RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22393, 15 October 1934, Page 13

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

Acceptances for the first day of the Gore Racing Club’s meeting are due today. Acceptances for the New Zealand Cup and Stewards’ Handicap with forfeits for the Welcome Stakes, Derby and Oaks, also dominations for the minor events, are due next Friday. - Antique, who was bought by Mr. ; E. Moss (owner of Yeilmond and Theo), for a; big price a year or two ago, was sold in Sydney the other day for cO guineas. The three fastest times recorded , for two in Australia and New Zealand stand to the credit of Dominion horses—3ihin 22 1-aeec by Palantua at Riccarton; 3mip,22sec by Star, Stranger at Trentham, ana by Highly at Randwick. 'Jonathan is by common consent of bandicappers the best horse in the Dominion just now. He is top-weight in the New Zealand Cup with 9.1, in the Wellington Handicap with 9.7, and in the Shorts at Wellington with 9.7. . Since the end of September, Red Racer has placed two wins and two seconds, and one'third to his credit, and in his other two, starts he was fourth and fifth. He carried 7.4 into, second place in the Mosgiel Handicap at Dunedin, and won the Ranfurly Handicap under the same weight, “ Ventrac and Travenna were not started at Wingatui, ag neither is of much use on wet ground,” states a .northern paper. The only race Travenna has, won to date was in-deep going- at the Grand National meeting, while Ventrac is at his best on heavy tracks. .'As a matter of fact most of Tractor’s stock act well in the mud.

E. J. Ellis lias taken in hand a two-year-old colt by Night Raid from En Parole. En Parole is a sister to-Bob* rikoff, one of the greatest gallopers New Zealand has seen, and the only reason why the Night Raid colt might not be good is that En Parole, was a very old mare when she produced him. . Last year the top-weight in the New Zealand Cup was ■awarded to Autopay, who had won' only one race beyond nine furlongs,, that being the Awapuni Gold Cup (one mile and a-quarter) on a small t¥ack. , This year'Jonathan'is'top-weight, and he : also has not won at alonger distance, than 10 furlongs. ■■■;• ' . 1 The (Win , scored'.'by-.Shatter in the SquattersV:H«ndicap l v ; oit‘'the: second; day of the Australian Jockey Club’s' meeting, was a .big - surprise to, mcist ■ people.. There had j been 'nothing in hie previous form to:hint: tbat ; he,was a possibility (says an Australian /Writer)and. his;- connections did not fancy him in'the least.. He was last in the first furlong but he’ won running away. ; , ' ; Mr. Lauchlan Mackinnon, the Melbourne newspaper, .proprietor, news of whose death was/received by cable last week, owned:-a-few horses'. The best performer to 'carry 'his., colo'nrs was. Epilogue, who won- the V.R'.C.' St. Leger of 1927. ; The late Mr -Mackinnon was a. second cOusin ,of ;Mr..-L, K. S. Mackinnori, chairman of tlie',\ ictpria -Racing, Club, which .controls racing in Victoria., ■/ ' ~« / Cherry King was having his-'fifst race this season when He won at Masterton. He won-brily one race last season, but he was in a place'on five other occasions,.. and altogether, his form-when at his best, which was . seldom, was very promising. Cherry King had not raced since last February. In the meantime,he has had a good spell, in’ the /Wanganui’ district, and has since been in the stable of L. 0. Morris at Marton. He is a four-year-old by Chief Ruler from Cherry,Pie, so lie is a brother to Chief . Cook and , a , half-brother to Cherry Queen, now- carrying the colours of Mr;G. J.. Barton. - ' , Sporting vtilopd is likely to' turn out ,a very good, tliree-yeap-old this- season. Last season' than- useful. two-year-old. ginning at Avondale and/Ejlerslie, while -he .ran good races on other courses/ Hig dam,. Gazi, does not: appear in they Stud; Bobk,' : but the name' suggests that she is by Gazely, the sire of that good horse Gazique.' Sporting Blood is by ! /Hunting - Song, and therefore there .should be little doubt abput his staying ability. His owner does not think there is much when he has continued his engagement in the New Zealand: Cup. Although the A.J.C.. Metropolitan winner Waikare is the first horse trained by G. Price for Mr E. J. Watt, these'sportsmen have, had what might be termed long associations on the turf, for. Price rode horses for Mr. Watt in New Zealand. The* associations, were renewed when Mr Watt , gave Price a commission to puri chase a. New Zealand-bred' yearling, and the'Randwickv-trainer’s choice was the Limonfl—Waterwings colt, for .which he had^o^^fe€sfignsWPrice' lias been' successful Trlso foranother New Zealander who is a new patron.’ this being Mr T. H. Lowry, who won three races in succession: with Senior. BJt two heads—little more than two feet--the Sydney ring was saved from its most-.'severe ,loss_ in recent years,, when Nightly, stopped in the last, few yards of the Metropolitan, and finished -the closest of thirds (writeS;Mr;A. B. Dexter in the Sydtiey Telegraph). /'About 150,000. would baye been taken; from the ring in one of thp/iuost /sensational plunges in recent yearsf The lameness of the New Zealander .induced a • belief that ,he had not struck-his correct form, but in last-minute operations over the week-end he was supported for oyer .£9OOO. Most of that secured by. bookmakers who baa^fai’d/Silver Ring—Nightly double for big,-amounts. The sodden mature'of' the tra'ck. however, induced a further confidence in bis chance, and from double figures lie was backed to second favouritism at half that price. Little more than a furlong from home Randwick fielders must have given up hope, for Nightly appeared to have, had the leaders covered;' Then he tired slightly toward the end., and. in one of the most remarkable finishes that has ever marked the Metropolitan, both Waire and Journal dashed up on the outside /to- save the ring from comparative disaster. Early in the week before. Derby Day v at Randwick, Silver King’s lessee-trainer, E. F. Walker, was informed'by telephone that an attempt would be made to get at

the colt before the Derby, and that Silver King would have to be watched very closely ou the course. The persistence of the reports caused police interest, and arrangements were made for a special police guard ou the racecourse on the day. From the time Silver King left the horse float at the’racecourse gates at noon, he was under strict supervision. A detective escorted Silver King to his- stall; and although the thousands who paid their tribute to the Derby favourite were unaware of the fact. Silver King was guarded like royalty. Walker took added precautions and instructed his foreman ou no account to leave the horse unattended for a minute. After Silver King had been saddled, Detective CTosbie walked across the lawns with him. Not until the colt was safely in the enclosure, with all fears of danger dispelled, was vigilance relaxed. Doping, the greatest scourge of racing, has been singularly absent from Sydney for a long time. With horses worth thousands racing for small fortunes at important carnivals, however, trainers invariably take greater precautions. Although Silver King escaped all ham before his great effort to win Australia’s greatest classic, he did not escape trouble during the race, and will not be able to race at Melbourne.