RICCARTON TRAINING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19940, 6 November 1926, Page 8

RICCARTON TRAINING NOTES.

(From Our Special Reporter.) CHRISTCHURCH, November 5. After heavy rain lasting over two hours on Thursday night the weather is again bright and sunny, but the atmosphere seems to be charged with an aspect suggestive of more moisture. The Canterbury .Jockey Club is proverbially lucky with its principal meetings so far as weather is concerned, and the prospects may be considered quite good for the opening of the New Zealand Cup meeting. The track is in excellent order, and will provide, good going, devoid of sting, but not particularly fast, which is, after all, a minor consideration. . On Friday morning no work of importance was done, as the final gallops took place on the previous morning, it was, however, interesting to scan the condition of the small multitude of horses as they went out and came back with short sprints as their mission. Rapine looks in splendid order, but came within an ace of striking serious trouble. He was sprinted halt a mile, and his pilot got him into a closed portion of the course, and if a trestle had not been promptly pulled out of the way the top-weight may have struck trouble which probably would have deleted him from the Cun field. As it is he seems in excellent shape to break down the idea that a horse carrying over 8.9 cannot win the New Zealand Cup. Weight is, of couise. t, relative matter and what is consulcied a heavy burden one year may. in a weak class be a lenient one on some other occasion? For that reason Rapine may go out favourite for the New Zealand Cup. Count favour has improved since his return from Svdney, where he may have been overdone. Still. Rapine seems to bold him safe on form. Beacon Light may be counted as a doubtful starter at the meeting, and of the light-weight division none of them has any credentials to suggest success. The best oi them mu> be Full Swinp and Clannda. The Stewards’ Handicap is, as usual, an open race, in which the luck of the draw mar materially affect the result. Of the horses seen on the track tins morning nothing appealed more than Shale.), oet Sail Comic Song. Inferno, and Circulation: Arpent, although he galloped well, seems to be a shade backward, but he should be greatly improved by bis gallop. Orchid and Mireusonta both look n .J, but from a handicap point of view Inferno and Moorland have a pull in the weights. When, however, ■- comes clown to favouritism, Shirley and Set Sail may be found coming close, to the popular pick. Black Cruiser and Bachcloi Gay may come in for support in the Spring Hurdles. Hmh Pitch and Margaret Birney will carry confidence in the Spring Plate, and Goldtown and Lancer may be the uvular selections for the Linwood Handicap. Cimabue may dispute favouritism m the Welcome Stakes with the coupled pair, Wrion and Eulalie, but if Ark Royal leaves the mark promptly he will tiouble the best of them. . , £ 1 Solvose may be selected as the best of the moderate lot in the Apprentices Handicap, and great interest will be centred in Commendation’s display in the Riccaiton Handicap, in which he has a big weight for a three-year-old. Footfall and Pink Note may prove selections as most likely to trouble the Derby favourite.

(From Oitb Special Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, November 5. The spring racing carnival, comprising four days’ galloping at Riccarton and three davs’ trotting at Addington, will be opened to-morrow, when the Canterbury Joe's*y Club will make a start with its u\<r tivture. Carnival Week promises well this vear. Up till this week there were not many visiting horses on the ucene, but during the last few days thev have arriyed in bi fr bati-hes from the north and south. The tracks presented a verv busy appearance while the winding-np gallops were in progress. The fields will be Hirjgc, and with horses present from all parts of the Dominion, the racing will have the widest interest. The closing week witnessed some sensational Cup changes. I'rom the Umc he won the Metropolitan Handicap Star Stranger was installed favourite. i allowing on his arrival at Riccarton, however, he developed a dry cough of a type that is rather prevalent at present lie did only light work, ami no surprise, was felt when he dropped out of the (. up. at the final payment. His withdrawal was coincident with the advance ot Rapine in fd At* l this time, however, Beacon Light was entitled to rank as favourite, but he has furnished the latest sesnatioa, and may be a non-starter. Alter a mile and a-quarter gallop on Thursday morning he walked off quite -mildly. A couple of hours later, however, after he had cooled out, he showed symptoms of lameness. He was under treatment throughout the day. This morning he was taken to the tiacU, but he was not worked. Instead, he spent an hour in the washmg ; down shed, with a cold-water hose playing on the doubtful leg. The .trouble is below one of the fetlocks. It is not greatly swollen, but the horse walks very tenderly. His trainer, S. Waddell, stated that he had not abandoned all hope of starting the horse in the New Zealand Cup. tut he added that he was not at all hopeful about the prospects. The owner. Mr W. T. Hazlett, is expected to arrive from Invercargill to-Aight, and it is probable that a final decision will be come to when he has been consulted. In further conversation, the veteran trainer said that Beacon Light had frequently been a souice of trouble throughout his racing career. He was not sound early i in the season, and it was this fact that decided Waddell to take Beacon Light to Auckland in September for the Avondale Cup, which h 6 ‘ won. There seemed even then a doubt about, him remaining sound, and he thought it advisable to seize the earliest opportunity of winning a big stake. But for the fear that the Bomform gelding might go amiss at any time, Waddell would have passed the Avondale Cup over and would have kept Beacon Light for the New Zealand Cup, without risking any increase in his original weight (7-5)-. Even if Beacon Light is got to the post, his prospects must be seriously prejudiced. It is an unfortunate happening not only for the hone’s immediate connections but also for many outside admirers, .as he had done vpU and shaped like being very hard to beat. ~ ~ .i>o Cup now looks an exceptionally open race. Rapine is now favourite, bur, Clarinda has come ttrongly under notice during the last few rri a ’^ S * also Count Cavour and Desert Glow, ihes© three ail worked exceptionally well at the end The Southland mare. Full Swing, after going out of favour owing to recent race failures, bas gained fresh admirers through good track work. fehe vvill be ridden by L. Beale. Novar. the last of the Cup candidates to put in an appearance, had his first gallop here this mornin- and created a good impression by reeling off a fast mile. His trainer is very confident about his chance. Sprinting form is well represented in the Stewards’ Hancjicap. The Trentham winners, Shirley and Fool’s Paradise, have many friends, the former being the favourite, but it is realised that bet bail will be troublesome. This Southland mare looks in groat fettle, and her track work has been good. Volant and Booster are a couple of speedy lifcht-weights, and both are galloping well Mr W. G. Stead s two-year-old Cimabue has made many friends here, and the po'.ul.ar view 'is that the Greenwood bracket, Agrion and Enlalie, will provide the strongest opposition for him in the Welcome Stakes. . Nuknmai schooled well this morning, ami in spite of a big weight he vvid be well backed in the hurdle race. High Pitch has galloped brilliantly since his arrival, amt he may be favourite for the Spring Plate, for which High Gear is another three-year-old possibility, while Margaret Birney should also show up. Commendation will be duly tried in the Riccarton Handicap. Footfall and Pink Note may prove hard for the crack three-year-old to shake off. Goldtown should run well in the Linwood Handicap, as he is in good form. Pangolin may be favourite for the Apprentices’ Handicap, but riding will play a prominent part in this race. The three-year-old Young Lochinvav has been moving very serutchily of late. The North Island gelding First Acre, who arrived at Riccarton yesterday, broke open the door of the box in which he was stabled last night and disappeared. The police were communicated with, but the search for him produced no result this morning. The accident which occurred to J. Beale when Finora fell with him at Motukarara last Saturday has had much more serious results than was feared. A bone in his left ankle is broken, and he will be unable to ride at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting. Instead, it is probable that he will have to go into hospital for treatment. This is bad luck for the Riccarton horseman, who had some good mounts at tho meeting, including Shirley in the Stewards’ Handicap, Agrion in the Welcome Stakes. Phaola in the Derby and Oaks, and Commendation in the Stead ' Cup-