RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23526, 15 June 1938, Page 15

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel

Joumet It is doubtful whether Journet will be raced this winter. All Humbug All Humbug, who raced over hurdles at Wingatui, was foaled in 1928. At Riccarton At present there are over twenty rising two-year-olds in training at Riccarton. Norseman Norseman was foaled in 1933, but figures in some records as an aged gelding. Superex The Nightraid gelding Superex was one of the disappointments at Wingatui. He may do better when the going suits him. Barley Almond Barley Almond was taken up to the North Island after racing at the Dunedin winter meeting. Nightwings One race in heavy going appears to be enough for Nightwings, who failed to repeat the run she put in on the first day at Wingatui. Last Refrain Last Refrain, the winner of the Birthday Handicap, is a short-pedigreed horse tracing to a mare of unknown breeding. Valpeen Prior to his recent win in the Great Northern Steeplechase, 'Valpeen had not won a race since he scored in the Grand National Steeplechase of 1935. Huskie

It is said that Huskie choked through getting his tongue over the bit. Apparently a post-mortem examination did not take place. A Change

At one time the English Rules of Racing made it imperative that all races must be started from a walk. Now the flatfoot start is in favour. New Trainer

The jockey H. E. Goldfinch has applied for a trainer’s licence, and if his application is successful he will make Avondale his headquarters. Barcaldine It is on record that Barcaldine was once without food or water for three days, simply because no man dare enter his box. The Belgian horse trainer, Loeffler, cured Barcaldine of his viciousness. Grand National Meeting

Nominations for the Grand National Steeplechase, Winter Cup, Grand National Hurdles, Beaufort Steeples, Sydenham Hurdles, and Lincoln Steeples close on Friday, June 24, at 5 p.m.

Royal Order Royal Order finished fifth in a race run over a mile at Flemington on Monday. Mr J. Richardson entertained hope that the Limond colt would repeat his previous success, but apparently he did not get too good a run in the early part of the race. Kentucky Derby Lawrin, winner of this season’s Kentucky Derby, claims some of the same blood as Bois Roussell, the winner of the English Derby. He is a brown colt by Insco out of Margaret Lawrence, and his lines are full of eminent English equine names. His sire was by Sir Galahad 111, a son of Teddy from Plucky Liege, by Spearmint from Concertina, by St. Simon, and his dam was by Vulcain, a son of Rock Sand, the sire of Tracery and the dam of Man o’ War, from Bohemia, by Wagner. Lawrin was raced 15 times as a two-year-old for three wins and six seconds. On January 22 ho won the Hialeah Stakes, a six-furlong race for three-year-olds. He won by three lengths, running the distance in Imin llsec. He is owned by Mr H. M. Woolf, of Kansas City. Desert Chief Desert Chief won a race at Flemington on Monday after suffering defeat on the previous Saturday at Moonee Valley. Desert Chief has been condemned up hill and down dale by the Melbourne critics, one of whom was rather vituperative about the horse when writing a few weeks ago. Apart from the difference in the tracks at Moonee Valley and Flemington, the form displayed oy Desert Chief suggested that he had become tired of the game, and pleased himself as to what energy he put into a rac

Gascon Chief The Dominion-bred Gascon Chief, who was sold a little over 12 months ago by Mr C. Haldane, of Hastings, to Mr W. T. Kelly, of Brisbane, won his first race for his new owner recently at Doomben, Queensland. Gascon Chief, who was bred by Mr Haldane, is a three-year-old by Gascony from the Chief Ruler —Soot mare Chief Salute. He had only two starts in the Dominion, winning at the Waipawa meeting and later being second at a Hawke’s Bay meeting. He was sold by Mr Haldane for a price reported to be 750 guineas. The Riff

The Dominion-ored gelding The Rift, whom Mr E. E. Jolly sold some months ago for 600 guineas to a partnership which includes the owner of Aurie’s Star, won the Gawler Cup in South Australia a fortnight ago. This was -his first success in his new colours, and he was to have accompanied Aurie’s Star on the first part of the trip to Brisabne for the Doomben meeting next month. Now five years old. he is a bay son of Chief Ruler and the Kilbroney mare Rossellate hence he is a brother to Tenterden. who also went to South Australia. The Elderslie Stud The Elderslie Stud was conducted for several years by the late Mr J. B Held, who disposed of it to Mr J. G. Duncan, of Wellington, in 1925 Mr Duncan carried it on for some years, and then sold it to the iElderslie Stud Company, of which he has since been chairman of directors, with Mr Ken Austin a,s managing director. Others connected with the company include Messrs J. M. Samson, E. Hay, W. Higgins, B. H. Edkins, and E. Riddiford. the Greenwood Estate, and the Greenslade Estate, all of New Zealand, and Messrs G. N. Magill, J. C. Clark, and the late Ronald Mackay, of Australia Possession of the stud is to be given in February, and it is intended to hold a dispersal sale of all thoroughbred stock, including stallions and mares, on the property in January. The stud is not to be closed, but will be carried on. probably by a new company, with Mr Austin retaining his position as managing director, and no doubt the stud will be restocked with English importations. The property has an area of 402 acres of the richest and_ soundest lime-bearing land in th* Dominion, and it can justly claim to be the most up-to-date thoroughbred stud in the southern hemisphere. •The Bullring” The fields for the principal crosscountry races decided at the Dunedin winter meeting were on the small side, and as they form the star attraction of ' the fixture the question of making an

effort to increase them naturally crops up. It is an established fact that horses proving moderate performers on the flat subsequently became converted into successful performers over nurdles and fences. That being the case, it is in a club’s interest to provide facilities for converting fiat racers into jumpers. This can be best achieved by the formation of a “ bullring,” in which a horse can be educated to jump obstacles of a gradually increasing height according to the progress made by the potential Grand National winner. The idea is as old as the hills and full particulars as to the methods adopted, and success achieved can be found in “ Badminton on Steeplechasing.” The process of converting a flat racer into a jumper may at times be slow except in the case of the so-called natural jumper. From foalhood a horse is taught that a fence exists for the purpose of confining him to a restricted area. The “ Bullring ” is the best method of teaching a horse that a fence can be jumped, and one should be built on every racecourse catering for hurdling and crosscountry racing. The “ Bullring ” tempts a trainer to try a horse “ just for fun,” and the joke may lead to the discovery of something far more useful over jumps than what has been the case on the flat. There is very little or no risk entailed in schooling a horse in a “ Bullring,” which supplies the alphabet in the education of a jumper’s career. On the contrary, the horse that is sent at a jump “ in cold blood " with a rider up and without a preliminary education is almost sure to refuse.

Steeplecbaslng Steeplechassng is flourishing in other parts of the world, notably in England, France, America, and India, but it is languishing in the Commonwealth (writes the Melbourne critic, “ Chiron ”). Why, nobody seems able to give anything like a satisfactory reason. The sport is as popular as ever it was with the racing public, and proof of it has been afforded by the enthusiasm with which the careers of horses like Mosstrooper and Redditch were followed by the general public. Many reasons have been advanced for the decline of steeplechasing in Victoria. but none has been in the least convincing. One reason frequently heard for the decline in the standard of the steeplechasers is that in the palmy days of steeplechasing in Victoria a special type of horse was bred for the business, and that most of the great steeplechasers of the good old days were sired by thoroughbred horses of a special breed like Panic and his sons, from half-bred mares. However, if one looks back through the list of Grand National Steeplechase winners of, say, 30 or 40 years ago, it will be seen that most of them were eligible for the Stud Book, and therefore thoroughbred. Grafnell, Beilis, Grafnax Old Mungindi, Bribery, and Mountain God, who rank among the great Australian steeplechasers, were all eligible for the Stud Book Horses with the highest qualifications for jumping are still being bred, and are available if anybody wants them, but unfortunately, there appears to be no keen demand by owners for horses suitable for steeplechasing, as was the case in the days when Messrs Miller specialised in jumpers, and Messrs Manifold were great supporters of steeplechasing and were always on the alert for likely sorts for jumping fences. The trouble is that most men nowadays like to get their money back quickly when they become patrons of the turf in the capacity of owner, and will not wait for a jumper to be made Making a jumper is certainly a slow business, and at times a costly one, but instances are legion in which it has been a profitable quest. .