RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22630, 23 July 1935, Page 7

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

The National Meeting Acceptances for the Grand National meeting and general entries are due on Friday next. An Abientee Guarantee will not be a starter in the Winter Cup, and may not be seen out at the Grand National meeting. Acceptances Acceptances are due to-day at 9 p.m. for the South Canterbury Hunt Clubs meeting on be held on Saturday next. Golden Hair Golden Hair is reported to be going on the right way in her preparation for the Grand National meeting. Early on the Scene The state of the tracks has resulted in gome early arrivals at Riccarton by horses engaged at the Grand National meeting. i A Poor Relation Standfast, who finished unplaced in the Hunters’ Flat, run at the Hawke’s Bay Hunt meeting, was foaled in 1924 and is a half-brother to Te Monanui. Cramped Odds The cramped odds offered by doublebettors at the Sydney meeting has led to an agitation for the introduction of a totalisator supplying means of coupling horses in one bet.

A Trial A trial of the new totnlisator at Riccarton will, be held on July 30. when an opportunity will be given to inspect the interior and exterior working of the mechanism. A parade of young horses will take place during the same afternoon.^

A Curtain Raiser Once again the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting will act as an interesting curtain-raiser to the Grand National meeting, as the fields engaged are mostly comprised of horses that are likely to be seen out at the big cross-country fixture at Riccarton.

At Waimate * A rather interesting card will be formed by" the acceptances for the Waimate Hunt Club’s meeting which takes place on Thursday next. According to the acceptances it will introduce Polydora as a hurdler, and others who may earn distinction over fences. 1 ' An Omission

The programme for the Grand National meeting, published in the Official Calendar. does not contain any mention of rehandicaps for winners at the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting. If the programme was absolutely free of possible penalties it would rnake a vast difference to the success of the Hunt meeting. Sound Stock V • There is no doubt that Solferino earned the distinction of siring stock noted for soundness, and in that respect stands second to none. On Saturday morning Salmo Salar was amongst the horses worked at Wingatui. He looks bright and healthy, and his legs as clean as ever. Salmo Salar was foaled in 1925. A Safe Arrival Private advice received in Auckland states that the two-year-old Tai Yang and Velociter, who were acquired by L, H. Hewitt for patrons of his stable when he was in New Zealand, have reached India in good condition. < Tai Yang has shown promise and it will be interesting to see how he fares in'lndia. The Winter Minimum The recent decision of the Racing Conference to make the minimum weight at this period of the year 8.0, with the exception of the one big flat race on each day’s programme, will be brought into effect at the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s meeting on August 24. From what can be gathered the main flat race, the mile and a-quarter Jellicoe Handicap, will remain with the 7.0 minimum. A Line to Form It is somewhat' . remarkable when some of the most difficult positions to fill in connection with racing become vacant how very many think that thev will be the right man required. Every metropolitan club should appoint an honorary handicapper. starter, and judge, and give them opportunity to prove ability by occasionally framing an unofficial handicap and start or judge a race. Such methods would supply a -line to ability.

A Big Margin In some quarters it has been stated that Tauramai has been favourably treated in the Melbourne Cup. To which one may add —-perhaps. It seems to have been overlooked that he has been asked to give 21b to both Sporting Blood and Synagogue, who both beat the Paladin gelding in the * Derby. In the Stonyhurst Handicap, Synagogue, a then inferior horse to Sporting Blood, gave Tauramai 111 b and a convincing beating. Tauramai may not have been at his beat at the Riccarton spring meeting, but on the form it means that Tauramai improved about 211 b since the spring of the season, as far as Sporting Blood and Synagogue are concerned. Tauramai trained on towards the autumn, but he beat nothing of the calibre of Sporting Blood and Synagogue,-who are now rated as inferior to him. Winner in England , Seascape Boy, who is receiving mention for the Melbourne Cup. is a four-year-old horse by Gainsborough from Queen of the Foam. Last season his seven starts gave two wins, a second, and a third. The distances at which he won were a mile and 150 yards, and a mile, the latter being at Brighton, where, with 8.2, he did the distance in Imin 35 4-ssec. However, the mile track at Brighton is so favourable to fast time that the record is Imin 32 4-saec. Nevertheless, Seascape Boy beat some fair horses, seeing that The Old Pretender (second) won at Doncaster at his next start, and Indestructible (third) fared similarly at Kernpton Park. At jus last start, Seascape Boy was unplaced with 7.12 in a mile handicap, in which the winner. Gold Tie, carried 7.10, and the minimum was 6.7. As a yearling he was sold for 500gns. A Question of Punishment The Wellington District Committee dismissed the appeal lodged by A. J. Gilmour against the three months suspension by the Wellington Racing Club imposed for deliberately attempting to run Valpeen off at the final fence in the Wellington Steeplechase. The Wellington Racing Club, no doubt, had evidence of an unpublished nature, that justified the punishment. There is no doubt that Ruby Meteor bent out towards the wing when racing between Dunmure on the rails and Valpeen on the outside. Dunmure had the inside half of the fence to himself and the other jumped near the wing. In the run home three dead-beaten horses

staggered past the post and did not require any pulling up. Dunmure was deadbeat because his rider injudiciously made too much haste to retrieve the ground lost through striking heavily at the sod wall a mile from home. The others lost ground by bending out at the last fence, but Dunmure could not take advantage of the ground gained at that stage of the contest. The fact, however, remains that the three horses were all out after a hard race in sticky going over country, and a tired horse is apt to shift ground at a fence under such circumstances. Ruby Meteor flattened out the same fence on the final day of the meeting. The suspension was imposed “ for deliberately attempting to run Valpeen off aL-the last fence.” If the evidence conclusively showed that Oil* mour stood guilty of deliberate foul riding, then hig punishment is far too lenient, but if the trouble was due to failure to keep a dead-tired horse straight at the final fence of a long and trying race then he has been badly treated.

Carrying On Mr L. Hodgson has lodged an appeal to the New Zealand Racing Conference on the Thespis-Valpai case. The Hobsonville Plurdles, run at the last meeting of the Avondale Jockey Club, was won by Valpai, owned by Mr. L. Hodgson, and ridden by Mr J. Muir, a gentleman rider, with Thespis, owned by Mr G. Hodgson, second. Immediately after the race Mr G. Hodgson put in a protest against the first prize being awarded to Valpai, cn the grounds that his rider had infringed the conditions of his amateur riders license through being connected with the training of the horse. The Judicial Committee of the Avondale Jockey Club dismissed 'he protest, and Mr G. Hodgson then appealed to the Auckland District Committee. The latter body eventually upheld the* appeal, and awarded first place to Thespis, second to St. Ames, and third to The Sun. it is against this decision that the owner of Valpai is now appealing. A Question j. . Silver Ring’s display at Victoria Park (Sydney) a week or two ago drew some caustic comment from a Referee writer: — " Silver Ring is a beautiful galloper when fit. He won the Epsom at Randwick last year, and a big betting coup, leading ail the way with 9.6, and he has shown his best form out in front in races. Consequently, when he drifted in the betting, and then failed to get into the picture at any stage of \he race, to be finally eased down to finish with hurdlers and the unfancied stayers among the rearmost, it wasn’t surprising that stewards wanted to know what ailed Silver Ring. The statement' was vouchsafed that he had suffered recently from foot trouble. Doubtless the stewards asked why he was raced in such circumstances. If Epsom winners can be taken to the minor meetings and allowed to run while ‘suffering from foot troubles,’ what protection is there for the public against loss in such circumstances? ”

Early Ideas ' It would appear that Sydney sportsmen are much more decided on their views of the spring handicaps than Victorian enthusiasts. The only unanimity in the two States {says the Sydney Herald) is that Peter Pan will take no end of beating in the Melbourne Cup despite his big weight. According to the Sydney market, The Raider has an emphatic call in the Epsom Handicap, but the position in the Metropolitan is not so clear, for, whereas Vice-Royal was the early elect, Limarch and Sylvandale are now disputing the issue with the Rosehill representative. Although in some quarters it has been suggested that the Epsom Handicap will be the mission of the former New Zealander, Synagogue, he is only on the second line for the Randwick mile, whereas local sportsmen have forced the bookmakers to make him a clear favourite for the Caulfield Cup.- In Melbourne, however, pride of place in that event is also being seriously contested by Sylvandale, about, whom no risks" are taken in any of -the distance events. Dandalla holds a much more prominent position on the charts in Melbourne for the Caulfield Cup than he does here, he being among the second favourites down south, having practically as many admirers as Hall Mark and Sir Simper. Orfox-d, who figures at a long quotation here for the Caulfield Cup, was joined in Melbourne recently with Peter Pan and Young Idea. Flemington Hurdles

Often throughout the year, and particularly at this period of the season, the hurdles at Flemington are referred to as being “ big,” the inference being that they are higher than those elsewhere (whites “Beacon”). This despite the* fact that the Australian Rules of Racing axe emphatic on the point. Rule No. 274 (iv) states: "At all meetings the hurdles ■used in hurdle races shall be hurdles 3ft Sin in height and in steeplechases no obstacle shall be less than 3ft 9in in height.” Thus it is mandatory that the hurdles shall be neiher more nor less than 3ft 3in in height. In New Zealand the height of the hurdles is 3ft 6in. On some Melbourne courses the hurdles are given a greater lean than at Flemington, and it is held that this fact makes the hurdles at Flemington (which are no heavier than elsewhere) more difficult to jump than those on other courses —Caulfield, for instance. The argument generally is fallacious. An interesting table, covering four years, shows that in 54 hurdle races at Flemington tjiere were 508 starters, of whom 455 finished. In the same period, at Caulfield, 43 hurdle races attracted 409 starters, of whom 369 finished. The percentage of falls was almost identical, ami the figures show conclusively that horses do not find any special trouble in jumping the Flemington hurdles.