GENERAL NOTES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 161, 27 June 1930, Page 2

GENERAL NOTES

A final reminder is given that nominations close this (Friday) evening at 8 o’clock for the following events nt tho (anterbury Jockey Club's Grand National /meeting:— First day Grand National Steeplechase, Winter Cup; second day— Beanfort Steeplechase, Grand National Hurdles; third day—Sydenham Hurdles, Lincoln Steeplechase. » » * Acceptances for the first day of the Wellington Racing Club’s winter meeting, also for the Winter Hurdles to bo run on the third day. close on Monr' v evening at U o’clock. * * v The light-weight horseman, A. Eastwood, will be missing from race' meetings for the remainder of the season. He is accompanying the New Zealand rowing representatives to Canada as coxswain. He expects to be home again late in September to resume his culling. Eastwood is well up in the list of winning jockeys this season with 37 winners. * * * An Auckland exchange says that Lady’s Boy hit out with more freedom than usual during a five-furlong sprint at Ellerslie on Tuesday morning and appears to bo throwing off tho soreness that camo against him recently. He will contest the President’s Handicap at Te Awamutu tomorrow and should run prominently in that event. * * * Mountain Guido is likely to find marked favour if started in the hurdle race at tho Waipa meeting. The Mountain Knight gelding went slightly ainiss at Great Northern time, but is reported to bo all right again. He has been a consistent performer since being placed at hurdling and should prove hard to beat in the race ahead. » » • It is probable that F. D. Jones will take Limerick to Ashburton on Saturday. The champion has no racing engagement but his trainer considers that a day on a racecourse, during the progress of a meeting, with a gallop in front of the crowd between races, will benefit Limerick as much as a fortnight's work on the training tracks. Helium will come in for solid support in the Arapuni Handicap at the W.'iipu meeting. Tho Gasbag—Gamboling gelding, who was n winner m his only start at tho Auckland meeting. has proved a very capable galloper in the few Starts be has had. Ho is a very resolute finisher and is quite’at home in yielding ground. Airtight, is to fulfil his engagement in tho main steeplechase at Te Awamutu to-morrow. The Hawcra trained gelding has displayed winning form over hurdles and country of recent times and. in the company ho will meet, the Tree Lucerne gelding a;>- , pears to have prospects of adding to ids successful record.

Star Comet, after winning the Brighton and St. Helier’s Hurdles tit the Auckland autumn meeting, came into great favour for the Great Northern double, but, unfortunately, went amiss a few days prior to that meeting, and couid not be started. He has evidently recovered, for ho is entered for the Trentham Hurdles and tho Winter Hurdles nt the Wellington winter meeting next month.

Red Day, who is an acceptor for tho hurdles at the Waipa fixture, is a member of J. T. Tutchen's stable and is being prepared at Te Rapa. Tho Day Comet—Ruby mare has been raced chiefly on the flat and has shown pace, but has been lacking in staying ability. Red l)nv had a rnee over hurdles at tho Te Kuiti meeting in November, when she made a very favourable showing for a novice.

Odin, who ran third in tho Great Northern Steeplechase, is to be sent to Trentham next week to contest the Wellington Steeplechase, and if nil goes well he will go on to Riccarton for the Grand National meeting next August. Ho is to leave on Monday night and will go into J. Lowe’s stable at Trentham until he completes tho trip. Odin will then return to J. Williamson, at Ellerslie, under whose supervision he has dono most of bis racing. This gelding, according td Auckland press reports, is looking mid working exceptionally well at tho present time.

That consistent galloper Maori Boy is said to have done well since the Auckland meeting and is a very fit horse at tho present time. Ho was given a work-out over seven furlongs on the No. 3 grass track on Tuesday it.oiling and acquitted himself in good style. Despite tho fact that ho has top-weight (10.11), ho is likely to he one of tho hardest to beat in the Woodstock Stakes at the Waipa meeting.

Another who is likely to be among tho horses in request for the chief event on the flat at tho Waipa meeting is Standfast. Although he was not successful in earning a winning bracket at tho Auckland meeting. Standfast was in the money. Ho ran good races there, without having the best of luck. Standfast is nicely placed in tho weight scale for the leu furlong race.

The Wellington writer of the follow, ing note gives Mr. W. Henderson every encouragement to send Zippot to the Grand National meeting. “Zippor,” ho says, “is just the type for the Southern course, ajjd by the way he is improving even a race like the Grand National Hurdles'would not he beyond him. He is not ns yet’k finished jumper, but he is a free goer between his fences and does not have to do his best to hold a good position. Probably shorter distances will suit him best, but so fur he has run out a mile mid three-quarters in a style which denotes that a longer journey would not trouble him unduly.”

Marble King, notes a Waikato waiter, made quite a favourable showing in sprint company at the Auckland meeting, although ho failed to see the six furlongs right out on the occasion under notice. The Marble Arch gelding should be seen to improved effect from this out. He likes the sting out of the ground and at Trentham last winter displayed very capable form. Marble King is engaged in the President’s Handicap at the Waipa meeting and will most likely go south for the Wellington meeting next month.

The owner of Omeo, being dissatisfied with tho weight awarded his liur.se in tho Wellington Steeplechase, scratched him. Discussing this action, tho Auckland “Star” says:

“Omeo was given 10.11, or 101 b more than ho carried m tho Great Northern Steeplechase, in which bo was tinlueky to bo beaten by Aurora Borealis. At Trentham ho was meeting Aurora Borealis on 18Jlb better terms than nt Ellerslie, and there was only a length between the pair at the finish. Aurora Borealis carried 9.1} and Omeo 9.13. He was giving the mare llilh, mid in the Wellington Steeplechase Aurora Borealis hud to give him “Hi. Aurora Borealis did out have that much in hand tvhen she scored, mid if Omen’s preparation had not been interrupted just prior to the tnt'Cfiiig. eii the actiml running lie

Statistics to be presented to the New Zealand Racing Conference show that during the season, up to the date of compilation, 145 race meetings had been held. The stake money totalled £409,549, and the totalisator investments amounted to £4,881,387, excluding trotting events on galloping •programmes. Tho Auckland district was easily the largest as far as the totalisator investments were concerned, putting through £1,7'37,233 10/--; Wellington is next with £725,476; and then come Wanganui. £587,91)7; Canterbury, £409,5491 Hawke’s Bay, £400,033; Dunedin, £317,357 10/-; Taranaki, £240,456; Southland, £243,676; and Greymouth, £134,991. There were still 11 meetings to lie held before tho season is through. At the same period last year tho total investments were £1,466,055.

Granted that off the Bench a judge of the Supreme Court need not necessarily look like himself in wig and gown, nevertheless there is not the slightest reason why lie should be mistaken for a bookmaker. Yet that is just what happened to the Hon. Mr. Justice Fraser, President of the Arbitration Court, on one occasion in Dunedin. He enjoys telling the story. It was a race meeting, and his Honour was standing in front of his hotel when a gentleman with a confidential manner and a neat sidestep manoeuvred alongside him and slipped two £1 notes into his hand. The procedure was one with which his Honour was not familiar, and he attempted to protest. “It’s all right,” the newcomer cut him short. “I know who you are." Then, in tho correct tone of voice: “Put two quid on so-and-so for me, will you?” His Honour quietly but firmly explained that he was Mr. Justice Fruiter, The surprising thing is that the rather crumpled punter had the presence of mind to accept delivery of his £2 before putting in a really brilliant run hpme.

J. Munro, the Australian jockey, is riding with’ continued success tor Baron Oppenheim in Germany. Cabled word camo through hero nt the begining of the week that he had won (he valuable Hamburg Union Club Cup on Halzcstraum. Sydney files now to hand show that just before this he had cabled his mother of his success in two other important events. In another message to his mother Munro said that Alba, on which, wo also heard by cable, he won the Union Stakes, known as the Berlin Derby, was favourite for the German Derby, which would be decided on Sunday next, June 29. He expects to be back in Sydney next December, and hopes that in the meantime he will get some riding in England.

Chide, for whom tho Sydney owner Mr T. C. Trautwein gave 6,000 guineas, is now back among the workers nt Randwick, looking very robust and fit for preparation for spring events. He had had but one race in Sydney when it was deemed the best course to treat him to a spell especially as Phar Lap stood in his light in weight-for-ago races, and his handicap in the Sydney Cup necessitated hint being at his top to have a winning chance. “In his race at Rosehill against Nightmarch,” says a Sydney writer, “Chide showed something of his worth. In tho light of subsequent events, Nightmarch was probably in better conditions then than at any other stage of the Autumn racing, for at Randwick an old Veteran in Donald kept him moving on each occasion that they met, and it is- too much to say that Donald had improved to that extent. For this reason the prospects of Chitlo making some return of tho 6000 guineas ho cost Mr Trautwein appear bright. It will bo something or a change for tho Sydney sportsman to get an adequate return on a highpriced Maorilander, for hitherto Fortune has not favoured him in these ventures—Runnymcde for instance