RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21920, 4 April 1933, Page 5

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel Reports from Riccarton state that Azalea has broken down, Merry Lap has been scratched for all events at the Whangarei races. D. O’Connor will ride Silver Scorn at the Auckland autumn meeting. Kemal Pasha has been nominated for three races at the Great Autumn meeting. ... Kerbside met with an accident last week when running in a yard, and damaged one of her hind legs. After a brief spell Shatter is again moving along in his work in pleasing style. Autopay, Golden Hair, First Acre, Bayacre, Counterplay, - and Manchu were shipped to Sydney on Friday last. Several horses are engaged in both the Great Easter and Great Autumn. A win in the first race may incur a re-handicap not exceeding 71b. Mr P. D. M'Nab will act as starter at the South Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting, and will use his own barrier and assistants. The South Canterbury Jockey Club has decided to adopt the win and place betting for its meeting on April 27 and 29. The Iliad foals created a very favourable impression with those who recently “ cast an eye ” over them. Although Great Star has been accepted for the Great Easter and Great Autumn, he may be taken to Auckland. Riccarton, however, looks easier than Auckland. If there is one name more than another that should not be allowed it is Irish Birdcatcher. It is already one of the most prominent names in the English Stud Book.

Salmo Salar’s race at the Birchwood Hunt meeting should help to sharpen him up for engagements at the Riverton Racing Club’s meeting. Rebel Song is amongst those fancied for the Great Autumn Handicap. He is also engaged in the Challenge Stakes. According to latest reports from Riccarton, Rebel Song has developed a slight lameness.

The British Empire—Windshield gelding and the Zaragoza gelding by the same sire are creating a favourable impression at Riccarton. The Lord Warden — Monoxide colt, who is also in F. D. Jones’s stable, fills the eye as a likely sort.

Great Shot, who was amongst the winners at the Birchwood Hunt meeting, was got by Last Dart from Geranial, fey Solferino—Carmania, by San Francisco — Campania, by Robinson Crusoe —Campanula, by Maribyrnong from Silver Bell, a sister to Chester, who won the Melbourne Cup and Derby. The Spelthorne gelding Pretzel, who won the Rosehill Autumn Handicap on Saturday last, claims as his dam the Linacre mare Riz Biscuit. Her dam, Praleen, was got by Grafton from Pie Crust, by the New Zealand-bred MartiniHenry, who won the Melbourne Cup and Derby. Lough Neagh, who created a surprise in the Rawson Stakes, was produced by a New, Zealand-bred mare. His dam, Terentia, was got by Bezonian from Culture, by Boniform from Culroy, by Wallace. Culroy was amongst the mares comprising the stud of the late Mr G. G. Stead! Mr J. M. Samson’s team at Riccarton is now made up as follows: —Princess Argosy, Guarantee, Traylavah, Colonel Quex, Cleaner, Tea Dance, Bell Hill, Lord Argosy, Indicate, Royal Limond, Fine Weather, and Blue Hills. These are in training under the care of P. M'Grath, and can be inspected at any time by prospective buyers. At the annual yearling sales held recently in Brisbane, of 57 lots offered 29 were sold, realising 2785 guineas. A colt by Seremond from Mqlly's Robe, offered on behalf of Mrs R. Hillcoat, Brisbane, headed the sale, bringing 725 guineas. He was cut a little around the hind legs, and would probably have brought more but for this defect. The pedigree of the three-year-old Metallurgy, who defeated Peter Jackson in the St. Kilda Handicap at Caulfield on March 18, has some interest for New Zealand, as his dam, Calcite, did most of her racing in the Dominion. Calcite was bred m England in 1922, by Rock Flint from Milanaise, and imported with others by Dr W C. Ring, to be sold at auction for 140 guineas to the Riccarton trainer, F. D. Jones, who passed her on to Mr H. A. Knight. Calcite won only one race, and was sold in Australia, where she remained. , , . , A large red electric light globe is to be erected on top of the main grand stand at Ellerslie racecourse, to be used as a starting signal. This is necessary owing to the fact that new totalisator regulations require that both the win and place machines must close at the same time. It was at first intended that the win machine, which is to be operated by hand, should close a couple of minutes before the electric place machine, to allow time for counting, but under the regulations this cannot be done. Directly the totalisator hag been adjusted a button will be pressed and the red light will flash as a signal to the starter. If one might accept the times made in recent races as a guide the speed of our racehorses has been increased at an extraordinary rate in a very brief period. Carbine won the Craven Plate at Randwick in the spring of 1890, and ran the mile and a-quarter in 2min 7soc, and that stood as the Australian record for about a-quarter of a century, which was a fair indication that the speed of our racehorses improved at a very gradual rate. The manner in which records have been shattered in the last few weeks would seem to suggest that the horses of this generation arc seconds faster than those bred, say, four or five years ago. It is quite a fallacious idea, ns in a few weeks after we have had a little rain there will be a reversion to the old times and speed. Time, after all, is wholly dependent upon conditions, but that is a factor seldom taken into consideration or admitted by the men who, basing their calculations wholly upon the time test, contend that the horses of to-day are so much faster than the cracks of the Carbine period. Had the tracks been as good as they are now, and races been run in the same way I do not think (says “ Chiron ”) the horses of the nineties would have had much trouble in equalling the time recorded in races to-day.

Mr A. E. Blair, owner of that highclass Windbag horse Chatham, has definitely decided to retire him from racing. Chatham has been affected with respiratory troubles since the spring, and while in Melbourne recently his trainer, F. Williams, found that the horse was considerably worse than formerly when competing in the Newmarket Handicap and C. M. Lloyd Stakes at the V.R.C. autumn meeting. Mr Blair and F. Williams, after consultation, decided to relieve Chatham of all his autumn engagements. The horse will be offered for sale, provisionally that he is not to be raced again. Chatham is a middle-distance champion, and in the spring dead-heated with Ro<nlla in the second division of Tattersall’s Tramway Handicap, won the A.J.C. Epsom Handicap and Craven Plate, the W. S. Cox Plate at Moonce Valley (Vic.), and the V.R.C. Linlithgow Stakes. He was then spelled until his preparation began for autumn racing, but he failed to reproduce his spring brilliancy owing to wind infirmity. Biraganbil, one of the most famous old-time studs of Australia, is to be dispersed in consequence of the death of Mr H. C. Rouse, whose family were among the pioneer blood stock breeders of New South Wales. The list of horses includes 24 brood mares, foals, untried stock, geldings, etc., and the stallions Brazep and Captain Blood. A young sire,

imported Brazen quickly made a name for himself at the stud. In his first season his stock included Bronze Eagle, dual Derby winner in New Zealand; in his second they included brilliant Kuvera, a remarkably honest colt with a splendid constitution. Among Brazen’s two-year-olds racing this season is Shakuni, probably the best of his age. Brazen is in his tenth year. He is by Phalaris from South Wales, by Llangibby. Captain Blood is the same age. He is a No. 8 horse by the triple-crown winner. Gay Crusader (son of Bayardo) from Bonnie Bird, by Missel Thrush (Orme —Throstle) from Vortex, dam of All Black. Jumping races have never attained the same degree of prominence in New South Wales as they have in Victoria, and steeplechases at Randwick have on so many occasions fallen far below what might reasonably be expected that the Australian Jockey Club' has ruled those events out of its programme. The steeplechase fences on the flat have been demolished, and this procedure may be regarded as putting cross-country races right off the map at Randwick at least for a considerable period. In regard to hurdle races, some very caustic reference has at times been levelled at this branch of the sport owing to the poorness of the contests and the inferior horses engaged. In the face of steeplechase events being dropped by the A.J.C., the continuance of hurdle races at Randwick may also be threatened.