SPORTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19904, 25 September 1926, Page 8

SPORTING.

’RACING AND TROTTING. FIXTURES. September 25.—Ashburton County R.C. Raptofnher 25.—Napier Park R.C. September 25, 27.—Avondale J.C... September 80, October I.—Geraldine K.U. October 2. —Hawke’s Bay J.C. October 7.—Kurow J.C. October 7. —Masterton R.C. October 7, 9.—Whangarei R.C. October 9. —Oamaru J.C. October 14, 16. —Dunedin J.C. October 16.—Carterton R.C.

October 16, 20. —Auckland trotting meeting, October 23. 25.—Wellington R.C. October 25.—Oamaru trotting meeting. October 25.—Waikato Hunt Club. October 25.—Waipawa County R.C. October 23. 25, or 25, 27.— Waverley R.C. October 25. —North Canterbury R.C. October 25, 27.—Gore R.C. October 28, 30. —Poverty Bay Turf Club. October 30.—Timaru trotting meeting. October 30.—Banks Peninsula R.C. October 30, November X. —Thames J .C. November 2, 3. —Cromwell J.C. November 3.—Birchwood Hunt Club. November 6, 8. —Auckland R.C. November 6,8, 10, 13. —Canterbury J.C. November 9, 11, 12. —Me + ropolitan trotting meeting. November 26. 27. —Forbury Park meeting. By his recent victories. Coronach has secured fourth place in the list of great stake-earners that have figured on the English turf. The list is as follows:—lsinglass £57,455, Donovan £55,153, Rock Sand £45,613, Coronach £42,247, Flying Fox £40,096. Sceptre £58,230. The trainer of that useful gelding Nukumai is indeed lucky to possess such a. utility animal. After winning a steeplechase at the Egmont meeting in May last, Nukumai failed to improve as a ’chaser, and was then relegated to hurdle racing again, winning a race of that class under ZLIS at thp last Wanganui meeting. Uukumai is nominated for the principal handicap to be decided at the Otaki meeting. Chiokwheafs withdrawal from the New Zealand Cup was necessitated by the development of a splint, which will necessitate the Buckwheat gelding being given an easy time for the present. It was bad luck for H. Nurse to have this promising customer go wrong in this way, just when he looked like being a useful winner for the •table.

The Craven Plate, to be run on the third day of the Australian Jockey dub’s spring meeting, has furnished many stirring entrants since it was instituted, and the entrants for the approaching race aYe of suob a high standard as to warrant the prediction that it will once again create a wide interest. The following is a list of the horses engaged:—Windbag; Rapine, The Hawk, Count Cavour, Pantheon Valioare, Spearfelt, Red Gauntlet, Fuji San, Amounts, Star Stranger, Rampion, Limerick, and Resource. The race is to bo run over a mile and a-quarter' at weight-for-aga. Runnymede is still a pronounced disap pointmsnt in Australia, an unplaced performance in the Rosehill Cup being the most recent failure entered up a gainst his name. Unless the King John gelding displays something like the form which he showed in New Zealand at three years old, matters will assume the forlorn hope for his repaying tbe Sydney sportsman who invested a large sum in his purchase last November. ;G. J. Pine has made arrangements tor hie nephew, L. A. Pine, a successful North Island horseman, to come south to ride Mir G. Gerard’s horses at the Dunedin

Jockey Club's meeting next month. Young Pine created a good impression when riding at the Grand National meeting, where he won a race on Paper Boy. His engagements for bis uncle’s team will leave him free for quite a number of races at Wingatui, where his services should be in request. A few days after the Sydney Tattersall’s meeting Star Stranger went under to Count Cavour in a fast gallop over nine furlongs at Rand-wick- (says a Sydney writer), and if the latter would only gallop as well in his races as he does on the training track, a win in Sydney would he a certainty. After his last defeat, F. Jones was anxious to hand him over. to nine other trainer, and communicated with his owner to that effect. The reply was hot to be discouraged, but to keep on. He is doing so, but will not again

be tempted to trust Count Cavour in races Until he does something suggestive of a return to his New Zealand form. -..The ex-West Coast trainer, J. W. Jennings, who has now settled at Riccarton, has half a dozen horses in work at .present. Booster is the most forward of the team, and be will be the only representative of the stable at the Ashburton meeting, to be held at Riccarton on Saturday. He should be improved by a race, and he may run better next week at the Geraldine meeting, where North Inch will also be in action. The balance of the team is made up of Paphian, Brown Lady, Prince Perouz, and King Cheops. They have not been long in commission, and they will not be at their best for some time yet. According to the London Sporting Lifo and sportsman, the stallion Grosvenor is to be sent to Australia to do stud duty next season. The horse is owned by Messrs Musker brothers and J. J. Parkinson, who have been induced to send him out because of the fact that another son of Cicero in Valais is now the premier sire in Australia. Grosvenor is by Cicero (son of Cyllene) from that great mare Sceptre, by Persimmon (son of St. Simon), from Ornament, by Bend Or, from Lily Agnes (dam of Ormonde), by Macaroni. At an auction sale held in England in July Grosvenor was sold for 330 guineas, and it will be interesting to note whether lie win a place on the winning sires’ list in Australia.

WANGANUI TRAINING NOTES. (From Our Special Correspondent.) WANGANUI, September 24. Royal Game is a useful track sprinter. He won three six-furlong races on end, and would have made it four but for his saddle slipping. These wins were registered in heavy going. Royal Game should show, up at Riccarton to-morrow, and the way he completed his tasks at Feiiding, Awapuni, and Dannevirke su—'ests that ha will run out the mile. He is a fine beginner, and althogh he has not beaten anything of note he has done all that he has been asked. Civility was so well when she left here that it is expected she will run a good race in the Avondale Cup. Although Beacon Li§ht should finish in front of her. Civility’s six furlongs’ sprint last Saturday was an even more brilliant effort than she accomplished before the local

meeting. It is only the doubt about her being pinched over the last bit that prevents one from declaring solidly in her favour, Tamakana did all that was asked of him at the Dannevirke Hunt fixture. He won the Hunters’ Hurdjes with ease, and later came out to score in the Ladies’ Bracelet, showing too much pace for the remainder. Tamakana revelled in the mud, and his form was so far above his opponents that he should do well in much better company. If he can be kept sound by his ownertrainer, A. J. Burcbell. Tamakana will win more faces before the season is out, and he may do well if put over the country. The New Zealand Cup candidate Ngata is- by no means a certain starter in the big Kicearton handicap. He was allowed to forfeit the Avondale Cup engagement, but will probably moke his next appearance at Otaki in the principal event on the second day. Ngata*s form at Dannevirke was not inspiring, although it must be said that the conditions were all against

him. It was evident at the recent Wanganui meeting that the Fordcll horses were fit and well, yet it was surprising that the stable did not notch a win. Three seconds and two thirds was its portion. Fred Tilley has a team of three entered for the Otaki meeting, the Mew Zealand Cup candidate Shining Armour, Kilia, and Bonhomme. There are no other Wanganui horses engaged at the fixture, the trainers apparently preferring to wait for the Waverley meeting inter in the month, which is this season to provide two days’ racing. That promising galloper Great Day has been taken up again, and he looks in nice trim to start on in preparation for the summer racing. Three months ago the Day Comet gelding could not. he .-aid to have done well during the winter, for he »va3 reported to be in very poor condition, but since then he has obviously been taieftllly nurtured. Last season Great Dav y as a consistent performer, although iether unlucky, for his record should have been even better than it was. tie f. a very bold galloper and should do further service this coming term for his owner. Mr

R. J. Harper, who used to race Dangle and Elthien. the latter filly now being in Australia. where she should do very well. Covent Garden and Thaur are both suffering from oolds, and they had to forego their engagements at Avondale. These youngsters will keep, for they will win races before the seiason ends. Another juvenile in Walter Rayner’s stable. Daman’s, is coming along nicely, and promisee to be a good sort of filly. The Thorn, although still a bit big, may form one of the team for Ellorslie for the Auckland spring meeting. Quite a number of late have been referring to Lysander as a Derby proposition, but there is little chance of his owner's trainer O. M. Currie, setting him such a task. In the past the Absurd stock have been useless when raced over a distanced the nearest to success achieved under the conditions being when Inferno wias narrowly beaten in the New Zealand Derby after his rider had cleverly set the pace to suit the colt. Only a few Absurds have won at 10 furlongs, and only two ever gave the impression that they might go a bit further. These were Thespian and Glenross, and if an Absurd should be a stayer it ought to bo the latter, who is from that brilliant stayer Bronze. Walter Bayner has a private trainer, who is fully alive to the situation, as ho has handled more of Absurd’s progeny than any other mentor, and he should be in a position to know. Recently he laughed at the idea of Lyeander contesting any Derby, and it was then that he declared to tho writer that he was a great guineas colt, and a wonderful sprinter. Unless Lysander shows something extraordinary and discloses unconsidered latent stamina be can be safely ruled out of the Derbies. Tho mistakes made with the early sons of Absurd in training them for distances are not likely to be repeated bv mentors who have fully seized of this weakness of oreecl.