TODAY’S RACING NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 August 1939, Page 11

TODAY’S RACING NEWS

Galloping MEETINGS TO COME August 31-r-Egmont-Wanganul. September 2—Taranaki Hunt. " September 2—Otago Hunt. September 7, s—Wanganui. September 9—Greymouth. September 16—Foxton. September 16 —Ashburton. September 16, 18—Avondale. September 21, 23—Geraldine. September 23 —Marion. September 30—Otaki-Maori. September 30—Kurow. September 30, October 2 —Ohinemuri Improved Mare: One of the most improved mares at Ellerslie is Every Port, who is in D. Arnott’s establishment. The Winning Hit mare looks sure to win a race or two this Spring. Mintlaw:

Mintlaw, who was a promising hack last season, has had a gooil deal of preliminary work under 'the hand of his owner at Te Awa’mutu. He has now returned to R. S. Bagby at Ellerslie, and he should come to hand early.

Hound Up: Round Up is getting through steady tasks at Takanini in an admirable manner. He will have io carry big Weights this season, but he should still get a lion’s share of the money in the big handicaps.

Wykemist: The Hastings jumper, Wykemist, is remaining at Ellerslie until next week, when he will go to New Plymouth to contest the Hunt Cup at the combined meeting. It is announced that Mahala, who was also engaged, is not making the Taranaki trip, as Pakuranga Hunt Cup form did not justify it.

H. Rama’s Team: D. Arnott, who was a capablp foreman for H. and A. Cutts for several years, has in preparation + ‘or H. Rama at Ellerslie Miss Appellant and Tane Pango, while last week he received an addition to his team in Gay Bell, by Gay Charte from Marble Dell. Tooley Street is remaining at Riccarton, to be prepared for racing a't the New Zealand Cup meeting. P. E. Pope’s Team:

. P. E. Pope intends to take Maxam, Saccone and Solitary to New Plymouth. Maxam is an able galloper in heavy going and' appears tj he coming to her best. Last season, this Hoariri filly took four winning brackets, in all kinds of going, and her future is full Of promise. Shccone and Solitary are both well.forward. First Race: v

Defaulter, one of the favourites for the Australian Jockey Club Metropo* litan. will not run. His withdrawal will not, however, cause much loss to backers, as he was a bookmakers’ favourite. The New Zealander may be a starter in the Warwick Stakes (weight-for-age), at the Farm on Saturday.

Awppiini Horses: Beau Partir continues to please in his work at Awapuni. Disdain and La Bru, wbp were paired in a sprint on Tuesday, have done well so far and both are fairly forward. An intending candidate for Wanganui honours, Florence Mills, is also in good shape. Another to race at the river city is Conveyer, of whom the best has yet to be Seen. He has never been better than he is at present. Good Prospect:

One of the best Hawera-trained prospects for the Combined' Hunts meeting is Viracious, who has been well tried during the last couple of weeks. Viracious won at his last start, the Closeburn Handicap at the Rangitikei Hunt meeting, and he will again be ridden by his jockey on that occasion, W. Jenkins. Galloping Well Again:

Student Prince for Isome time has been under a- cloud at iHawera, but the muscular trouble has been overcome, and lie is now galloping well. It is intended to give him a race on the flat at New Plymouth, after which he will he taken North for hurdling events at the Avondale and Auckland Spring meetings.

Good Year Ahead: Fiancee, the four-year-old mare by Siegfried from Betroth, has revealed more brilliancy than the great majority of that sire’s progeny, and she is likely to have another good year in front of her. Last season, at the latter end, she won four races in five starts, and she was placed on six other occasions.

F. 'Davis’s Team: Prior to the Pakuranga Hunt meeting, Francis Drake was galloping great guns, hut his trainer, F. Davis, decided' against starting him in the Admiralty Handicap with a Ing weight on a soft track. On Tuesday, he was stepped out over five furlongs with Lutanist, and they finished on terms in 1.6 3-5. The last three furlongs occupied 39 4-ssecs, and Lutanist appeared to be doing it comfortably. Another of Davis’s charges, Pern, is making excellent progress, but he is not a star on the trial ground. After cutting out the first three furlongs in 38sec, Silver Stick was easing up at the end of six furlongs, run in 1.20. This fellow is expected to be a good three-year-old. - - - ■ * • ’ • • ;

Early Success Predicted: A year ago, Orelio, by Limond from Waterwings, 6 gave the promise of living up to his breeding by running third at his first start in the Avondale Stakes and winning the Nursery Handicap on the second day. In five subsequent starts, he did not. win. but he was placed four times. Now, at Takanini, ho is again in the limelight, and on Tuesday, he showed a clean pair of heels to Gladynev in completing five furlongs in 1.7 2-5. He got a lead of five lengths in the first three furlongs, run in 38 3-ssec, ai'.’er which he was steadied'. Orelio is brilliant, but last season he was not a good beginner. However, he should now be improved in that respect, and an early success is predicted. He is the type of three-year-old who ought to be given an opportunity in the A.R.C. Railway Handicap at Christmas.

Silver Sight's Career: The career has closed of one of the stalwarts of racing, Silver Sight. This gelding has been thown out of work on numerous occasions, but always he came back sound and ready for another preparation. Silver Sight has the unusual distinction of having been placed 17 times before winning his first race. He was then a four-year-old and had already contested over

40 events. Ho won such good races on the flat as the Tirnaru Cup and Ashburton Handicap. Later, lie was a good performer over brush hurdles, but. he had only one start as a steeplechaser. By Silverado from On Sight, Silver Sight first carried the colours of his breeder, Mr G. E. Murray, but most of his racing was done, in the ownership of Mr A. Behan, Greymouth. Subsequently, he proved a

I good proposition for his owner--1 trainer, A. J. Martin. In eight seasons oi* racing, Silver Sight started' 158 limes for 15 wins, 28 seconds and 23 thirds. His winnings totalled £3245 . 10/-. His busiest season was as a 1 live-year-old, when he ran 36 times and his best, as a nine-year-old (last term), when he added £B6O to his aggregate. Silver Sight’s long list of : placings' without a win is probably a record in New Zealand. It will be seen that he had a good average of placings, in spite of the strenuous nature of his career. ANOTHER GIFT. LONDON, August 23. Lord Derby has presented the Duke of Kent with the four-year-old Greenwich, winner of three races, by the St. Leger winner. Fairway. EBOR HANDICAP RESULT. LONDON, August 23. The Ebor Handicap, run at York, resulted as follows: Owenstown 1, Valedictory 2, Peter Kane 3. Twelve started. Won by two lengths; a head. Trotting MEETINGS TO COME August 26 —Auckland. September 2—New Brighton. September 20,. 23—Wellington. Seputember 30 —Methven. October 7—New Brighton. October 12, 14 —Manawatu T.C. October 21, 23—Greymouth. October 21, 23, or 25 —Auckland, October 23—Oamaru. October 25, 28 —Wellington. October 28—Invercargill. Nov. 7,9, 10—N.Z. Metropolitan. Nov. 23, 25—Forbury Park. (Dates to be approved by the New Zealand Trotting Conference.) At Kerrytown:

Kewpie’s Wrack and Trireme are the latest additions to F. P. Brosnan’s team at Kerrytown. Kewpie’s Wrack (Wrack-Little Kewpie) is an unraced three-year half-sister to War Buoy.

Rey Spec: Rey Spec, winner of a New Zealand Trotting Gold Cup and 15 other races, has been one of the hardestraced horses in the Dominion. He has started on 143 occasions during the past seven years, or 44 more than Harold Logan contested in nine years. Unsoundness now threatens to end his career. His record to date is 1G firsts, 1G seconds and 15 thirds for £4778 10/- in stakes and trophies.

King’s Play: King’s Play is already being talked about for the New Zealand Trotting Cup. King’s Play, who has both speed and stamina, was foaled in 1930 and got’ by Blue Mountain King from Buzbuz, by Charming Bell from Springheel, by Globe —Gidget, by Vancleve—Madcap, by General Grant. Springheel is the dam of Globe Derby, the sire of Walla Walla and other champions. Blue Mountain King was gto by Ribbonwood —Donnesse. by Don Cleve —Lazy by Era—Miss Harold, by Childe Harold —Nellie, by Fusilier, a son of Musket, and Matlerina. Hence we have a crack pacer related to Wairiki (Auckland Cup), Matchlock (A.J.C. St. Leger, V.R.C. St. Leger), Libeller, and other notable performers of bygone years. King’s Play also inherits infusions of thoroughbred through Ribbonwood, Charming Bell and Don Cleve. De Soto Retired:

Because of unsoundness, the pacer, De Soto, will not race again. Although his lis.t of victories contains many outstanding performances, he is likely to be remembered mostly as a horse that won a race, but did not get the stake because he started from a wrong mark. This happened at Methven about four years ago. At one stage of his career De Soto was regarded as an alihost certain winner of a New Zealand Trotting- Cup, in fact after his notable achievement in winning the Cup Trial in 2.40 for a mile and a-quarter,‘everybody thought that the big race at Addington that year was all over. De Soto’s performance at Hutt Park was as good as any ever accomplished by Harold Logan on that course. De Soto had a chequered career. He was troubled with lameness, but he battled on to win nineteen races, and score six seconds and five thirds, and earn £4033 in stakes His win in the National Handicap in 1936 is often referred to as one of the greatest performances seen at Addington. In that race he made a bad break before he had completed two furlongs, and fell back to the rear of the field. Once settled to his gait, he picked up his ground, and when the last six furlongs were entered upon he raced round his opponents and won in the fast time of 4.20.