RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25566, 20 June 1944, Page 2

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel Noble Fox, who scored two wins at Manawatu, is one of the few stallions raced over jumps in New Zealand. When she won on Saturday Classform was having her second race after a spell since racing at the Wellington Cup meeting. Up to the end of last week, the Washdyke tracks were reported to be in good order, and unless a break in the weather occurs there will be good winter going for the racing on Saturday. An Australian paper reports that prior to the war a £IOOO book was about the limit of a fielder’s operations on course betting. Now £4OOO books are fairly common. Irish Chance, who won at Manawatu on Saturday, is a four-year-old chestnut filly by Irish Lancer from Bo Peep, mare who was foaled in 1915 and died in 1940. Opaltown, who won the Matilda Steeples at Manawatu, recorded his second win over fences. He had previously won over hurdles, and his first win over steeples was in the Wanganui Steeples, in which four of the field of five fell and the other baulked. Hakim, who has won in his last two starts, is a rising four-year-old gelding by Bulandshar from Koriko, who won the New Zealand Oaks in 1931. Koriko was got by Redfern —Meriden, by Challenger— Merry Widow, by Wallace. Grecian Glow, who is top-weight in the Smithfield Hack Handicap at Timaru, has been started 13 times this, season for three wins, two seconds, and a third. He showed improving form at the Dunedin winter meeting by winning the Southern Hack Handicap and the Montgomery Hack Handicap. He recorded his second success with 8.11, and amongst those behind him were Night Fighter 8.6 and Notary 8.6. The Wellington Racing Club’s winter programme includes the following conditions:—The club reserves the right to refuse any nomination or acceptance; alter the date or venue of the meeting; vary the distance of any race, or the sequence of races; reduce the advertised stakes money, and cancel the meeting on any day thereof. The death occurred in Wellington last week of Harry Pritchard, who for many years was actively engaged in racing, first as head lad' and later as a trainer. At one period he was private trainer for Mr J. J. Corry, at Blenheim, and he also acted in that capacity for Mr W. H. Ballinger, at Trentham, gaining a very fair measure of success for each of his patrons. After being absent from the game for some years, Pritchard contemplated resuming training operations at Trentham, a matter of a couple of years ago, but did not proceed further in the matter.

Shannon, winner of the A.J.C. Sires’ Produce Stakes at Rand wick, and one of the leading two-year-olds in New South Wales, descends from a mare who spent 11 years of her life in New Zealand. Shannon is.by Midstream from Idle Words, by Magpie from Peptamint, by Finland from Mint, a Mintagon mare imported to Elderslie in 1911 by Mr J. B. Reid, who disposed of her to Mr T. H. Lowry. At Okawa, Mint bred Egyptian Flower and Peptamint among others, and in- 1928 Peptamint was sold to Australia, whither her dam, Mint, had gone six years aerlier. Mint was half-sister to Carpal, dam of the One Thousand Guineas winner Brown Betty, and to Beresian, the second dam of Manitoba. Mid-day Sun, winner of the Derby, and Marabou, winner of the Melbourne Cup, also come from this family.