News from Track and Stable

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1946, Page 5

News from Track and Stable

Half-Sister to Navigate. Rendezvous, the half-sister to Navigate by Dillon Hall, will be raced at. the Tapanui meeting. She was raced nine times last season for a win, a second, and a fourth, and gave promise of developing, into a really smart performer. '• " Showed Promise. In eight starts last season, Dil.lon.ia Queen recorded one win and a fourth placing, her win being scored in a division of the Trial Handicap at Gore on Boxing Day. It was not a strong field that she beat, but she showed promise which has, however, not been fulfilled. Now a six-year-old, Dillonia Queen is by Dillon Hall from Blue Mountain Queen and she will be raced at the Tapanui meeting. Sleepy Fox Scratched. Sleepy Fox was withdrawn from the Auckland Racing Club’s Railway Handicap at 12.15 p.m. on Tuesday. Sleepy Fox is undoubtedly in a class of his own in the north, as a sprinter, and it is not surprising that his activities will now be confined to weight-for-age racing. There can be no doubting the class of a horse that has won three Easter Handicaps, but his two performances in winning the Shorts Handicap at the * Auckland spring meeting with 10.6 and the Sheriff Handicap at Avondale last Saturday with 10.13, stamp him as one of the really great sprinters this country has known.

Death of Lady Foxbridge. An Auckland message states that Lady Foxbridge, the winner of the King George Handicap at Avondale last Saturday, died on Tuesday morning. It was reported on Monday that Lady Foxbridge was suffering from pneumonia. It has since been reported that alter she returned to Matamata. where she was trained, Lady Foxbridge was given a drench, and some of it entered her lungs. Her loss is a heavy one for her connections, as she was a well-fancied candidate for the Auckland Cup, in which she was handicapped at 7.11. In her short career she had started in only 16 races, for five firsts, two seconds and three thirds, and £4290 in stakes. Her most important success was in the Great Northern Derby last season. Lady Foxbridge was bred and owned by the laic Mr. F. Rose,- of Tirau, and was by Foxbridge from Flying Falcon, by Bronze Eagle from Eva Rose by Lapiday from Blodwyn, by Bisogne from Vivacity, by St. Cyr from Vivat, by Captivator from Vivandiere, by Musket.

Headed for Tight Classes. Aberhall is now undergoing a special preparation for the Auckland Trotting Cup and at this stage he certainly appeals as one of the early fancies. He was a winner at each of his two starts at Addington and displayed rare gameness and ability on each occasion. He has come solid with racing, and he should experience little difficulty in qualifying for the best-class races in the country.

In F. J. Smith’s Stable. Mamanuas will in future be trained at Takanini by F. J. Smith, and it is probable l the Quite Sure trotter will make his next appearance at Epsom at Christmas. The form displayed by Mamanuas during the past couple of seasons has been anything but consistent, but caught on his day he has the ability to upset the best of classes. He was responsible for an encouraging display when he led for a mile and a quarter at Aldington recently, and he is not likely to be neglected the first time he is produced in the north.

Trip to Australia. It is probable that Golden Souvenir will be taken to Australia in the autumn to contest the Sydney Cup and weight-for-age races. All going well with him in the meantime, Bruce may accompany Golden Souvenir on the trip. Both horses are trained at Riccarton by L. J. Ellis. As dual licences are not valid in Australia, Ellis will not be able to ride the horses if he remains their trainer, so overtures will be made to a prominent New Zealand jockey to accompany the party.

High-Priced Brood Mare. Trainer J. Jarvis paid 14,500 guineas for the 10-year-old mare, Avena (by Blandford from Athasi) covered by Blue Peter, at the Newmarket bloodstock sales. —London, December 4.

Meeting of District Committee The district committee of the Greymouth Jockey Club decided at a meeting yesterday to recommend to the Racing Conference the applications of A. T. Campbell for-- an apprentice jockey’s licence and A. Leckie for a trainer’s licence. The Westport Jockey Club applied for approval of an application for a change of the dates of its race meeting from February 1 and 3 to March 8 and 10.—Recommended. The programmes of the Reefton Jockey Club for December 28 and January 11 and the Westland RacingClub for January 2 were approved. At a meeting of the committee of the Greymouth Jockey Club advice was received that Mr J. S. Shaw will be the stipendiary steward at the forthcoming meeting and that Mr H. H. Prins 'will supervise the trotting events.