TROTTING.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 206, 15 August 1927, Page 2

TROTTING.

WELLINGTON CLT’B'S ARRANGEMENTS. Wellington, Aug, 13 The committee of Hie Wellington Trotting Club met on Saturday evening to consider the expressed

wish of the Owners and Breeders’ Association for a trotting meeting in the month of September. The club originally intended racing on October 1, but to meet wishes, and also to avoid clashing with the North versus South Island football match on that date, it was decided to alter the trotting races to Saturday. September 17.

While in Christchurch last week, the president interviewed most of the owners and trainers of cup horses regarding the provision of a fast mile and a-quarter. with the result that he feit encouraged to recommend the inclusion of this event in the programme. He was also informed by the handicapper that no penalty would be incurred for the New Zealand Cup by the success of a competitor in this event.

The club decided 1 to include a 2-16 mile and a-quarter, named the New Zealand Cup Trial Handicap, with a stake of £325. As trainers and owners have for vears expressed the wish that they had no race for their cup candidates as part of their middle period preparations, success and future consideration for the provision will rest entirely with the response shown hy them. Of course, other horses are eligible outside the cup ‘ candidates, but the club has taken this pro gressive step to meet what is claimed to he a long-felt want. St.raightnut trotters arp catered for hv the inclusion of a 3-36 mile and p half and a 4-48 two miles.

The nuestion of making the mile and a half event a slower class was fully discussed, but it was considered the slower class trotters would not bp readv so parly in the season. The cluh, however, will not overlook the claims of the slower class at the December meeting. The Hon. R. F. Bollard’s friendly interest in and great service to sport was recognised by naming the principal two-mile handicap after the Minister. This is an event for horses that can do 4.38 or better. A mile saddle event for the 2-28 class is included, and, as saddle races are gradually disappearing from trotting programmes, no doubt owners will avail themselves of this opportunity.

There is the usual novice event with a 3-45 limit, while improving pacers will have two events in the 3.36 mile and a half and the 4-50 two miles. Nominations will close on Friday, Augiist 26. Tt is announced that the R7l way Department intends running special trains right to the course on the new Hutt line, which should eliminate the greatest drawhack the dub has had to contend with in the

WHO BACKED RAWHETU? As was mentioned a day or two ago, the Maorilander Rawhetu met with anything but a cordial reception when he won at Rosehill a week or two back. Here is the storv told by the Sydney “Sun” as to who profited by the unexpected victory of the Day Comet gelding:— Settling «up revealed the identity of the person who mysteriously backed Rawhetu for big stakes at Rosehill on Saturday week, when a section of th© crowd hooted and jeered ah this winner was led back to scale. She was the mysterious lady bettor. Mrs \ andenberg. who thinly nothing of putting £5OO on a horse. The fact that Rawhetu was backed at double figure odds for big wagers, despite a lamentable failure the week before, when he was a public favourite, no doubt rankled in the minds of those who stood round the enclosure and said vile things. But how were the hooters tjj know that Mrs Vandenberg backed the horse “off Her own bat” and without stable information.

George Price (former trainer of Windbag) thought so little of Rawhetu ’s chance that he put £2 on him. Yet Rawhetu is in his stable. The friend to whom he entrusted this £2 decided to have a mild plunge and took £3OO to £24. But Mrs Vandenberg. knowing nothing of these modest transactions “thought” Rawhetu, would win And that is enough for a woman punter. So she took £lOOO fi-om Jim Hackett, junr., £9OO from Sid Baker, and £lOOO from another bookmaker, making a total of £2900 on the horse to win.

Mrs Vandenberg is credited with having run her betting transactions into a five figure sum in the • ast year. Tt was £lO.OOO won on Amounis which first carried her into the realms of big winners. DIVOTS. (Dug by “The Delver.”) On Friday next nominations are due lor the New Zealand Cup. and also acceptances for the Taranaxi Hunt Club’s annual meeting. J. Cammick will ride Red Comet and Delightment in their engagenients at the Pakuranga Hunt meeting next Saturday . * , . * * A. E. Ellis almost brought off the treble victory of the two Grand Nationals and the Winter Cup. for he scored on Wharncliffe and Solferite. while his Steeplechase mount. Peter Maxwell, was runner-up. This record is very much like that of S. Henderson at the Great Northern fixture, when he won the Cornwall Handicap on Lomint. was meeond in the Northern Hurdles on Archibuld, and won the Great Northern Steeples on Beau Cavalier. * * * There were a number of falls during the lacing al Riicarlon on Tliurs'l;l.v l‘i ' le do I.eon came a terrific cropper in the (•rand National Hurdle Race, and hij> rider. W. J.

Bowden, first of all was thought to be seriously injured. He was sent to hospital, and later reports showed that there was little seriously amiss with him. R. McSevenev. rider of Maunga in the Beaufort Steeplechase, was also sent to hospital, and in his case also the injuries were not found to be serious.

Old Nukumai seems to be still pretty gay-hearted in spite of his years On Thursday he was quite lively at the tapes, giving die. starter some little trouble, and eventually getting left a few lengths, which he found impossible to make up under his big weight on heavy going.

The South Island hunters did not make a very good showing over the Riccarton country on Thursday. Of the ten to go to the post in the Hunt Club Cup. only three finished. The ones to come to grief included the first two favourites. The Babe and Peter Marion

According tp a Christchurch nress account. Solferite. the winner of the Winter Cup. was never sighted in the early part of the August Handicap on Thursday, but finished on well. On Saturday, with a furlong more to go. he seems to have had little difficulty in winning the last event of the meeting with four lengths to spare. Kaiti was favourite for this race, but could not see it out to the finish. He seems out of place in metropolitan company.

On Thursday Solros'’ started favourite for the August Handicap, but never got into the firing line, mid was a long way back at the finish. On Saturday she made quite a different showing Solferite being the only one to finish in front of her and Nadarino, Thursday’s winner, being next behind her.

In this latter event Solferite and Solrose, who were respectively seventh and eighth in favour on the machine, must have been prenv evenly backed, as Solrose’s dividend had she won would have been only sixpence better than that actually paid bv the first home, which was not (’ar away from double figures. Solferite’s low position in the betting was no doubt due to his apparent inability. in spite of his win over a mile in the Winter Cup. to see out the shorter distance of the August Handicap on Thursday, in which he was prominent in the early stages, but seemed to fade badly. Possibly m the case of both the slipperv croin" on Thursday mav have accounted for their noor displays, though conditions in this respect do not seem to have been so very much different < n Saturday. * # #

Solferino’s stock had a great innings in the fiat events at last week’s Grand National Meeting, Solefite (twice). Taboo, and Nadarino all winning races, while in the final race on Saturday all three placed horses were of his begetting For the season just closed Solferino took second place, with £17,409. to Absurd, with £23,309. in the list of wining sires.

Royal Game, who was accounted unlucky not to beat Magna Charta in the seven-furlong Brabazon Handicap at the Christchurch Hunt meeting, was not produced on the first day of the C.J.C. fixture On Thursday, although unplaced in t-he six-furlong August Handicap, he was noticed to be finishing very resolutely. On Saturday, with a mile in which to get going at his best, he made no mistake about beating rhe big field opposed l to him. being : n front pretty nearly from start ro finish. In this hardy son of Roval Stag and Alicia Mr W. H. Ballinger has evidentl.v got something pretty good at anything v.n to a mile He nearly always pays a good dividend, too. and Saturday’s was not an exception, as he was seventh in the betting # * #

The good things said about Royal Lineage after his win in the setweight Cashmere Plate on the first day of the C.J.C. meeting might seem to be somewhat discounted by his failure to do better than third in the Longbeach Handicap on Saturday. The reports, however, show that there were only heads between the placed horses, and the heavy going on the later day would be all against a young and comparatively inexperienced three-year-old like the Limond gelding.

That Wharncliffe, the Grand National Hurdles winner, is no real champion was fairly well proved by his failure under a bit of weight to get any nearer the Jiont than sixth in a field of seven at the finish of the Sydenham Hurdle Race on Saturday. Well back, as usual, in the early stages, he is said to have made his dab when three-quarters oi a mile from home, but could not ‘ carry on.’’ On the other hand, Perle de Leon, to whom he was giving away only 51b., and who on this occasion, saw the journey through without mishap, indicated better things for the future by finishing second to Aberfeldy, who has shown such good form recently in minor events, and to whom he was conceding a full stone in weight.

The third of the big Australian cross-country events, the Australian Steeplechase run at Caulfield on Saturday, saw two fine old top-weight battlers in Roisel and Clan Robert lead the field home. The V.R.C. Grand National winner, Nyangay, came to grief when the journey was not very much more than half-way compassed Although he continued favourite up to the . start, both the first and second horses would no doubt be well up beside him in the course betting as earlier in like operations.

J. M, Cameron opened his fresh Australian campaign auspiciously on Saturday by scoring a win at Mooreheld with Mr. Clare’s CatmintMerry Roe three-year-old gelding Merry Mint, whom he is handling over there as deputy tor another Hastings trainer, H. Hickey. The success would seem to have been very easily gained, the winner leading from end to end. Another Maorihinder in the Auckland owned aged gelding Royal Blood (Our King -

Sanguinary), trained by an old Hastings “boy” in W. Kirk, showed that he is not an altogether spent light by running a good second in the Flying Handicap at the same meeting. Nothing is told us as to whether Cameron’s own Magpie gelding Goshawk, who had an engagement for the same day., was a starter or not- For any news about him we shall probably have to await mail advices.

With so many previous placings to the credit of her team at the Christchurch Hunt meeting and on the fiFst two days of the Grand National meeting, Miss G. Maher richly deserved the win that came the way of Peneus on Saturday in the Styx Hurdle Race, for which he started favourite.

Kalos, another of Miss Maher’s charges, seems to have had some Nemesis shadowing him, for on Thursday it was only on account ol his losing ground through fractiousness at the start that, when well backed, he was beaten by Note in the Woolston Handicap. On this and his earlier running it is difficult to understand why he was relegated to seventh place in the betting on the Longbeach Handicap on Saturday, in which he went down by only a head to a still bigger outsider in Hoylakd. Every member of the lady trainer’s contingent got into the money, though Grand National’s contribution was only a third placing on the last day.

Note’s pedigree, by the way, has an interest for us here in Hawke's Bay. Though she herself was bred in the South Island, her dam. Elaine, is of an old “Karamu” line of blood, being got by Birkenhead from Camelot, by SirLancelot—Trentalto, by Trenton

On Thursday the English-bred grey four-year-old t olt Hoylake (PoltavaLoeb Ahoy) was backed very confidently into the position of first favourite for the Woolston Handicap on the strength of a smart performance at the Christchurch Hunt meeting. He jumped out well enough, but never seemed to be at home on the slippery ground. Apparently the investing public did not ascribe his failure to this, cause, for on Saturday, in much the same company and over the same distance, he was twelfth down the betting list and paid something over the quarter-hundred.

Evidently there were a good few at Riccarton on Saturday who either doubted the genuineness of the win scored on Thursday by the previously disappointing Australian-bred five-year-old Buckwheat gelding Cornstalk, or else thought the extra 101 b. he had to carry would settle his chance. In any event, he went out only fourth in the estimation of machine patrons and paid quite a decent dividend to those who stood by him. He. Solferite and Aberfeldy were the only horses to notch a double win at the meeting. Aberfeldy’s success on Saturday was the last of a “hat trick” series, of which the first was gained at Timaru last month.

Though this is Cornstalk’s fourth season on the turf—he is now a five-year-old—he had not up till Thursday won a race. From the time he was put into work at Riccarton, late in his two-year-old season, he has had the reputation of being a brilliant galloper, and early in his career bright hopes were entertained that he might reach classic standard. In race after race, however, he quite failed to reproduce his track form, and he gradually lost his admirers. Doing the last few weeks he has run much more solidly and his connections were quite prepared to find him showing greatly improved form. It is now being realised that he is better served by a distance beyond a sprinting six furlongs.

« * * Tn one respect, at least. Tuki’s record for the Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury winter reads something like that of Beau Cavalier. At each he won the big cross-country event of one day of the meeting, only in his case it was always the third day The Quin Abbey gelding is reported as having been a good deal closer up with the leaders on Thursday than in the Grand National Steeplechase, in which he was always well away towards the rear. At the (Continued on page 3.)

same time, even on Thursday he never looked dangerous. However, investors would seem to have come to recognise him as a last-day horse, for on Saturday they made him—coupled with the rather hopeless Kipling—a good second favourite, and he justified this reckoning by winning with eight lengths to spare, but was greatly favoured by the disasters that befel some of his opponents—notably Passin’ Through, who was again on the point of completing the Beaufort —Lincoln double when he came down at the last jump, possibly because with the big lead he held he was taken too slowly at it.

The Englisli-breJ horse Importer (The White Knight—Golden Import), who is now in his eighth year and would seem from the records to have been off the scene for the last two racing seasons, was, according to the Auckland “Star,” responsible for a brilliant display of jumping over six flights of schooling hurdles at Ellerslie on Thursday. Simplicitas, who was his companion in the above schooling bout, also jumped particularly well, and considering the state of tne ground it was a pleasing effort on the part of both horses.