RACING NEWS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10066, 3 September 1918, Page 8

RACING NEWS

FIXTURES. September 4—Marton Jockey Club. September 11—Dannevirke Kaoing Club. September 19—Egniont Racing Club.

-,', NOTES AND COMMENTS (By "Tohunga.") Entries for the Dannevirke meeting close to-night. A number of improvements are being effected at Trentham, and they are being great iy appreciated by the trainers, who are ruost concerned. > - Mr C. G. Dalgety has completed all arrangements for the brood mares in his stud for the present season. i-'tep-dancer, by Stepniak—Pibroch, will to mated with Martian, while her two daughters, Stardancer and Warstep, both by Martian, will visit Sanquhar. Lady .Disdain, by The Officer—Orillumme, ami Prim, by Pilgrim's Progress Nantes, will go to Bonny Glen, while Nantes, by Stepniak—Huguenot, will not be bred from this season. .T. Ayres has had the "Little Doctor's" horse Battle Array in his stable for many moons without being able to get a race out of him. He is a bad feeder, a bad worker, and a bad everything, although ho looks well enough to the casual eye. His owner apparently has become fed up of waiting for him to win, or start in a classic, and advicea say that an attempt is to be made to make a hurdler of him. So far as tho North Island is concerned the racing season for 191 S-19 will commence at Marton on Wednesday. The meeting is only a single day °no, but the quality engaged should ensure a complete success. The first race on the programme is the Hack Hurdles, of one mile and a half. Twenty-three horses are engaged. Taken all-round the field has a great deal o< quality attached to it. although some of the entrants have yet to prove themselves efflciont jumpers. Pararoa, wlio has 10.8, has had some experience at the game, and should run as well, if not better, than any other engaged. Tornea ian • well at tho C..T.C. meeting and should bo in tho forward division at the end of the race, and the one most likely to bother him is Undecided. Tho Trial Hack Plate, of sis furlongs, has a field of thirty-six, and it will keep the eager sportsmen going to find the winner. Some of the entrants have jii-j vate credentials, which do not cut much ice, as a rule, and there ore a few engaged who can bo relied upon to mn fairly well. Omaha, with 8.11, must be considered considering recent form, ar.d a locally-trained acceptor with possibilities is Matatna, who has ■ but 7.11 to carry. A Trial Hack Race, run over five furlongs, with 36 starters is a hard thing to determine. The top weight in the Hack Steeplechase, of two miles, Gaekwar til.10) does not appear to have much to beat. Most of those engaged will have trouble in getting over the two miles. The only two likely to troublo the head of the handicap are Tirau (10.3; and Poeman (ID. The Marton Handicap, one mile and a quarter, looks a difficult proposition. Fifteen horses appear on the card, but some of them would appear to be out ot their class. After his successful oxploits in the south Kauri King must como in for a lot of consideration. He has tut 31b more, than Orleans, who may bo his most formidable opponent, if he gets away with the others. Detroit is in very nicely with 7.6, and will be very haul to beat. Lady Louisa has run well ('nrin<r tho past few months, but for some reason was mads twentieth favourite in the Winter Cup in a field of twentythree, and Multaine, who was the twentythird favourite in that race is engaged in the Marton Handicap. Lady Louisa may carry more money to-morrow than she did at Christchurch. The Bangitikei Steeplechase does not include tho best of the 'chasers about theso parts, but the field is by no means a poor one. The head of the handicap »s Arlington, who has been allotted 1i.7. which he can very well carry. Merry Jack should be able to do well over the three miles with 9.9, and Ormesby, too, must bo considered" in the final judgment.

Tho Electric Hack Handicap has an acceptance of twenty-sovon. TCobur heading the list with 9.2. Oratress and Uajptit aro on tho same mark, $.13, and they should keep the others busy. Tho best looker of the balanco is Nainiir (7.6). The field engaged in tho Railway Handicap, six furlongs, is not a strong one from a quality viewpoint, although numerically there can be little to complain of. Two horses who will doubtless claim consideration are Astrophel and Bo Peep. Bairnsdalo is engaged, and can be relied upon to run a good race. , . Tho Tutaenui Welter claims a field of thirty hacks, which will please the starter. Turpenite (8.3) will probably command a lot of .support, which will be justifiable. Polynesian has been known to win seven furlongs before today in good time. Another horse in tho race who will bear watching is War March. In Australia imported St. Anton has sjred the winner of tho first two-year-old race of the season for the last two years. In 1917 St. Si><*ed. by St. Anton, won tho Fulham Park Plate, and the winner of the race of that name on Saturday week, Lord Setnv. was got by the same sire. Setav may be given tho opportunity of trying his worth in probably bettor company, for lie figures amone the entrants for Maribyrnong Plate. The Mountain Kine—l«idv Mehi horse Mehi Kinir died at Rosen ill recently. After doing a short trallop in company with Oolueo ho ra? vorv queer on returning to tho sheds, and it was with difficulty he eot back to his stable. • He was subsequently treated bv a vet., but died on Friday, bono disease and resultant fracture of the spino being responsible. Mehi Kinjr was bought by Mr A. P. Wade early this year, anil won him Citv Tattersall's Cup at Randwick. Ah a three-year-old ho won tho A.J.C. Members' Handicap, and his other plaoinKs included third in thu Caulfield Guineas and second in the Victoria Derby. Ilia record for the re-cently-closed season was two firsts, two seconds, five thirds, and JtVJSO in prize tno7iey. .1. McGregor, the o.vlVew Zealand rider, who has .sustained innumerable injuries during his career as a jockey, had n. bad fall in the Hurdle Race at the Combined Hunt Clubs' meeting held at Moonco Valley. Mellwurne. on." August 1-Jlh. His lurur was injured, and after receiving attention oi> tlio course ho hnxl to bo removed to St. Vincent's Hospital. liipJano was working at Eandwick iust before thai lost mail left Sydney, hut ovidontlv doing onlv easy tasks. The Svdnev "Referee" of August; 21st says that on tho previous day Molyneux and Gloamimar, with light boys us, finished a littlo in front of Biplane over six fu.rlonirs in lmin 22'aec. It is claimed that Rahcny's raco in tho August Steoplochase ,-it Flomington on Saturday. August 17th. gave him the record for havinc started more times tham any other horse in Australia. It was his ISaltt <start. When Raheny baulked in front of the stand his rider, I S. A. Benco. twice sent him at the. fenco 8-srain. but the old horso resolutely do- I

clined to risk his neck any more that afternoon, and (snvs the '-Australasian ) ho has manv sympathisers among the spectators who knew his long record of sroo-1 service. Another old campaigner in Coradiiil knocked hrmself about a good deal when ho fell in the same race. Tho combined ages of the nine runners is SO vears, an averago of 10 years. Kahenv 14, The Miser 13. Coracijill 12, McAlpin 11. and Bill Taft 11). arc tho veterans: Carpathus 7. and Tho Aisno 6, the comparative) juveniles. At tho last nioetins of tho Australian Trotting Club (Svducri the Wildwood Jr. horse- Attwood put up a great performance b\- winning tho A.'CO. Handicap from 100 yards behind scratch. Driven bv J. Eeid. he get to the end of the mile and a-half in 3.36 on u very slow track.

A message from Brisbane says that -acinar circles became excited on Monday. August 19th. whan it was learned that the well-known racehorse King Vol, who was a starter in tho Nundah Handicap at Ascot on the previous Sat urday, had been tampered with beiore tho race, and throughout Sunday tho horse's condition was critical. The jockey. Page, stated that Xing Vol, who was lieavilv backed in this race, "went mad" at tho barrier, being evidently in groat- pailK lie dashed over the first few furlongs, but afterwards sauntered home. Tho veterinary surgeon, Mr Hopburn, after an inspection of King Vol on Saturday night, oxpies.-oa tlip <"n»uiio,i that a n.-oe-dlo had been used on him, and apparently tho mischief w:is done by an amateur, as sufficient dope was injected to almost kill tho horse. Tho police haro beea informed of (he occurrence.