THE SUMMER CARNIVAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20136, 22 December 1928, Page 17

THE SUMMER CARNIVAL.

LARGE RANGE OF MEETINGS.

AUCKLAND'S GREAT WEEK.

BY PHAETON. Another summer carnival ia Auckland is near at hand, and, with , four days' racing , at Ellerslie and three days' trotting at Alexandra Park, it will be quickly recognised that there will be plenty of channels in which devotees of both branches of sport can engage their thoughts to the fullest degree. All round the prospects can be Viewed as extremely bright for the high standard of tho past to be maintained both at Ellerslie and Epsom, and it will apparently only require tho woathor to bo in keeping with the season for Auckland's great week to extend its popularity in a marked degToo. The Auckland Racing Club's meeting opens on, Boxing Day, and the Ellerslie gathering will be continued on the Friday following and on January 1 and 2. Tho Auckland Trotting Club will hold a threo days' meeting at Alexandra Park, Epsom, the gathering being fixed ioi Thursday, Saturday and Monday, December 27, 29 and 31. The Manawatu Racing Club is entered on the list for three days' sport, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday,- December 26. 27 and 2!li, being the days selected for the gathering at Awapuni. The Taranaki Jookey Club race on Wednesday and Thursday, December 26 and 27, tho Dunedin Jockoy Club will bo engaged on the tame days at Wingatui, and the Westland Racing Club's meeting is fixed'for the same dates. In addition, many non-totalisator meetings will be held in the " back blocks." Tho Aloxandra Racing Club will hold its annual meeting at Pirongia on Boxing Day, and on January 1 the Matamata Racing Club will provide a day's sport. The Hawke'B Bay Jockey Club race on January 1 and 2 and the Wairarapa Racing Club Golds its meeting on the same dates. The Qreymouth Racing Club holds its meeting on December SO, 31, and January 2, end the Marton Racing Club and Stratford Racing Club each hold meetings on January 1 and 2. The Soutliland Racing Club's meeting is to bo held on January 2 and 3. STUD NOTES. DEMOSTHENES AND MAGPIE. BY PHAETON. Writing in tho Australasian recently. Dr. Stewart McKay, of New South Wales University, remarked:—"l maintain that tho Demosthenes horses are not truo stayers ond I do not forget that one of them waa one .of tho greatest horses ever seen in New Zealand, and he was a true stayer. I alludo to Amythas. But I mistrust the sires who produce only a stray real stayer, and just as I mistrust. Magpie as a sire of stayers so I distrust Demosthenes." Dr. McKay could not do otherwise than refer to Amythas as fitted to be included in the category of the great, but Amythas was not tho only noteworthy stayer eired in New Zealand by Demosthenes. His son Gasbag can certainly be cited under that heading, for at five years old the records show that he won tho Canterbury Cup (21 miles) under 3.6 in 3m 525. which beat the then previous Australian and "New Zealand record for that particular journey. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. The English-bred mare White Bird (by White Eaghi—Lady Southampton), who was imported to Auckland by Mr. J. Hcalop and who was subsequently sent across to New South Wales and mated with Legionaire. mad© an addition to Stud Book tLis year in the shape of ft filly. It is computed that the progeny of Absurd have won over £IOO,OOO during tho period dating from 1921. Considering that the great bulk of Absurd's progeny were sprinters and that very few won over a longer distance than a mile and a-Quarter. the sum won by his stock in the eight sessons indicated must be regarded as wonderful. A full-brother to Trivalve (by Cyklon— Trey) is included among the foals at the Melton estate this year. It is stated that of the 25 foals claiming Magpie as parent at the Kia Ora Stud, in New South Wales, this season no less than 20 are colts. , Windbag, by Magpie, who was relegated to the stud last year, was given a great opportunity to distinguish himself as a sire, and, according to the Australasian, he is credited with the parcntago of no less than 32 living fouls. In considering the colour question, and English-bred Hoylake in particular on this occasion, it is quite in order to find him of the grey shade, for his sire, Poltava, is of that colour, and Tagale. dam of Poltava, is also entered with the greys. The English sire Poltava, who has a representative in New Zealand in the shape of Hoylake, ha 3 not been long at tho stud in England-, "but already hi 3 stock havo won several valuable races, and he bids fair to make a good name for himself as a sire. As a racehorse Poltava was described as oue of the fastest homes of his time. Poltava, who was bred in 1917, is a grey horse by Polymelus irom Tagale, the dam of Tagalie. winner of the One Thousand Guineas and the Derby. Another highly-bred sire has been bought in England for exportation to Australia. This is Curialis, a four-year-old son o£ Spion Hop, a noteworthy son of Spearmint and grandson of Carbine. Curia, dam of Cuiralis, ia by Cicero from Sceptre, and. with the famous lines of Bend Or and St. Simon in the pedigree, there is good reason to anticipate his proving a stud success. Curialis is to go to the stud next year at Northwood Park. Victoria. THEN AND NOW. OLD-TIME JOCKEY'S VIEWS. A famous old-time English jockey in the person of " Sammy" Loates, in tho course of an interview, is found in accord with those who consider that the present stage is not up to that of what are regarded ns "the good old days." Loates remarked:— " I don't think they (the horses) are as good as 40 years ago. For ono thing, they won't stand being worked as hard as they used to be. They are more temperamental —as temperamental as film stars sometimes —and consequently they require much more careful handling. It may be because the breed gets finer and finer, but a horse certainly stood a lot more work years ago. One of the host horses I ever saw was Ormonde, who won the Two Thousand Guineas, Derby and St. Leger in 1886, and was better than most horses to-day." Asked about the present-day jockeys, ho said: " Well, 1 don't think there is anybody riding like Tod Sloan. I developed his crouch, but riders now do not crouch enough. Sloan sat further forward than they do, but I think they would bo better riders if they rodo more as ho did.'FORTHCOMING MEETINGS. MATAMATA RACING CLUB. The Matamata Racing Club's annual totalißator meeting is fixed to be held on Saturday, February 2. The programme issued in connection therewith comprises eight events, with prize-money to the Amount of £9OO. The leading event is the Matamata Cup of £250, which includes a gold cup of the value of £SO, The Okoroire Hack Cup of £125 (8* furlongs), which carries a silver cup of the value of £2O, is confined to horses three years old and upwards that have not won a flat race of the value of £l5O to the winner or flat races of the collective value of £4OO to the winner at time of nomination. From the programme, which will be found published in. another column, it vyill be seen that nominations for all events , close on Friday, January lit at 5 p.m., and the same may be lodged either with the secre. tary, Mr. IV J. Underwood, Matamata,-or with : Mosul's. Blomfield und Co., High 'Street,. Auckland.