Sport and Pastime

Feilding Star, Volume 8, Issue 2505, 19 March 1930, Page 3

Sport and Pastime

THE TURF RACING FIXTURES March 20 —Waimate R.C. March 22 —Bay of Plenty J.C. March 22, 24 —Oamaru J.C. March 26 —Opotiki J.C. March 26, 27 —Manawatu R.C. April 3, 5 —Whangarei R.C. April 3, s —South Canterbury J.C. April 4, s—Masterton5 —Masterton R.C. April g—llawke’s Bay J.C. April 11, 12 —Otautau R.C. April 12 —Hororata R.C. April 12, 14 —Westport J.C. April 12, 14 —Waikato R.C. April ig—Tuapeka County J.C. April ig, 21 —Wairarapa R.C. April ig, 21 —Feilding J.C. April 19, 21 —Auckland R.C. April 19, 2i, 22—Riverton R.C. April 21 —Beaumont R.C. April 2i —Waipukurau J.C. April 21 —Kumara R.C. April 21, 22 —Canterbuiy J.C. April 23, 24 —Westland R.C. April 26, 2S—Grevmouth J.C. April 26, 30 —Avondale J.C. April 30 —Reefton J.C.

NOTES AND COMMENTS Spring Abbey has been in two dear heats within the last few weeks. Making a habit of it. The proposed 11 ip to Sydney by E. Murtagh, with Habit, First Money and Ariwi'nui, has been cancelled. Disorder is in a very bad way at present, and an effort is being made to save her for stud purposes. Lord Thomond, t>een out at the Wellington meeting, will be racing at Oamaru on Saturday. Battle Colours has been turned out and it is unlikely that he will be racing until next season. Glare, a winner at Trentham on Monday, is booked to leave for Sydney on Friday in charge of his own-er-trainer, J. W. Lowe. Owing to the hard nature of the ground at Trentham on Monday, Count Cavour was withdrawn from the Gold Cup. Night Recital, who is engaged at Oamaru, is a two year old by Nightraid from Elocution, the dam of Gay Sonnet.

Gala Day, who has hurdle engagements at the Waimate and Oamaru meetings, has been shaping w ell in his work.

Master Clarence jarred a joint a couple of days ago, and there is a doubt about undertaking his trip to Waimate.

There were only three starters in the Trentham Gold Cup on Monday, and Star Stranger had to do his best to shake off Concentrate at the business end.

The three year old, Hunting Day, almost ran off the course at the turn in the Railway Handicap at Trentham on Saturday. He ran about also in the straight, but even then he was too good. The well known starter, Mr Chas. O’Connor, will probably resume his duties in a fortnight. Hi’s first did* patches since his successful operation will be at the Manawatu fixture on March 26 and 27. Count Palatine has been suffering from a kick received some time back, and this accounted for his absence from the St. Leger field at Trentham on Saturday.

Red Heckle did not appear to suffer any ill-effects from hi's game finishing run in the Thompson Handicap at Trentham on Saturday, but it was not deemed advisable to start him on the second day of the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting. |

No excuse could be offered for the defeat of Mister Gamp in the Rimu Highweight Handicap at Trentham. He was always well up, the slow pace early being all in ljis favour. He should not be discarded altogether for his failure. Goblin Market ran a striking race at Trentham on Saturday, and there is now no doubt that his new lady owner -struck a good bargain when she secured him for 250 guineas, He looks very well just now, and is sure to pay his way before the season is at an end. ’ The two year old Merry Peel, who has had an easy time since the N.Z. Cup meeting, is to make his reappearance in the Trial Stakes at Oamaru on Saturday. He is well bred, being by Hunting Song from Merry Roe.

In the St. Leger Stakes at Trentham on Saturday, Vali waited in behind the leaders, and when Waterline had gone up to Air Laddie, the pacemaker, Vali had the last run. lie is a Valkyrian and, like most of the breed, he may have improved more than W'as generally concerned. The German ow ner,, Baron S. A. von Oppenlieim, for whom the Auslian jockey, J. Munro, is to ride this season, came out on top of the winning owners in his country last season, his representatives having secured stakes amounting to ,£21,000. He also occupied a similar position in the two preceding seasons. Dunraven’s display at Trentham on Saturday was xery disconcerting to his connections, anti a decision was immediately arrived at to terminate his two year old racing, and to put him aside until next season. He will not, therefore, be seen out at the Manawatu meeting.

If. B. Lorrigau has arranged to leave for Sydney on April 4, his team probably consisting of Concentrate, Oratrix, Gesture and Cimabue. Negotiations .are in progress for the purchase of a Riccarton three year old gelding, and if completed he will ■ join the auartettc. J - The Paper Money—Rebekah yearling filly purchased by the Australian owner, Mr P. H. Osborne, foir 3oogns. at the yearling sales held at r Trentham in January, has been handed over to H. Telford for educational purposes, Mr Osborne is the t owner of that brilliant sprinter Vali- ; cafe, who is to be mated with Night j Raid next season. The South Australian jocey, P. : Slattery, has been well in the limelight tjiis season as he has now rid--1 den 19 winners, seconds, and four thirds. Although he can go to scale at 7.9, he has steered the winners of several lepping events. lie was originally apprenticed to the bootmaking business but after competing his time Quit it and turned | his attention to riding with, as it can Ibe seen, the most favoruable results. 1 I ' ! When The Spy returned as the winner of the Rangitikei Cup at Bulls in 1889, Mr J. E. Henrys framed the I handicaps for the fixture. Mr Henrys ! was the handicapper for the recent meeting of the club, and the splendid finishes which were furnished in the majority of events served to show that during the 41 years he has acted for the Rangitikei Club his hand has not lost its cunning. I At the head of the list of winning jockeys at present are H. Gray and H. Goldfinch, each with 4O wins. As | Goldfinch lies in a fairly serioys condition in the Te Aroha hosintal it is safe to conclude that Gray will be i able to gain a considerable advant- | age during the remainder, of the season. By the way, latest reports from Auckland are to the effect that Goldfinch’s condition is no tquite so serious as it was last week. I One of the speediest two year olds ' seen out for some time is Hard Words, the first of Diacquenod’s winning representative. lie is a sturdy youngster, and when he develop more stamina he will prove a big stake earner. Hard Words, who is from Mazabuka, the dam of Millimetre, cost his present owner 35ogns as a yearling when sold on behalf of Mr J. Donald, who purchased Mazabuka, then in foal to Diacquenod, at the Kinloch vlearing sale. , Paitonu’s cramped preliminary for the Thompson Handicap at Trentham on Saturday caused many people to pass him by. This is one ot his peculiarities, however, for he is j one of the worst horses in this respect in commission. It is a very mis-

leading habit, but naturally conducive to good dividends. He was not really prominent until the field turned for home, and as he has done with other riders, he bored right in to the rails in the straight. Fortunately, he was well clear of the field, and stayed in front. Bosworth, who is claimed by 'A London critic to have an infinitely, better chance than Strephon of win-li ning the Ascot Gold Cup, belongs to Lord Derby, who also has the crack five year old Fairway engaged in the same race. Bosworth did not start in the last erbv, but, being by Son-in-Law, by the same sire as Magpie, he was expected to improve later in the season. He, therefore, started in the St. Leger, went out fourth favourite at 9 to i r and, after a gruelling finish, was wore down and beat- | en by the Derby winner Trigo. Mr F. B. Donnelly, of Hastings, suffered a serious loss by the death recently of his stud horse, Mercian King. The horse was exercising and run a rusty nail into one of his feet. Though every' care '"' as taken, tetanus set in and the horse died. Mercian

King, who was bred in Australia, was by King Offa, a son of Radium from Bunfeast, and was very similarly bred to Nightraid. He was well patronised by breeders, though very few high class mares were put to him. However, he has left some very ] promising stock, when the time comes for them to race. Lord Tliomond was credited with a fast gallojj over six furlongs at Riccarton prior to going to TrentI ham, and in consequence he again proved an expensive proposition in his race on Saturday. One experienced trainer from Riccarton voiced the opinion that if the gelding reproduced his trac form he would outclass the opposition, but another disappointment awaited his followers. He certainly provided a further case of a speedy galloper leaving his race on the track. He was not accepted for on Monday. He will jtrobably be seen out at the Manawatu meeting. I The success of Lilt in Perth recently introduced W. Huxley to the Australian public again. He is on bis wav from England, where he made riding his tory which caused Frank Bullock to remark that he was one of the best riders in England at that time. Seeing that some years ago he won the Oaks, three gold vases, three Liverpool Cups, three Newbury Cups, and the Ascot Gold Vase, no doubt he earned the distinction. Besides being at the top of the tree in England, lie rode for several years’ in the East, winning four Viceroy Cups. Seeing that he can still ride at 8.5, Huxley should be in good demand in Australia again. Says a southern scribe: Red Heckle was certainly unlucky not to have placed his name on the running list of the Thompson Handicap at Trentham. He was going very easily in behind Royal Saxon at the far turn, and appeared anxious .to increase his pace. His rider would possibly have done better if he had allowed him to run along with Royal Saxon, as his brilliancy would have stood to him, and at the same time he would have escaped the trouble which settled his chance at the bend into the straight. Paitonu’s win was impressive enough, but Red Heckle had him fully extended at the finish, and would have beaten him in another few strides.

The apprentice, W. Taylor, who rode Paitonu in his races at Bulls, caihe in for unjust and unfavourable comment by the weak manner in which he handled the gelding in the Rangitikei Cup, but the fact of the matter was that the lad overdid the wasting process in order to get down to 8.1 to ride in the big race. He was as weak as the proverbial kitten, and on the Wednesday morning was in a faint for nearly half an hour. The caretaker, Mr R. Clark, liad Taylor carried into the accommodation house, where restoratives had to be administered before the jockey regaind consciousness. That is the true story of Paitonu’s failure to win the Rangitikei Cup, states a T aranaki writer.

Chrysology occupied a position on the rails in behind Paganelli' throughout the whole of the Challenge Stakes contest at Trentham on Saturday, and when he made an * ffort to get through in the finishing stages he was squeezed out through Paganelli moving in on him. It appeared that the trouble was caused by Cylinder boring in on Paganelli, both being under pressure at the time, but the incident prompted an enquiry which was held after the following race. The stewards did not think the action of Paganelli’s rider, H. Gray, was deliberate, but they advised him to be more careful in future. Chrysology had to be pulled right back when the interference took place, but the result of race would not have been affected.

The heavy impost of 10.3, 171 b over weight for age, allotted to Nightmarch in the Sydney Cup can be depended upon to furnish material for a lot of writing, and that Carbine's imposts for the same event will be freely quoted in comparison may also be anticipated. In the Sydney Cu)} of 1889, at which period Carbine was three years old, the son of Musket was awarded 9.0, izlbs over weight-for-age, which xrlaced him within qlbs of the two Derby winners, Abercom and The Australian Peer, who were each weighted at 9.4, and then followed the doughty Lochiel with 9.?The A.J.C. Derby winner of that year, Melos, figured in the race with 7.7, and in a great battle Carbine beat his young rival by a head. In the Sydney Cup of the following year Carbine was let off with 9.9, gibs over weight-for-age, and that, to,, in the face of his having carried 10.0 into second place behind the six year old Bravo, 8.7, in the Melbourne Cuxr. As is well known, Carbine scored a second victory in the Randwick race. The series of brilliant performances registered by Ni'ghtmarch in the spring undoubtedly entitles him to a place with the most noteworthy horses that have figured on the Australian turf, and in awarding the New Zealand horse an impost of i/lbs over weight-for-

age in the Sydney Cup the A.J.C. handicaxiper, Mr F. Wilson, has made it quite clear that he endorses that view in a xironounced degree. j