NOTES BY SIR SINGLE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 26 May 1915, Page 2

NOTES BY SIR SINGLE

. In the earlier days of Styrax's racing career his owner, Mr R. Hicks, and trainer, J. Brown, had a long series ot disappointment.—in fact, the chestnut geicung appeared to be one of ;fche unlucky ones, as on various occasions he went slightly amiss in one way or another just on the eve of engagements. Then he appeared likely to develop into a nuisance at the barrier, and one remembers a meeting at Hawera when he fell on his nose at one start and didn't get away at all at his nest. However, Mr Hicks and Brown did 'r.ot lose heart in face of these mishap., and now events have more than justified their faith that "the chestnut would "come good" in time Styrax's win in the Century Hurdles at Wanganui is his most important success to date, and brings his total winnings since Boxing Day up to £985. These good deeds must be the more gratifying to Mr Hicks in that he bred Styrax himself, and as the chestnut is still sound and comparatively young he may not unreasonably be expected to bear the "white jacket, green creeper" of his owner into premier position m even more important events in the future. Styrax is engaged in the Great" Northern Hurdles, in which a 51b penalty for his win at Wanganui brings his impost up to lOst Gibs. F

Ths May Hurdle Race, on the second day of the Wanganui meeting, was only worth 245 soys to the winner. Corrie therefore has not any extra weight in the Great Northern.

Bimeter, who has been more or less in the boom since the beginning of the season, pulled his backers through in the Borough Handicap at Wanganui. The Master colt had only scored one previous win this season, in the Newmarket Handicap at the Auckland summer meeting, but had secured place money on seven occasions, and his Wanganui success brings his winnings up to 1150 soys. Hoy, who ran second to him, has been a most consistent performer. Three wins and three times placed she has won £1280 in stakes

Lady Louisa (Campfire—Countess Cole), who won both the principal flat races at Wanganui, has evidently benefited by the .spell she has had since the beginning of the season, when she won the Railway Handicap at Marton. She also ran second to Undecided in the Dominion Day Handicap at Otaki.

Client (says a Wanganui scribe) put up two fine performances in winning the Purua Hack and the Balgownie Hack. In the former he was last to begm and had a bad passage, but won handsomely at the end. On the second day he carried 9.1 to victory again though once more he got anything but a good start, and was chopped about a lot. He cut down his field splendidly over the last bit, and snatched a win from Salvia, by a neck, with* Vladian only a head away. Client looks like proving the best of the Elevations. His record to date is a good one, and he should do well in open company. He has splendid quarters, and looks every inch a stayer, while he has beautiful action. He had never been tested over a mile prior to Thursday, but he shaped like one which should hold his own over any distance. He is owned by the gentleman who races as Mr Wire Tokena, and trained by F. Tilley, who had him m great fettle. Client's record to date

$s four: win's put. of six starts * IJe was I *BSl*|i,_ea ;luY £rst-,race : at Mistertbn^' >n^ iebonH^ne fir_tia'ay at Tj^tftharo.' He won a ,r%ce rat Feilding, another at i£reritham : and a double' here. Prior to producing-Client, Bonheur (sister.to Nonette)* had fillies by Mahaki and Birkenhead, but neither of them made i n.am.9 on the Turf. Both Awahou and Doon, winner and runner-up in the Kaitoke Hack Hurdles at Wanganui, were making their first appearance in a jumping race in public. Awahou is owned by Mr Jas. Bull, iun., who owned The Native, and, -w fond of jumping horses. Awahou won the principal flat race at Wanganui in the spring, and on the second day ran second to Rewi Poto and beat Mummer, to whom he was conceding a stone and a half. Awahou has won £680 in stakes this season. The Farewell Hack, the concluding event at the Wanganui .meeting, went to the Hawera-trained Fortify, who started favorite and had the race won at* the turn for home.

i Play Off ran well in the Borough Handicap at Wanganui, and finished close up "tc the placed horses. I F. Meagher, tne hurdle horseman, intends' to join the reinforcements, at i«Trentham shortly. j B. Deeley has now ridden 87 winners. so that he has only two to go to beat C. Jenkins' Donflnion record total, and this he seems likely to do before long, Mr E. J. Watt has donated £250 to . the Australian Jockey Club's Belgian I Fund race meeting, this being the largest contribution received up to the time the last mail left Sydney. Daylight Bill, the winner of the Wanganui Steeplechase, is owned by Mr Duncan Rutherford, one of the best patrons of jumping rac.es in the Doj minion. He has been a regular visitor to North Island meetings since lie \ I bought'Ahua to win the National, and • the grey's success would he popular. I J It would also.be some consolation for j ! the loss of that promising horse Andrea' brother '.:tq. John. Barleycorn), a T winner on the flat' and over fences this season, who met with such injuries at 'the South Canterbury meeting a short (time back as to necessitate his destruoj tion. : ,iiti 11 another-racing record has been established this'season; the progeny of "M..rtian having already credited that sire with over £21,000- in stake, money ■ with more than two months' racing j still to go. Charlemagne 11. and Soult are second and third on the list. iSoult's total of £20,685, for the season 1912-13, was the previous best. j Warstep and Reputation between theni j have earned, more than half of Martian's total, having "won £11,050 in stakes. Croesus has started eleven times during the present racing season, has won on eight occasions, run third in the j Hawke's Bay Stakes, and was unplaced ! twice at Riccarton. His winnings amount to £1315. Balboa has only won two races, the • C.J.C. Derby, *nd New Zealand St. • during the present racing season, but tnese stakes, with place moneys, bring the total of his Avinnings for the season ufJ to £3200. Dinner Gong's disposition to hang back at the starting post has induced her owner, Mr G. L. Stead, ♦to retire her for the stud, and it is understood ;she will go to the stud at the end of the j)resent racing season. I It is stated that Messrs A. B. and i K. S. Williams, the Poverty Bay own- ' ers, will have first call on B, Deeley's services next season. j Katua changed hands during the Wa- ' nganui meeting, his new 'owner being Mr-%. J. Barton (of circus fame), whose . colors have occasionally been seen on ; New Zealand racecourses in the •-•past. | It is probable that Katua will go across j to Australia with his new owner in the near future. Winning owners at the recent Wan- . nganui meeting were:—D. Rutherford >£450, G. E. Hook £445; J. K. Jackson £355, R. Hicks £325, J. McKelvie £230, Wire Tokena £230, Murray Hobbs £230, Hon. J. D. Ormorid £200, G. D. Greenwood £170, D. King £110, Burrell and Taylor £100, G. L. Stead £95, J. Williamson £70, C. •■'Sha*. wood | £55, W. J. Phillips £50, J. Bull jun. £50, A. and S. Hunt £50, J. Paterara £45, N. B. Lusk £40, Mr Marton £35, T. Bryne £25, M. Gardner £25, W. Smart £20. H. H. Campbell £20, C. Washer £15, ,W. Tuck £15, G. Coleman ! £15, A. Rayne £15. Emeny and Lam- . pett £15, J. Kemp £15, D." Barry £15. Tota', £3530.

The most successful riders were: —E. Manson, C. Price, and H. Tricklebank, with two wins each. Others to ride winners were:--C. Emerson, W. Scobi., McDonald, L. Traill, W. Adams, Tutchen; and R. McSevehey). There were four double winners during the meeting, vi_., Cli.nt, Lady Louisa, Soporific, and Awahou. The amount put through the totalisator during the two days was £55,193 — £9070 above lasf- year's record. Mr R. H. Skipwith is said to have been very successful -with his starting during the two days,' most of the despatches being ver.y good. • Daylight Bill's time for the Wanganui Steeplechase (6min. 2 1-osec.) is not only a creditable performance (says a Wellington writer) but if the time as telegraphed is correct it constitutes' a record for Australasia over a three-mile steeplechase course. The world's record for the distance is smin. 55 3-4 sec. The Australian record is 6min. 8 sec. (over 20 f'ences\ put up by Outcast in 1907, so that Daylight Bill's time is easily the best. Three seasons ago Okaihau's time for the Wanganui Steeplechase was 6min. 9 l-ssec, estab'.shed in holding going, .nd this was the record m the Dominion until lowered by Daylight Bill on Thursday. Should the time provo to be correct, and there is no reason to douht.it. it will take a lot of beat;n£'. Tt is all the more remarkable as Daylieht Bill h_.. things bis own way and won practically as he liked. Commenting on the race for the Wanganui Steeplechase, the Herald's writer, says:—Daylight Bill was in front practically all the way in the big Steeples, and got home by nearly 20 lengths ffom Jackman, the latter and Addnought being the only other two to finish. The winner put in some great Jumping, but he was nearly clown twice • —once in negotiating the brush double opposite the stand, and again at the hack, where he narrowly escaped a fall. He was generally expected to run a great race for two and a half miles, but many good judges thought he would then crack up. However, he finished the distance well, and never gave anything a chance to get near him. Jackman

ran a good race, his "jumping being very clean and neat, and the race should do him a lot of good. He will pr.obably he greatly improved as a result, and his chance in the Great Nort'h-dl-n looks none tbe worse for his defeat at Wanganui. Addnoucht, who was sent out favorite, lumped Avell, and he should also he the better for the race, and may be hard to beat rut Ellerslie, where the stiffer country and longer ."journey will probably suit him, as he i<? a great stayer, and thoroughly game. The Pole was soing well when he fell, hut it is doubtful whether he would have had any chance with the winner had he stood up