NEWS AND VIEWS

Evening Star, Issue 26153, 15 July 1947, Page 3

NEWS AND VIEWS

[By Observer.]

Fixtures. July 19.—Wellington Racing Club. July 19.—South Canterbury District Hunt Club. July 19. —Manawatu .Hunt Club. July 19, 26. Avondale Jockey Club. July 26.—Christchurch Hunt Club. July 26.—Rangitikoi Hunt Club. August 2,9, 16.—Canterbury Jockey Club. August 9. Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club. August.—Pakuranga Hunt Club. August.—Dannevirike Hunt Club (at Hastings). Smaller Fields.

The fields have fined down a good deal for the third day of the Wellington meeting, and the racing should be all the more interesting and freer from the interference which is inevitable in big fields.' Several Wingatui horses are due home this week, and the representation will be much smaller than on the first two days of the meeting.

Injured Horses Recovered. Howe and Findon have both recovered from the injuries they received in the fall in the Whyte Handicap on the first day of the Wellington meeting, "and are in steady work again. Findon may start in the Winter Oats at Trentham on Saturday, hut Howe will not be started again before the Winter Cup at Riccarton next month. To Start on Saturday. ■*

Whooray, who pricked a foot on the eve of the Wellington meeting, is reported to have made a good recovery, and he will be on hand for the Matai Steeplechase at Trentham next Saturday. An aged gelding hv Illumination from Click Clack, he has won the only two steeplechases in which he has started, and is a promising jumper. Both his successes were iii hack steeplechases, but he beat the weak opposition very easily, his winning margins being five lengths at Wanganui and 10 lengths at Rangitikei.

.Royal Chance. Royal Chance, who lias been nominated for the South Canterbury meeting, was sore after doing three-quar-ter pace work one morning last week. Pie lameness -soon disappeared, how ever, and it was evidently only a rick. The bad joint which was responsible for his being thrown out of training earlier in the season is so far standing the strain, the lameness last week befng in his other foreleg. , Royal Chance is now owned by Mr A. J. Brown, who also races Bobby Dazzler and Robot. White Face, another member of his team, has been schooled over hurdles recently.

Death of John August. The death of John Edward August occurred at his home at Lower Hutt yesterday, aged 60. Mr August was a steward of the Wellington Trotting Club continuously from 1910 till his death, and was president of the .club from 1931 to 1945. He was a former member of the executive of the New Zealand Trotting Conference.

Trial Plate Winner. The Trial Plate at Trentham has been a stepping stone for several good horses in the past, and Saturday’s winner, Full of Fun, should, like mast of the winners of the event in recent vears, eventually reach good company. Master Robin,. Royal, Heir, Flying Ace, Regal Night, and' Poutatau were successful in the Trial Plate at the last five meetings. Full of Fun is a two-year-old filly by Joviality from Smoke Trail, by Gaiiiscourt from Knight Ray, by Mountain King from Radiancy, by Sir Laddo. She began racing in the spring and performed creditably to register three seconds and a third in her first seven starts. She was then spelled until the winter and made her. next appearance at Otaki in May, when she won-.a maiden race. Full* of Fun was not raced again before the Wellington meeting, but the success did not come as a surprise, and the filly carried. fairly strong support. Full of Fun will now be reserved for spring racing. Beaten Out of a Place. Lost Art suffered his first defeat a» a hurdler when he was beaten out of a place in the Lambton Hurdles at Trentham oil Saturday. He was always well back in the running, and did not threaten danger at any stage of the race. Apart from the fact that he was unbeaten and that he had won his races very impressively, Lost Art had not beaten good fields in his four successes, and it came as a surprise to southerners when he was handicapped 21b above Prize Ring in the Lambton Hurdles Whereas Lost Art carried 11.5 when he beat a very weak field in the Otago Hurdles, Prize Ring carried 11.1 in his second success at EUerslie against a much stronger field, which included the Great Northern winner, Hunting Mac, who was in receipt of 21b. .At Wingatui on the second day of the meeting. Desert Trek, who was hitherto a novice hurdler, -outclassed a similar field to that which Lost Art beat in the Otago Hurdles. Probably Amorlad’s improved form at Trentham was responsible for Lost Art’s high assessment, as he finished behind the Washdyke gelding at Wingatui.

Royal Writ’s Winnings. ißoyal Writ, who has earned £2,115 in stake money at the Wellington meeting, lias been on the sale list for some time, and it was reported at the Dunedin winter meeting that lie could be purchased for £SOO. He is down to go under the hammer at Trentham this week, but the reserve is likely to be increased substantially if lie is not withdrawn from the sale. (Royal Writ was a classic winner, and looked an excellent prospect for handicap honours as a young horse, but he later lost form, and raced very moderately. Apart from winning a flag steeplechase at a hunt fixture last winter, lie was not successful again until September last, when he won a hurdle race in sloppy going at Wingatui. Again he raced most disappointingly for a period, and his next success did not come till April. His Invercargill win was followed bv another success at Wingatui last month before going north. Now a seven-vear-old, (Royal Writ, is a halfbrother to a good winner and stayer in Langue d’Or, being bv SolicitorGeneral from the Winter Cup winner, Princess Doreen. Royal Writ will be tried over hurdles again at Trentham this .week.