RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22269, 23 May 1934, Page 11

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

The case Naylor versus the A.J. Club ii arousing a lot o£ interest in Australia, s Liniond is.third on the list for the successful sires on the Australian turf xoi the season up to April SO. Acceptances for the first day of the Dunedin winter meeting are due on Monday, May 28. . . , - f Waterpower received a rehandtcap ot 141 b ‘ for the Farewell Handicap at Tirnaru. She handicaps herself by bemj , slow off* the mark. - Mr J. M. Samson is at present a patient in a private hospital undergoing a rest cure,under medical supervision. Heroic ;has been an outstanding success for the present season in Australia, as in • the first part of the season he. sired more than twice the number of the next sire on the list. The rising two-year-old son of Posterity and Homage that F. Davis is handling for Mr W. H. Gaisford, who gave 525 guineas for him in January, ' will race under. the name of Heritage. He is a ' half-brother to Episode, Honour, and ■ Courtesy. ' v ; A wellrknown and popular figure in rac- ■ ing and trotting circles in Mr C. R, Hadfield has purchased the Ritz, and one may safely take it for granted that he will, not >:" short-weight ” any of the “field” that has been in the habit of mustering at this popular rendezvous. Australia .is advocating the adoption of the fixed maximum in handicaps for steeplechasers in order to avoid crushing good horses and give an impossible chance to/mediocrity. .The idea has been in use for some time in connection with the .'Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase Add this New Zealand Grand National rSteeplechase. Journalists i the world over will envy |*their: confreres, as recently GerYSSn trainers were officially instructed to give journalists any information they, require concerning the horses under their care, especially with regard to their taking part in coming races, “ a really regular press report being indispensable in the interest of the sport.” It may be taken jfor granted that anything of a critical nature ."will-, require different treatment. - ' ’ The Victoria Racing Club lias made a reduction in the fees payable by bookmakers, and intimated that other clubs should act in the same direction. There is' np sporting sympathy expressed by the ■ New''Zealand Government and the tax imposed on.racing. : ' ■ Riccarton stables are represented m the list of Dunedin nominations by the following:—Madam Pompadour, Scratchmere Scar; Drumfire, Red Dance,, Star Raider, Silver ! Sight, Tout . le . Monde,. Cleaner, Quietly, Fairway, Royal Amphora, Fleeting - Glance, Royal. Limond, Rational 11, Cwossian,’and Sttohg Light. " The North Island trainer R. B. Hatch created a very favourable impression by his starting at Ashburton.’ He has for some years been feting at West Coast meetings, but Ashburton was his first opportunity in i Canterbury. Hatch was ; one of the • best riders of his-, day, his wins l including , the .Dunedin Cup : on Los Angelos, and in more recent years proved himself a ! first-class schoolmaster in the , tuition of riding. j ■ ■ v : The three-year-old Colossian put up an excellent performance under 10.1 in ; the Longbeach Hack Handicap at Ashburton. He headed Eiipator, who had been pace- , maker, when-near tfi.e post, but/Drumfire got up .to win -by a head. Drumfire suffers from unsound knees and- hence is trained and raced under considerable disadvantage, blit nevertheless has some good performances to his credit. The fact that Drumfire caught a track with the jar qut of the going, enhances the merit. of the form displayed by Colossian. Coming events’ cast their shadows - before; and one .indication of the future already in l evidence is a solid silver cup, modestly estimated at 15 guineas, whi«sn Ddwarg has • contributed to the Otago Hunt Club race programme. The same firm will-also give a very acceptable and sporting .trophy- to the rider of, the winner of' the Ladies’' Point-to-point Steeplechase. The Dianas of sport are more largely in evidence in. connection with the Otago Hunt than with .any other in New Zea T land, and consequently a - sporting trophy in connection with, the Ladies’ Point-to-point‘ will arouse wide and unusually keen interest in the sporting programme which ends the local hunting season. . _ , There is.no system of automatic handicapping that • can possibly balance form. That stands:: as an indisputable., fait. Automatic handicapping,, is • the crudest idea in the wpHd of balancing. form. Re. f handicapping is the best idea, .but it is far from being perfect, because - it' can only deal with/ winners, -and -then .at times . with rather - extravagant ’ ideas of the merit of a win. For instance, Waterpower has been re-handicapped to the liberal extent of 141 b in the Farewell Handicap at Timaru, although she is a particularly slow beginner, and hence-was much more better treated in-the South Canterbury Handicap run over an extra four furlongs, and in which she receives a very riiuch better chance to retrieve ground lost at the rise of the barrier in a sprints race. The increase of weight should have been far more than reversed when the re-handicaps were under consideration. -. It has been apparent for. some time that more stand accommodation was required .on the. Ashburton course. The cbmmitteees ■of the Ashburton County Racing Club and the Ashburton Trotting - Club nave had this’subject, under consideration lately, and; it is proposed yo erect a more commodious and up-to-date grand stand. It ia hoped that the new building will., be completed in time for use: early next season; , It might have assisted the welfare of owners and, .incidentally,, the interests of the Duiiedin winter meeting, if the Ashburton and Timaru ’Clubs changed dates : at 'this time of; the - year. Timaru,. has - a and the handicaps for WingAtui are -declared before it-is run. That - is bad business from the Dunedin point of view. A change of dates between Ashburton and Timaru would help the former;-which is threatened with a too congested calendar of racing and trotting, and wottld allow the handicaps for steeplechase events, at Wingatui to be deferred until after the exposure of the most recent form over fences. This would be to the' advantage of the clubs concerned, and particularly to our local meeting. Something'in the direction; indicated may be considered worthy of consideration when, dates for next season are being planned,, it is hoped, principally in the general welfare of the sport. There should be a very large and sub-stantial-prize offered for an acceptable solution of the question why riders rush speedy 'but partially-conditioned horses out to the front in their races. Do they do so under instructions from owners and trainers dr just ’ because they use ideas that experience shows to mean sure defeat?' Reports of race meetings continuously show that partially fit horses are - rushed-to’ the front in their races and then “fail through lack of condition. There are different ideas as to how such tactics or lack of them should be regarded, but in any case they tend to break the courage of a partially fit horse. A partially fit horse should be nursed in a race and not ridden into the ground. Undue use of a green horse is unpardonable but with a horse in form should meet with stern disapproval of the nithorities. In connection with the Ashburton meeting, held ; last week, the reports read that green horses showed speed in their races, but failed through lack of condition. A candid note on the fact would state that, the riding and handling of some horses appeared to be devoid of common-sense ideas unless there was an ulterior motive under consideration. That aspect of affairs may be safely east Aside, i 't B till the fact remains that some trainers send out partially fit horses to run under anything but good riding instructions The stewards of the Ambcrley Racing Club with other friends, visited the home of Mr and Mrs G. N. M'Lean last week and made handsome gifts to them on the cve of their departure for Timaru, Mr F. H. Courage, in making the presenta-

tions, referred to Mr M Lean s long association with racing, and spoke ..ot . tne great assistance he had given to the Ainberley Racing Club over a lengthy P eriot b during the last 10 years of which lie bad been the club’s president. Mr M Lean was.presented with a pair of field glasses, while the gift to Mrs M'Lean was a «lvcr tea service, ■ suitably inscribed. Mr M’Lean, in returning thanks for the handsome presents, voiced the regret he and his wife felt,at leaving Amberley, where they had so many friends. His new position as a stipendiary steward involved a lot of travel in the south, however, and Timaru would be a much handier centre f •om which to do his work.