RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22025, 7 August 1933, Page 11

RACING NEWS

Jsy Sentinel.

The Grand National meeting will be opened to-morrow. Polydora retains her position as favourite for the Winter Cup. ’ ' Nominations for the Otago Hunt Clubs meeting are due on August 15. A year ago there were 22 acceptors for the Winter Cup, add 22 starters. This year there are 19 left in, and'there will not be many out to-morrow. -F. Shaw's team for the Grand National meeting consists of Palantua, Polling Day, and Kapuna. With these three horses engaged the Wingatui trainer should get some of the stakes. , The Waimate trainer, T. Hobbs, nas put.'in' an appearance at Riccarton with Mount Boa and Gold Knight. They are a well-seasoned pair, who look at their best, so they should pay their way. Mount Boa will run in the Winter Cup to-mor-row, but he may be seen among the hack hurdlers later in the week. ■ Night Parade’s next appearance will- be made over hurdles, and lie ig said to have shown excellent form in schooling. Each time he has fallen in a 'steeplechase it has been at a brush double without a ditch, and has been- due tp. getting in too The balance sheet of the Auckland Racing Club discloses a profit for the year of £1567, after writing off £6200 for depreciation and £3OO for possible bad debts. A satisfactory feature was the reduction of the bank overdraft from £9510 to £2502. „■ Luna Lux came in for a lot of notice when he went- out’ to work at Riccarton on Friday. He is a solid-looking customer, who has had the. benefit of several races during the winter, and he will be one. of the fancied, candidates for the Grand National. He looks a very fit horse. ... Additional riding engagements for _ the racing at Riccarton include the following: —S. Wilson, Cylinder, Bay Tree, and Cyclonic'; W. Rennie, Make Up; G. Duncan, Pharetra and Korero; K. Voitre, Normandy and Foreign Queen; W. H. Story, High Rank; A. M‘Donald, Luna Lux and Henry of Navarre; V. Langford, Polling Day; C. Eastwood, Tea Garden. The North Island foiir-year-old, Mercian Prince, may go to Australia for the spring racing, leaving some time this month. He is engaged in numerous handicaps over ,there. He showed good form when he won a seven-furlong race at Trentham. Henry of Navarre was working on the Riccarton tracks on -Friday morning, and he looks in perfect condition. He heads the list at 10.11 in the Trial Hurdles, with Royal Limond in receipt of a stone and Hounslow- in receipt of five pounds. In the Grand National Hurdles, these three are on the minimum, which makes Henry of Navarre to be well handicapped for the big race. Alan M'Donald rides Luna Lux, the ruling favourite for the steeplechase, and with the mount on Henry of Navarre, he has a fair chance of riding the double.' -The improving hurdler, High Grader, Suffered a slight injury to one of. his hocks when he fell at the recent Auckland meeting. The trouble ,is not serious, and the gelding is walking soundly. A- slight swelling is in evidence, however, and he is y enToying a short rest in the paddock. Red Manfred has been undergoing long and steady "work at Woodville during the last few weeks, but has not been asked to sprint fast yet, his trainer preferring to wait until-the tracks become firmer. The son of Manfred, who _is expected to be- a much better horse season, has thrived and grown into a fine type oi thoroughbred. , , ; B Copey, who will be Hawera s hope in the Grand National Steeplechase, ran at Kiccarton two years ago. He was unplaced in the National with 9.1,, but ran second ,to Paris in the Beaufort Steeplechase and won the Lincoln Steeplechase from Wiltshire and Snowfall. Last August he was racing unsuccessfully in Melbourne. Copey’s Best form has been shown at Ellerslie arid on' heavy tracks, but in a race like the National .he should always hold a juniper’s and stayer’s chance. : L. Knapp is the only .trainer who has more than one candidate engaged in the Grand National Steeplechase, His pair have done well . this winter, Gallamart having won the Great Northern and Winter- • gfecnlecliases at Ellerslie and Omeo the Wellington Steeplechase. They were ori the Riccarton track on Friday doing useful pace work and they are in great order for this week’s engagements. C. -Thomson will again ride Callamart in the Grand National. , A- J- Julian is among the visitors for the s Grand National meeting. He has not been here for a few years;- but in his younger. days he made many visits at the .period when he was a highly capable rider of jumpers. On this occasion he is in charge of Prince of Orange, a fancied candidate for the Grand National Hurdles. Though he took on hurdle racing less than a? year ago; he has some good form to his credit. -He : was third at Ellerslie last month,carrying 11.3, beaten by Biform 9.11 and Paddon 11.2. He is credited with being at his best on a firm track, so Riccarton should suit him this week. Wtnooka is likely -to meet " with much raorie serious trouble when he meets Equipoise than he did against his scratch opponent at" Tanforan last month. Equipoise .won the-Arlington Handicap, of one mile and- a-quarter; in 2min’2 3-ssec. at Chicago on July 23. He earned' 10.000 dollars Cat nar £2000), bringing his total winand placing him fifth on the list of stake•winners of all time. He is a midget horse, weighing only 67st 121 b, the lightest champ'ion the American turf has ever known. Last year in the United States, Equipoise Heed 14 times for 10 wins and was only once unplaced. He won more than 100,000 dollars (at par £20,000) as a two-year-old. but subsequently his career was interfered with because of a cracked heel- Some Americ in critics rate him as the best horse since the mighty Man o V ar. Equipoise is,by Pennant (by Peter Pan) from the English mare Royal Bose by Royal Hampton, and traces back to Balkantipe, winner of the Cambridgeshire Handicap of 1902.