AUSSIE NOTES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 63, 1 March 1929, Page 2

AUSSIE NOTES

Past Futurities. Discussing in advance the big seven-furlong Caulfield event won by Mollison last Saturday, “Poseidon” says:—“The Futurity Stakes has never been won by other than a good horse. The New Zealander Father’s Voice may be the least worthy of recent winners, but that this horse could gallop was evidenced liv his narrow defeat by that good niai'c Glentruin in a Warwick Stakes at Randwick. Sir Foote is a cele-

brated wifiner. After taking the Futurity with 6.10 he went on to suecess in the .Newmarket Handicap with 8.0, and in the Doncaster Handicap with 9.4. The best mare to succeed was another New Zealander, Gladsome, who won with 9.7 in 1905 and with 9.13 the following year. Comedy King in 1910 and Goth'ic in 1928 have since further advertised the colours in which Gladsome was so successful. Good mares in Maltine, Wakeful and Desert Gold were all beaten in the Futurity Stakes.” A Kanowna Victim. On board the Kanowna, which was wrecked on Wilson’s Promontory, on the coast of Victoria, was the two-year-old Hongi, by Thespian, bred by Mr. G. M. Currie, of Wanganui, who was disposed of in New Zealand for 75gns. He was being taken from Sydney to Echuca. Victoria, for a spell. Describing the scene, Captain Mathers remarked: “We were able to recover some of our personal belongings from the upper deck cabins and some odds and ends of gear, but the water w'as gaining rapidly and we realised the ship was doomed. The racehorse (Hongi) was screaming piteously. His stall was below decks, and 1 I made several attempts to get near him, but he lashed out viciously with his hoofs and 1 had to abandon my attempts. 1 had no revolver with which to end his misery and we had to leave him to his fate.” A Brilliant Galloper. Greenstead was a brilliant horse on the racetrack, and in Greenline he has left a son who is likely to keep his name in the limelight for some time to come. Greenline, who is only a four-year-old, has some very outstanding performances to his credit in sprint events, and the groat race he put up in the Caulfield Futurity Stakes on Saturday, in which he was narrowly beaten by Mollison and Gothic, is further proof of his galloping ability. In this seven furlongs race Greenline carried 10.3 against Gothic’s 10.7, and to run the English horse to the narrow margin of half a head for second honours he registered, perhaps, one of the best performances of his career. • « • More Superstitions. Yesterday mention was made of a prominent Sydney trainer who would not commence operations on a Friday. A Sydney scribe, writing on like subjects says: “Trainers there are who will not permit a photograph of a horse to be taken before a race and having such things in a stable as cats and goats as mascots is quite common. There was a case in South Australia in which a black cat played a leading part in the early career of Stand By, and it would have been death to anyone who had the temerity to do anything to that cat. Bob Lewis has his superstitutions. It is said of him that he would walk two blocks to escape a Chinaman, and an open knife is a sort of bete noir. Lewis regards canaries as an ill omen. While in Adelaide in the winter. Lewis paid a visit to W. J. Nolan’s stable, wjiich at the time was unlucky. After inspecting the horses, the visiting horseman caught sight of an aviary of canaries, of which Nolan was justly proud. “You won’t have much luck while they are about your house,” remarked Lewis to Mrs Nolan. Those canaries soon found different owners, and by a strange coincidence Nolan’s luck changed. He won seven or eight races, one of which was the Port Adelaide Cup with Some Quality.” Odds and Ends.

When J. McCombs leaves for Sydney this week, says a Christchurch exchange, he will he accompanied ly his son-in-law, R. S. Bagby, who will ride Crown Area and Moorgns in their Australia engagements. Bagby will also take the three-yeflr-old High Disdain, a useful member of his own team.

According to a southern exchange T. Green is likelv to be on hand in Sydney to ride Honour and Agrion for Mr. Greenwood in their engagements there. Though Honour and Agrion will be included in the Sydney sale catalogue, it is certain that in the case of Honour, at any rate, a big figure will be required to secure him.

The ex-New Zealander, L. Robertson, heads the list of winning trainers in Victoria this season with fifteen winners. Gothic and Strephon have provided his stable with some notable successes.

Vertigem .made his first appearance on the Randwick track just before our last Sydney mail left and he came in for favourable notice ly turf critics. He was, .of course, only out for light exercise after' his few days aboard ship. He will probably have a race or two at minor meetings before taking on the Sydney Cup.

Besides Gesto, of whose success wb heard by cable, three other New Zealanders were acceptors for last Saturday’s Rosehill meeting. They were Hassay, Credit Note and First Note, but, if started, none of them would seem to have done any good.

The added money for the 3} mile Great Eastern Steeplechase at Onkaparinga, S.A., which is Zircon’s special mission in the Commonwealth, is this year’s 3000 sovs.. which will be considerably increased by a substantial sweepstake. There were 46 entries, including Beau Cavalier and Tuki, but Zircon is the only one from this countrv that will be on hand on the day. The weights allotted have not yet reached ‘us here.

Latest Sydney advices show M. McCarten, with 22} successes, as still second on the Sydney winning jockeys’ list. E. Bartie has, however. increased his lead and is now seven points ahead. McCarten still holds his place as having the best percentage.