RACING

Evening Star, Issue 25941, 5 November 1946, Page 3

RACING

NEWS AND VIEWS

[By Observer.]

FIXTURES

November 9.—Napier Park Racing Club.

November 8,9, 16.—Metropolitan Trotting Club. November 9.—Levin Racing Club. November 9.—Auckland Racing Club. . November 9:—VVinton Jockey : Club. November 16.—Southland Racing Club. November 16, 23.—Feilding Jockey Club. November 16. 23.—Waikato Racing Club. November 23.—Wairio Jockey Cflub. . November 23, 30. December 7. Canterbury Jockey Club.

Reminders

Nominations for the Wairio Jockey Club’s meeting will close at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Nominations for minor events at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting will close on Friday. Acceptances for the Stewards’ Handicap and forfeits for classic ■ races are due the same clay. Driver Fined. At Addington on Saturday J. 'IB. Pringle was fined £2 for driving Castigate the reverse way in the preliminary beforethe start of- the- Spring ' Handicap. Riding at Winton and Invercargill. The Riccarton horseman, K. Nuttall,’.will .do the riding for T. E. Pank-hurst’s-Invercargill stablest the Winton, meeting on Saturday and at Invercargill a week-later. Pan'khurst has about 20 horses in training at the present 1 time: • ' Broke Up Hidden Note, one of the favourites in the Avon Handicap at Addington on Saturday, broke up early in the race”. Others- in this event to ruin their«chances by breaking were Fantom,; Will Cary, Sea Max, Royal Worthy, and Douglas McEhvyn. Handicap Weights. .TKe _ biggesti weight carried successfully, in the Stewards’ Handicap is 9.13,. which was the burden Arrowsmith carried in, 1920. • Glentruin anil Lord’Nuffield both won under 9.6. This year "Master Dash ■ has been weighted at.TO.-2 and Soneri at 9.13. * Cup. Candidate. ; ■Lowry Bay, who won the Park Stakes, of a mile and a-quarter, at the Napier Park meeting, was the only New- Zealand Cup candidate to score . on.A Saturday. _ He . wfll not incur . a penalty for his success. Saturday’s win was. his first success since last April. Mahiototo in Training. Mainototo has been kept in light exercise at Invercargill since he ar-rived-from Australia, and he may be raced; at -the Invercargill meeting. It. was intended to retire him immediately to the stud, but the .hope is held that he" will, stand a further preparation. Under a Cloud. One of Darkie Grattan’s legs has been causing her. trainer, 0. Qtiilan, sopje.'.gpncern, .and t this brjllipD.t.-fiily • may riot be able to race for soine time. She-was one of the best-two-year-olds produced Tast season and it is to be hoped that she is able to race later in the season. Growing in Demand. In soijie. quarters Grill lias be.cn made favourite for'the Stewards’ Handicap on the strength of his win at Gore. Some Stewards’'winners in the past have 'preceded Their success in' the big Riccarton spript with a winning effort in the sprint races at Gore. In 1914 ObsonS completed this double, while four years later Michaela followed up his Gore success with a win at Riccarton, ! Comic Song was beaten at Gore before- winning the Stewards’ in 1925 arid ■ 1926.' False Price., Considering he had won in impressive style, at. Gore the previous Saturday, ;Byrdone Hall was allowed to go

out at surprisingly long odds in the Tahiti mu Handicap at Invercargill uu Saturday. Tins Dillon Hall lour-year-old ran some promising races last season and he is likely to be heard of again. On his dam’s side Brydone Hall has some good blood to back him up, as he is out of Winnie Lee, who was got by Waverly from Winning Point, by Logan Pointer from Winsoon, a trotting cup winner. New Events.

The Wellington Racing Club lias introduced two new races to its summer programme. On the second day there will be the Desert Gold Stakes of one mile, for three-year-old fillies, and oil the third day. the Gloaming Stakes for three-year-olds (both sexes). The latter will be over one and a-half miles. Whackie On Schooling List. Whackie has been placed on the schooling list by the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Racing Conference, because of his erratic behaviour at the barrier, reports an Association message. This means that he will not be eligible for entry in flat events, hut may be entered for hurdle races. Brown Derby Case.

The restrictions on the horse Brown Derby have been removed by the Executive Committee of the Racing Conference, and the horse is now eligible for any flat event. Because of his irregular behaviour be had been restricted to high-weights lately, with a jockey approved by the stipendiary Rewards. —Wellington Press Association.

Successes Popular. Mr F. Johnson, who won a double at Invercargill on Saturday with Water Weed and Desert Calumet, t does not win out of his turn, and the few successes which come his way are always popular. Substantial dividends are generally associated with his wins and Saturday was no exception, as Desert Calumet paid over a third of a century and Water Weed also returned a handsome price. Mr Johnson has about 10 young horses in work at Alomona at the present time, and ns they represent most of the successful sires at present at the stud, lie should be capable of producing further winners. Master Potts, who was also a winner at Invercargill, was bred bv him and won several races in his colours before being sold

Due Back Next Week. . ' After riding First In in the Melbourne Cup to-day, A. E. Didham will leave for the Dominion, and is expected to arrive at the beginning of next week. He has a large team of horses- in work at Wingatui, which have been in the charge of A. I. Powell during .his absence. Foxchase, the star member of the team at the present time, survived the first acceptance for'the New Zealand Cup, but no definite plans have been made for him as yet. His owner, Mr D. MeFarlane, is very keen to be represented in the big event, while an alternative programme would be to stiyt-the Foxbridge gelding in the Metropolitan Handicap and other races at the meeting. Rapid Rise to Handicap Class. In less than 12 months, Leigh Barton has risen from the maiden ranks to the best handicap class in the Dominion, and during that time he. has compiled a wonderful record.. He has proved that he can see, out a middle distance as well as sprint with the best available, and in 16 starts to date he has only twice been unplaced;- His total stake earnings of £2,467. came .from seven firsts (including a dead heat), five seconds,-%nd two thirds. llis trainer, F. -D. Jones, has not had an .easy .time training him; as lie'has had to cOpe with recurring lameness, which prevented him from being raced until he was four years old., Leigh Barton will make his next appearance in the Stewards’ Handicap on November 23, and with 9.2 on- his back be will not be without prospects. The straight six furlongs at lticcarton is a severe, test for sprinters, and horses with stamina added to brilliant speed have something in their favour. Most Important Success.

I). C. Watts, who is one of the few free lance drivers in the trotting sport, gained the most important success of his career when he drove Integrity in the. New. Zealand Trotting Cup on Saturday. He drove a very patient race and was content to be near the rear of the field for the first mile. Over the final circuit he gradually improved his position, and had Integrity third

behind Double Peter and Josedale Grattan entering the straight. Watts timed his finishing run perfectly, and it was only a few yards short olf the post that Integrity took the lead. Twenty years ago, Watts was one of the leading apprentice jockeys in the galloping sport, with- which . be -was connected for eight years, before he became too heavy to ride. He then turned his attention to -pacers,, and trotters and met with immediate success, winning five of the first six races lie drove in. His success in the sulky continued throughout the years, and twice he was second in the list of winning reinsmen, while four years ago he was. the leading, rider in saddle races, Watts has no desire to become an owner or a trainer, but is content to remain as a free lance, driver.. He was in charge of Gold Bar for a short time while A. Holmes was in the Army, and drove the champion when he set the New Zealand record -of 2,35 for a mile and a-quarter in the Pacing Sprint Championship .'at Addington. Apart from Gold Bar, the ,only vinner that Watts has trained ,is Grbenmahtle ; with whom he won'four races 12 years ago.

“ Mystery Woman ” Punter Gets a Headache.

Sydney’s “ mystery woman ” punter, now identified ill the ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ as Miss '.Johanna Taks, who won £1.850 on Bernborough at' long odds-on in the last three ■ weeks lost £6.500 on him in the Caulfield Cup. After Bernborough was beaten GVliss Taks put her band to her forehead and said: “ I have a headache; £6,000 is a lot of rnonev for a woman to lose.”

Miss Taks laid £4.500 to £450 (10-1 on) on .Bernborough when he won the Caulfield Stakes a week’ earlier.

She complained to course detectives after the. race .that the books had “ taken - her down.” She sa’id That after she had laid her bets they offered punters 7-1 on. She -laid £7,000 to £1,400 on Bernborough at Flemington on October 5. On’Caulfield Cup day she went first to rails .bookmaker,. Fred Speak,-who offered her £7,000 to £4,000 straight out. She did’not accept the bet. She then plunged through the ring to place-bettors in the back row and'laid £6OO to £4OO on with Sid Mortimer, then £3OO to -£2OO on with Sid Bell. , She then laid £600,t0 ,£;10Q on with Clarrie Stevenson, who kissed the roll of 60. new £lO notes before he (put them in-liis bag. - • ■ -

Miss Taks then walked back to the straight-out books on the rails and approached- Ray Williams-. He laid her £3.500 to £2,000 straight out and said: “If you’d like to bet again. lhadam. I’ll lay you another £3.000 to £2,000.” Miss Taks agreed. Williarps placed ,the . £4,000 in his vest pocket and wrote her a ticket for £10,500. • ; • .; , '