NEWS AND VIEWS

Evening Star, Issue 26001, 16 January 1947, Page 3

NEWS AND VIEWS

[By Observer.] Fixtures, • January 18, 22, 25.—Wellington ; Racing Club, January 18.—Southland Racing Club. January 18.—Te Aroha Jockey Club. January 18, 25.—Forbury Park Trotting Club. January 22. Ashhurst-Pohangina Racing Club. ; January 25, 29.—Auckland Racing Club. ... January 25, February; I.—Pahiatua Racing Club (at Woodville). February. I.—Canterbury Jockey Club. r February I.—Winton Jockey Club. February I.—Matamata RacingClub. February I.—Marlborough Trotting Club. February 1, 3.—Westport Jockey Club. February 1, 3.—Wairoa Racing Club. , February 1, B.—Wanganui Jockey Club. . February 1, B.—Auckland Trotting Club! . Reminder. Nominations for the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Summer Meeting are due to-morrow. The forfeits for the Middle Park Plate are also due. Trotting Club Registered. The Waimate Trotting Club has been registered by the New Zealand Trotting Association. Wellington Cup Broadcast. The broadcast description of the Wellington Clip will be relayed through

the loud-speaker' systeni at Forbury! Park on Saturday at approximately 2.20 p.m. . ■ Track in, Good Order. The track at Fprbury Park this morning was in first-class order,' but, very few horses were worked. Sure Maid, Janet Hall, and Lord Grattan were given a useful work-out over about two miles without being sent'. against' the

watch, and they acquitted themselves well. St. Phils began with them, but she tangled when the journey . was about half covered and fell heavily.

Likely Favourite. At Invercargill on January 2 Stirling Castle registered one olf the easiest wins ever seen in Southland, and he is sure to be a short-priced favourite-in the Southland Handicap, at Forbury Park on Saturday. He is regarded as .a highly promising younh pacer, and big things are expected of him in the next few months. He was not started at the recent Gore and Winton meetings because of the state of the going, and the track will -need to be firm on Saturday for him to show his best.

More Favourably Placed. Starting from bad marks. Sandy’s Epic raced well over the holidays and was successful in an event for straightout trotters at the Gore meeting on Roxing Day. 'ln that race he started

lrom 60yds behind and finished brilliantly in the-straight after being a long ■ way back most of the way. At his last start before the holidays Sandy’s Epic cleared out from the field in a race at Invercargill in November and won by eight lengths. On the 24yds mark at Forbury Park he is much more favourably placed in the Vauxhall Handicap and should give a, good account of himself. Second to ; Bruce.

. Rlanket ran an excellent race in the Dominion Handicap at Trentham • last Saturday to beat all but Bruce, who just headed him near the post. He was in eighth position, for the . first part of the journey and theri moved up to be fourth at the straight entrance..; He took the lead with a furlong to run and looked to have the race won when .Bruce swooped on him over the last few yards. He is engaged in the. Anniversary Handicap this week in much weaker company and he should shape well. Unreliable Trotter.

Castigate, it will be recalled, was a winner at the Forbury .Park meeting in October, but since that date he has failed to run a good'race.. He is very unreliable and generally, makes several mistakes during the running. He has the ability to win races, but leaves his feet as'soon as the field comes round him. \ From 36yds behind in the Otago Handicap he does not appear to hold much chance of taking the lead, which is the position he likes to fill. Southland Candidate.

Southland racegoers are greatly impressed by, Maori Home’s recent performances and lie is not likely to be lacking support when' he contests the Musselburgh Handicap on Saturday, He showed great promise last year when - he won a race at Gore and finished in a place in each of the other four races he contested. He has gone

on the right way this, season and at Gore on Boxing Day he scored easily in a mile and a-half race. Now four years old, he is by Dillon Hall from Native. Home, and the Nightcaps trainer, B. Rushton, looks like having a profitable season with this promising young pacer.

Dundee Sandy. A pacer who will have to be granted an excellent chance,of reaching a place in the Dunedin Gup is Dundee Sandy. Although he has not won,a.race this season, lm form has been consistently good, and some of his placings , have been full of merit. Oil the opening day of the Cup meeting at Addington he finished second to Loyal Peter in 4.19 4-5, and those which finished behind him included Navigate, • Sir Michael, .Dunmore, Liberty Bond, Scotch Music, and Acropolis. *He then . ran c th ree times at the meeting without being placed before finishing second to Plunder Bar over two, miles and Great Belwin over a mile and a-quarter . on the final day. His only two starts since then, were at the Canterbury; 'Park meeting,. where he was runrier-up to Cameronian each day. Ricoarton’s Strong Hand.

.The Desert Gold Stakes, a race which will be run (for the first time at Trentham on. Saturday, is a mile race for three-year-old fillies, and it has drawn a very even field. With Indian Dawn, Privilege, and Rahine engaged, Riccarton stables hold a very .strong hand. Indian Dawn has now--won her last three races, her latest success being at Trentham last Saturday, when . she lost several, lengths. at the start of the Apprentices’ Handicap and just ' got up. to beat Emerge by a head. She is a greatly improved filly, and- may prove best of the southern entrants. Privilege won . the John Grigg Stakes at her first start this season, and she has since been placed in three of the four races she has contested. She has .; worked well in the past few weeks and promises to be at her best on Saturday. Rahine has not had much , luck in her races, and she is much better than her record might suggest. Several of her placed performances have been full of merit, and she may be capable of causing a surprise in Saturday’s race. . . • ' ' . Winner at Timaru.

Coral Princess, who opened her,winning account at Timaru last Saturday, when she, beat Selwin Bar and Hardy Annual in the Fairlie Handicap,; had previously raced , "well in some or the classic ’races, and her win" did not come as a surprise. , At Addington in-Novem-ber she finished fast in the Riccarton Stakes to collect fourth prize, County Antrim, Henry' of Navarre, and. Gay Piper being. the three. which finished in front of her. She failed to reach a place in the Derbyj in which she started from the second line, and then came, a fourth in the. New Zealand ‘Champion Stakes at Ashburton on. Boxing Day. In that race County Antrim, Gay Piper, and Free Fight- led her. home. Coral Princess will make her next appearance in the Electric., Handicap, in which she is on a 3.33 mark,;, and as she will .be capable of stepping the distance in much faster time, sheds-sure-- to,..have a large following. Free Fight, who was hist in front of . her in the Champion Stakes, was timed to go 3.21 3-5 on-.a grass track; so that it would appear that Coral Princess is capable. of improving on her present assessment by over lOsec.