RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21919, 3 April 1933, Page 5

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel. Handicaps for the combined meeting at Beaumont at Easter are due to-morrow. Acceptances for the first day of the Riverton meeting are due on Wednesday. Mount Boa will run closer to his best form when the tracks become softer. A. E. Wormald is enjoying a run of •uecess with Hurlingham, Rothen. and Ranelagh, and with this very useful team his name should be prominent in the winning trainers' list for the season. Silvern, who split winning honours in one of the steeplechase events at the Birchwood Hunt meeting on Saturday, is an aged mare, by Tractor from Silver Patch. She is a fine jumper. Cricket Bat has had an easy time since his recent North Island campaign, but he will be given fast work this week to sharpen him up for his engagement in the Great Easter Handicap. He jran second to Autopay last season, but his latest form has not been encouraging. ■ The Beaumont course is carrying a good sole of grass and i 6 reported to be in excellent order despite the dry season. The New South Wales Owners and Trainers' Association intends to submit a resolution to the Australian Jockey Club that in future the names of probable riders be withheld from the press. Hitherto the list has been published on Fridays, but trainers find that the information has worked to their disadvantage- , Captain G. Prictor, the New Zealand representative of J. Buchanan and Co., has promised a twenty-guinea trophy for next season's meeting held by the Beaumont Jockey Club. This will be the sixteenth trophy presented by Captain Prictor. Twelve of the trophies have been given to trotting clubs and the others to racing clubs. Gilpit was slightly sore at Waimate, but nevertheless ran a solid race in the Trial Plate. He is likely to show much improvement with racing, and looks like one who will do well on winter tracks. D. O'Connor has had a successful run lately in high-weight races. He won a double at Oamaru on Fleeting Glance, while he scored at Waimate on Don Jose. Each of these horses is trained by S. Barr. Sir Drake, the three-year-old gelding by Shambles from Love a Duck, bred .-ind owned by Mr D. Spence, was given his third race at Waimate on Thursday, but did not show up at any stage. He is expected to require more time to show his worth, and a patient policy is being adopted with him. Eager Rose is one of the early fancies for the Auckland Easter Handicap. Three years ago, when trained at Ellerslie, she shaped like reaching good class, but she lost form. During the last two months she has made wonderful improvement, a win at Takapuna being followed by a double at T 3 Aroha and another success at Ohinemuri. She runs her best races out in front, and this wjll be an advantage in the big mile event at Ellerslie. Don Jose, when having his first race after a spell, registered a smart performance in the high-weight event at Waimate. After jumping out well he was allowed to drop back, and he did not become prominent again until the straight was reached, when he swooped down on the leaders and won decisively. Provided he runs generously, Don Jose should win again during the autumn, but he has not always shown his best in his races. While the form of Rothen has been very consistent lately, it has been decidedly tantalising to hi 6 connections. He filled second place each day of the Oamaru meeting last week, while he was in a similar position twice at Waimate on Thursday. It was only in the last stride that he was beaten on his second appearance at Waimate, after he seemed to have the race in hand. When he joined A. E. Wormald's stable he looked like a horse who might gallop fast, but would not go far. Now he has shown that he can run a mile solidly, and his winning turn should come soon. The announcement by the Auckland Racing Club that it has not been found necessary to reduce stakes for > future classic events is one of the most important decisions in the racing world for some considerable time. There has been such a downward slide in this connection lately that several important races of this description have entirely vanished from the calendar, and the check given to this trend by the Auckland Club will be received with great satisfaction by owners and trainers. The undoubted success of the win and place system of betting has no doubt had a bearing on the decision, and possibly some other clubs may soon be in a position to follow the lead.