RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21646, 17 May 1932, Page 4

RACING NEWS

- / By Sentinel. Acceptances for the Ashburton meeting are due to-day. Paddon is reported to be jumping well in his schooling at Avondale. It has been definitely decided to take Ammon Ra to America, provided he goes on the right way. Moorbird is in work again at Riccarton. She is a good sort when right. As a result of the Waimate Hunt finally deciding not to hold a meeting this season, the vacant date may be utilised for a special meeting at Riccarton. The Winter Cup winner Kahikatoa is to be taken in hand again after a lengthy spell.- He was a fancied runner in the New Zealand Cup, but beat himself through being a hard puller. The Marble Arch gelding Copey, who won the Wanganui Steeplechase, finished fourth in the last Grand National Steeplechase. He was second to Paris in the Beaufort Steeples and won the Lincoln Steeples. A rider in the steeplechase at Warnambool, whose mount suffered defeat by a neck. waR fined 2sovs for disputing the judge's decision. At another meeting a rider was disqualified for two years_ for using abusive language to the stipendiary steward. When the New Zealander Araunah won at Mentone he opened in the betting at' double figures and was backed down to first favourite. Araunah outclassed the opposition. W. Broughton, the rider, was censured after the race for crossing. Only seven horses started in the Flying Handicap, run on the first day at Invercargill. They were in fair line at the rise of the barrier, but First Money and Orubenmore. who are usually good beginners, lost ground. On the second day a field of six was sent away on the move and a perfect start was effected. Crubenmore again showed a loss of her speed and tailed the field throughout. The Polydamon gelding Matu, who won a double over fences at Invercargill, was foaled in 1921. This is not particularly old for a cross-country horse. _ Matu is a really ,well bred horse, as his dam was got by Penry from Grey Roe, by St. Hippo—Ellerslie, by Trenton from a First King—Lady Granville mare, by Chandos —Lady Chester, the dam of Chester, a Melbourne Cup and Derby winner, and also the dam of St. George, a sire of good winners. Colonel Cygnus, ; who scored his first win last week, is an Irish-bred colt imported by. Mr J. M. Samson, and bears a close resemblance in conformation to Martian when the latter was in training. Cygnus was got by Sunstar from Manganui, a half-sister by William the Third, from Vampire, the dam of Flying Fox. Kish-le Shee, the dam of the colt, was got by Acclaim (son of Amphion) from a grand-daughter of St. Frusquin. Colonel Cygnus injured one of his front legs while running in a paddock shortly after his importation, but he seems to be sound enough at present and may train on to win more important races than the one he landed at Invercargill. He was in danger of never seeing a racecourse owing, to being under offer as stallion before joining P. T. Hogan's stable.. In referring to Orwell's success in the Two Thousand Guineas, " Chiron," of the Australasian,, states that Gainsborough very nearly came out to Victoria. Mr Alan Currie, when on leave from France, j attended the yearling sales in England and bid to 2000gns for Gainsborough, but he was passed out at that figure. There was a reserve of 2500gns, and Mr Currie endeavoured to get in touch with Lady James Douglas, who was the vendor, but did not manage to do so. Mr Currie was prepared to go to the reserve, but the cqlti remained in England, and after winnihg the Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, and St. Leger. became one of the most successful sires of the day. According to reports the tasks allotted to Beau Cavalier since his return to the track have not been of a very strenuous nature, but it is intended to keep him working regularly at Ellerslie from now on. The old horse has accomplished a fair amount of work on the roads and on the hills, besides some jumping in the show rings in the past few months, and he looks healthy, although he will require a good deal more work yet before he returns to racing condition. A Melbourne writer, commenting upon the solid support accorded Araunah when he won at Mentone, says:—"Araunah, in particular, was a well-kept 'good thinjr,' for the big operators showed eagerness in offering tens against th& three-year,-okl grey gelding, by Hunting Song from Rewanga. His connections must # have viewed his Mentone impost of 7.10 in the Plate as a real Santa Claus gift. Perhaps, in future, handicappers.will take due regard of such performances ag Araunah was known to possess, and allot weight accordingly. Much adverse criticism was levelled against his favourable treatment after the show lie made of Victoria's Plate horses. He was a clear victor after the first few strides, and with his head on his chest, he ran the six furlongs in lmin Msec. Although the track, while good, lacks spring, the course record of lmin 13sec, which has stood for some time, might have been eclipsed had Araunah's rider desired. Owned by Messrs D. M'Leod and C. H. Slater, and trained by H. S. Green, Araunah was sent out favourite, although, through being trained under the 'cush' at Mentone, nothing could be gleaned about the gelding's doings." Another writer stated that the Hastings gelding had his final gallops on H. Telford's private track, and one of these was good enough to arouse the commissioners, including E. Connolly, The secret of R. J. Mason's success in training horses was patience and, like other old-time trainers, he never worked a horse until he was ready for the task. The best of good feed was, of course, .essential, but the keynote of his success* wag so far as the writer »could form an opinion of his methods. He would train a horse within an inch of his life when occasion warranted, and this was the impression formed of Grand Rapids when he was saddled up for his win in the New Zealand Cup of 1904. When tin; writer went north to see what would have been the famous match between Desert Gold and Biplane, but which never came off, Mason said in the course of conversation that Biplane was not fit to run a mile and a-quarter. In fact, he said, " I had Biplane so fit when he won the Victoria Derby that I may never get him fit again." Jt was once said that a horse sold out of Mason's stable was never much good again, and that proved the case with many horses that were weeded out, but Machine Gun, Berisina, Savoury, and Munjest won good races when purchased by D. J. Price from the "Squire of Yaldhurst."

R. J, Mason always had a soft spot in his heart for the old Forbnry Park racecourse with its splendid turf. It was there he achieved some of his earliest success. He won the Dunedin Cup of 1874 on Lurline. and he trained Vanguard when that son of Tradncer defeated Trenton in the Dunedin Cup of 1885. Mason owned ami trained Spade Guinea when she won in 1887, and won again in 1888 with Gipsy King when the son of Lc Loup won as a three-year-old over two miles and a distance with 8.4 on his back. Mason did not train another Dunedin Cup winner while the race was run at Forbury Park, and his only winner of the race at Wingntui was OrlofT, a good horse that brought his racing career* to an end by an accident in Sydney. Mason trained winners of the Dunedin Champagne Stakes in Bombshell and Gold Medallist, 1 and at Wingatui he saddled up winners of the same race in Courtier, Menschikofl and Machine Gun, who was a “ roarer ” even at that early stage of his career. Courtier was the winner of the first Champagne Stakes run at Wingatui. There was a bit of a sensation when Menschikofl fell during a gallop at Wingatui on the eye of the

race. The son of Stepniak, however, escaped injury and went on with his very successful career as a two-year-old. Mason sent down Nones to win the M'Leau Stakes and she was the speediest two-year-old the writer ever timed on the Wingatui racecourse. Returning to the old Forbury course, Mason once told the writer that when he was_ riding there in a race in the early days his mount struck a patch of thin crust of turf over the bog underneath and went chest-deep in the soft ground. The buoyancy of the turf was proved by the crockery dancing on the shelves of the caretaker’s cottage, which stood well back from the track. Mason won the Birthday Handicap with Marion in 1887. and dead-heated with Melinete when she split honours with .Captive in the race of 1893. He also won the D.J.C. Handicap on Lurline in 1874, and trained the winner of the same race in Gipsy King. R. J. Mason was not identified with jumpers, but he once ran a grey named Victor at Forbury Park at a Hunt Club meeting, and on the same course rode a first and two seconds on his own horse Cock Robin at the Dunedin winter meeting of 1884. He won the Leap Year Handicap Trot of 60sovs, two miles, in 6mm 54sec from 11 others.

Many people have - won distinction on the turf, some with lengthy purses by establishing successful studs or training stables, and others by buying ready-made racehorses just on the threshold of a successful career. Very few_ attained the great and well-deserved distinction won by personal ability, such as that possessed by R, J. Mason. •“ Dick ” Mason was unquestionably one of the greatest trainers the world has ever known. His remarkable success attracted world-wide attention, and yet he was one of the most modest men the writer has ever met. He never assumed an air of superior wisdom, and the tone of his remarks in conversation after saddling up a Gloaming or a Multiform would lead some to believe that any trainer could achieve the same success with the same horse.' Yet the fact remains that he could make a horse where others might wreck the same animal. It was immaterial what class of horse he took in hand. If the horse was there a sure development of the highest possible form followed. Mason was particularly successful with two-year-olds, and, in fact, was a perfect wizard in handling the youngsters. A large portion of the stakes won by him was gathered by two-year-olds and three-year-olds, and no one more fully realised the great importance of Tuning horses which the handicappers could not crush out of a race. Set weights for two-yeaf-olds and three-year-olds and weight-for-age races -provided a field he exploited with a vast amount of success. This was fully demonstrated by his success with Gloaming, whose racing merit never had to be gauged by a handicapper. It was the same with many other horses that went through his hands and never ran in a handicap. Still, the fact remains that Mason trained many good winners over short courses, middle distances, and long distances, run under handicap conditions. The tables of the principal winners in the Turf Register stand as a monument to his great success, and it would be quite safe to say that his record will never again be rivalled in the history of the New Zealand turf. It has been said that some people do not know when to buy a horse or when to sell. Mason was one of the few who did. He confined his attention almost solely to yearlings when buying, and was frequently done with them after their second season on the turf and they became a handicap proposition. He developed feome really great horses in hjs time, and chief amongst them were Lochiel, Multiform, Gold Medallist, Maxim, Medallion (who won a mile and a-quarter race as a two-year-old in Victoria), Stepniak, Noctuiform, Cruciform, Royal Artillery. Conqueror, Machine Gun. Danube, Orloffi, Altair, Uniform, Blue Fire, Menschikoff, Bloodshot, Screw Gun, Martian, Gloaming, Biplane, Emperador, Boniform, Nightfall, Isolt, and many other winners of lesser note that brought more or less grist to the mill. As a man to meet R. J. Mason was most interesting, and frequently very instructive in the course of conversation. At least the writer found it so, and regrets that force of circumstances allowed only infrequent meetings with him during many years of enjoying his friendship. R. -J. Mason was indeed a veritable Napoleon of the turf. _ He ranks as the greatest trainer ever identified with racing in New Zealand, and the many friends he made during a lengthy and continuous career of success will greatly regret the passing of such an ornament of the turf. Orwell, the winner of the Two Thousand Guineas and now a- warm favourite for the Derby, cost Mr Washington Singer 3000 guineas as a yearling. _ Orwell is by Gainsborough, and according to an English writer, Mr Singer “is said to have chosen the name because the great artist, Gainsborough, painted many of his pictures in the country through which the Suffolk river Orwell runs. As a matter of fact, the stallion Gainsborough was not named after the artist. Not knowing what to call him, Lady James Douglas, his breeder and owner, picked up a railway guide, and, beginning with the letter A, turned over page by page until she came to Gainsborough, the town in Lincolnshire. She liked the sound, of that name, and selected it,” Orwell is from Golden Hair, a mare by Golden Sun from Tendril, by St. Simon from Sweetwater, by Hampton from Muscatel, by Musket, and from the sire’s side he also gets a strain of the Musket blood. It is a coincidence that the pedigree bears a likeness to that of Solario, himself a Derby winner, and sire of Dastur, who finished second to Orwell. Golden Sun is a son of Sundridge, and Solario was by Gainsborough from a mare by Sundridge. In Australia, High Art, Dignity, and Devonshire are sons of Gainsborough at the stud, and in New Zealand Gainscourt, sire of winners, is another helping to carry along the line.