TURF TOPICS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 15 June 1935, Page 3

TURF TOPICS

TRACK AND STABLE CHAT "

(By " Childers”)

RACING FIXTURES June 13, 15—Hawke’s Bay -J.C. June Canterbury J.C. June 20, 22—Napier Park E.C. June 22—Ashburton C.R.C. June 29—Levin E.C. July 3—Dannevirke H.C. July 9, 11, 13—Wellington E.C. July 20—Hawke’s Buy H.C. July H.C July 23—Waimate District H.C. July 23, 27 —Poverty Bay T.C. July 27—South Canterbury H.C. July 27 Manawatu E.C. Proposed. Aug. 2—Poverty Bay II.C. Aug. 3 —Christchurch H.C. Aug. 13, 15, 17—Canterbury J.C. Aug. 24 —Pakuranga H.C. Aug. 29—Egmont-Wangnnui H.C. (at New Plymouth). Aug. 31—Taranaki H.C. Sept. 7—Otago H.C. Sept. 7—Marton J.C. Sept. 12, 14 —Wanganui J.C. Sept. 21 —Ashburton County E.C. Sept. 21—Foxton- E.C. Sept. 21, 23 —Avondale J.C. Sept. 26, 28 —Geraldine E.C. Sept. 27, 28- —Marlborough E.C. Sept. 28—Napier Park E.C. Sept. 28, 30—Taumarnnui E.C. (at Paeroa). A Dull Period. There will be very little doing among the Hawera horses during the next few weeks and a small team only will be taken to Trehtham next month. With few meetings at all haildy to engage the attention of local owners and trainers there will be nothing really to engage their attention until the Egmont-Wanganui and Taranaki Hunt Clubs hold their combined meeting in August. Transact Being Hunted. Transact is evidently being qualified to raeP in hunting events, for he has been attending the meets held recently in the Manawatu district. Judging by his effort at Egmoiit and Wanganui, it would take a lot of weight to bring about this gelding’s defeat in a hunters’ event and his imposts woula probably be almost in line with some of those being allotted to the Australian hurdler Greensca at present. Another interesting follower of the Manawatu hunts is the former Great Northern winfter Glendowie. Nothing for Trentham. O. Cox has Golden Hair, Loweribcrg and Topthorn all fairly well forward, but does not intend to race any of the trio at Trentham next month. Lowenberg has developed into a fine type of a -colt and in view of the promising form he showed in his few starts this season, Ms progress will be followed with interest during the next few weeks by local track-watchers. j Slippery Appeals. Having his first race for several months, Slippery ran an excellent second to Cawbeen at Hastings on Thursdav, which was quite a good effort for A 'frCsh horse. The Hunting Song gelding is one of the most consistent sprinters in commission when at his best, so from now on he should not be hard to place. After racing at the Napier Park fixture next week he will probably be taken to Trentham, for he nsuallv races well on that ieours6. Twelve months ago he beat a big field in the Members’ Handicap on the second day. Change of Luck. Of late Mrs A. McDonald has been having a rather lean time with her string and is further down on the winning list this season than she hms been fpr several years. However, she had a change of luck on Thursday, when two of her charges in Boudoir and Gold Cure both won races, while Petrarch showed an improvement in recent form to run third in the June Steeples. This trio will be racing over the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay circuit during the next few weeks, when further successes should come their wmy. A Likely Hurdler. Apparently improved considerably by the two races he had over hurdles at Dannevirke, Gold Cure won the Corinthian Plate at Hastings on Thursday particularly easily, taking the lead after a furlong to be never troubled afterwards. As the Gold Soult gelding jumps well, he should have little difficulty in winning one or perhaps more races over the battens during the Hawke’s Bay Poverty Bay circuit. Bred to Jump. The Ranger, the promising hunter whom T. E. George holds on lease, belongs to an old colonial family that has produced some great jumpers, Norton, winner of the Grand National Steeplechase under 12. S in 1894, was probably the best of them, his dam (Eomp) being The Eanger’s third dam. Q’he Eanger’s second dam, The Ilempie, was in. prolific winner on the fiat and over hurdles, one of her successes being the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles when it was a more important event than it is now.

Four-Figure Earnings. With their successes in the north last week D. O’Connor and IT. Rama joined the list of Eicearton trainers whose teams have earned foiir figures this season. There are fourteen of them, the list being: F. D. Jones, £5362; H. and A. Cutts, £4103; S. Barr, £3145 10s; Mrs J. Campbell, £2567; T. H. Gillett, £2230; .T. S. Shaw, £1835; E. W. King, £1825; D. O’Connor, £1509; E. Rama, £I4OS; 11. Nurse, £1259; A. iMcAniay. £1230: C. McCarthy, £1178; T. Lloyd, £1156; and J. Tomkinson, £1137 10s. Clubs to Amalgamate.

The Wnipawa Kacing Club and the Jlawke's Bay Jockey Club have come to mi lagreeinent to amalgamate for :t term of three years, says a Hawke’s Bay report. The terms of the agreement are that the race meeting of the Waipawa Club on Labour Day will be held on the Hastings course, and the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club will probably hold its own meeting on the preceding Saturday. A percentage of the profits of each meeting is to be handed to the Waipawa Club in reduction of its liability to the bank. Resumed Training.

The working team of 11. Nurse at Eiccart'on now includes Knoekfin and Scarlet Pimpernel. Knoekfin, who went amiss in the spring, has not raced since running second to Water Power in the Flying Handicap at Wiashdyke on October 13. Scarlet Pimpernel is the five-year-old half brother by Robespierre to Polydorn, Giggleswiek and Sweet Beauty (dam of Ecbcl Star). The racing experience of Scarlet Pimpernel is confined to five starts as a three-vear-old. He won the Novice Handicap at Hokitika on December 28, 1932, and has not started since January 3, 1933. One Thousand Winners.

The English trainer Frank Hartigan led in his one thousandth winner on the flat when his two-year-old Straight Deal won the Hyde Park Stakes at Epsom on April 24. Gordon Pickards had the mount and was naturally pleased to be associated with the performance, as it was on Hartigan’s Golden King that he was enabled to make his riding record of 259 winners in one season two years ago. The performance of training 1000 winners is by no means a record. The late W. E. Eisey eclipsed it, and, including the successes gained abroad, Frank Butters must have turned out nearly 1500 winners. The- Hon. George Lambton’s tally must also far exceed four figures, but when questioned on the point he confessed that he had never kept -a record. Over 3000 to 1.

The new five shillings double totalisator in Queensland received a great advertisement at Ascot on June 3. The double was on the Brisbane Cup and Novice Handicap. Rivalli and Highsar were the respective winners. Neither was a rank outsider, but the double dividend was the amazing one of over £750. It worked out at well over 3000 to 1. Voitre for England?

Few jockeys have surrounded themselves with so much glamour in such a short space of time as the former New Zealand rider Keith Voitre (says an Australian writer last week). His achievements in the saddle in Melbourne border on the sensational, ami the mantle of Billy Duncan has definitely settled upon Voitre ’a shoulders. In Duncan's best days the Victorian racing public would have backed him if he had been on a crock. So with Voitre. Practically everything he rides is favourite, and his star is so much in the ascendancy that Keith is becoming world famous. Less than a fortnight ago an offer came from India to Voitre and, though the figure was not mentioned, it is understood that no other Australian jockey had been made such an attractive offer. It ran into four figures, with a 10 per cent, “cut’’ on all prize money won. Voitre, however, turned it down. But iho bug of wanderlust is luting hard into the brain of this sensational horseman, and Voitre may soon be packing his portmanteau anil sojourning to England. Keith and a friend recently inspected the I’, and O. Strathnaver when it was docked in Melbourne, and the jockey would not have needed much persuasion to suspend activities and book for England, lie told the writer that lie was almost certain to give the English project his most mature, consideration.

The majority of racegoers probably think that A'oitre is earning so much money that he wouldn’t dream of leaving, but the ex-Xew Zealand jockey could probably tell another story. Some of his clients have treated him particularly well, but for winning one recent big race he got nothing but a promise, and his “present’’, for winning another richly endowed race was a lot smaller than lie might have reasonably expected. Things are different in r.nglaml, however, and Keith has given, a receptive ear to a far-distant cry National Victor Injured.

Prismatic, winner of the Y.Tf.C. Grand National Hurdle Unco las! year, injured himself so severely in a hurdle race at Flemington on June 3 that ho had to be withdrawn from the Grand National Hurdle- Race to bo run early next month. When he won last year, Prismatic was owned by bookmaker .T. Fhillips, who has done so well with the .New Zealand horses, Gaine Carrington, Peter Jackson and Synagogue, but this autumn ho was sold at a good price to Messrs J. Fell and Norman Robinson.

Air Laddie Amiss. Air Laddie broke down badly when contesting; the Hawke's Bay Hurdles on Thursday, which means that this promising hurdler will be out of commission for some time. It is rather unfortunate for his connections, as he seemed certain to pick up a race or two during the winter.