RACING NOTES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 12121, 24 December 1913, Page 8

RACING NOTES.

(By "All-Red.")

Tile last word has now to be spoken on the Boxing Day meetings. Local interest will centre chiefly on Wingatui. but a largo proportion have their • yes on Auckland, where the big "tw.o-thou.sn'nd-pounder" is to be run. At the time of writing the iavorites are Sea Pink, .lack Delnval, and Potoa, in that order. Some Chrislehurch investors have speculated very heavily on Sea Pink during the last, week, and this has helped to keep him at a .short price. One medico is reported to have taken 400 to 100 and also -100 to 50 about Potoa. Thus he really is taking 400 to 150 about picking it in two and has sixteen horsey going against him. It does not need much calculating to see that he has all the worst of the wager. But to return to the race. Potoa is now top-weight. His owner lias slackened him out a bit last week, but most of the cognoscenti think he will require a race. Jack Delaval is as lit as hands can make him, and as his owner-trainer wrote to a friend in Christclvurch last week, "what beats him will win." Sea Pink and Royal Arms can both be depended upon to run good races, but if anything scores outside the quartette named it will mean a big dividend."Soltano is crippling the marke:," so remarked a leading penciller the other day. ft seems that no one wanted to be on anything except Mr Lowry's colt, and in this they were exercising good judgment, for lie was the fastest three-year-old we have seen for many a long day. It is doubtful if there was a faster horse over a short course in tho whole of Australasia. With the sudden and untiriiely decease of this brilliant colt the stable will depend on i:s second string, Beldame, a filly that has improved a lot since Riccarton, and looks like picking up a race fit the meeting, 'lhe Lowry stables, had Soltano not been lost, would have been in for a good- time, with Soltano in the Railway

Handicap and weigjht-for-age event, and Chime and Balboa in the two-year-old: races. The latter reads' very well in the Nursery Handicap on the first day, for the Northern youngsters aro a poor lot. Umeraboy is the only Southern horse in the Hurdles, which, by all accounts, is "made" for Pliroso. We are nearer home when we come to discuss Wingatui, and we should also bo nearer the mark, but the writer does' not feel at all confident, and straight away admits that in several cases tho issue looks very open. Nicely-liandled Kilmeny should account for the Hurdles, for he has a good dash of pace, and if Hegarty does not allow the Kileheran gelding to kill himself in the first mile lie should bo there at the finish.

As Clmdie will probably be reserved for the Uurnside Handicap, the Timaruirained Roval should carry the most support in the Salisbury Handicap (seven furlongs). Hops was a winner at Horarata," but the company here is very much stronger. Honesty and Cortes are the only youngsters known of the Dunedin Handicap lot. The former may be equal to outstaying the others, for she was np against pretty hot stuff at Riccarton and showed up well. That Martins has gone on the right way since Riccarton is easily seen by the support forthcoming for him to win the Otago Handicap (l.\ mile). The top-weight, Flora llacdonald, is a real good filiy, but she is hardly a 101 h bettor performer than the coit. The Federal Handicap (six furlongs) is very open, and promises to bo a- difficult problem. The three top-weights, Oxenhope, Ogier, and Obsono, are within a pound ef each other, but Speedometer (7.5) and Golden Horn (7.3) can both go very fast, and under such light imposts the others may not be able to see it out with the paii named.

That go-ahead institution, the Wellington Racing Club, has received excellent entries for its summer meeting, to be held next month. All the best horses, both weight-for-age and handicap, are engaged, and it looks as if the meeting'will be the moso successful in every way that the Club has yet held. The Kilclieran gelding Ireland had his first race in Western Australia on December 6th, when he was beaten out of a place in the Dec-ember Stakes at the Perth mee:ing. Some idea of the popularity of racing in France can be arrived at, seeing that the takings at the gates at Longchamps on the day of the Grand Prix De Paris (a race that was wovth £15,143 to the winner), on June 29th, were £13,400, while no less than £171,362 passed through the'totalisator. New Zealand-bred horses, in the hurdlers Gangway and Lord Kelvin (Multiform —Sans Peur), were sold in Melbourne early this month.

The ex-Riccarton trainer, D. J. Price, recently disqualified for two years by the V.R.C., has, sold liis residence and stables at Caulfield, and it is said is returning to Maoriland. _ Additional stipendiaries have been appointed to act during the holidays. Mr 'C. Gorton will be at the Southern meetings where Mr R. O. Duncan cannot get, -and Mr Clias. Paterson, a steward of the Wahganui Jockey Club, will attend the West Coast meetings. In the early part of his career-as a jockey, the ■ now famous Flemington trainer, Walter Hickenbotliam, frequently rode in races in which xhe celebrated mare Sappho, the ancestress of so many crack racehorses, took part. Sappho, who later in life became almostwhite in color, was then a beautiful dapple grey of very .symmetrical contour, and had all the appearance of being clean bred. She could also gallop and stay well, and she and a stable mate, Gazelle, fairly swept the hoard at the meetings in which they took part.

Fougasse (Kilclieran —Ambush), who. was formerly raced -by Mr Jno. Buckley, of Redcastle, won the Fitssroy Plate, of 70 sovs, on"December Ist. It is reported that J. R. Franks, of Yaldhurst. will in future have the training of Gnome, who was formerly .an inmate of W. Clarke's stable. Mr H. F. Nicoll's Pearl Child,, who has an engagement in the Trotting Cup at Auckland on Saturday next, was railed North on Friday evening. it is reported from tire North that 'Mr T. H. tiowry, of Hawkc's Bfty, intends sending • another team of- racehorses to Sydney in the .autumn. His previous trips have paid well, for Bobrikoff and Soltano both won thousands in stakes at Ranrfwick. .

Just before reaching the office to-day "All Red" met an old acquaintance from the South, and amongst other things he informed inn that Cov will score in the Waikoiiaiti Cup. This ought to be called the "Veterans' Handicap," for both Rock Ferry ami Coy are old_ enough to vote.