RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21361, 15 June 1931, Page 5

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

Nominations for the Oarnaru Jockey Club’s meeting are due to-day. Acceptances for the Timaru meeting •re due to-day. . Nominations for the Ashburton winter Meeting are due to-morrow. Arikiwai is standing up to a fair •mount of work, and a good stayer is •Iways worthy of note. There is a lull at present in the racing world ,and the next important fixture will be the Wellington winter meeting, which takes place next month. , Kaikahu, who raced at the Wmgatui winter meeting, broke down badly when working on his return to Riccarton. The Wellington Racing Clubs winter programme will carry £7335 in stakes. Last season the same programme earned £9300, ili stakes. _ " The ; Martian mare Bee was recently represented by a winner at Sydney'meetings. Bee won the Wellington Cup of 1918. .. , , , . Phar Lap has again been placed in training, and from;all accounts seems to be bright and healthy to Stand another

preparation. ... Corneroff, who ran second in the .last ' Grand National Steeples is back in training, and has been hunted in part preparation for future events. A It has been going the rounds of sporting paragraphs that The Smuggler is owned by Mr F. Price, the owner of Korke’a Drift. That is not so/ The I Smuggler is owned by Mr F. T. Price, a ion oft the owner of Korke’s Drift. • The Press reports that Distrait, a three- ... year-old filly by Diacquenod from Lovelorn, dam of Prince Paladin, is showing marked promise in her work at Riecarton, and recently accounted for The Quorn and Locksley 'in ’a gallop over five furlongs 6n the plough. She is an inmate of J. B. Pearson’s stable, which also shelters Man- • etho, a two-year-old brother, to Distrait, who also is likely to make good later on. The Victorian Racing Club chairman (Mr L. K. S. Maekinnon) is of opinion that facing has been insufficiently reduced ini Victoria, and believes a further cut ' would be beneficial. He says racing has degenerated from a sport to an industry, and that over-racing does not give horses a chance of improvement. Spalpiko was one of the best jumpers seen out at Ellerslie. He has a very .bold style of fencing, and he also has pace. He soon opene<Fup a big lead in the Great Northern Steeplechase, and it was only on the top of the hill the last time that he was caught. On that showing (says thd Auckland Star) he looked to- have a •great chance in the Winter' Steeplechase on Monday, as the distance was threeQuarters of a mile shocker. Again ne went out to a big break, and he maintained bis advantage til! nearing the straight for the final struggle, when Claremore ranged alongside him, but once over the last fence he drefc away to score easily enough. He went over almost on to Clareqiores ground during the final run, but that fact in itself did not appear to make any difference to the result, and the stewards, after Bearing evidence, were of that opinion too. Admittedly, ho.wever, it was probably Ricky for him that Clareifiore had blundered four fences back. Spalpiko raced •#ell at the previous Great Northern meeting, and is capable of still further imjtovement. -f; ' ‘ , ■ : ; It is a remarkable fact that neither . of the winifers of the-Great Northerns, Prince Lu and Master ,Lu, figures m the New Zealand Stud Boodj Prince Lu is by Lucullus ? and Master Lu by Spalpeen, both well-known sires with recorded pedigrees, but theirHdaifts are obscurely bred. Phnce Lu is out of an Elysian—Graceful mare and Master Lu is out of a Lupin hiare. Both Elysian , and Lupin are . well-known sires with recorded pedigrees; and it is possible that the dams are not in the official' list through oversight or neglect with regard to breading returns. The stain in the pedigree did not. of course, prevent either of them from showing out as .the best of the jumpers at • Auckland, but their value would be en- , fianced by inclusion in the Stud Book. •The Wellington . Steeplechase will carry gH stake of 760sovs, and the Winter Hurdles will be of equal value. The principal stakes, at the meeting have all been cut down, but still represent some- • thing well worth winning. ■. Mr W T. Hazlett’s jjimpmg campaign in the North Island, though not producing ..the results’ that were hoped for by ' many southern admirers, has (says the Auckland Star) so far been amply justified. They did not flatter their sup- - porters/' in the Great, Northerns but Apache won a hurdle race at the ie Kuiti meeting and Paris captured a hack steeplechase on the concluding daj r a Auckland, so that the results were quite satisfactory. The two should fe benefited by their racing experiences, ihd further honours should await tnem in: the jumping events* during the winter. Haris may quite a force 1 t 6 reckon with ' in the Grand. National Steeplechase. It will be r.o new experience to have a mepiber of this family earning distinction over the Riccarton country, where an elder relative. Frenchman, raced with great credit in steeplechases a couple of years ago. 'At Epsom (England) on April 20. b. Donoghue won the opening race, on a 6 to X ‘chance, and his son, Pat, scored the last race ofi the day on a 9 to 2 chance. During the afternoon Donoghue, jun., was second in a race in which his father was •oB the third horse. Pat Donoghue also rides well over the jumps. In the 192930 season in England he was successful ip seven of the 24 hurdle races in which lie rode. ■ V Sin the ballot for the vacancy on the A.J.C. committee. Mr A. W- Thompson defeated Mr E. J. Watt by 561 votes to 460. The latter took his beating m good spirit, congratulating Mr Thompson, and adding that no election could- have been fought in better feeling. They were the best of friends, with-interests-in racing that Were almost identical. Mr Thompson is the proprietor of the well-known , Widden Stud. ?Mr H. S. Moss,, secretary, of t the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, recently stated tfiat the club had every intention of resuming its activities at the earliest possible date. Like every other organisation owning building property, however, the club suffered, considerably through earthquake damage, but is determined to revive racing in Before that can be done it will be necessary to bring, to a satisfactory'conclusion certain negotiations now in progress between the Jockey Club and the Government, hut the club expects that its hopes will be realised, and that it will be enabled to hold on its own course the meeting set down for July 2 and 4. As f° r n as reply now awaited is received from the Government, the club will hold a. special committee meeting to decide various important matters. As is generally known, two of the stands at the racecourse were rather badly damaged by the earthquake, but a thorough and expert inspection has shown that they can be made just as safe as they were before February 3. Spalpiko was one of the best jumpers •een out at Ellerslie during the recent meeting. He has a very bold style of fencing (says the Auckland Star), ana he also has pace. He soon opened up a. big lead in the Great Northern chase, and it was only on the top oi the hill the last time that he was caught. On that showing he looked to have a great chance in the Winter Steeplechase, and going past the stands the ,first time he was well clear. He maintained his advantage till nearing the straight for the final struggle, when Claremore ranged alongside him, hut once over the lasu fence he drew away to score easily enough He went over on Claremore during the final run. but it did not appear to make any difference to the result, and the stewards, after hearing evidence, were of that opinion too. Spalpiko raced well at the . previous Great Northern meeting, and is capable of still further improve ment. Acording to reports few of the horses who competed at the Great Northern meeting stood np to their racing better £ian Catoma, who improved with each con-

test. He put up a solid performance when he finished third in the hit 2 icy Handicap, and but for being stopped on two occasions during the race he would have won. However, he made amends in the Carbine Plate on Monday by beating the opposition pointless, and recording one of the best efforts during the meeting. Catoma has never been more solid than at present, and judged on his two last performances. he should be capable of winning races in better company in the future.

It is reported that G. J. Pine has recommissioned Don Jose after a spell, while he also has Pixie Gold and the rising three-year-old by Psychology from Paper Rose in work. Silver Coot will join the team in a day or two, having returned to his training quarters after a rest on his owner’s station. .

High Pitch was travelling nicely when he came to grief in the Grhat Northern Hurdles about five furlongs from home. He was 'afterwards started in the Remuera Hurdle Race and won well. He did not jump as magnificently as Prince Lu (says an, exchange), but made up his f round quickly between the fences and ept Prince Lu at it all the way, with the result that he had him beaten at the ton of the straight. There are few move improved hurdlers about Auckland than High Pitch, who began racing over obstacles only during the autumn, and now has won three' events and been placed on other occasions. He is a good horse in bad ground, and, hangs on well at the finish. It will be surprising if he does not win more important jumning events than those already to his credit.