NOTES FROM ELLERSLIE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 13

NOTES FROM ELLERSLIE.

GOSSIP OF THE TRACKS. BY ARCHER. Triboulet has raced very consistently of late and his victory in the Borough Handicap on the second day of the Manawatu meeting could rightly be termed well deserved. After being purchased by Mr. W. Higgina toward the end of last season he performed somewhat disappointingly and early in the present season was tried over hurdles, winning a hunter's hurdle event at the Manawatu Hunt meeting. Evidently he lost none of his pace by racing over the obstacles, for since showing a return to form at the Nelson meeting last month, when, he won the Stewards' Handicap, he has won three times and been second on four . occasions. His recent form is as good as any he has yet displayed. Scotch Mixture, the winner of the Prince of Wales Handicap at the Manawatu meeting on Wednesday, is a five-year-old brown gelding by Heather Mixture out of Tapora, hence a half-brother to Startle, a winner at the recent Avondale meeting. Having won seven times, been second twice, and third thrice in 16 starts this season, his record is a. remarkable on©, and stamps him as a particularly useful horse, more especially as he has won over distances from six furlongs up to a mile and a-quarter. His stake earning! for the Reason amount to £2170, including a cup valued at 25gns. Those who stood to En Route, who had shown fair form on the flat at the. Wairarapa Autumn meeting, for the Kairere Hurdles at the Manawatu meeting collected quite a substantial divident. En Route evidently won in good style and again ran creditably on the second day by finishing third in the ' Kairanga Hurdles. By Advance from Ballarat, no is a full-brother to that fine little steeplechaser First Line, and being new to the hurdling business he may be expected to do even better later on. En Route is trained at Trentham by T. Quinlivan for Mr. E. Riddiford.

Thespian was the star performer* in the weight-for-age events at the Iwnawatu meeting winning the Awapuni Gold Cup on the opening day and the Manawatu Stakes on the second day. As Thespian was meeting Tamatote on 101b. worse terms than he did in the Avondale All-aged Stakes the latter was made favourite but Thespian, evidently improved by his "recent racing, secured the honours by half a length.- At six furlongs there is little between these two brilliant four-year-olds, and it seems to be that whichever one is in the best form when they meet will prevail over the other.

Another case of rider not being able to draw the weight cropped up at Awapuni on Thursday as a result of which Lady .Kotiripo lost the stake for the Stonyhurst Welter Handicap, her rider being three-quarters of a pound shoitweight on returning to scale. At one time if a jockey could not draw the proper or declared weight, he was allowed lilb. in a flat race and 2ilb. in a hurdle race or steeplechase, but _at the conference last year, the rule providing for this allowance was done away with. Ho.vever, there have been a number of cases of shqrtweight this season where the former provision would have made matters right and the question is bound to be discussed at the next conference.

The defeat of Queen March at the hands of Tukia and Deluge came as a bit of a surprise but she has had a lot of racing and travelling and may have been a little below her best while on the other hand Tukia may have improved a trifle. The result of this event makes the question of two-year-old supremacy for the season more complicated, but on the form displayed the fillies Queen March; Tukia and Razzle Dazzle are untitled to the" leading positions. A meeting between these youne ladies _ each at the top of their form would provide a great treat for there can be but little between them. However, there is. no chance of such a meeting eventuating this season.

Black Cruiser, winner of the Lockwood Handicap at Awapuni on Thursday, is a four-year-old .brown gelding by .All Black out of that once-good mare Crucmella, consequently a half-brother to Isabel, an Oaks winner. He has not done much racing but appears to bo improving and his latest success makes his third this season, he having won a double at Feilding at Easter time. ' H. Goldfinch, who steered Gold, Star to victory in the Linton Hack Handicap, was the only Auckland horseman, to ride a winner at. the Manawatu meeting. „■ Wheatfield, who was purchased by Mr. Eliot R. Davis after the Wanganui Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting, made bis first return to his new owner and incidentally opened his winning 'account when he led the field home in the Autumn Plate at Awapuni on Wednesday last. Those opposed to him. in that event were a very poor lot, and the form was not impressive, but now that he has made a start wheatfield may do better, and next season may turn out useful, as he appears to stay fairly well. It looked like flying at high game tackling the Awapuni Gold Cup with Broadwood, and, as was to be expected, he found the task beyond him, finishing outside of a place. On the second day he made a bold bid . for victory' in the Longburn Handicap but faded out of the contest in the final stages. Broidwood is a very capable little galloper up to a mile but over longer journeys he is hardly so good as he does not stay too. well. v

Cusbat, who ran third in the Woodhey Handicap at Awapuni on Wednesday, is a four-year-old bay gelding by Feramprz out of imported Ringdove, consequently a halfbrothor to Ringform and Cooing. Cushat is owned by the well-known sportsman, Mr. E. L. Barnes, of Palmerston North,, and is trained by A. Oliver. He made his debut in the Hack Scurry at the Dannevvrke meeting where he was narrowly beaten by vine Author. In the interim Cushat registered two unplaced and two placed ' performances. At the Manawatu meeting Santonio confirmed his Wellington running by capturing th? Woodhey Handicap on the opening day and filling second place to Island in the Stonyhurst Welter on the concluding day. Santonio is a four-year-old bay gelding by San Fran out of Dolly Fisher and his latest efforts would indicate that he is on the improve. He has now won four times this season. s

On his showings at the Manawatu meeting Lucius appears to bo improving. Carrying 8.8 he scored by a narrow margin in the Tele.?-aph Handicap and with 9.1 was *placed third in an exciting finish in the Borough Handicap, in which there were heads between the placed horses. This fellow should win more spring races. While being worked at Hastings last week Magistrate, a brown gelding by Tribulation out of Axis, broke a leg, and was .destroyed. Magistrate was a useful performer at th* country fixtures in Hawke's Bay, and during the present season was returned a winner at the Ashhurst-Pohangina meeting, while he had several other placed performances to his credit. The supporters of Gold Star in the ' Linton Handioap at the Manawatu meeting were rewarded., with • a nice double-figure dividend. Last season Gold Star captured a couple of minor events and this season he has notohed three wins. As a result of his latest success he is now out of the hack olasß. . ' ' ' Since racing at the Avondale Autumn Meeting_Oakleigh has been kept going steadily at Ellerslie. This fine ohaser looks all the better for his recent exertions, and when required to tackle the big jumping events during the winter, he should be in excellent shape. , >~ \ Sunart was responsible for a nice effort in winning the Longbura Handicap on the tecond day of the Manawatu meeting by carrying 9.1 and running the mile and a-quarter in 2.6. Sunart has previously shown a liking for the Awapuni course, having won a double there at the Manawatu summer meeting . All Gold, who ran second to Wheatfleld in the Autumn Plate at Manawatu, is a two-year-old brown filly by Kilboy out of Noctorura, hence a full-sister to the Auck-land-owned filly Jfccturne and is owned by Mr. W, E. Kemball- She made her brokers a .nice return for second.

Four of the five runners in the Manawatu Stakes at Awapuni on Thursday were progeny of the successful sire Absurd, and at the finish they filled the four leading positions. This ,only goes to show the ascendancy of this sire's stock as sprinters in this Dominion. The recent form displayed by Thespian is proof that he is right at the zenith of his form again. At a mile I, fancy that Gloaming is the only horse in the Dominion capable of beating this brilliant fellow over that distance on weight-for-age terms. » Gladful failed to show prominently in the Kairanga Hurdles at Manawatu, but the [rood form he displayed on the flat at Trertbiim the previous week was sufficient to show that he will be heard of before the jumping season is over.

The well-known hurdle horseman, H. Burt, who did the riding of Mr. W. R. Kemball's jumpers a couple of seasons ago, will again ride for the Wairarapa sportsman during the coming jumping season, and had the mounts on Vagabond and Gladful at Awapuni. Malingerer followed up his third in the Karere Hurdle Race on the opening day of the Manawatu meeting by pulling off the Kairanga Hurdles on the second day. and thus gained his fourth success this season. , J. Anderton, is breaking in the yearling by Quin Abbey out of Tinoreka purchased recently by one of his clients. The youngster is on the small side but may make an early galloper. ' v -- T. Morris, the popular Waikato trainer, was taken ill with pleurisy at the Avondale meeting but, the attack was not a severe one and his many friends will be pleased to learn that he has fully recovered and is once again superintending the work of his team at Cambridge. H. Wiggins had the mount on Deluge when that youngster finished second to Tukia in the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes. Wiggins had plenty of riding at the meeting and rode a couple of place-getters P. Ray with four winning mounts was the most successful horseman at the Manawatu meeting. Rayner won three races on the flat and one over hurdles. Kick Off with 9.5 opposite his name heads the list in the handicap for the Hawke's Bay Cup. ',';','' There is a probability of Thespian, Rapine and Kick Off being taken to Australia to raoe next spring, ■•: '■ , '