RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23225, 24 June 1937, Page 15

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel Bamplon Sold The Rossendale horse Rarapion made 650gns when sold at the dispersal of the Macquarie stud. New Zealand Derby An entry of 145 has been received for the New Zealand Derby Stakes, of £1250, to be run in 1938. Grand National Meeting Nominations are due to-morrow for the principal events to be run at the Grand National meeting. Cottingham Improves

Cottingham has trained on well since he raced at the Timaru meeting, and will be in better racing shape if saddled at Ashburton. A Good Team

The Gustavo colt Stromboli has joined A. E. Didham’s stable. Didham has now a team of 14 in his stable and has been doing remarkably well since joining the ranks of trainers. Silver Sight

Silver Sight continues to please by his schooling over hurdles and went well over four flights on Tuesday an company with Pahu, who had not sumcient pace to go with the Silverado gelding. Hunting Go

Hunting Go refused at two of the brush fences when sent out to school on Tuesday, but when joined by Black Banner gave a satisfactory display over a round of the jumps. Local Stables Represented

It has become somewhat rare to find Wingatui horses racing at ,the singleday meetings at Ashburton with the exception of the spring fixture, which is followed by the Geraldine meeting. The winter meeting to be held at Ashburton has attracted acceptances for The Surgeon, Fireguard, Combat, Hanlon, and Trivet. Talking and Mala The great rivals of last springtjhe three-year-olds Talking and Mala, have reappeared on the teaming tracks at Randwick, Talking, ridden by M'Carten, did steady exercise on the sand track. He has filled out and rounded since he last raced. Mala had his first fast gallop since his arrival from New Zealand. He ran seven furlongs, the last three being done m 42Jsec. He is coming along nicely for his spring engagements. Phaeton

Amongst the winners at the South Canterbury point-to-point steeplechase meeting on Saturday was Phaeton, a half-brother to Lord Ranald, and owned by Mr B. Fechney, of Ashburton. Phaeton is a natural jumper, and is likely 'to be seen out in hunters races next month. Confidence

“You can say that Pooley Bridge will win the double. I think he a a good proposition In the hurdles and even better in the steeplechase. This was the confident statement of L. Healey, Pooley Bridge's rider, when he learned that his mount had been rehandicapped 31b to, 12.8 in the Victorian Grand National Hurdles, for winning the York Hurdles. Healey has won nine races in lO rides on the champion, including the Grand National Hurdles and Australian Hurdles last year.

Derby Winners The oldest Derby winner at the stud In England is Gainsborough, who, notwithstanding that his win was in 1918, still commands a 400-guinea fee, Ihe 1920 winner, Spion Kop, is down to 45 guineas, and Papyrus’s fee is £9B. Sansovino and Manna each command 300 guineas, but Coronach and Call Boy command only £9B and £4B respectively. Call Boy was sold for £60,000 on the death of Mr F. -urzon. Felstead, at 300 guineas, is still high in the list. That is also the fee of Cameronian, while £l9B each is charged for the services of Trigo and April of Fifth, Hyperion and Windsor Lad are on the 400-guinea mark, while the charge for Bahrain is 500 guineas. The Musket Line

An interesting nomination is Included amongst those engaged in the race for two-year-olds just closed. This is a filly by Te Monanui, the only New Zealand representative of the Musket line with a youngster engaged. Te Monanui was a good performer and twice won the Mitchelson Cup, of 2000sovs, and the A.R.C. Handicap, of 2000sovs, He was got by Potoa, a son of Monoform, a brother to Multiform from Unity, by Lupin. The dam of Te Monanui’s filly is Palgie, by Night Raid—Rose Lady, by Rose Noble —Red Charm, by Charlemagne 11-Red Peony by St. Clair—Red Ensign by St. George—Red Rose, by Traducer. The filly traces to the Rosebud taproot which produced Chancellor, Black Rose, Royal Rose, La Rose, Blazer, Red Lancer. Sinapis and other good winners.

The Macquarie Stud There was an attendance of about 1000 at the dispersal sale of the Macquarie Stud held on June 10, when the imported stallion, Meifort, realised 8700 guineas, the highest price at auction for a sire whose stock have not yet been tried on the turf. The opening bid was. 2000 guineas, Mr E. A. Haley, of the Te .Koona stud, Bathurst, being one of the first bidders The New Zealand breeder Mr W. T. Hazlett quickly joined in. and, with 100 guinea offers, the price rose tc 5000 guineas, when Mr Haley retired. The market at this stage seemed exhausted, and the auctioneer, Mr Inglis, was several minutes in inducing Mr H. A Taylor to announce a decision that he would meet the market. When he did so. Mr H. S Thompson opposed Mr Hazlett, and again in bids of 100 guineas, the price rose to 8600, which Mr Hazlett offered. There was a slight pause.

and Mr Thompson bid 8700 guineas, at which Mr Hazlett left the ringside Altogether. 66 mares realised 8930 guineas, and the three stallions 9660 guineas, a total of F-,590 guineas for the entire stud.

The Ashburton Meeting The acceptances for the Ahhburton meeting did not cause any great shrinkage in the original fields. Giggleswick. Full Throttle, Gay Boa and Royal Ransom dropped out of the Hurdle Handicap. Superex and Rousseau are the only absentees from the Mayfield Hack Handicap, in which Maroha has 8.1 and not the 7.7 appearing in the list. Sky Pilot became ineligible for the Dromore Hack Steeplechase, and others that dropped out were Snowy Dawn, Grey Boy, Bonny Bluff, Flashlight, Tea Urn, Hostage and Scotsden. Double Gift, who had top-weight of 9.9 in the Moreton Hack Handicap, dropped out, and so did Silver Slipper, Primak arid Queen Linda. All the top lot remain in the Maronan Handicap, the absentees being Arrowrose, Silver Lark and Arena. The club will have a good card and, with favourable weather, should experience a successful meeting. Brush Fences

A difference of opinion exists in connection with solid and brush fences, but the Victoria Racing Club intends to adhere to the latter and desires a uniform adoption of them. A Melbourne trainer who specialises in jumpers said that when first the brush fences were mooted he had been one of the most staunch supporters of the old obstacles. He. however, had since been converted, - and now considered that from a humane point of view the new fences had much to recommend them. He had, he said, seen horses ambling about the course on three legs, with the other, the bone of which had been completely shattered, swinging disconcertingly from side to side. Such a sight was distressing, and should, as far as possible, be kept free from one of the finest forms of racing. Injuries such as that were mostly caused by a horse striking a hard, unyielding obstacle, sfich as the top rail of a fence or solid log. No matter how heavily a horse came in contact with brush obstacles he could usually drag through them, and sustain nothing more serious than a few scratches. Injuries such as these were, of course, very worrying to trainers, but it was better to have a horse in the stable with a few scratches than to lose his services altogether.

The Preparation of a Jumper The training of a jumping horse, be he hurdler, racer, or steeplechaser, is an entirely separate branch of the business, so far as his track treatment is concerned (says William Muggridge in. his book “How to Train a Racehorse”). It is not such a difiicull matter to “ brush-up ” a flat racer into temporary fitness for one race under certain conditions, but a jumping horse’s preparation invariably demands a deal of time and patience. It very often takes years to get a steeplechaser Into thoroughly seasoned condition. Perhaps a 'chaser for a couple of seasons will only manage to run decently while handicapped with the light division. Then, maybe, he is given a month or two of half training, and again brought up to concert pitch. He seems to come on suddenly, and from a place low down on the list of weights wins his way to the top of the scale, and may carry big loads with more seeming ease than he could the smaller burdens. This quick improvement is very rarely noticeable m a 'chaser that has not been a long time in the stable. In a jumping horse, muscles brought into peculiar use in leaping are more slowly developed than those which are only enlisted in galloping; and this in a great measure serves to explain why it takes a horse of average construction so long to become anything like a perfect fencer. With the maturing of these muscles, the horse finds it comparatively easy to raise his burden in taking his leap, and he consequently does not tire nearly so quickly as before. I do not pretend to be competent to make any Positive statement in this connection, ut careful observation has led me to the conclusions which I here express. Be my estimate of the matter right or wrong, the fact that jumping horses take a long time to mature, as a general thing, admits of no contention. Therefore, the preparation of the fencefighter” must be proceeded with in the most leisurely way. Here, too, it is absolutely necessary that a horses confidence should be built in every way possible.