HORSES AT FOXTON.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 255, 25 September 1935, Page 12

HORSES AT FOXTON.

AWAPUNrS GOOD INNINGS,

(By “Binocular.”)

Jean Batten, the four-year-old half-sister by Colossus to Land Tax, ran seventh in the Maiden Stakes at Foxton. " She should improve oh that performance in the near future.

A maiden performer who has breeding to commend her is Chalice, who carries the colours of Mr M. Millar, of Palmerston North. She is a three-year-old filly by Chief Ruler from King Cup. an Eiiglishbred mare. She did not run as well as was anticipated by her trainer. Cloudy Bay was made third favourite for the Aivahou Hack Bandieap, but sho could not do better than finish fifth. By lapidary from Phantasy (Killjoy-Conceit), it may be unwise to dismiss her meantime, for she should improve. Conceit was the dam of Egotism and Kilcoit, and also of Oddity, who produced Royal Artist and Boildoir. , Terry came in for a fair measure of support for the rhaidon event, but she failed to figure prominently. She made a later appearance in the scurry event when, after being in an apparently hopeless position early, she finished with great dash to tako second place. Her dam, Horomca, was a useful performer in her day.

“Hope springs eternal” might well •be applied to the connections of the aged chestnut horse Royal King. However, it would appear that Mr J. Duggan, in whose colours he. now races, has effected an improvement in him, for ho ran quite a fair race in the Motuiti Hack Handicap. In the past Air Duggan enjoved joins success with The Budget nftbr that performer had had an indifferent early record. The Threadncedle-Sabinc gelding Aiguille, who now ca.iirs the green jacket with gold spots of Mr B. L. Hammond, of Wellington, and who is an inmate of R. Penman’s Otaki stable, showed up for a pel-iod in the Robinson Handicap, being on the outside of the leaders coming into the straight. He then weakened, but the race should be beneficial to him.

The fact that the seven furlong races are started on a bend gives to the horses drawn close in a material advantage. Royal Bciigal, although neglected in the betting, 'had drawn No. 1, and be ’ led right into the straight before compounding, while Hunting Lqdgc (the winner) started from No. 2. A similar state of allairs prevails at Ecilding, and it is rather interesting how frequently the winners come from the trio drawn close to the rails.

When first t-aeing the Weathcrvanc mare Weatllcrstep displayed a great turn ol speed, but a fall at Awapuni, when she was forced on to the rails by another runner, loft her very nervous and she displayed reluctance to give of her best for a time. She was then spelled, and it would appear from the fact that she came through between the rails and Bazaine in the final event that her nervousness has largely disappeared. The Palmerston North horseman, S. Anderson, saluted the judge on two occasions, opening and closing the programme. In both instances his mount wa3 strongly fancied. ,L. H. Jones, another Awapuni horseman, narrowly failed to win successive races. Had llonipalong won the Carnarvon Handicap his backers would have been in tho happy position of collecting a dividend of over half a century. In the next race Jones piloted Wyndale, who paid a win-dividend of substantial dimensions.

Awapuni horses played a prominent pail at the meeting, for in addition to taking the pkcinp? in tho two-year-old handicap without they won three further races, making the centre’s record for the afternoon four firsts, three seconds, and two thirds. The monetary return uas not particularly big, the stakes aggregating With an ounce of luck where Rompalong was concerned, Mrs A. W. McDonald, the Awapuni mentor, would have led in three winners at. the fixture, for Bodylinc wound up the day’s activities by capturing the Moutoa Hack Handicap and sho had previously won with Gold Cure. The little fellow, who had a compulsory spell after Levin, came back looking particularly well and ho won at Marton at his first start. Despite his 9.4 ho finished full of running in the Foxton scurry event to win comfortably. Although 1 Slippery is recognised as a sprinter, rather than as a handicap performer, -the Hunting Song, gelding showed his appreciation of the substantial drop in his poundage which the transfer, to the Carnarvon Gold Cup brought to him by running a great race. He was held in restraint in the early stages and was in the rear division as tho field turned for home, the runners being well together. Slippery put in some good work ver the last two furlongs, but while he was quickly gathering up the leaders, he could not do better than finish fifth, lose than two lengths from the winner.

Confiscation wound up the old season by running a fair fifth in the Broadway Handicap at Awapuni, there being little between her bracketed companion, Round Score, and herself at tho finish, the pair racing together from the distance. At Foxton she began smartly in the Awahou Hack Handicap and was still one of the leaders approaching the straight entrance, but she then weakened to finish out of a place. As this mare io particularly well bred, better things should be in store for her.

NOTES. The news was freely circulated at Foxton that the Awapuni mentor, L. Wilson, lmd won the Avondale Stakes with Batter, the Niger Minstrel—Table Talk filly, who races in tho colours of Mr W. Irons, her owner being at the Foxton meeting to see his other youngster, Black Fox, run. While the report proved to be incorrect, it was not merely a racecourse rumour for a broadcast report of the race had been incorrect. Strctfo, the winner of the Avondale Stakes, was bred by her owner, Mr A. J. McGovern, and is trained at Te Awamutu by W. Stone. She is a brown fdly by Hunting Song from The Begurn, the latter being a sister to the sjjeedy Supremacy, who won good races for Mr McGovern, including the A.R.C. Railway. Hunting Song colts have fared better than those of the opposite sex, but possibly Sfretto will prove to be an exception to the rule.

Mr W. 11. Gaisford, of Oririgi, did not go north to See Heritage run at the Avondale meeting, but attended the Foxton races, although ho was not represented there. Heritage found tho distance of the Flying Stakes a little short for him, but he g roved his ability in the Avondale luineas. It was in 1926 that Commendation, who raced in Mr Gaisford’s colours, dead-heated with Lysander, the former then going on to win the Derby and other good races. Incidentally, Lysander was piloted on the occasion referred to by L. A, Pine, who is now training in partnership with his father, W. Pine. at Awapuni. Wild Chase, the winner at Ashburton of the first two-year-old race in the South Island this season, is a bay colt by Paper Money from Wild Hind, and ho is a halfbrother to Fleeting Glance. Wild Hind, a rnare by Autumnus, was a good galloper, and her wins included the C.J.C. Jockey Club Handicap, D.J.C. Champagne Stakes and Guineas. It is one of the foundation families of the Stonyhurst Stud, Wild Hind's dam being Kirriemuir, by Glanranald fro i the Trenton mare Madowla. Wild Chase appears to have boon responsible for a very solid effort.