RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22024, 5 August 1933, Page 21

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel. Grand National on Tuesday. A new racing season commences on Tuesday and all horses became officially a year older. ~.. The rehandicappmg conditions will stm be retained in connection with the New Zealand Cup. This means the possibility of a horse winning over a mile and aquarter being rehandicapped for a race over two miles. Furthermore, the liability to be rehandcapped is based on the value of the stakes won instead of the value of the form. In the writers opinion rehandicapping or penalty conditions should be discarded in connection with the New Zealand Cup. Only one penalised horse in Sunart has won the New Zealand Cup. Most owners endeavour to avoid a penalty. . , Punchestown completed the hat tnciS by his win at the Christchurch Hunt meeting. He does not now look out of place in the Grand National Hurdles The Winter Cup was first run in 1899, when the late J. M'Combe steered Jupiter to victory. The highest weight carried by a winner is Toxeuma’a 1x.5, and that .is unlikely to be exceeded. It was accomplished when the 9.0 minimum was in force, and after . this year the handicap will start with a foundation of. 7.0. The fastest time stands to the credit of Le Choucas, who scored a surprise win, as his bracket mate Nippy carried the confidence of the stable. Foreign Queen, who is in the Winter Cup boom in the north, won again at Foxton, but she beat , only three opponents, and her performance was not so impressive as that of Polydora, who won at Riccarton in a field of 16. Each mare registered her fourth successive win. In the Winter Cup Polydora will meet some of those she beat on Saturday oh worse terms, but the extra furlong will more than compensate for this. Any horse capable of leading Polydora home should pay a dividend next Tuesday. Steve Donoghue and Brown Jack arc (according to an English exchange) styled “ the old ’uns ” by English racegoers. When, for the fifth successive time. Brown Jack and Donoghue landed the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Ascot last month,' they got what was probably the greatest reception ever accorded a horse and jockey on an English racecourse. Donoghue is 49, and Brown Jack nine, and the veterans evidently understand each other, this, being their thirteenth association in a win. It is said of Brown Jack that he looks everything a racehorse should not. He has the legs of a cab'horse, and the constitution of one. ' A Melbourne paper reports that as rider for Bronze Hawk, the A.J.C. Epsom Handicap favourite, W. Kelso has secured the services of J. E. Pike. An effort was made by Fred Williams to engage Pike for Chatham, but the other, proposal made stronger appeal to the crack Sydney jockey'. Pike will have to waste considerably to ride Bronze Hawk at 8.10. M'Carten will be on Kuvera in the Epsom and E. Bartle is to pilot Braeburn in the Metropolitan. When Lough Neagh comes from Queensland he will have the Brisbane jockey,* E. Tanwan. to ride him. The Port Adelaide Club, which has sponsored several innovations in South Australia, will provide whips for jockeys riding in at its September meeting. This should end'all the talk about one or two jockeys having whips in which batteries are concealed. One of the conditions of nominations states that “no jockey riding at the meeting shall use a whip other than that' provided by the qlub.” A varied assortment of whips, of different weights and lengths, has been ordered by the club. The whips will_ be handed, to the jockeys immediately before they mount the horses, and will be returned to an official immediately the •jockeys return to the saddling paddock. Each jockey will be responsible for the whip while it is in his possession. If he loses it in the race he will be charged its cost-price. Probably the greatest racing humorist known in Australian racing was “Jock” Townsend, who did remarkably well in India after leaving this country. Through being a strong chap, able to ride at a light weight,. Townsend fell in for many rides on “goats” belonging to “mug” owners, and in his statements to them after races have become classics. On one occasion (says the Sydney Referee) an owner who considered his candidate, although a maiden performer, was a potential stayer likely to win cups, asked Townsend when legging him on to give him an opinion _ after the race as to the horse’s possibilities as a stayer. The horse could not gallop fast enough to keep himself warm, but that did not deter the owner, and as Townsend he rushed up to him eagerly, saving, “ Don’t ,vou think he will stay? Do you think I should put him in something long? ” But he was left open-mouthed when Townsend answered, “Absolutely. Put him in the eight-hour day procession.” To another owner who had high hopes of a very moderate performer Townsend also put the matter in a nutshell after piloting tliis candidate in a very poor field. “What do you think of him?’’said the owner. “Sell him and buy.a bike,” was Townsend’s laconic rep : y as he walked towards the scale with his gear.

Immediately on return to his stall after winning the Juvenile Handicap at Moorefield (Sydney) on July 22, Gayhawk became almost unmanageable, and, although he was taken to the rolling yard, great difficulty was experienced in handling him. The trainer, G. Noonan, notified the club veterinary surgeon, Mr F. M’Leod, who, after examining the horse, stated that Gayhawk had recieved a substantial measure of some alkaloid. The colt’s eyes were dilated, and he exhibited all the symptoms of having been doped. The task of examining the horse was perilous, because of his extraordinary fractiousness, and Mr M’Leod received a severe knock from the colt over the left eye. The trainer, G. Noonan, said that be first noticed something amiss with Gayhawk several minutes before the race. The colt gave a great amount of trouble to the blacksmiths, also when being saddled, but when he walkej quietly to the enclosure and then did Ms preliminary satisfactorily he paid liitle attention to the incident. The colt, however, appeared in a bad way after the race. Noonan added that Gayhawk had evidently been interfered with on Friday, when they were away from the stable. From 5 o’clock on Saturday morning the horse was not without an attendant. There are only two mares in the field for the Winter Cup. They are Polydora and Foreign Queen, who look like being strongly fancied candidates. Only five mares have won the race. They are Mawhera. Banksia, Cherry .Blossom, Bisox, and Fast Passage. A cable message from Sydney a few days ago mentioned the fact that Bigamy had run unplaced in the 14.2 maiden event at_ Victoria Park on Saturday. Bigamy is the youngster by Lord Quex from Wedded, recently taken over by A. D. Webster.

Make Up, Calamart, and Luna Lux, three of the horses whose chances are being freely discussed for the Grand National Steeplechase, are strangers to the Riccarton country, although they have won steeplechases on other courses. Silvox was not worked at Riccarton on Thursday, being restricted to walking exercise. He showed signs of lameness, but apparently his connections are hopeful that the trouble will not be serious, as he figures as an acceptor for the Avonhead Handicap on Tuesday. It is reported from Hastings that the Grand National candidate Luna Lux gave a brilliant display of galloping and jumping over two miles and a-half on the course proper last Saturday. The performance has quite extinguished most of the disappointment that followed hie failure to win the Wellington Steeplechase, Luna Lux wore ordinary road shoes, and, carrying a trifle over 10 stone, he ran the distance in smin ISJsec, which, in comparison to what they usually do on the day of the races, was exceptionally good. He pulled up well, and he is credited with being a very fit horse. Additional riding engagements for the Grand National meeting next week have been announced as follows: —A. E. Ellis, Thurina; G. Ridgway, Cottesmore; J. Veevers, Rational If; < V. Langford, Punchestown (Grand National Hurdles); L. Dulieu, Joie de Yal; H. Wiggins, Epigram and Quebec. Rasouli, who ig engaged in the Trial Hurdles on the first day of the Grand National meeting, was a visitor to Ricee.rton three years ago. He was a four-year-old then, and he won the Cashmere Plate* Charmeuse filling third place, while Shatter and Gustavo were among the unplaced lot. Rasouli has not lived up to the promise he showed on that occasion, but he ran third in a hurdle race at Foxton last Saturday. Sir Charles Clifford has arranged to mate two of his young mares with Mightmarch this season. One of them is Ball Dress, a sister to Cricket Bat, by Winning Hit from Equipment, and the other is Sailor’s Love, a sister_ to Fast Passage, by The Ace from Sailor’s Hope. Speakeasy was responsible for a good exhibition of jumping over a round of the, steeplechase fences on the course proper at Riccarton on Thursday. He has not had much race experience, but he shapes like developing into a really good performer over country next, winter. In the meantime, he may pay his way in minor events next week. A buyer was available for him a few days ago had Ins owner been desirous of selling. A. E. Ellis has had a rest from the jumping game since last August, when he broke an arm in a fall with Snowfall, the accident preventing him from doing any riding for several months (says the Christchurch Times). He has been in good form on the flat lately, and as a result of an interview with his medical attendant this week he schooled ihurina over a round of the steeplechase fences on the course proper yesterday, and will pilot him in the Grand National Steeplechase next week. Ellis is a very capable horseman over country, and his association with Thurina will bring that gelding into increased favour. When twitted yesterday with the risk he was running in riding, in jumping races at the coming meeting, seeimr that, in addition to Ins mishap with Snowfall last year he was laid up for some time on account of injuries received in a fall with Make Up a year earlier. Ellis replied, with a smile, that he would be sacrificing nothing this time. This remark was prompted by tbe fact that in the two years when he was hurt he had to forgo good riding in Australia. Two years ago he was engaged for Autopay, who won the Epsom Handicap. while last year he was to have handled Peter Jackson and Game Carrington.