NOTES BY PHAETON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22356, 29 February 1936, Page 11

NOTES BY PHAETON

AUSTRALIAN RACING NEWMARKET HANDICAP LARGE FIELD ENGAGED The leading event set down for decision on the Australian turf to-dav is the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. The stake-money amounts to £2500, of which £2OOO goes to the owner of the winner. Some great fields have been saddled up to contest the Newmarket Handicap. In the race of 1882 37 horses faced the starter, and in 1890 36 went to the post. Many notable horses have scored victories, the list of winners including Malua 8.7, Lochiel 8.0. Cranbrook 8.12, Bungebah 9.3, Wakeful 7.6, Sir Foote 8.0, Pendant 9.7, Soultline 9.11, Heroic 9.8, Gothic 8.10 and 9.10, and Greenline 10.2. A field of 30 is engaged to-day, the four-year-old Closing Time heading the list with 9.7. Araehne, who figures third top weight with 9.4, made a bold bid for victory under 9.7 in the Oakleigh Plate, 5J furlongs, run at Caulfield a fortnight back, and her brilliancy is well established. The victory registered by Regular Bachelor in the Caulfield Futurity Stakes was accomplished in fine style, and with 8.11 in the Newmarket Handicap his prospects of success are bright. The New Zealand-bred mare Gay Blonde, 8.11, is credited with training on well, and, what is more, has boon steadily supported, pointing to her party anticipating a victory. Valiant Chief, 8.11, who has the distinction of being the most noteworthy three-year-old engaged, has several smart performances to his credit in sprint races, and he is well fancied. Cardinal, 8.6, and Gay Lover, 8.1, are other three-year-olds in the race who have displayed winning form. Araehne and Gay Blonde figuring among the favourites for this year's Newmarket Handicap brings the record of mares in the big sprint race at Flemington up for review. This reveals that they have scored 18 victories, the winning list including the following: • Maid of Avenel 7.8, Calumn.y 8.0, Lady Ellen 6.5, Tyropean 7,4, Sedition 7.3, Wild Rose 8.1, Laundress 7.9, Maltmia 7.12, Amiable 8.12, Wakeful 7.6, Chantress 8.9, Plavaway 8.1, Pendant 9.7, Queen of Scots 7.9, Molly's Robe 7.8, Red Dome 7.10, Ladv Linden 8.4, and Waltzing Lilv'B.9. A number of seruational surprises have resulted in connection with the Newmarket Handicap. Chief may be cited tha victory of the six-year-old mare Sedition in 1889, when she beat Lochiel and Carbine and 21 others At an interval of six years another mare, Laundress, heat a field of 35, and her victory also was a surprise. Four victories are entered to the credit of New Zealand-bred horses, the list of winners including the following •» —1875, Calumny, by Traducer; 1887, Lochiel, by Prince Charlie; 1894, Hova, by Jngomar; 1909, Soultline, by Soult. TWO-YEAR-OLD RACES VALUABLE STAKE-MONEY '-•c •• ' The V.R C. Sires' Produce Stakes and the A.J.C. Sires' Produce Stakes, each of which is endowed with £3OOO in added money by the respective clubs named, stand well out in front as the most valuable races for the two-year-old division in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to the £3OOO, the stake is added to in each case by a subscription of £5 by the owners of a large number of sires, which payment goes to swell the winnor's portion in each case, which would bring the same to something like £2300. The New Zealand-bred colts Gold Rod, by Chief Ruler, and Ilium, by Iliad, figure among the acceptances for the V.R.C. Sires' Produce Stakes, to be run at Flemington t,o-da.v and each has recent winning form to recommend them. DEFEAT OF CUDDLE CAULFIELD PERFORMANCE Cuddle had to strike her colours in the Caulfield Futurity Stakes, but with a 101b. penalty, which brought her weight to 9.8, it can be argued that she had the worst of the weights compared with the four-year-old Regular Bachelor, to whom she surrendered and who was unpenalised, with y.O. Prior to winning at Caulfield Regular Bachelor had scored victories in important sprint races under heavy imposts in Queensland, where he was bred, and a suocess he registered under 9.4 in a six-furlongs race in New South Wales during the present month, there is good reason to believe, formed the encouragement to his owner to send him to Victoria with a view to contesting the Futurity Stakes, Cuddle iR engaged to-day in the Esgendon Stakes of £IOOO, a mile and n-quarter weight-for-age rpce, with allowances, in which she will carry 8.12. STUD ITEMS AUSTRALIAN YEARLINGS Buyers of yearlings will have plenty to engage thfcir attention at the approaching tales in Victoria and New South Wales. The catalogues issued in connection with the two sales show that 231 youngsters are entered in the Victoria list and 618 in the New South Wales list. LOW PRICES RULE At the dispersal sale of the Ardsley Stud in New South Wales during the present month very low prices ruled throughout, and only in four did the bidding reach to three figures, 200 guineas being the highest price paid for any one lot. Twenty-fonr highly-bred brood mares, many with foals at foot and served by well-tested sires, were sold for 1330 guineas? The imported stallion Air Balloon, bv Stedfast, was sold for the small sum of 70 guineas RACING FIXTURES