TURF

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 12199, 10 March 1934, Page 11

TURF

A STEEPLECHASE FIASCO

SIX JOCKEYS TAKE WRONG turning IN fog.

LAST HORSE AWARDED RACE

Fog was responsible at Newbury, England, recently, for one of the must remarkable incidents ever seen ou a racecourse. A horse which finished at the tail-end of a field of seven runners was awarded the race because the six other horses had taken the wrong course in the run-in. TJlie race was the United Services Steelpechase. oyer three miles. Ballymoe finished first, with Prince Mario second ancl Fortnum third ,and Bicester last of all. It was noticed that five runners had. finished on the wrong side of the winning-post. After weighing out. Sir Peter Grant 'Lawson* who rode Bicester, and had been last all the way. claimed the stake for the horse’s owner, the a-owager Lady Penrhyn, on the ground that his mount was the only o(ne which had gone the right course. The fog which hung over the course had made it difficult for anyone to see what really had happened, and the unusual nature of the objection to the judge’s placings puzzled the spectators

The stewards awarded the race .to Bicester, cut confused the spectators again by placing ' Bailjino 9 second and F'crtncim .third, ignoring Trines Mario, •which originally had bfen placed second. ■ W The reason for this was that as the horses had been unable ' to getput of the right course without returning to the point at which they had diverged from the right course, and then passing the judge again, they were placed by the judge in the order in which they passed him on tlieir way to the saddling paddock. Ballymoe and Fortnum were next to Bicester in passing the judge on the correct course, and as they technically “finished” within the specified time they became entitled to second and third placingsIt was reported afterwards that Ballymoe’s, trainer was appealing against the decision of the stewards.

NOTES AND NEWS. Patrons at the Franklin meeting would be rather interested in a voung horse, who did his preliminary with to Franklin Cup field, the jockey wearing the colours of Mr Wenzl Scholium. That was a four-year-old half-brother to Puss Moth, by Romeo, who will race under the name of Gipsy Moth, and is owned by the Messrs Roulston Bros., who race Puss Moth. He is a good looking sort, and racegoers will probably have the pleasure ox seeing lurn in action befores long.

Whakapara won the Kawakawa Cup at Pukekohe in January last, and since then ran two excellent races over shorter courses at Te Archa, finishing in a place on both of them. On that showing he could not be left out of calculations in the Franklin Cup. He was always well placed and after -attending Mungatoon to the straight, ran past him and held on well to score by a length and a half. Lindsay's horse is now at his best and he should race well during the autumn.

Solo Song is well enough bred to win good races, lor she is a iour-year-old filly by Hunting Song from Ash Tray, by Tc-a Tray from the imported mare Katasha. Last season she was raced on five occasions, finishing third in a maiden event at Opotiki, and running second in a Trial Plate at the Bay of Plenty meeting. She lias not raced much this season, and had no form to commend her as the winner of the Bucklancl Handicap, six furlongs, in which she paij a remarkable price, particularly after her showing 111 the Bombay Handicap earlier in the day. in which she finished sixth among a lot of maidens. Thai race, however, improved her considerably, for she w*as always near the leaders in the Buckland Handicap, and got up in time to beat Expectancy by a head. She finished on well too, and she can be locked tc to traverse a further distance successfully. This filly made a good showing in a maiden event at the Avondale spring meeting, but until Saturday she failed to run up to the promise she then give.

The West Coast sportsman, Mr A. Behan, cannot be regarded as a lucky owner; in fact, his experiences have been of the most tantalising character (observes a. southern writer). Following on his purchase of Silver Sight, the Silverado gelding was placed nine times last season without winning a race. He has done a little better this season, having scored twice, but he has had five more places as evidence of his consistency. The record of Fleeting Glance has been even mere exasperating. Three times on the flat and four times over the hurdles she has filled second place, and she -still has to win a race for Mr Beban. Each of the pair ran second at Motukarara last Saturday.