RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21773, 12 October 1932, Page 3

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

Ringing Cheer is back in work at RicCricket Bat will probably start favourite for the Timaru Cup. The Winning Hit gelding Countermarch has been sold to go to Tasmania. Reports from Riccarton state that Minerval continues to go on pleasingly in his work. , , . The Greymouth Jockey {Club experienced a loss of £47J over (last seasons Winners of any race after the declaration of the handicaps for the Timaru meeting may be rehandicapped. _ on It is stated that Irish Lancer cost 130 guineas in England. -„>lt costs over £2OO to ship a horse out to this country. Red Royal h* developed a fetlock joint, which probably accounted for ms disappointing display at the Kurow meetm General entries for the Auckland spring meeting and forfeits for the Great Northern Guineas and Welcome Stakes are due on the 14th inet. Nominations for the Auckland Cup, Railway Handicap, Summer Cup, K.GHandicap, Grand Stand Handicap, King s Plate and Clifford Plate -close on Friday, the 14th inst. ; ■ Three dividends were paid out in two races only at the Dunedin; meeting on Saturday. From opinions expressed by regular racegoers (says the Press) the innovation is by no means popular with speculators, and the introduction of a five shilling machine and. facilities for straightout and place betting would evidently be much more satisfactory. _ Shatter has improved by racing this season,' and F. D. Jones has decided that the Shambles gelding requires P'-eJity of work to tune him up for the Cup. Shatter is a big lusty gelding and will have to shed a good deal of lumber in order to run a good race over two miles. In considering the cost of admittance to race meetings to the ordinary public it’ should not be oyerlookedrrthat the expense does not stop at the price paid at the gates. It coste about 3s 6d to invest £ I on the totalisator, and the three dividend innovation increases the cost to the investor. ' However clubs or those who merely dabble in betting regard i the one-two-three dividend there is no doubt that some owners, who keep horses in training under consider able expense, view it with marked hostility. These owners much prefer the old system, and others again would like a'straight out machine providing a hit or miss bet- In Australia the returns show that -the place machine is ■slightly more popular than the straightout bet, but the figures suggest the wisdom of providing both methods of betting. . / ‘ Some good fields are booked to appear at the South Canterbury Jockey Clubs meeting which, takes place on Saturday next. A good class of field is engaged in the Timaru 1 Cup, and those in the majority of events represent a numerical strength indicative of the club’s popularity. The Timaru track _ supplies a good run for -a horse, and this seems to have been gradually realised by owners who appreciate a chance where their horses have every opportunity to', stride along without being too much oh the turn. One reason why there are fewer, solid on the turf than formerly is that, ;in the passing of the years, the .thoroughbred —generally speaking—has become far more temperamental, due in a measure to the changed methods of breeding. The genuine distance horse of the ■ past; was steady in character. No matter at vyhat pace a-long race was run, he could usually bg depended on to act according to* the bidding of his rider, without making’.any fuss about it, though you may be sure Ihfit he-.prcferred a sound test to enable mim to -display his stamina. Nowadays different (says “ Fernhill ” in the Mel-bourne-Globe), as the last Sydney Cup proved That race resolved itself jnto a ;mere trial of speed, with the result that; for the greater part of the journey, the ifaajority of the starters were engaged in a fight with their riders and had Practically beaten themselves before home came in sight. The stayer of to-day, with bis fine speed and eagerness, is of little use over a journey unless there is phce enough on to keep him from pulling; so hard as to break his natural action. Once a horse, in "being restrained, begins Ito “climb in the air,” instead of going smoothly along the ground, he must soon tire. There was not often any gr§at difficulty of this kind with"the “stonewaller” of old.. He would do "as he was bidden, and took punishment, when jit came to- him, as a matter of course ami fought on. Blending of blood with a tendency to “ nerves ” has made all the difference. ■ That docility of disposition that was once so noticeable in the Cup horse is not so often met with nowadays. This ■is scarcely to be wondered at when we remember the influence of Galopin, mainly through St. Simon, Flying Fox, Sundridge, and others. Inbreeding to these strains must necessarily produce temperament. :It would be unreasonable to expect'anything else. True, .there are exceptions. Instances cab no doubt be quoted to prove that there are gallopers 6f even temper who owe much to Galopin or Flying Fox and Sundridge;. but this’! does not alter my contention that.from these sources you are far more likely to get highly-strung horses, who, to'show them at their bCst. must have long races run in one way. Perhaps some day we, will retflrn to the stock which, though not -at all flighty or with great pretensions to speed, could be relied upon to do the right thing over a Marathon course. Meanwhile it must be admitted that some of the present-day horses can keep going a long while at a true pace, though they do not relish being checked. ... Silver Scorn created a mild sensation by the convincing manner in which she outclassed those opposed to her in the Dunedin Guineas, and the general opinion (says the Press) seemed to be that she is the best filly produced in the South Island for many years, and is probably the most promising in the Dominion since the days of Desert Gold. She has won the three races she has contested and in each has not been called upofi for a serious effort. ■.When she and her mate, Berate, Chides half-sister, were first tried on the track as two-year-olds, it was considered that Silver Scorn would be the sprinter and Berate the stayer, but on Saturday’s form Silver Scorn gave every indication of combining stamina and brilliance. She finished on so strongly that another half-mile was not likely to trouble her and lift" presence in the Derby and Oaks next month would lend much interest to those classics. In this regard, it is safe to suggest that there is no three-year-old of, either sex at present in sight in the South Island likely to test her superiority. She is another great advertisement for Silverado, whose ser-

vices unfortunately have been lost tb New Zealand. Silver Scorn’s breeder, owner, and trainer, G. Murray-Aynsley, had an idea of sending her. dam, Contempt, and also Reproachful and Orange Blossom to Australia to revisit Silverado, but transport arrangements were deemed to be difficult, and they were sent to Polazel, who, like Silverado, is by Polymelus. A two-year-old filly, by Polazel from Reproachful, is at present in work at Riccarton, and the fact that her owner has a high opinion of her probably also encouraged him in selecting Polazel, who is now at Stonyhurst.