TODAY’S RACING NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1939, Page 13

TODAY’S RACING NEWS

Galloping MEETINGS TO CQME ‘ . ‘ ; $ July 22—Rangitikgi. July 22—South Canterbury. July 29—Christchurch. July 29 —Manawatu. August 8, 10, 12—Canterbury. . August 19—-Pakuranga. August 31 —Egmont-Wanganui. Doing Well: ' ‘ i War Cloud has done well since racing at Trentham, and will have solid support at Marton. This Lord Warden —Cloudburst thj;ee-yfear-old pro inis.es to be useful. Still Out: Amigo is still an absentee from the track. His leg filled as a result of injuries sustained through kicking himself. Though the trouble is not seriaus it may keep him out of his engagement at the Marton meeting. Lowen berg: Lowenberg has gone on the right vay since his return from Trentham md, appears to have thrown off the oreness which formerly troubled him. -le may yet win a good race or two udged on his Trentham form. S.ojd: 1 The eight-year-old hurdle horse igog, by Cape Horn from Vigilance, /inner of five rac.es in his last seven tarts, changed hands at auction. The mrchase price was 160 guineas, and he new 'owner is Mr. Don Muir, or Vahikii, who raced The Trimmer this eason. *

ookpd for Riccarton: The Taranaki trainer, R. Johnson, is’ likely visitor to Riccarton for the rand National meeting, and he has joked accommodation for two horses, •esumably Majority and Ned Cuttie. hey. were winners on the final day at •entham, and are both AVinter Cup .ndidates. ; vestments: The largest sum ever invested on a ,ce in/the Dominion was, £29,417/10 i the 1920 Auckland Cup. The largest .pport for any single horse was 9294 on Mermin when the brilliant jsurd colt won the Great Northern >al Stakes on the same day. I Right Order: s Although Tooley Street has no Imediate engagements, H. Rama is givg the bay gelding plenty of work d he is thriving on it. Rama had tended to take Tooley Street to Ricrton for the Grand National meeting xt month, but has abandoned the 3a, and the gelding will make his >xt appearance at the Pakuranga toting in August. ue Peter’s Earnings: Blue Peter’s earnings for his four ns this season aggregate well over 31,000. The Two Thousand Guineas n was worth £9.500,, the Derby 10,625 and the Eclipse Stakes £9BOO. he fulfils expectations and wins the , Leger, hi s £otal for the season will ceed £40,000. 'Too many three-ar-olds are retired after a Derby ccess, their owners fearing to risk deit and consequent reduction-in stud lue, but it is Lord Rosebery’s intenm to keep Blue Peter racing next ; toon, primarily with the object of nriing the Ascot Gold Cup. RO ' ■ ' ! NOTES FROM RICCARTON. 1 [SPECIAL TO “STAB.”] CHRISTCHURCH, July 19. Phe Christchurch Hunt Club’s an- i al 'Steeplechase meeting, to b,e held ; the Riccartop racecourse on Satnr- : yi of next week, will) provide the j ,ial widespread interest; as <most of I > leading candidates for the high nours at the Grand National meet- < ; will he assisting. These ipjQlpile 1 dishah, Power Chief, Manawatu, lyer, Cottingham, Gold Wren, Bur- i 6d, Charade, King Rey, Travenna, ter Beckford, Recollection. Data- i ue, Yours Truly, Dunfearyan, Black I read, Spanish Dad,» Fleet Street, rd' Cayendish and Alma, and all are ely to be on hand. the RiccaxtojT tracks have had a /•rough shaking during the past week 1 training' operations, as l far as fast rk is .concerned, have been out of s Question. One effect of the' rain, 1 jyided it does not continue, will be : have all tracks: in excellent order : • next week’s track work, which, 1 s year especially, should be of out- ' nding interest. ; dishah: - ' j >adishah will arrive fronr Hastings morrow, ip charge of his’ owneriner, MrJ J. A. Hennah, and is to raced at the Christchurch Hunt rb’s- meeting. Providing he shapes ; fisfactorily in his schooling ovei’ , big Riccarton fenices, he is to ( rt in the Homeby Steeplechase, and his display in that is> up- to the rk, he is to contest the Grand Na- , nal Steeplechase, in which he will c ridden by the Hastings gentleman j er, Mr. G. G. Beatson, who has rid- ( i Padishah in all of his schooling ■ a steeplechaser. Should it not be , ;ided to start him in thei National, ( will contest the Jumpers’’ Flat Race , National day, and then be produced 3 the Grand National Hurdle Race, which it is hoped to- secure the ser- j es of A. E. Ellis, who will be free , Survey is not kept for the big hurdle ; mt. Nothing will be decided upon . vever, until after the Hunt meet- - but in the meantime, it is likely ; it Padishah will be reserved, for « hurdle race, and not started in the eplechase. Padishah has 1 given ■ ne excellent displays of schooling < Hastings, but has six own hesitancy : tackling brush fences, and it is fear- ■ that the' solid and high brush obIcles on the Riccarton circuit may ' able him. His: owner is- not, theree, keep on calling on the horse to i itest a Grand National in his first 1 ir over country, but considers he 1 be better favoured/ in 12 months le. Padishah has' shown lameness er all of his recent work: and races, c it has not lasted long, and no able is' anticipated in this regard, ivided hard tracks are not encouned. By present indications, such > not likely for National week. /apuni Candidates: danawatu and Power Chief are also xked to race at the Hunt fixture, 1 both are likely to be saddled up the Grand National Steeplechase. Rough riders have not yet been anged for them, it is probable' that both are started in the big race, A. Donald will have the mount on nawatu, on whom he was previoussuccessful at Riccarton. The ownof the pair. Mr. F. Armstrong, is in 1 n-ivate hospital at Hastings, and is : likely to be -able to attend the ■ ,eting Mrs. A. McDonald, who suf-

• fered a broken collarbone some weeks ago, still has the affected arm ill a sling, owing to the break not knitting property. This was the sixth time the same collarbone has been broken m falls from horses. Cottingham: Cottingham was responsible for some attractive schooling last week, anidi his efforts: over the big country on the course proper will be awaited with interest. He is' to contest the Homeby Steeplechase, and should; he race well in this, he will come into favour for his later engagements, one of which may be the Grand; National. Like Padishah, Cottingham is a novice ’phaser, but his easy style of jumping, and galloping and staying ability make his prospects look bright. Arctic Star has) been in easy work for some months past, but his trainer, C. Dawson,'has decided that it is no use going on with him, and he will in future do duty asi a hack.

Tired of Racing: Courtyard, who was a complete failure at Trentham, will-not be raced on the first two dlays of the Grand National meeting/ but it may. be decided to give him a race on the last day. His trainer was at a loss 1 to understand the gelding’s recent poor- form, but there is no dbubt he has- tired; of racing. Silver -Sight has had an easy time since his one race at the Wellington meeting; but it is hoped to start him in the Grand National Steeplechase. 1 He is to be definitely retired after next month’s meeting. Recommissioned: A. S. Ellis has recommissioned the useful Merry March, who, but fo urnuseful Merry March’, who, but for unsoundness, would win good races. Nigella has also been taken’ up again by Ellis. Another Northerner: In addition to receiving Royal Lassie from the North Island, S. Barr is now training the three-year-old Phil, by Philamorsfrom Joy Princess. S. CANTERBURY HUNT. ‘FIELDS FOR SATURDAY. CHRISTCHURCH, fluly 18. The following are the acceptances for the South CanteTbury Hunt Club’s meeting on Saturday; Hadlow Hurdles, on'e mile ami a half: Vai 10.11, Last, Link 10.1, Contract 9.13, Ballad 1 , Bit o’ Blue, Gasmask 9.0.

Pareora Steieplecliase, two miles: Macalipein 12.4, Henry Dawson; 11.8, Vglmy, Harkaway 11.7, Guapo; 11.4. So'utli Canterbury Steeplechase, two miles and.a haff: Black Banner 12.0, Cottingham 11.3, Pand'ine 10.13, Burwood 10.5, Top Rank 9.13, Chile 9.9, Culv&rden 9.2, Contract, Tomcat 9.0. Levels Hack Handicap, six furlongs: Flame Quee'ni 8.13, Dancing Flame 8.10, Donadea 8.8, Prince Flaneur 8.5, Chief Lama 8.4, Withdrawal 8.3, Lisnacree, Lawford'' Lass, Neptune, Foxy, Sportsman 8.0. x Washdyke Trot Handicap, 3.43 class, one mile and a half: Allen Wrack, Brown Tap, Ben Wyvis, Correct, Dyrola, Marie’s Pride, Nelson McFarlane, Sabu, Twist, Undaunted scr„ Straight 24, Tiny Axwiorthy 36, Macgregor 48. i Tesphem'fiker ' -Steeplechase, two miles'and a half: Burwood 11.11, El Caballo 11.1, Quin'opal 11.0, Sunny Comet 9.12, Macalpein 9.5, Nightwind, Panara, Newly Rich 9.0. Peptlow Hack Handicap, one- mile and 35 yards: Flame Queen 9.0, Hunting Chorus 5.13, Dancing Flame 8.11, Captain Bruce 8.9, Doctor Duthie 8.4, Prince Runealf 8.1, Codntervane, Comus, Dranoel, Airdrie, Lord Ouyen, Pilot’s Love, Jericho Jane, King Icel 8.0.

Claremont Handicap, one mile and 35 yards: Silver Streak 9.6, Cerne Abbas 8.11, Travenna, Spanish Lad 8.10, Lazybones 8.8, Settlement 8.4, Balmenter 8.0, Night Dress, ' Sir Hugh 7.13, Lady Middleham 7.10, Lady Graceful 7.9, Jan Ridd, Silver Slipper, Astral Flash 7.7. SEASON’S BETTING FIGURES. A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE. ' i With four Hunt, meetings, two in each Island, to be held prior to the closing of the season at the end of the month, the betting figures for galloping meetings show a substantial increase on the totals of recent years. Of the provisional increase over the 1987-38 season of £442,726/10/-, the share of the Auckland provincial district is £115,118. The aggregate investments at galloping meetings last season, including betting on trotting races held as part of programmes of the sister sport, was shown at the end of the season as £’5,289,415J, and for the 1936-37 season, as £4,607,069/10/-. To date, the totalisator aggregates for the current/term are £5,732,142, and if the investments to come improve in the same ratio the approximate total will be £5,781,500. The increase last year, oyer the previous season, was about 12J per cent.; that for this season will be about 8S per cent. This indicates a slowing-up of the rate of increase and maybe, the peak will be reached in the new season. There are nine racing districts and the current figures in each are as under: —Auckland, £2,094,408; Wellington, £961,982; Canterbury, £734,-| 115; Wanganui, £605,270; Dunedin, £351.071; Hawlto’s Bay, £297,942; Southland, £291,379; Taranaki, £289,509; Greymouth, £103.464. The respective figures in the previous season show that the increases everywhere have been substantial, but those enjoyed by clubs in the Wellington and Wanganui racing districts were proportionately greater than in other centres.

The first substantial rise in totalisator betting occurred just before the Great War. In 1920, the tota’s of galloping and trotting meetings combined exceeded for the first and only time, £10,000,00Q. The lowest aggregate in the post-war years was that of 1932-33, when the investments for both sports had shrunk to £3,678,251. From the end of the depression the climb was steady and not sensational. As stated, it appears that the peak will be reached in the next 12 months.