RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21985, 21 June 1933, Page 11

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel. . Birkbeck has broken down so , badly that he may not be seen out again this ■ Jt appears that The Raider broke a leg when racing last week and in consequence had to be destroyed. _ . ; The Wellington Racing Clubs programme has stakes, amounting to £4740. Nominations are due on Friday. Hunting Star, the four-year-old to Huntingdon, showed pace in his race at Hastings, but did not get going quickly enough to be a winner. . * • The two-year-old Cyclonic, who ran at Hastings, is a bit green at present but can gallop when. once balanced _ in his stride. He is' a half-brother to Cylinder and Cypress. ' \ ~ ~ , The two-year-old filly Sunny Maid has been shaping so well that an early improvement in form is expected. She is by Psychology from . Sunny Roe, a halt sister to Merry Dairion, Merry Peel, and Merry Hunter. „ . The Day Comet mare Mia Stella is being sorted out in the north to shape well over hurdles. She was running on at the finish of the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles. ■Mia Stella was a winner over hurdles ■last season. . , ■ '■ ', ' J ... The smart Paper Monqy horse Autopay is still enjoying a well-deserved holiday 'and as a'thoroughly sound horse should come up again bright and ready , for another campaign. . It is reported that the Gore Racing Club made'a profit, over the. seasons operations. ' This may be accepted as proof that the Gore race meetings continue to maintain popularity with the sporting public. . „ ~ , When considering the question o£ stamina i it should never be that some horses do .better with a change of diet and, , what is. more important still, more of it- ' ■ -,» Night Parade, should he ticked on as one likely to make good over country. When a .Well-bred horse shows promise the fact is always: worthy of note. -. ■ According to . some opinions . Night Parade would have beaten Diamond Jack at Timnru if they had both completed the course. Some justification _ .exists for this opinion because Diamond Jack has been a doubtful stayer, but is, ot course, open to improvement. , • " “ . . One of the best horses 1 seen out m recent years has been pink ,Goat. He was so good that interest in his stock causes one to' hope that the son of Hunting Song will reproduce his own:merit.■■.•At Timaru, he was represented in the Parade by a colt from Polly. Prim; who was got by Drum Major-7-Thefnia by Gonnthia Marowba and runs back to a not particularly distinguished branch or the Manto taproot. Polly ' Prim produced nothing of note, but as a member of the 18 family, always bolds a possibility. ■ A full-sister to Admiral Drake in the fonr.yeai>old mare .Duckling is following the hounds . with the Egmont-Wanganui Hunt this season. , 'She showed . qtiite Jot of pace on the tracks' When .she’ Was in training last year, hut (says ; an exchange) did not produce it in a race. However, a season’s hunting' may make her more solid,. and she is looking very robust at present. ; • : . The fine-looking yearling, Whenuakura, by Chief: Ruler from Sgyer.Link,, has been purchased by Mr W. Kirkland, of Foxton, owner of Tenacre. . fhis tullbrother to Chief Link arid half-brother to Silverbine is a Well-dispositioned .joungeter and is confidently expected to come good. All the progeny of Silver Link nave been good gallopers, and .Vxienuakura is likely-to the i reputation. He has been entered for the two-year-old races in Australia, and,_ providing he shapes well, _ trip across is within the bounds of possibility.’ ~ . It is reported from Auckland that, the Steeplechaser Billy Boy has been nominated for the Australian steeplechase, to be run at Caulfield on August 12. The present intention is ~ to race Billy Roy at the Wellington Racing Clubs winter meeting on July 11, 13, and 15, after which, if all goes well, : he_is likely co be shipped to Melbourne. The ; New Zealand steeplechaser Paris; who recently ran third in a steeplechase in Melbourne, is also an entrant- for the . Australian 'Steeplechase.:. ■ 1 te':*. K. & Cylinder, who has not raced m, Now Zealand for something like twp years, reappeared. at Hastings in the concluding event. He.is said to be bn ? ht and healthy; though on,; the lusty side, but he did not make much of a showing, though he displayed. pace enough to run oil to the heels of the bunch about uaj■way through the race. If he keeps sound, Cylinder should he in-good order for racing in. the early spring. - Some cheap, horses have won the Great Northern Steeplechase. Despised was bought for £6O, Levanter (a dual winner) for £SO, and Hautere for £112; iOs, El Gallo, who won the Hurdles,:,and Steeplechase double twice, .was comparatively dear at £2OO and a .contingency. of £IOO. Gluepot was xold tor £lB, and Sea De’il for £lO, but bir Roseberry, who won the . big steeplechase twice, fetched £2OO. Beau Cavalier cost £SB, Master Lu £35, Kaitere £ls, and Sol £SO. All these sales- were made beiore the horses won the big race. Mr Harry Rayner, who was at one time a prominent trainer at Randwickj died recently, when within a few days of his ninety-second birthday...... There was scarcely a race of importance that escaped his attention, and among his, important successes were the Cup (Arsenal), Newmarket Handicap (Bungebah), Victoria Derby (Australian Peer), A.J-C. Derby (Melos),. Epsom Handicap (Bungebah), Metropolitan Handicap (Nobleman), and Sydney Cup (Street Arab and Australian Peer). I. Tucker, the successful cross-country horseman, has gone back; to Melbourne. During his five weeks’ visit to the Dominion he rode five winners, Copey in the Egmont Steeplechase, Make Up m the King . Country Steeplechase and Great Northern Hurdles, and Neil in two steeplechase events at Ellershe. mucker left Auckland on the night of-the third day's races and cauglit the Wanganella for Sydney at Wellington next day Astefisca, winner of the Maiden Plate at Hastings, is a three-year-old filly by Acre from Asterina, by Merry Moment from Asteroid, and ’is owned by . her breeder,-'Mr G. D.' Beatson, of. Hastings, who also raced Asterina and Asteroid with success. The,same owner won the gentlemen rider’s race on the same day with Gold Ruler, who was ridden by Mr Beatson’s son. Then on Saturday the same colours were borne to victory in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechasei by .Luna Lux, an'aged gelding by King Soult from;Cal-, ingo, by Tribulation. _ Luna Lux has earned a big reputation in Hawke s Bay, and is expected to play an important part ji some of the Dominion’s big events later in‘.the season. ■ The career of South Australia s crosscountry rider. Jack Mooney, has been punctuated with some curious happenings but perhaps the most- remarkable of all (says “Pilot”) is that when die won the Adelaide Grand National Steeplechase on a horse he had previously driven irt a plough. ' This was Destructible, and to make it more remarkable, it was the only race the horse ever won. Just how Mooney came to ride him .is a story in itself. ■ Destructible was sent to Mooney s father’s farm to be used as a hack, but lie was Inch, a big,, clumsy, type that Jack decided to put him in the plough, and a very good plough horse he proved to he. Later on he was bought by Jack Burgess, the, horse dealer, for less than a five, and eventually struck the eye of . Jack Ryder es a likely steeplechaser. When he found out ■ just how. good Destructible was, Ryder 'did not waste any time on small events,' but “ set ” Destructible for-' the Grand National. Mooney was in Melbourne for the Nationals in July of 1920. and'owing to a misunderstanding he did not join the. train with his wife, whom he had' thought was left behind. He got in the same carriage as Ryder, who im-'

mediately asked him to ride Destructible in-the AJR.C. National. As Mooney had his pick of the mounts, he refused, saying that the horse Was not good enough. Ryder kept on persuadirig, and then trie conductor came along train looking for Mooney, saying that his wife was in another, carriage. Ryder was still persisting: in offering Mooney the mount, and eventually, to get away, he consented to ride the horse. As soon as Mooney landed in Adelaide he was offered a ride on two other horses, Ferrignite. and Sandndge, who appeared to have the best chance in the race, but he stuck to his bargain with Ryder. Few who witnessed that National will ever forget the rush Destructible made at’..the first fence. One of the' runners was Fatal- Error, and, it waa, a well-known fact, that up tp_that time no horse had ever headed Fatal Error in the run to the first fence. However, to everyone’s amazeriient, Destrucihle headed Fatal Error off, led over Jhe first jump, and mantained the lead right through the long race.