NEWS AND NOTES

NZ Truth, Issue 943, 22 December 1923, Page 9

NEWS AND NOTES

Merry Day appears all right again, though her track work has not been very solid during the past few weeks. Walter Garrett hopes to start the mare m the Wairarapa Cup.

Mr. W. E. Bidwill will not be present to see Suggestion race m the Great Northern Derby at Ellerslie as the Jubilee Meeting of the Wairarapa Racing Club, of which he Is president, will claim his attention.

Agitato, a .two-year-old by Polydamon — Melodise. Is coming along nicely ot Tauherenikau, but it is not likely that Mr. Elgar will race him until the autumn as. he is still growing fast.

Mr. A. A. Cameron, of Masterton, who raced Lady Black and , others some years ago, has a promising gelding from Lady Black m work, which he has named Black Rod. Mountain Knight is the sire.

Neither Vagabond nor Sir Rosebery have done any schooling lately, but they are both good jumpers and a brush-up at Awapuni before the meeting will set them right for the hurdle races there.

Miss O'Dille will be racing on her own course at New Year and will not have a strong field to meet m the juvenile races at Tauherenlkau.

- Notwithstanding the run of bad luck the Kemball stables have had lately, the Masterton owner has helped the Wairarapa R.C. with 25 nominations.

Dave Donald, of Masterton. has received good reports from Bulls about Aeriform and Tinohari. and they are looked upon as likely winners during the holidays.

Tom Pritchard intended galloping his two-year-old by Lucullus— Merrie Chimes this week to see if ho has pace enough to warrant being put into active training.

The Elgar team for Auckland is Black Ronald. Zouave and Hallmark, while Pantagruel, PopolY. Bonnie Heather and Miss O'Dille will race at the Walrarapa meeting.

Debate will bo a better mare at New Year as W. Galbraith had been easy with her previous to tho Woodville meeting.

Pantagruel has improved with racing and is looking fresh and well just now. This three-year-old should do well for the Elgar stable beforo the season ends-

Well handled m the Neagle Memorial at Dannevirke, Trespass would have given Crown Star a much harder race.

When ridden by apprentice riders Good Mark haa given the impression that with a more experienced rider m the saddle he may have won, but both R. Bagby and M. McArten have failed to mako him do any better.

The Author was expected to materialise on the Bccond day at Feilding, but a very bad run extinguished any chance possessed by him, but at Waipukurau ho will encounter a weak field and should make a return.

Allmarlrnba ran n couple of slashing good races at Feilding and when well is a useful sort, so if he jumps out well at Awapuni he will give bother.

If Daddy's Girl is brought south for the Taranaki and Stratford meetings she should get some easy money as the. jumpers engaged there are very poor.

The owner of Ngata Is very sweet on his gelding'B chance In the Manawatu Cup. but at Feilding ho looked very big and it Ik doubtful If the hay will be ready to run out a solid twelve furlongs. The President's Handicap, run on the second day of the meeting, should suit Ngata.

W. Bagby will ride Muraahi m the Auckland Cup.

I ■ Up to the present Many Kittle has been a rank failure over a long course, yet he appears as an acceptor for the Auckland Cup. Perhaps his trainer has his eyes on a race like the Summer Cup, over which distance Many Kittle goes well. , That a course of jumping improves many horses out of all recognition has been proved many times over, a recent case being that of Tinokaha, who, after beating a useful lot m the Cup at Taumarunul, was sent out' for the Flying, which he. won, beating a fair sort m Hipo: Tlnokaha's further success m the, Waipa Cup last Saturday was even a better performance. There was a lot of commission money for a certain equine at the Dannevirke meeting and "those interested promised to get a reasonably good price, as tbey laid their plans well, but* they reckoned without their host, and, like on most other occasions, the woolbrokers won hand's down, for although the nioke won the price was. very- short. As Mark Time, has a good' horse's Weight m the Manawatu -Cup; a 'solid stayer like Deucaiion rriay . worry the Hawera-trained gelding. On his last appearance m public (at Riccarton), Deucalion ran fine races," and on this form alone will be hard at Awapuni. At the Woodville meeting* Maria of Hereford was paying nearly half a century, but, of course, nobody wanted to be on her. The following week, at Dannevirke, she was made a" hot pop m the Maiden, and duly won, but her performance was nothing to enthuse over and on her showing would not appear to have much chance with Royal Divorce m the Robinson Handicap at Ellerslie. Admiral Codrington was backed down to an absurdly short price for the principal race at Dannevirke, but after having the race run to suit him the Admiral failed badly and it looked as if a let up for a few days would have been a wiser course m view of the busy time ahead. The moderately-performed King's Folly (8.12) was not fired Into the Nursery Handicap on the 'first'" day of the Auckland meeting, so it [was not surprising that the name of Anomaly's brother was missing when the acceptances were posted. At the Feilding meeting the two-year-old Solterange ■ showed some promise, and as he has gone on the right way since he is worth remembering m his immediate engagements. Solferange may be found at Awapuni on Boxing Day. . " In the early spring Gaillard showed much promise on the tracks, but failed badly m his early efforts, but at the Auckland meeting m November he showed some pace, and may yet come good, although at present he- is inclined to be washy. Gaillard is engaged at Awapuni on Wednesday. Sir Roseb'ery is very well at the present and he should not get beaten at Awapuni on' Boxing. Day. Stick tb form and you won't be far out. Counter Attack Is l m, at' Awapuni and has his recent running to recom-mend-.him. Cleasanta will-be:the>hard-est for him to put under. ' On Riccarton running Geranial will take home some money from Awapuni. Lady Fingers races well fresh and she is m the open six at Awapuni. That she has been trained over a mile of late may be against her. A likely outsider m the Manawatu Cup is Helen Rufus. She is always last away from the peg but she stays on well. Slaosl is a horse with a reputation and he is m the Nursery at Awapuni. Gaillard will keep him busy. If over his lameness look out for Sunny Jim at New Plymouth. * Fire Brigade should be good enough to clean up the poor lot m tho Huatoki Plate at New Plymouth. The imported Lapidary is m the hack stakes at New Plymouth. If he makes the trip watch him. Baldowa has only to carry 7.10 m the big race at Wingatui. On recent form lie is the pea. Count Cavour has not much to boat m the two-year-old race at Wingatui. On spring racing he was easily the best ypungster m the South Island. Sprinkler is above the average. He Is to do the south meetings. Wingatui will see him first. What a choice one. Some Kid Is very partial to Wingatui and a mile welter ia his pet distance. If Air Gold is ever going to win a race she should do so at Awapuni. She is m the maiden and those engaged are not of extra prime quality. Tho Tararua 1 Handicap at Awapuni will tnke some picking. Cairo has a ton of weight and that with the distance may stop him. Still the field is of poor quality and with a decent run he will be troublesome at the flnlsh. Pouma Is a good sort of a sprinter and up at New Plymouth she will take a power of stopping. Awangawanga has a big enough name to hump his 11.8 to victory m the high weight at Waipukurau. If tho course is at all easy be with First Salute at Waipukurau. But he wants the sting out cf it. Avola won nicely at Feilding and on that form should be hard to dispose of at New Plymoutn. Mlrcusonta has not done much galloping since he raced at Riccarton, so he may not bo as forward as could be desired when ho starts m the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie. He always races better after he has had an outing with the colors up. . In a gallop at Riccarton early last weok Gloaming showed that ho has all his old pace by getting over half a mile In 4Usec. He appears to bo quite sound and will be ready for the Taranaki, Hawera, Wanganui and Trentham fixtures. It Is expected that the first outing will bo at the «Turanakl meetings. A returned visitor from tho Te Awnmiitu meeting says that had Mr. J. Bull known thnt the going was right-handed there he would not have made tho trip. 1 1 was cruol to see Ngata beaten Jn his race and he will make amends early. If Goldtown wins a race at EUerslie It will most likely be on tho last day «h im is not capable of running out a mile or seven furlongs, which races he appears m- early »t the meeting. Prior to leu v In -j Riccarton neither Golutown nur Parody did much on the tracks. I-oußhroa is to do tho southern circuit, and it's a guinea to a gooseberry 'that he will swell the Squire of Salisbury's banking account. Tho Invercargill Cup. perhaps. Warhaven is as thin as a boardinghouse blanket. It wilt tako a long time to build him up.

General Advance will take hia place :in tho outgo Handicap and villi be ridden In that event by J, Andrews.

A. McCormac has been given the mount on Ballymena m the Auckland Cup as J. Barry will be at Awapuni. McCormac has not had much luck m big races.

An unlooked-for defection from the Auckland Cup was the Dunedin-train-ed Loughrea. His owner would see the weights for Dunedin the day of the acceptances for ~ the Auckland meeting. Probably the weights for the Wingatui fixture pleased him, though m some parts his withdrawal is interpreted as a tip for the Solferino gelding, Roseday.

The apprentice W. Bagby is one of the few capablo riders who can go to scale at the minimum. He will be at the Ellerslie meeting next week, and his services have been fully booked for the first day.

Big money was won over the dual success of Vaccination at Taumarunui. but the class she met could not have been of much account, as she was not seen m the Maiden at Waipa on Saturday. The chestnut mare is now much more tractable than she was last season, and her owner was quite prepared for her victory.

Lady Biddy lost her rider soon after the start of the Orakau Handicap at Waipa. The Birkenhead mare is not too sound, but if her trainer can keep her going she should be able to win a few races over fences when the tracks get the sting out of them.

An American writer says that gambling on racecourses there is dying out for backers will not operate while the commission is so high. It must be :bad if it is worse than New Zealartd. Here the tote gets the lot. Of every ten thousand pounds put through the machine nearly one-sixth fails to return and goes into the coffers of the clubs. Can any one hope to win at a game like this? If common sense is applied to the argument it will quickly be seen that the tote gets the ;lot m the end. Work it out for yourself and see how you fare. How would you get on m any business where a partner had one -sixth before you got any? After this is deducted- you have still got to find the winner which m these days of pork pie jockeys is very hard to do.

It was m the good old days when the books were licensed to bet on the course and their number contained v one who was known for his partiality m dealing with "dead meat." On one afternoon at Ellerslie he had a . horse given him to go on with as the trainer was broke and had no money to back his horse with and he was reckoning on a few pounds from the bookmaker the first day nnd with this he would punt on the second day. He instructed the lad that looked after the horse that he need not bother as he was going to have a rest and would bring the horse with him when he came to the course. The lad was a bit suspicious, so instead of going to the races he secreted himself m the loft and watched the trainer. Later he" saw that worthy coming into the box with the usual feed and also a very largo bundle of green oats and a big bucketful of water. Ho! ho! thought the lad. That is how it Is to-day, but not for mine. So after the trainer had gone he jumped down and emptied, the water and also removed the green feed and part of thc hard feed. The race was the last of the day and when the trainer came for the horse he was delighted to notico that tho feed was all gone a9 was the water. He then took the horse to the course and sent word to his thieving confederate that he could knock a few pounds out of his horse for both of them. Meantime the youngster, who also had a clientele of his own, was hard at work digging out punters and the money fairly rolled m for the horso who started favorite. The jockey was not aware of anything amiss and he also had advised his friends to be on. Home rolled the favorite and to this day the trainer has not been able to fathom the mystery and neither has he been able to convince the layer that he did not take him down.