RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21600, 22 March 1932, Page 7

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

degrave is now in R. McDonald’s stable. Nominations for the Oamaru Jockey Club’s meeting are due to-day. _ Great Star and Grand Review have left to fulfil engagements at Auckland. Overhaul got round at Otautau and the face in company over fences should help to improve him as a ’chaser. Valves who ran second to Deportment In the Great Western Steeplechase, has 141 b less to carry in this year’s race. _ Phar Lap has framed himself in a halo of racing glory that will radiate from one end of the world to the other. Cricket Bat put up a race record when he won the North Island Challenge Stakes in train 24isec. The previous record stood at Imin 25sec, put up by Silver Link, Gascony, and Reremoana. . The Smuggler beat Black Duke in the D.J.C. Handicap when they finished behind Red Sea. There is the saine margin between them again in the Riverton Cup. Full Feather, who finished fourth, comes in on 81b better terms. , t Squatter, the second top-weight in the Riverton Steeplechase, won four _ times over country last season. His wins included the Riverton Steeplechase and Invercargill Steeplechase, and he also ran second to Snowfall in the Otago Steeplechase and Radia in the Wingatui Steeplechase. ' A New York paper of February 6 reports that at Buenos Aires shortly before the date mentioned a jockey named Irenco Lequisamo, an Argentine rider, rode seven winners in a day’s card of eight races and finished second in the eighth. This is claimed to be a world’s record. Some of the best fields seen out this season figure on the card for the first day of the Riverton meeting and should supply some interesting sport. A field of 14 has been paid up for the Riverton Gold Cup and 11 are engaged in the Great Western Steeplechase. , - . The Solferino gelding Paris,-who is topweight in the Great Western Steeplechase, created a surprise when he won the Waiau Steeplechase at Riverton last year. His next win was in the Tamaki Steeplechase at Auckland, and he followed on by winning the Wellington Steeplechase. Pans subsequently ran second to Snowfall in the Grand National Steeples and then won the Beaufort Steeples. The two-year-old colt, by Limond from Eulogy, knocked down to J. T. Jamieson at the Wellington sales in January, was bought jointly for two Sydney owners, one of whom is Mr “ Constable.” They will race the colt in partnership, and Jamieson will train him. ■ Forbra. the winner of the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase, is a six-year-old' gelding. Last season he scored a win and a second over hurdles and finished unplaced in three other_ starts. His change from hurdles to the big country at Aintree has been remarkably rapid as it is generally considered that winners over Liverpool fences take some time in the making. In the early part of January Forbra was one of the rank outsiders, but towards the end of the month he grew in favour. Egremont, who ran second to Forbra, also ran in modest company last season. He won four races over country amongst hunters and ran second in another out of seven starts. Shaun Goilin, who finished third, won last year’s Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase under 11.7. or lllb less than he carried this year. The merit of Phar Lap’s win in Mexico is enhanced by the fact that he had to undergo the disadvantages of a long journey to the scene of action and then suffered an interruption to his training by bruising one of his feet. He survived all drawbacks and won. The great drawback to his chance of success at the finish was a doubt as to how such a long-striding horse would act on a small track. A mile track has often proved a stronger opposition to a long-striding horse than the strength of the field sharpish turns prevent full liberty of action, whereas a smart, nippy horse becomes favoured when the type,of track is “twice round a frying pan with a finish up the handle.” A New York paper just to hand gives particulars of a great coup at Agua Caliente where Phar Lap made his debut on the American Turf.. On January 7 an odd-on chance was regarded as a certainty for a race and consequently started at a very hot price. ' Just before the close of the betting a sufficiently large sum was placed on the totalisator and converted the odd’s-on chance from favourite to a horse with several points against him. It is estimated that money placed at starting price cleaned up a cool million dollars and some of the books stated that they would not bet again on the Agua Caliente meetings. Money was placed in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and elsewhere. This starting price joke has been worked at different times in this country and the first big bet placed at false odds took place in connection with the onetime well-known performer Blazer. Blazer once paid 18s for £l, and a well-known punter conceived the idea of building up a false price against him. He did so by blocking the small totalisator with a late bet and had a substantial wager placed at starting price. The scheme proved successful, but brought in a rule that barred betting on a two-horse field. A Press Association cable message states that George Jones is returning from Melbourne to Sydney with Lady Pam, Actaeon, Rulanut, and Spearlad for the autumn races. Thereafter he will come to New Zealand, but will return later and reside in Melbourne permanently. Lyrical, winner of the Muritai Handicap at Trentham, is a three-year-old halfsister, by Limond, to Crash, who scored his first success in the South Island at the Waimate meeting on Thursday. LyrU cal woti a couple of races in the Wairarapa district early in the season, but then lost form.

Sir Charles Clifford had his first success in the North Island Challenge Stakes on Saturday with Cricket Bat, but the event had been previously captured by Chokebore Lodge horses on three occasions. Sir George Clifford’s winners were Treadmill (1903) Glenculloch (1907), and Autumnus (1913). Past Passage ran two creditable races at Trentham, and it was decided on Saturday to send her north. She will leave Wellington for Ellerslie this afternoon, in charge of H. Cutts, and as the field for the Great Northern Oaks cannot be considered over strong, she should give a good account of herself. She will be ridden by R. Coveny, who will have the mounts on Great Star and Grand Review, the latter in the Eden Handicap, of one mile, on the opening day.

Dr M. G. Louisson had three horses racing at Trentham last week and each ©f them showed good form. Gay Crest registered two fine performances, following up his success in the Thompson Handicap by carrying 9.13 into second place in the Autumn Handicap. The two-year-old, Tout le Mond, after failing on the first day, won on Saturday, while The Quorn, another first day failure, was narrowly beaten in the open sprint event on Saturday. Each of the trio is likely to race prominently at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting next week.