THE SPORT OF RACING

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12161, 11 June 1925, Page 10

THE SPORT OF RACING

DESPISED’S SENSATIONAL WIN IN NORTHERN STEEPLES TE KARA COST 41 GUINEAS AND WINS £IO,OOO GENERAL NOTES AND COMMENTS

NOTES AND COMMENTS' (By “Carbine.”) Tari wag well fancied for the open seven furlong rpice on the Levin programme last Saturday, but owing to an abjection being raised respecting a technical point lie was not allowed to start. '■ Mr Thomas Bevnn, president of the Levin Racing Club, with whom Sir James Carroll Has been staying, stated at tile Levin races that the popular “ariki” is recovering from liis illness, and will he about again shortly. One of the easiest wins of the Levin meeting was that of Town Crier in the hack six. Town Crier at his best is a very different horse from Town Crier in his average mood. Waverley on Saturday. Sottano ran a good race in open company over ten furlongs at Levin, and finished a creditable fourth. The Great Northern Hurdle Race was productive of u splendid contest, and resulted in a. popular victory for the favburite, Sir Bosebery. The winner Was responsible for a very meritorious performance, and is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant fencers that has been produced in recent years. A beautiful jumper, endowed with both speed and stamina, Sir Bosebery has proved his sterling worth both over hurdlon and steeplechase fences. The surprise of the Great Northern Hurdle Bace was the .bold hid for honours by Snake. It is evident that ho is feeling the benefit of his recent lacing, and a stake should soon come his way. At the last fence Snake was on terms with Sir Bosebery, and only for swerving may have given tlio winner more trouble. That good horse Musketoon further emphasised his partiality for heavy going by winning the Cornwall Handicap in decisive fashion. Before the field had gone far Musketoon was nicely placed on the rails, and was much closer to the leaders at the end of four furlongs than is usual with him. L. Manson rode the winner an excellent race, and scored his second win in the event, he having previously won on To Kara. For the seoond year in succession Income occupied the role of runner-up in the Cornwall Handicap. Income was a good way back five furlongs from home, and it was with a splendid finishing run that he reached second place. Highway 'raced prominently for a mile and a half in the Great Northern Hurdle Bace, hut then commenced to go hack, ami was well out of it six furlongs from home. Eventually he fell at the second to last fence and sustained an injury behind the forearm. Ho has since been lame.

Mi D. J. ‘ Barry, of Gisborne, own-er-breeder of the unbeaten two-year-old Automne, is the breeder of a coming two-year-old full-brother to him, whom he has christened Automaton. Automne is jogging along in a pleasing fashion in his work at Gisborne, end it is expected that he will be in great nick for his many engagements in the spring. The thiee victories registered by Automne this season resulted in hi 3 owner collecting 1600 sovs. At ‘Lexington, U.S.A., recently, Mr Jos. Widener purchased ‘ Fairplay, a 20-year-old stallion, and sire of Man-o’-War, in the great Belmont stable sale, for £20,000. Another game buyer' in Mr Chas. Berryman paid £3OOO for Donna Boca, by Bock Sand. This is an American record price for a brood muro with a colt at her side. J. Scobie, the well-known Victorian trainer, provided three winners at the lecent meeting in South Australia. They were The Night Patrol, Petunia, and Wycherley. In England the bookmakers have extended their operations to golf tournaments. While they did it quietly the clubs took little notice, but the limit was reached when, at a professional tournament held by the Nottingham Club at Holliuwell, a couple, with bags on, took up positions at the first hole. Phalaris, the sire of the Derby winner, Manna,' was a great sprinter in his day, hut he was a sprinter only. It is another illustration of a sprinter producing a!good stayer, for that dash over the last bit in heavy going stamper Manna as a great stayer. Phalaris is owned by Lord Derby, in whose colours he also raced. As cabled recently, that good horse San Toi (Queen’s Birthday—Merry Wife) died in England recently at the ripe age of 28 years. In his racing days he earned a p°t of money for Georgo Ed'vardes, manager of the Gaiety and Daly’s Theatres, who got him as a yearling for less than 200 guineas. Among the big races he wen were the Jubilee Stakes, the Aa-

cot -Stakes, and the Lewes Handicap. But his best performance was when, as a three-year-old, with Bst lib on his back, he was only beaten by a head in th 6 Manchester November Handicap by Lexicon, who was three years older and carried 161 b less. Sar. Toi was as great a success at the stud as he had been during his Turf career. He sired four winners of the Cesarewitch—Yentoi, Fiz Yama, Sanctum, and Yutoi.

Tire New Zealand mare Parody is not to leave Sydney for a spell, but will remain at her trainer’s stables. She has been on the easy list since the commencement of this month, and may not resume for another six weeks at least. Parody won at her first start in her present ownership, but i since then .has repeatedly disappointed. : SENSATIONAL STEEPLECHASERS “Phaeton” writes the following interesting story concerning the Great Northern Steeplechase: “Almost every cross-country event of importance the history of which extends over a lengthy period can lay claim to some incidents of the highly-romantio order, and the Great Northern Steeplechase, which has been run annually at Ellersli© in the winter season since 1885, can furnish its full share in that respect. The victory for which Despised was responsible in the race of 1893 holds a place with the greatest all-round surprises associate ed with racing in the Dominion. After competing unsuccessfully in the Takapuna Steeplechase, run a couple of weeks prior to the Great Northern coming up for decision at Elllerslie, Despised was submitted" to auction at Messrs Buckland and Sons’ Haymarket yards. The bidding failed to reach the reserve (lOOgns) placed on the bay gelding, and ho was passed in, to be sold privately on the same afternoon to the late Mr T. Wyley. The question of accepting for Despised in the big race then came up for decision, and, had it not been f or the fact that the late Mr Willie Caverhill, who had the one-eyed candidate running for him in a double, offering to pay the acceptance fee, the chances are that the horse would have been allowed to drop out of the Great Northern. Despised failed in the Maiden Steeplechase, run on the first day of the A.R.C. meeting, and his Great Northern prospects fell to the zero point. When speculation on the race closed, the son of Cap-a-pie ranked as the greatest outsider of the field. Despised, however, beat the field under highly-sensational circumstances. In the first round Despised came down at the stonewall at the head of the straight, but his rider (Koss Heaton) quickly remounted his one-eyed steed, and he was in the lead when the third round came to be undertaken, and he led up to the post-aud-rail fence at the top of the hill, where he fell. When Despised fell the second time he passed quite from view, and when he loomed up at the last hurdle, romping in an easy winner, those present could scarcely believe their eyes. A period extending to over three decades has sped its flight since Despised won the Great Northern, but, as each winter comes round, it still forms the subject for much interesting conversation, and it can always be depended upon to occupy a prominent place in the history of Ellerslie’s leading cross-country event. TE KARA’S RECORD The victory registered by Te Kara in the Brisbane Cup adds one more important race to the record of New Zealand-bred horses on the Australian turf. Te Kara’s winning performance in Tattersall’s Cup, run at Randwick last month, undoubtedly carried the stamp of merit, for lie had 9.0 in the saddle and beat a field of 11 by a display of true gameness. The Brisbane Cup victory represented by the Auckland gelding puts all Ins previous performances in the shade, for he won his race under the steadier of 9.10, and, with a field»of 13 behind him, he romped home an easy winner by two lengths, running the two miles in 3min 26Jsec. Te Kara has contested 53 races, and his record comes out as follows:

13 o 13 13 £ s £ r® H P ft At 3yrs ... 0 0 0 4 At 4yrs ... 3 2 3 4 At 5yrs ... 2 4 4 11 At Cyrs ... 5 2 2 7 10 8 ~9 26 Mr Timms boueht Te Kara for 41 guineas. The horse’s stake winnings total about £10.000.