance.

A Big Dividend, Despite the fact that she hangs out badly, and the turning course would not help her in this respect, Jolly Time was backed as if the Gladstone Hack Handicap was almost u certainty for her, but she failed badly after getting away well. The Iliad—Ladv Burleigh filly Calypso, who was in the ruck at the end of the first furlong and still not in the first half-dozen at the home turn, put in a fine run over the last furlong and a-balf, and just got up in the last stride to bead Good Scout by a very narrow margin. It was an outstanding performance, and returned her win backers a dividend

of nearly .a score and a-half. Sir Gundi, who was second favourite, started from No. 19 berth at the barrier, an almost impossible position at the seven-furlong post on the Orari course, and was never in the race. Grey Night, who returned a place dividend of nearly a score, was a starter in the hurdle race on the first day, and schooling over hurdles has evidently made him more solid. Calypso will not be eligible now for the maiden races at the local meeting.

New Zealand Cup Candidate Beaten. The New Zealand Cup; candidate Don’t Forget was looked upon as the best of good things for the President’s. Handicap, and, taking charge as the field turned out of the straight, flattered his backers until more than halfway down the straight. When Stabilise ran up alongside of him Don’t For* get had had enough, and Stabilise‘won very comfortably by a good margin from the little-fancied Prudent Prince, who returned his backers on the place machine nearly double figures. Don’t Forget hung on to take third place. Haughty Winner, whose connections were confident about his chances after his first day’s performance, ran one of his occasional had races, never threatening danger at any stage. Iceland Spar, the favourite for the New Zealand Cup, looked well in the parade, perhaps a trifle on the big side yet, but he was never in the picture in the running, and finished seventh, just behind another Cup candidate in Dictate. The race should do Don’t Forget good, and he is to race at Wingatni next month. Stabilise, too, is booked for the local meeting.