TODAY’S RACING NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 July 1936, Page 11

TODAY’S RACING NEWS

Galloping

MEETINGS TO COME.

July 7,9, 11—Wellington. July 18. —Hawke’s Bay Hunt. July 18. —Waimate Hunt. July 22. —Rangitikei Hunt. July 23, 25.—Poverty Bay. July 25.—South Canterbury Hunt.

May Not Start: Billy Boy may not be a starter in the Wellington Steeplechase, but will probably be reserved and freshened up for the Grand National.

Chile Kept Going: Chile, who went wrong on the eve of the Wanganui meeting, jhas not been turned out, but is doing road work. It is unlikely that he will-be able 'to race again without ■ being spelled, there is*a chance, which is the reason for keeping him going.

Death of Copey: The steeplechaser Copey died a few days ago. He was taken to Ellerslie for the last Great Northern meeting, but after schooling one morning he developed heart trouble, and could not be started at the meeting. He was raced by J. Fryer, of Hawera, for whom he won the Great Northern Steeplechase in 1932. Copey, who was by Marble Arch, was 10 years old.

In Regular Work: Since returning from Sydney, Master Brierly has been in regular work at Ellerslie and R. S. Bagby has the chestnut gelding in good for this time of the year. So far, he has done no fast work, and he will not race again until the spring meetings are held. There are no better stayers in the Dominion than Master Brierly, and when he gets into proper racing trim more money should come his way.

Jumpers for Trentham: All going well in the meantime, Gascille and Electric Flash will leave Auckland for Trentham to-morrow to fulfil their engagements at the Wellington Racing Club’s Winter Meet- / ing.

Gascille, who is trained by L. W. Jillings, has never been better than at present, and if the going is not too bad when the meeting is held he can be relied upon to run prominently. Electric Flash commenced' racing only at the recent Great Northern Meeting, where her form was decidedly promising. She also should h.ave good prospects, for she" has trained on well in the meantime.

Adalene: The form of the Little England mare Adalene at the recent Great Northern meeting at Ellerslie was distinctly encouraging, and produced in similar fettle in sprint events at the approaching Wellington meeting she will be a force to be reckoned with. On the last day.of the Auckland meeting her chances were highly assessed by her connections, but after jumping z away smartly she met. with a severe check within the first furlong. Her rider also lost an iron so that to finish as close as she did under the circumstances was a meritorious performance.

Wotan’s Assessment: The most surprising feature of the Melbourne Cup weights is the allocation of 7.11 to Wotan, the most overrated horse for years. Wotan won a maiden two-year-old race fifteen months ago, beating a field of which only one has since been a winner. He is on the same mark as Jack Horner, winner of several races, three worth £5OO each, within the last few weeks. He is within 111 b of Queen of Song, who probably is cdpablo of giving him two or three stone on revealed form, and receives only 51b from Egmont, who missed the Sydney Cup by a head. Wotan may win the Melbourne Cup with 7.11, but on New Zealand form he would be flattered with G. 7.

Allegretto’s Chance; Qne of the most interesting equine personalities in the Wellington Steeplechase is Allegretto, winner of three hack steeplechase contests in his last three starts, one at Te Rapa and two at Ellerslie, and his certainly indicated that he would be able to hold his own in 'any company over the big fences. He is a proved mudlark, and While he is highly rated in the Wellington race he ought to be favourite on his Auckland showings. He is a fine jumper and has plenty of pace; in short, he is the type that might win tlie Wellington Steeplechase by the proverbial street if he races kindly, that is, if he does not take too much out of himself by running about and pulling so hard as he did at Te Rapa and Ellerslie. He is something of a problem for those who want to get in early. He was under ?. cloud after racing at Ellerslie, but it is hoped he will be all right for Trentham.

Effects of Early liafcing: Track reports from the various centres are now beginning .to mention the appearance of rising two-year-olds. .The question of racing two-year-olds early in the season is always a debatable one among racing men, and while facts can be quoted to show that many a promising horse has been ruined by being over-raced too early, there are many good horses on the record who did a lot of galloping at that age. It would seem, however, 'that most of the high-class horses, if they are raced at two years, come out fairly late in the season, and are raced in moderation. “The laws regulating growth and decay arc immutable, and it may almost always be pronounced that in . proportion to the quickness of the growth will be the early decay of the t animal or vegetable being,” says a leading English authority. “Thus the oak is more lasting than the larch, and the elephant outlives the horse.' And it will be found that, whether in the case of the greyhound, the horse, the sheep or the bullock, those animals that come to maturity the earliest are the first to decay. Hence, while the breeder has his attention drawn to the production of colts who shall at two years of age be formed like old horses and be fit to compete with them over ‘short distances, it will always result that he obtains his end at considerable sacrifice of durability, as evidenced in

the diminished strength of the constitution and the feeble and yielding nature of the organs of locomotion. The timber, in fact, instead of being oak, is deal and is as little to be compared in durability, of which oldfashioned horses were composed, as the lattei* timber is with the former.’’ One of the greatest English authorities on the horse, “Mankato,” of the London “Sporting Chronicle,” says:—“ls this fetish for two-year-old endeavour conducive to the best interests of the thoroughbred? In my view, it certainly is not, and I regret to observe that of late there has been a tendency in this country (England) to boost two-year-old racing and the winning of two-year-old races as if these were the crux of eugenics in bloodstock.”

Trotting MEETINGS~TO COME.

August 8, 12, 14.—N.Z. Metropolitan. August 15. —Cambridge. August 29. —Auckland. September s.—New Brighton. September 12. —Wellington. October 3. —Methven. October 10. —New Brighton. October 17.—Waikato. October 17, 19.— Westport. October 22, 24.— Forbury Park. October 24, 26— Auckland. October 24, 26.— Greymouth. October 26.— Manawatu. October 26—Oamaru. October 31. —Wellington. Garner in Work: The good trotting mare Garner is in work again at Addington preparing for the August meeting. She did not develops quite as well as expected, but is nevertheless a fair one in her class.

Transfer: £ Sandy N has left C. S. Donald’s stable and returned to R. Motz, who won a few races with him previously. He is a fair trotter on his day.

Classy Sprinter: Supertax is working well in view of the Addington August meeting. This fine sprinter is a master of bad track conditions, and if the going is slushy at the Met., as it often is for tire ,National meeting, the former North Islander should come into his own.

Spelled: Ginger Jack, a winning Jack Potts three-year-old, has been thrown out of work and w’ill not race again until the new season. He should have a good term as a four-year-old. In Dunleavy’s Stable:

Fair Voyage, who recently joined F. C. Dunleavy’s Addington team, has yet to win a race among the square gaiters. On three or four occasions in Southland he finished in fourth place, and his performances pointed to him being a very likely winner, when he overcame the greenness that troubled him. The Happy Voyage gelding has frequently been credited with excellent private work, and it is on the cards that he will turn out a good proposition from his new quarters, despite the fact that his, best form has not been disclosed in public. At New Gait:

Tho conversion of that fine filly Princess Onyx from trotting to the pacing gait looks like turning out a great success. Her most recent work at Addington with the hopples suggests that she should do well in the new department. She always .was a level-headed filly with abundant speed and courage, and she has taken kindly to tho new style of going. Her condition reflects the benefit her work has had on her, and it should not be long before she brings home the money. Can He Come Back?

Those people who declare that “they never come back” might feel inclined to change their views if they could see the way Red Shadow is working at New Brighton. The 1933 New Zealand Cup winner, since being brought into active commission again some weeks ago at New Brighton, has come through a steady preparation, and at the present time he is looking better than he has done since he made his all-conquer-ing run at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s Spring meeting in 1933. Ho is rolling into his work as though ha enjoys it, and though not asked for many trials - against the clock, he has shown that he retains plenty of speed. Barring a breakdown, which is always a possibility with a heavily-built horse, Red Shadow looks like taking a hand at the Addington National meeting. If the track is heavy, his chances will appreciate as he handles shifty ground well. Red Shadow has almost escaped notice sinco ho had his great innings at Addington in November, 1933. Pie won the New Zealand Cup from his bracketmate, Royal Silk, in 4.24 1-5 on a holding track, and on the same, afternoon when the track had dried out a good deal, ho led the sprinters home in tho Hagley Handicap, going 2.39 4-5 from 36 yards behind to defeat Mountain Dell, who was then at the top of her form, and probably the best race mare at the time in New Zealand. Red Shadow was kept at home on the middle day of the meeting, but on the third day from 48 yards behind he won tho Christchurch Handicap from Sir Guy and Harold Logan, going 4.21, and completed the day’s double by winning the Free-for-All from Kingcraft and Harold. Logan in 2.41 2-5.