NOTES AND COMMENTS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 25 January 1927, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS

When Bystander was sent out for the Wellington Stakes he wa.s very sore, and did not begin with anything like ins usual brilliancy.

Inferno gave an exhibition of unruliness on the first day of the Wellington meeting, finishing up by bolting three miles. On the second day his rider did not mount till the. last moment,- .and then had. to .stand a. chain behind the field. An impossible .start in such company. The summer meeting of the Takapuna Jockey Club opens on Saturday and concludes on Monday inext. The acceptances are particularly good, in fact rather too large for the size of the course.

While there was plenty of -buyers at t-lie blood stock .sales held at Trentham last week it was not as .satisfactory to breeders ia-s .anticipate!.':. Seeing it was the first of its kind held in the Dominion, too much was expected by some, and future sales are certain to be more satisfactory. Crown Area, who has won on each of his three la.st starts (Mail-ton and Wellington twice), is decidedly promising, and, no doubt, will do well in better company in future. While Grown Area won well at Trentliaiu. last Saturday he may have had a Jit-tlo luck, by reason of the fact that the favourite (Assurance) lost about eight lengths through the barrier not acting quickly. Assurance was then rushed to the lcaoer.-j, «• factor, that left him. without a finishing effort. Mundane had another big following in the recent Wellington Cup, but like most of her races this season, she disappointed -badly. Prior to the holiday racing, Rapier was sorted out as one likely to do -well in big handicaps. His moderate third to Novar and Euphonium, at the Manawatu meeting, caused many to lose faitli- in him, and although Rapier stibsequently mia.de some amends by winning the Marten Cup lie was very much no,fleeted by backers for the Wellington Oup. There was some desperate racing on the first two* days of the Wellington meeting, and rarely has more exciting finishes been witnessed. Mint Leaf -was ian unlucky runner on the opening day of the Wellington meeting, land when he won last Saturday his backers had to- accept la. small dividend, but .as Mint Leaf looked “good” the price could be termed reasonable. On his first day -form -at Trontbam, where he finished very fast to win over five furlongs. Thaw looked a. likely proposition for the Nursery Handicap, run over six furlongs on the second day, but at the- barrier .rise Paleta nan across him, and extinguished any chance Thaw may have possessed. It now transpires that the rider of Silvermine, in the Wellington Stakes last week, broke a stirrup iron prior to the start. As young T. Tito had to virtually ride hare- back in the contest, the fine performance of Silvermine in

fully extending Limited over five fur- - longs, can be fully appreciated. With : average luck it certainly loojis as if Silvermine should have won. An extraordinary coincidence in connection with Mr. A. Alexander’s of- ■ forts to- capture the Wellington Stakes is worth recording. In the- contest for that event in 1920 Silver Link had the • race won fifty yards from, the post, when the saddle slipped back land Silver Link bucking vigorously, dislodged her ; rider (the ilate A. J. McFlynn), and Moor-fowl won. In this year's contest, Silver Link's son Silvermine, broke an iron, land -despite this big handicap, fully extended the- winner Limited. It was confidently expected that the - Australian buyers, or their agents, would be ia powerful factor in making - the recent sale of thoroughbreds s-nti-s- ---! factory to bleeders, but in that respect, all were disappointed, as o-ur friends from across the Tasman Sea failed to ■ rise to- .the heights expected, and in most aaises were out bid by New Zealanders. As our houses have more than [ held their own in recent years, when . racing in Australia, it caused some surprise, when .the “Aussie’s” failed to . bid on. The contest for the Racing dub Handicap at Trentliam last Saturday was a gruelling one. After being well placed throughout, Piuthair took charge a, furlong from tlie post, and looked like winning easily, when Star Stranger put in a. great run to beat her on the post. Possibly the victory of Star Stranger was due to the great riding- of R. Reed. In winning four races- in succession, Paleta. lias proved particularly consistent, and, judging from the way he played with his opponents when carrying 9.5 at Trentliam last Saturday, it cerfainlv looks as if Paleta is little, if anything., inferior to Agrion, Gascony or Cimabue, and they are a quartette of excellent two-year-o’ds. The'time recorded (2.17) for the, Wellington Racing Club Handicap, run and won on Saturday last by Star Stranger, must be nearly an Australasian record for eleven fuPongs. This distance is a.n nnconimon one, but worked out on the .same basis it is equal to 2.29 2-5 for a mile and a half. As on a similar track, the Wellington Cup took 2.32. It makes one wonder what

happened to Star Stranger in the race for the Cup. We have witnessed some great contests of the past, but the race for the Metropolitan Handicap at Trentliam last Saturday was one of the most sensational finishes seen for many a day. Always in the lead, Limited had an advantage of about- a length., with a hundred yards to go, but then began to weaken, and Papercliase first, then Mimetic and finally Benzoia, challenged, and the quartette crossed the line with only a head between the lot. The uinlucki-est Tanner on the opening day of the recent Wellington meeting was T© Moininui, who, after having anything but a smooth passage was only beaten by the narrowest of mar- vi. gins. Rider L. G. Morris did handle- Te Monamii with his usual proficiency, and even over the last half furlong the Now Plymouth-owned horse, though being allowed to run in, lost at least a length, and incidentally the rich prize for the Gup. In the Stewards’ Handicap, run at Riccarton last November, Booster carried 81bs overweight and finished a. dose fourth, many considering lie was unlucky not to win that difficult race. 'When Booster was saddled up for the Telegraph Handicap at Trentham on Thursday last, many backers remembered the performance, and were rewarded with a fine dividend. That Stormy is much above hack company was demonstrated in the Douro Cup at Trentham last Saturday. Burdened with 9.9, Stormy was called on to carry his weight every inch of the journey. He appeared to- meet with interference half -a mile from home. "With a few chain to go, it looked like Vesperus winning easily,-but a- .great final effort by Stormy brought him to within about-a nose of the winner. Stonnv was unlucky.