NOTES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 199, 8 August 1923, Page 2

NOTES.

(By “Trenton’’)

As anticipated, the Poverty Bay Hunt Club s fixture, in severe contrast to the majority of similar meetings held recently, proved to be a huge success, both from a financial and from a racing point of view. There is no sport that deserves more encouragement than the annual race meeting held under the auspices of a hunt club. Apart from the friendly rivalry that exists among members who have horses competing, the fixture is conducted on clean lines and the winning of a hunt cup. bracelet. or necklace, is looked upon as a -great honour. Every horse competing in such a race is out to do his best, and the public have the satisfaction of knowing it is not the horse’s fault if he does not score. 1 was pleased to see that our Poverty Bay friends are not slow to recogpise the value of such clubs, but at the same time regretted that Mr. G. D. Beat son and another Hawkp’s Bay owner were the only ones to accord the club support.

It seems pretty certain that Poverty Bay, which in the past has played such a prominent part in the breeding of the thoroughbred, can now conduct its own •race and hunt meetings independent of outside support. Notwithstanding the paucity of entries received f roin Hawke’s Bay owners, especially of late, the Gisborne meetings have invariably turned out to be most successful, proving conclusively that, with the right stamp of horse that district is producing. the clubs there will in the near future be able to go one better and make their racing equal to anything in the Dominion.

On the other hand, it looks as if we in Hawke’s Bay cannot do without the

assistance of Poverty Bay owners, who have liberally patronised our gatherings, thus contributing substantially to their success. We have heard a lot about the expense entailed in taking a

horse to Gisborne, but we hear nothing about what it costs a Poverty Bay owner to bring a horse to Hawke’s Bay. Another thing, the Poverty Bay horses also bring a big body of backers with them, and that means so much more revenue to the clubs. True, hardly a meeting goes by W’ithout some of the | plums being captured by the visitors, i but, nevertheless, the Poverty Bay owners are well entitl 'd to the reputa-l tion they have earned as being true I sports. Given the same facilities and conditions as exist in Hawke’s Bay, I i can quite imagine the magnitude of : their fixtures in Gisborne in the future. 1 * * * Gladful and Vagabond. Mr. W. R. Kemball’s two candidates in the Grand National Hurdles, have got through their preparatory tasks in a pleasing manner, and none will strip fitter than either of them on the day when the race is to be decided. * * * So far Oakleieh has put in the best displays qver the fences at Riccarton, and so flawless has been his work that it is pretty safe to predict that he will not now bo ousted from his position o? favourite for the Grand National Steeplechase. Explorer. Vociferate, Omahu, and Glepotus have all lost many friends through their inability to negotiate some of the jumps recently, and it is now reported that at least three of these may not go to the post. « • •

While being worked at Riccarton. Mr. J. Bull’s Ruddy broke down, and has since been sent home. Out of resnect to the memory of the late Robert Nolan, the position of president of the Eemont Racing Club was left vacant for three or four months.

Savs the Christchurch “Sun’s” racing’ scribe: “The many who went out to the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting on Saturday with the idea of having light thrown on next week’s problems must ! have come awav disappointed. It can only be said that the three principal winners—Whipcord. Cheer Up and Roadicea—shaped just as well as their; best friends could wish, but generally ' the form shown by the Grand National 1 and Winter Cun candidates left a good deal to he desired. Still the racing should work a big improvement in most of them and there may he an altogether different tale to tell next week.” Nuff sed • * • Southern press onlookers on Saturday-

seem to bo of the same opinion as to | the prospects of both General Advance and Peter Amans being better served by the longer distance of the Grand National Hurdle Race

* * • I The Homeby Steeplechase on Saturday was spoiled by a debacle at the | , second last fence, where Multive, Voci-1 i ferate. Master Peter, and Birkwick ran | or were carried off; the last-named i falling over the wing, says the Christ ] church “Press.” Whipcord was left in , i front, and innipipg the last fence well. i had too much pace for Red Cent. The -'latter led to the penultimate fence. | where he almost fell. J. Kann making 1; a good recovery. The mishap cost him i his position, and he was unable to make up the leeway. Pawerewere was . . a lucky and indifferent third. Staff Offi- | cer fourth, and Isla Bank the only .' other to finish. Manawaponga was theI! first to come to grief, this usually safe i conveyance falling at the fence near I Cutts’s. Romance blundered on top of i ( the next fence, the sod wall, and.re- ' i mained balanced in mid-air for an appreciable time. Explorer fell heavily I at the second of the Kennel’s double, t Whipcord finished full of running, and . as he has pace and is seasoned with 1 racing, his forward running suggests J that he is a Grand National possibility. 1! At a special meeting of the Masterton . ] Racing Club stewards. Mr. N. H. James r | was appointed secretary of the club. I On Saturday’s showing, Hickey will * be an optimist if he faces the final National payment to-morrow with Multive and Birkwick. —“The Watcher.”

Glenotus is said to have declined his engagement at Riccarton on Saturday owing to soreness. He struck himself in a schooling gallop, and as matters stand at present Rae is doubtful of getting him to the post for the Grand National Steeplechase. , • * 9 Fred Tilley’s Fordell stable put up

. t something of a record during the season which has just concluded, says the Wanganui “Herald.” Enthusiasm topped the list of winning horses for | the season, the stable won the biggest •amount of money, and M. McArten. its chief rider, headed the list of winI ning jockeys—a good treble. ! Nominations for the Egmont-Wanga-nui Hunt Club .meeting are due on Thursday next, the 9th inst. J. McCann, the trainer of Harvest King, who went to New Zealand in search of health, says the Sydney “Sun.” is hack again, and led in Correct Trim, a winner at Caulfield on . Saturday. McCann had intended to go

on to the north of Queensland, hut his health has so much improved that he is able to go on with the preparation of his team for the spring meetings.

It is understood, says a Sydney’exchange, that the visit from New Zealand of the brown gelding Many Kittle is contingent upon his sale in the Dominion. The reserve is £2ooo—a big price for a gelding—and failing that figure being forthcoming, he may te .seen at Randwick in the spring time.

Australian racegoers are all on the oui vive for another meeting between the old jivals. Gloaming and Beauford. and it has been mooted that a match should be arranged between them. Mr. Greenwood is reported as having expressed willingness to fall in with this suggestion, provided one or other of the big chibs furnishes suitable opportunity. The latest bulletin about the Newcastle champion was that he was working along nicely at Broadmeadows. He had not been sent against the watch, but was moving along strongly on the tracks, and was said by good judges to looh equally as well as, if not better, than ever he was.

The Newcastle “sports” are evidently bent on repeating the Beauford—Laddie Blue coup of 1921, for one of the first Epsom-Metropolitan doubles to be backed for money was the combination of Blairmore and Pennybout. Blairmore is a five-year-old half-brother of Beauford and is, like the latter, owned by Mr. W. H. Mackay. His performances have been quite good enough to warrant the belief that the Randwick mile race is not beyond his reach with only 7.6 to carry.

A Sydney exchange says that the New Zealander Danger Zone has been kept near the top of the quotations for the Epsom Handicap ever since business opened on it.

The New Zealand-bred Sunny Spec (Sunny Lake—Kin sale) was a winner at the Ascot Pony meeting last week, starting a red-hot favourite in one of the divisions of the Flying Handicap.

Ono of the Sydney “Sun’s” special cables of last week says: “The Aga Khan’s flying Tetrarch filly Mumtaz Mahal, known to the sporting fraternity as ‘Mumpy,’ followed in her sire’s footsteps by winning the Breeders’ Produce Stakes at Sandown; but she did it better. The Tetrarch started at — to 1 on, and gave his backers a fright; but 'Mumpy’ started at double those odds on. and won easily by four lengths. Turf writers are discussing whether Mumtaz Mahal, who has already proved an unbeatable sprinter, can stay. If so. they consider her the wonder horse of the world, eclipsing her famous sire. There were only six starters, the reputation of the grey filly having caused a host of scratchings.” The message takes the trouble to add that “Mumtaz is of a dirty white colour, not quite so spotted as her sire.” Since then this new equine wonder has had another easy win.