RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21988, 24 June 1933, Page 17

RACING NEWS

67 Sentinel.

The first race at Ashburton to-day will ■tart at 12.15. . . The improved totalisator to be m use at the Wellington meeting records on similar lines to that at Flemington. • Red Heckle'is getting through useful work at.Riccarton, and may be seen out at the Wellington meeting. ■-/;•'.' ~ The acceptances received' in connection •with the Oamaru Jockey; Club's meeting to ;be held on Saturday next make an attractive card and should supply a good day's sport. ' ■ , ~ . Reports from Trentham state.that, both Dole and Pegged Exchange have wintered well and are. in excellent shape to begin a preparation for their second season on the turf.. ■ .'..''■' - _ _ The Australian jockey, B. Rosen, formerly of Auckland,'is again having a.successful season in France. At Longehamps on May 11 he won two races, one being four furlongs and a-half. for two-year-olds, and the other the Prix de Longchamps, of 40,000 francs, one mile and abalf, the principal handicap of the day. On the published programme , for . the Wellington winter meeting, the handicaps are due oh Wednesday, June 28. It has been decided to postpone their publication till Thursday, June 29, thus allowing winners at the Manawatu Hunt meeting on June 28 to avoid a penalty for Trentham... .'.'., It is proposed to add to the Rules of Racing a clause providing that ■■ On the death of any registered horse the owner at the time, of death shall, within one month thereafter, notify the secretary of the Racing Conference in Writing.to_that effect." A similar rule has. been in force for a long time under the trotting code, and.it provides the "authorities with much useful information. ' . ~ • Advance Camp is Jto be tried over the big fences at the . Wellington meeting next month. It was intended to give him a race over the brush fences in .the steeplechase at Oamaru but his nomination was overlooked. The former Auck lander will have to improve considerably on his southern displays oyer to date to be considered a likely proposition over the ibigger. obstacles. Het win be again ridden by G. Salt at AshburG. Murray-Aynsley is devoting a good deal of attention at present to the two-year-olds. Liege Lord and Flout. They are fairly forward, and they are likely to attract plenty of attention later ou. Liege Lord, a first foal, is by Night Raid from Liege Lady, by Paladin from the imported mare Strona. It will occasion no* surprise 1 (says "Argus") if he stays well: Flout, by Polazel from Disdainful, the dam of Meprisant, is an exceptionally well-grown filly, who may be a very good Rule 231 (2); Rules of Racing, the president of the New... Zealan- Racing Conference this season granted 35 clubs permission to give a less (sum in stakes than 90 per centum of the, average yearly: net- amount derived by such clubs from the use of the totalisator during the immediately preceding three -years. The reasons for granting the relief were solely due to the existing financial stringency. Those in the Auckland district that were given permission were:—Auckland Racing Club, Avondale Jockey Club, Bay of Islands Racing Club, Bay of Plenty Jockey Club, Franklin Racing Glub, Matamata Club, Pakuranga Hunt Club,. Rotorm.. Racing Club, Takapuna Jockey Club, Thames Jockey Club. Waikato Racing Club, Waikato Hunt Club, Waipa Racing Club, and Whangarei Racing Club. ! ' Among the nominations for the big Australian spring handicaps taken recently- appeared the name of the useful Aucklander Desert Star, and it is apparently intended., to give gelding full: opportunity of' making good the Tasman, -for he will leave Auckland fori Sydney by the Wanganella on 1 Friday., Desert Star is a five-year-old bay eeldinii by defunct Sahdstar (son of Sands of the Orient) from the Mullingar mare Rose Novis. He was formerly raced ■ by his breeder.;' Mr; G. Tucker, ' but this season Mrs V. B. Wood,: of Auckland, acquired him, -and,■ during the autumn he won four races in the north, his most recent success being the Pukekohe Cup, one mile and a-quarter, at the Franklin meeting in April. His Australian engagements include the Metropolitan, the Caulfield Cup, and the Melbourne Cup. The form displayed at Tiniaru suggests that Night Cap will start favourite for the Hinds Hurdles Handicap to. to-day at Ashburton. He meets Polling Day on 91b worse terms than at Timaru, and should beat him again, as one was stopping badly and the other was finishing with a strong run. Polling Day might do a lot better if less use were made of him in the race. Conjurer II xnav show improvement, but next ~ to Night Cap and Polling Day the Campfire gelding, Advance Camp, may create a surprise. Errantry won so well ..at Timaru that he must come into favour for the Moreton Hack Handicap, and others that may be fancied are Drumfire, leem, and Gilpit. The two most in favour are likely to be Errantry and 'Gilpit. Polydora put up a good performance by winning at-Timaru under 9.11 from Heather Glow, with Silver Sight a length away. Silver Sight meets Polydora m the Mayfield Hack Handicap at 51b better terms over-an extra quarter of a mile, and should beat her at the weights..- At -the New Zealand Cup meeting. Silver Sight showed good form and finished a close third to Berate and Toute le Mond in the Stonyhurst Handicap. Since then his form has not come up to expectations, but he shaped promisingly at Timaru, and Polydora may not be able to Rive him 301 b over a mile and a-quarter. Palmary niay prove-tbe best of the others engaged in the race;, . >■ . .■/ ■ ;., \ u ■;' ' Xight Parade would have been, first '•'or* second in the Paeora Steeples, and should be improved by the experience lie had in the-race. He will probably start favourite in the Dromore Steeplechase, with Peterctte and. Gay Jim next in demand. „ . , . . T J„ Merry Peel was finishing on strongly m the Seadown Handicap when he ran second to Silver Streak, and shoti d again finish in front of Talantua, whom he meets on -31 b worse terms over an extra furlong. Ranelagh and Ramo meet on the same terms as at Timaru over three furlongs less ground, and the vote may go in favour Of the, former. The order of favouritism may be Cricket Bat, Merry Peel, arid Ranelagh. , \ Everyone who knew ,Mr Thomas Handlev-, will feel genuine.regret at his death, which occurred recently.in England. Mr Handley's health commenced to break up some few years ago, and m consequence he went back to. England; but he took a fresh lease of life, and same-back to resume the managership of the Elderslie Stud. Mr Handley retired from that position about two years ago, and .returned to England. He first came under the writer's notice by the splendid work he did in connection with producing yearlings for the sale ring. Auything that came from the Waikanae Stud was sent into the' ring perfect in manners and condition. They were taught to walk and lead, and behave themselves generally in ideal fashion. No man. ever did better work in, that direction.. He took extreme care of their feet, and had them plated or tinped for protection and to keep them level. The youngsters filled the eve as being turned out to the highest possible degree Of perfection, and were really an object, lesson to others who were prepared to learn. . It was when Mr Handley took charge of Elderslie that the writer became more intimately acquainted with him. He was a real horse loyer, and it became a great pleasure to spend a day going through the stables and tramping the paddocks in his company.' The time at disposal was always too brief. ! He'had a great fund of interesting information' about his long ; connection with the thoroughbred and his travels to different parts of the world. Mr Handley put in a great amount of work in carrying out improvements at Ellershe. He swept away a lot of unnecessary timber, and greatly improved the paddocks and/ felite. From Argentina he brought

the idea of a “ corral ” for the yearlings. The corral is composed of a large shed divided into four compartments with a feed house in the centre so as to reduce to a minimum the labour of feeding. Each compartment can house and provide ample shelter for 20 or more youngsters. There is a yard attached to each and a lead through the gates to paddocks which are used in rotations. Everything possible is provided for their comfort and welfare. At one time Mr Handley was in charge of Mr Musker’s stud and training stables. The stud amounted to about 400 mares and half-a-dozen or more stallions. Mr Musker had the gallops laid out sp that he could sit at a window of his residence and watch all the work. When Melton won the Derby of . 1885 he was afterwards sold to the Italian Government, but before going there he put in a season or two at the stud in England. His stock showed such promise that Mr Musker gave_ Mr Handley an open cheque to go to Italy and bring the eon of Master Kildare back to England. He secured Melton at either £BOOO or £12,000. Melton, however, never really got stock on a par with w-hat he sired in the first couple of seasons at the stud. One of Melton’s sons in Seaton Delaval came out to New Zealand and sired several good performers. After severing his connection with the Musker stud, Mr Handley was in charge of shipments of horses to various parts of the world. On one occasion- he took a horse to Argentina and the purchaser made him a tip of £2OO. It was ■ through bringing bloodstock to New ■ Zealand that Mr Handley established a connection with the Waikanae stud, and an association with breeding, and racing in this country which led to the formation of many friendships and, as he said, an enjoyable and lengthy period in a sporting life. With the idea • of encouraging the development of stamina a recommendation, fathered by the Canterbury Jockey Club, will come before the Racing Conference that each programme should include a mile and a-quarter race to be run under hapk conditions. It is proposed that each twoday programme shall include a hack race to be run over a mile and a-quarter. This means that each two-day programme will include two races to be run over the distance. The idea is, of course, to encourage the development. of stamina, but a very erroneous idea consists as to what constitutes stamina. The mere inclusion of • a race to be run oyer a mile and aquarter does not necessarily encourage the development of stamina, because it is frequently seen that the races run over the distance are easier to win than one run over six or seven furlongs. Extending the distance of a race does not create displays: of stamina unless the race is run from end to end. The Canterbury Cup, the Randwick Plate, and V.R.C. Champion Plate have often _ been won on speed rather than stamina, and the_Wictoria Racing Club found it necessary to impose a time limit on the Champion Plate, in order to make it a true-run race, and an acceptable teat of stamina. , The question arises as to what constitutes a test of stamina in a racehorse. It may be said to be a sustained effort over any distance. Accepted authority states that races over seven furlongs and ten furlongs are the two hardest races to win because the pace is on all the way. A win over two miles is generally held to;be a proof of stamina, but sometimes races over that distance have been falsely run, and won on speed. As a test of stamina the Canterbury Cup run over 'two and a-quarter miles, and the longest distance in New Zealand, has not infrequently been a farce, because the field generally does not travel at even three-quarter pace for about half the journey. The New Zealand Cup is not always a true-run race, as the field generally travels oyer the first half-mile or more under a good hold. The riders of even good stayers seem to be unduly impressed by the fact that they, have an unusually long journey in front of .them, and : at times take more out • of a horse by pulling them about instead ,of allowing them to stride along .until they settle down. Another common. mistake is for the field to travel at whatever, may be set by the leaders. Old-time trainers took very fine care that ,if they had a real stayer the race -was run to suitthem. At times a pace maker would start with a mission to go as fast and as far as he could. Distance is not always a test of stamina, and some evidence, in that direction is supplied by the fact that horses incapable of winning over seven furlongs or a mile in moderate company can “stay” successfully in the Grand National Hurdles. It is the pace that tells: A well-sustained effort at extreme speed calls for stamina, and when Gloaming-put up the record of 45sec for half a mile it was a great display of stamina. His defeat by Razzle Dazzle in the Challenge Stakes was another great display of stamina. Razzle Dazzle put up a race record of Imin 24 4-sscc, and Gloaming, after losing several lengths at the start, lost by half a head. His individual time was close to Imin ■ 22sec with 9.11 up. There is an old saying, and a very true one, “It is the pace that kills,” and any race is not a test of stamina unless it i s run from end to end. The remit from the Canterbury Jockey Club is a step in the right direction. It has, however; long been anticipated by the Dunedin Jockey Club. The idea of making it compulsory comes within the object of popularising racing, and putting it on a better _ footing against the rival attraction of light-harness racing. The easiest and sanest method of doing so is to bring down the price of admittance to race meetings. It is a fact that many people are to busy to attend race meetings, but can always find time to patronise a light harness meeting, for which about half the price of admission is charged.