DIVOTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 79, 15 March 1934, Page 2

DIVOTS

8 Dug by “The Delver.” 3 3 The sympathy of racing enthusiasts 0 throughout New Zealand, says the 0 Christchurch “Press,” will be extended to the well-known trainer, T. Lloyd, of Riccarton, in the loss of his son, who d met with fatal injuries by a fall from i- a motor-cycle last week. it ... e Toxmiss, Moorwyn, and Strong Light have been scratched from their engagei- ments at Trentham to-morrow. e ... e Not a single horse from the Auckis land province, if the Gisborne-trained n Lordly Knight be excepted, has been it left in for the first day’s racing at d Trentham. i. ■ • » * Penalties for ths Wellington meeting incurred since the declaration of •* weights are: —Tinakori Hack Handicap, Pladie, 51b to 8.6; Silverstream Hack Handicap, Salt Spray, 101 b to 8.3; Pladie, 51b to 8.0. >8 » • ® The field for the Railway Handicap ® to be run at Trentham is weak in num--8 bers, but the race may not be easy to 5 win on that account. At present Diatomous is the ruling favourite. » «■ » '' Trentham stables furnish only sixteen 8 acceptances (with fifteen horse's) out of the aggregate of 116 made for the eight events on the opening day of the Weiiington meeting. 5 » » « ‘ r The well-known breeder and owner of 6 thoroughbreds, Mr M. T. Timms, suffern ed a stroke of misfortune this week, ■ s when one of his best brood mares, Kilbeggan, died after an attack of colic. j : Kilbeggan is best known as the dam of Karapoti. The Nigger Minstrel gelding Copper , King is now racing very solidly, and j’ may be taken to Trentham to contest |j the Autumn Handicap, one mile and , three furlongs, on the concluding day. ’ n Copper King is a good stayer, and in his present condition cannot be altos gather overlooked. » g Nothing at Riccarton is galloping ]j ' better than Argentic. His six furlongs i. I iu Imin 13 2-ssee on Saturday morning t | was a brilliant effort. He promises to ; strip a fit horse in the Thompson Hane ! dicap. He has not been too well servd j ed on the score of horsemanship lately, it but with L. .1. Ellis in the saddle he n j will lack nothing to-morrow on that e J score. d I • * • n j Cadland’s dead-heat at Te Arohn re d | eently was over seven furlongs, -o it ! may be that he is better suite ’ tiov.

over distances longer than a pure sprint. With 8.13 he is very well weighted in the Thompson Handicap, and he will have the valuable riding services f his trainer, L. G. Morris, who last year won the race on Autopay. » * • The outstanding hack at the Dannevirke meeting last week was Haz»or, who put up a most impressive performance when he outclassed the highweight field on the concluding day. The son of Black Ronald is a fine stamp of horse, and appears to be improving all the time, and his connections will now, no doubt, have designs on the Hack Cup, to be run at Trentham next Saturday. * » • Oriel was given very little fast work between the Te Arolia and Waikato meetings, consequently he was in need of a race when he failed on the opening day. He made amends by winning handsomely on Saturday after having none the best of passages during the race. The son of Nigger Minstrel appreciated the longer distance for, like most of his sire’s stock, he is a born stayer. Included in winners at race meetings held in the North Island last week are the following horses engaged at Trentham: —Hazoor, Walton Park, Pladie, Takakua, Epigram, Calydon, Gold Ruler, and Sal tspray. Calydon is an acceptor for the Trial Plate to-morrow, and his win at Woodville on Saturday does not debar him from continuing his engagement. * • • On breeding Calydon has quite excellent recommendations. He is a four-year-old black gelding by Hunting Song from the Catmint mare Blue Mint, a half-sister to useful performers in Peneus, Little River, and Blue Paper. He began racing only early this season, aud he early impressed by leading into the straight in a race at Trentham last October. Since then he has made only occasional appearances, but a fortnight ago he ran two good races in the highweights at the Woodville meeting. His win on Saturday came at his eighth start, and it was overdue at that. From the Melbourne “Circle”:— “That’s the worst horse to win a race in Melbourne for a long time,” said a Tasmanian who was at the Moonee Valley meeting. He was referring to the Dominion-bred Countermarch, who took the hurdles, but previously had performed very poorly in Tasmania. When the luck is in you can do anything, and Mr B. E. Martin, who races Countermarch, also has First Money, winner of the Oakleigh Plate. Yes, you only need the luck. Jonathan was backed down to. odds on in the Vercoe Handicap, one mile, at Te Rapa on Saturday. He was never further away than third and finished oh gamely to win by three-quarters of a length from King March, Limex, and Prolyxo, who were practically in line. He covered the distance in 1.38 3-5, which is a particularly smart effort, and he will have quite a lot of friends if started in the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie at the end of the month. The speedy sprinter Lack has caused his trainer some anxiety in the past owing to recurring soreness, but since the tracks have become easier the Lackham gelding is said to have been working more soundly, and is due to make his reappearance at Trentham tomorrow. Another member of Mr Keeble’s team booked for Wellington is Red Rufus, who has also made a good recovery from leg trouble. The Gainscourt gelding is a promising hack, and may develop into a useful performer this winter. » o a Throughout his career, the Oakleigh Plate winner, First Money, has been of a highly-strung temperament, and he has frequently ruined his prospects by fretfulness before a race. (1 Simpson, his trainer, has evolved a scheme that has had a beneficial effect on First Money. As soon as the gelding arrives on a course on race days, Simpson feeds him with peppermint sweets. He discovered that First Money likes the sweets, and they have the effect ,of making him contented while awaiting his race. » * • The three-year-old Sunny Downs confirmed the good impression he created at Pukekohe by finishing fast to win the Ohinewai Handicap at Te Rapa last Saturday and ho promises to be very useful. Sunny Downs is by Acre from Miss Vera, by All Black—Jena, by Cuirassier —Castroline, by CastorSapphira, by Leolinus, and belongs to a family that has produced some good performers, notably Soultline. a » • The brilliant three-year-old Red Manfred figures in the acceptance lists for both the New Zealand St. Leger and Thompson Handicap, but it is now almost certain that he will contest the big handicap event, and will be ridden by K. Voitre. Red Manfred impressed by his condition when paraded on the first day of the Dannevirke meeting, and in reeling off six furlongs in 1.15} pleased his admirers greatly. « » « Old Paganelli went wrong on the eve of the Waikato meeting and it was stated that the racecourse has seen the last of this fine son of Lord Quex. In his day he was one of the fastest horses seen in New Zealand and put up some great performances under big imposts. Among his wins were two victories in the Taranaki Stakes. He made one trip to Australia, where he was beaten by a nose in the Warwick Stakes by that great horse Amounis. Though six furlongs was perhaps his best distance he won a Thompson Handicap, beating a pair of good horses in Bright Glow and Pegaway. D’Artagnan dead-heated with Saltspray in the Beerescourt Hack Handicap on the opening day at Te Rapa, just getting up in the last stride. Nevertheless, writes “Hurry On,’’ it might not be wise to overestimate this performance as his success was due tn no small measure to the vigorous • riding of L. J. Ellis. This rider has vigour at the finish, but seldom has he been seen to more advantage than on this occasion. He drove D’Artagnan forward over the last 100 yards to bridge the gap in a manner reminiscent of Hector Gray. It provided the crowd with a rare thrill and was a fitting finale to a great day’s racing. What a good game filly Gay Sheila is! exclaims the same writer. She appeared slightly sore when doing her preliminary for the President’s Handicap at Te Rapa and did not seem to be comfortable in the early stages. Once her rider asked her for an effort in the straight she responded in great style and finishing splendidly just heat Sinking Fund in the last few strides. It was a fine performance for a three-year-old filly with 9.0 on her back and stamps the daughter of Gay. Sheila as

a filly well above the average. She figures among those still engaged in the Great Northern Oaks, and all going well in the interval she is likely to start a solid favourite. • • • I’Allegro showed a return to his best form when he accounted for Star Artist in the Flying Handicap on Saturday at Te Rapa. Jumping away well, he was not asked to go the pace set by Star Artist and Lucidus in the early part, but he put in a fine run in the straight which soon brought him up to the pair, and he increased his advantage to half a length at the finish. On the first day in the President’s Handicap he was turned side on when the barrier lifted and was one of the last to finish. L’Allegro was strongly supported for the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie last year and followed the /winner, Golden Wings, who led all the .way, into the straight, eventually finishing close up. He later won the Foley Memorial at Avondale, and is engaged in both these events again this season. » * « Hunting Bag, who created a surprise in the County Handicap at the Auckland summer meeting last New Year's Day, paying over half a century for a win, and subsequently ran third in the Douro Cup at Trentham, was produced at Te Rapa in the Huntly Hack Handicap on Saturday. Ho was well back, says an Auckland exchange, when the field turned for home, but came on to get second half a length behind the winner, Oriel. This gelding, who is a four-year-old by Hunting Song from Windbag, has not done a great deal of racing, but there is no doubt that he is more than useful, and he is worth keeping in mind for future engagements. His dam, Windbag, is hy Absurd from Oratress, and is therefore a half-sister to Oratrix and Concentrate. The “Dominion” announces the following riding engagements for the Wellington meeting: A. H. Eastwood, Copyist, Silly Owl, Scarlet Rambler, Pomp, and Cherry Queen; A. Russell, Imperial Spear, Cranford, Tizzy, Irish Lancer, Final Shot, and Cleaner, also Custodian in the Challenge Stakes; H. Mackinnon, Sibella and Miladi; W. J. Pascoe, Heather Glow; 11. Turner, Imperial Spear (second day); G. H. Humphries, Grampian and Silver Ring; A. Messervy, Drum Fire; L. J. Ellis, Argentic and Royal Amphora; D. O'Connor, Autopay, Sam Smith; S. Wilson, Sunny Maid and Quebec; P. Burgess, Walton Park, Bay Area, and Normandy; W. J. Broughton, Epigram and Calydon; K. Voitre, Red Manfred; A. Jenkins, Te Ua; G. Duncan, Red Sun, Run, Ingenuity and Whyte Melville; L. G. Morris, Cadland; R. Reed, Golden Hair, Variant, Diatomous, Lone Raider; H. N. Wiggins, True Shaft, Tycoon and Gold Ruler and (second day) Round Table. • • • Jockeys whose services are in strong demand have to “step lively” to fulfil engagements at far-apart meetings

following closely on one another. H. M. Wiggins, foi instance, will be riding at Pacroa to-day and will have to be on hand at Trentham to-morrow. Then the Hawera apprentice G. Duncan will to-day, to-morrow and Saturday he on three different courses, Paeroa, Trentham and Opunake. • • • At Te Rapa track watchers have a big opinion of the two-year-old Lion Heart. He was given his first outing in the Juvenile Handicap on Thursday, and though he did not tyin he showed that he has big possibilities. He did not move off well and was inclined to run about over the first furlong, writes “Hurry On,” but McKenzie then had him properly balanced and proceeded to send him along. He certainly did move. With a great burst of pace he ran up to the leaders at the straight entrance but then ran right off the course. Ho lost many lengths and most people forgot all about him until he appeared on the scene again with a fast run into third place. In many ways it was an impressive performance. He showed that he possesses wonderful speed, and then to come on again after running off the course demonstrated that the colt lias courage. Moro will he heard of Lion Heart, and he may yet prove one of the best of his age. He is a bay colt by Gay Shield from the Nassau mare Shehang, thus being a full brother to Tavern Knight.