ON THE TURF

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 20 June 1936, Page 4

ON THE TURF

RACING FIXTURES June 20, 23—Wanganui J.C. June 20, 23 —Napier Park. June 23— Opotiki J.C. (at Tauranga). June 20. 23, 24—Dunedin J.C. June 27—Oamaru J.C. June 27—Brackenfield Hunt, Point-to-point. July I—Dannevirke Hunt Club. July 7, 9. 11— Wellington R.C. July 13—Hawker, Bay Hunt Club. July IS—Waimatc Hunt Club. July 22 Rangitigei Hunt Club. July 23, 25— Poverty Bay Turf Club. July 25—South Canterbury H.C. July 25 —Manawatu R.C. \mong the horses back in work at Trentham the most notable is Cuddle, who has started on her preparation for spring events in Australia. Cuddle has done wonderfully well during her respite, building up at great speed, and she is looking in as fine order as ever she has so early in the season. Gascille is none the worse for his mishap in the Winter Steeplechase, and is getting through plenty of solid work on the flat at Ellerslie. L. W. Jillings has the chestnut gelding in great heart, and a trip to Trentham will probably be undertaken this month. Gascille, despite his mistake in the Winter Steeplechase, is a firstclass jumper, and if taken to the Wellington meeting some stake money should come his way. Allegretto, while the most promising of the younger ’chasers raced at Ellerslie, is going to be something of

a problem, and unless he gets over his pulling propensities it will be hard for him to stay on over big fences. Then again he has a tendency to go his own way, and a horse like that takes a lot of keeping on the course. Just ask J. McLaughlin, who rode him in his three latest steeplechase successes (says an Auckland writer). McLaughlin, at the end-of each v/as blowing even more than his mount. Tradesman resumed racing at the recent Waikato meeting and was then brought to Auckland for the Great Northern meeting. He ran fair races and should be a much improved horse the next time he is seen out. He is entered for the Opotiki Cup, one mile and a-quarter, and the Farewell Handicap, six furlongs, at the same fixture, and on past form the latter

should suit him best. However, he has been tried over ten furlongs, for a couple of seasons ago he contested the Woodstock Stakes at Te Awamutu and made quite a fair showing for the greater part of the distance. Being by Raceful, he should inherit staying ability. An addition to S. J. Reid’s team at Trentham is First Spec, who has been

sent to him by Miss C. M. Martin, of Martinborough. First Spec was taken to Australia by A. D. Webster last spring, but he was tried only once or twice and was returned in December. He is a very big three-year-old black colt by Some Spec (a son of Royal Divorce) from the Royal Fusilier— Cantatrice mare Pastoral, and he was bred by his owner, who also bred his sire.

Mr Sol Green’s horses have been transferred from L. Robertson to D. J. Price (says an Australian writer). Alaric, Springbok, Bravest and Stevenage were sent to Price’s stable at Caulfield last week, but five yearlings owned by Mr Green will remain for a while with B. Price, son of the Caulfield trainer, at Mordialloc. Robertson, who had a remarkable time with his horses during the spring carnivals in Melbourne last year, has trained horses for Mr Green for many years. The move has created a sensa-

tion in Victorian racing circles. The Riccarton trainer, P. V. Mason, has a horse of his own in hand at present. This is the yearling colt by Nightmarch from the Limond mare Azalea. He is a smartish-looking youngster, and he is well advanced in the preliminary stages of his education. His name, Haerepo, is Maori for Nightmarch.

An average of times for the Cornwall Handicap over the past twenty years gives a figure of approximately i 2min 15sec. One Whetu’s 2min ssec j this year, is an easy record. The slow-! est time in the space was Archie’s j 2min 20 2-ssec on a showery day in 1022. . j The Australian record for two miles : over hurdles is held by Blackford at i 3min 34£sec, put up at Flemington in! February last. Blackford also put up 4min 34sec for two miles and a-half or seven seconds faster than Prince of Grange’s record in the Great Northern Hurdles. Valpeen was only produced on one

occasion during the Great Northern meeting, and that was in the Winter Steeplechase on the Saturday. He appeared to have fined down a lot since he raced at the Waikato meeting, and it should not take much to get him back to his true form. With a couple of exceptions he jumped as well as ever, though these mistakes were not bad ones, and he did not lose a great deal of ground as the result of them. Valpeen, if taken south for the Wellington and Grand National meetings, should again give a good account of himself, for he knows both the courses well, having won the Grand National during the last two successive seasons and the Wellington Steeplechase last July.

By winning the Visitors’ Handicap at Elierslie with the steadier of' 10.3, Narnakia was responsible for an attractive performance. She was in front before the field had gone a furlong, and although challenged strongly over the final stages she held on gamely to win by less than a length. Namakia has put up some good performances in the past, but her victory on Saturday was the best she has yet registered, both from a weight-carry-ing and time point of view. As a three-year-old this filly ran a great race in the Great Northern Guineas, being in front practically all the way on that occasion, Gay Blonde being the only one to beat her, and the latter just got up in time to do so. The mile on that occasion was run in 1.37 3-5. Dark Shadow was the best performed hack seen out at the Great Northern meeting. In the first division of the Jervois Handicap he was always in the picture and finished right up behind the placed horses.) His next start was in the Ranfurly Handicap, and he won going away. In that' show-

NOTES AND COMMENTS On Gallops and Trolling

ing he was installed favourite for the first division of the Fitr.roy Handicap on the Saturday, and after winning on the leaders for about half the distance | ian to the front and nothing had a 1 chance with him once heads were turned for home. Dark Shadow is by Acre or Leighton from Madam Lobelia, who is descended from' the same family as Wiltshire and El Gallo. Dark Shadow has become very -olid with racing, and if taken to some of the southern meetings during the v/m----i ter should pay his way. j Joppa has rejoined C. McCarthy’s stable. During his holiday in North Canterbury he has qualified with the Brackenfield Hunt, and will be eligible for hunters’ events at later steeplechase meetings.- Joppa, who is a halfbrother by Jericho to the useful Ponty, by Rosenor, and is held in the same interests, is in big, but solid condition at present but will not require much work to get him ready for racing. In spite of the fact that she failed in her two races at the Auckland meeting (says the “Herald”), Val Watch showed that she is still the most spectacular hurdler in the Dominion. She made some great leaps and was going along nicely in the lead when she fell ■ at the second to last fence in the Campbell Hurdles. It is doubtful whether she would have beaten Jolly Beggar if she had stood up, but there is no doubt that she is good, and she ■ will have many admirers if she is ■ produced at Trentham or Riccarton.

The success of Parisienne in the Sapling Stakes marks the first success in the race of an Auckland-bred and owned youngster and the third win for a North Island owner; the other two, Enav/ah and Frisco Lady, were also fillies. Parisienne, who is by Rey-de-Oro—Yenot, was bred at Misses Edwards’ Mardelia, Stud Farm. When a few months old she showed a lot of speed and at ten months could run a smart furlong. The writer remembers Elector Gray, who saw a good deal of the youngster at Takanini, expressing an opinion that she v/as the most promising yearling he had seen. When in F. J. Smith’s stable Parisienne could show' a 2.20 gait without any difficulty. The filly has gone on the right way since joining R. B. Berry’s stable.

By his sterling performance in winning the Ashburton County Handicap, Cloudy Range qualified for the next New Zealand Trotting Cup. It was a slashing effort to go 4.211 through a field of eleven horses from 60 yards behind. This time has onlj once been bettered on the course, when Roi l’or went 4.151- on a very fast summer track.

Cloudy Range was purchased by Mr G. J. Barton from E. C. McDermott about six months ago and during that period has won four races for his new owner. He began correctly and raced at the rear of the field for a mile and a quarter. His driver then let him go, and he quickly ran up to join Young Frank in the lead. A furlong from home he took charge and won by just as much as his driver wished

him to. He pulled up as if he had only been out for a jog and his condition was a credit to his trainer. His driver seems to thoroughly understand him and drove him with the utmost confidence. The easy manner in which this win wag accomplished must make Cloudy Range a distinct possibility for the next N.Z. Cup. A splendid mannered and thoroughly sound six-year-old gelding, he will be an excellent second string to the champion Indianapolis in the big event next November.

Discord, winner of tht Mayfield Handicap at Ashburton, proved by her performance that she is one of the best square-gaited horses that we have had in this country. A strong-ly-built mare by Wrack from Echo, she is destined to take a high place on our roll of champions. She is only five years old, is perfectly mannered, and never puts a foot wrong. On

Saturday she jumped out smartly and soon had a break on the field of several lengths. Trotting faultlessly, she made every post a winning one and won pulling up with her driver looking round in the great time of 3.20 1-5 on a track that was not particularly fast. It was a sterling performance and well merited the ovation she received from the great crowd. Sports Review, despite not having had a race for a long time, was made a good second favourite for the Tinwald Handicap. He soon put his supporters out of their suspense by refusing to begin, and was always in the rear. Vanity Fan was coupled with Casanova and ran quite a good

race. Llewellyn’s Pet put up a splendid performance to gain fourth place from 24yds behind in such a fast-run race. This marc is improving with every race, and may yet do credit to her famous half-brother, Impromptu. Bonny Azure has gone on satisfactorily of late in her preparation for engagements at the Auckland meeting, and the chestnut mare is looking a real picture. She is one of the best four-year-olds to race in the Auckland province for some years, and it is really hard to assess just how good she is. She was taken south to the Hawera meeting at Easter, and won her three races in very impressive fashion. On the second day she gave a good field 48yds star I and after being fully 50 yards behind

the leaders with half a mile to go came away in the straight and won as she liked by three lengths. The last four furlongs were run in 1.3, and seeing that Bonny Azure was giving the leaders a big start her time for this section must have been round about a minute or better. The efforts eliminated any doubts ns to her staving ability, and she will only have to parade at Epsom to carry big money, and at this juncture it looks as if it will take a pretty good horse to bring about her defeat in any race she contests. It would not be surprising to find the sons and daughters of Loyal Grattan in the limelight next season. They have won the best part of a dozen ’ races in Southland this season. The ; oldest are four-year-olds, and they ! are level-headed pacers, with stamina Ito go a journey. Quite a number of 1 promising two-ycar-olds by Loyal Grattan are in work at Addington. King’s Warrior has been progressing satisfactorily in his preparation for principal events at the Aucklano meeting, which opened to-day, and i the black pacer promises to be in I rare order when next asked to tacc.

King’s Warrior has not started since racing at the Wellington Trotting Club’s autumn meeting, when he put up two wonderful performances tc win both open sprints, but has been kept in steady work in the interim The son of Blue Mountain King is a 1 present on 4.28 over two miles, anc he has yet to win another race before he qualifies. However, apart from the Auckland meeting, there are meetings at both Hutt Park and Addington to follow, and there is every reason to fefel 1 confident that he Wit enter' dregs circle company. Should King’s V/arrior win at any of these fixtures there will be plenty of Auckland support to say that he would nearly collect the coveted New Zealand Trotting Cup.