CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 50

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

(By FbITZ.)

Wo have had another week of mixed weather —mostly fine, but interspersed ’with some heavy rain showers. So far as training operations are concerned, however, the conditions have been entirely favourable, all the, tracks at Riccarton being in pretty good order now. Lees than a fortnight will find us in the thick of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s carnival, and there are distinct evidences that it will easily eclipse all previous records. General entries were taken on Friday, and the response of owners was more than satisfactory. We arc assured of an exceptionally strong contingent of visiting horses, drawn from an even wider area than usual and representing practically the full racing strength of the Dominion. All the minor events have Idled well, 721 nominations being received for 21 races, which works out at an average of over 34 for each event. If there is one weakness it is in the hurdle races, but even hero there is no cause for serious complaint, the prospective fields ranging from 11 to 20. There will bo plenty of welter performers, the nominations in those races ranging up to 65, while one of the hack races has drawn 43 entries. One of the. brightest features, so far ns the •handicap horses are concerned, is to find 55 engaged in the Fcndalton Handicap, of a mile and a-quarter. Two-year-olds look like being very numerous at the meeting, the Spring Nursery Handicap having attracted 37 juveniles. Altogether, the minor events all promise particularly well. Turning to the more important races, the outlook is also very bright. It was, of course, to bo expected that there would be a substantial weeding out in the New Zealand ♦'Cup, and the 18 horses which failed to -make the payment include few surprises. Some of them, including Goldfinder, Labour Day, and Soldiers' Chorus, arc unsound. Potoa is really the most notable absentee, but evidently ho has not shown a partiality for such a long journey. The others to fall out are Bleriot, Sonito, Kopu, Multiply, Passadena, St. Francis, Sir Daniel, Bonnie Boy, Brown Trout, Gold Cup, Mere, Corrie, Arohakau, and Anguish. The list of candidates remaining in the race numbers 24, and it has to bo admitted that the issue is still very open. Some surprise will be felt at the engagement of Midnight Sun being continued, as it was assumed, after his return to Melbourne, that all prospect of seeing last year’s Cup winner at Riccarton again next * month had disappeared. If caught in his best humour, he will make matters interesting, but he is an uncertain customer. With one exception, all the horses remaining in the Cup havo been seen in public since the appearance of the weights. Several of them have won, while others havo been placed, but it cannot bo said that any of them has shown exceptional form. A number of candidates can still bo picked out as having undeniable chances of success, though I must confess that I have very little fancy for several of those still left in. The staying credentials of the majority have to ire taken very much on trust. Midnight Sun, La. Reina, Roosevelt, and Sinapfs uro the only ones • that are proved over the full journey, Bronzo and Tannhauser having tho best staying credentials among tho others. Regarding the remainder I am disposed to hazard tho opinion that there aro several horses still engaged that will hare tired of the con-

test by the time the entrance to the straight is reached. Riccarton stables are better represented than is usually the case in the two-mile race. Empcraclor, Tannhauser, Thrax, Quarantine, and Cherubini make a decent team, and with Bon Revo doing duty for tlie Yaldhurst stable, Canterbury may play a prominent part in the big eventnext month. There is another’ payment still to. bo made, while the training operations during the next 10 days should throw further light on the problem, but in the meantime it looks as if the Now Zealand Cup would provide a very interesting struggle this year. Thirty-four horses hold their places In the Stewards’ Handicap. Bon Reve was scratched before acceptance day, and among the others to drop out are Ventura, Soldiers’ Chorus, Bleriot, Soltano, Haskayne, Expect, Pilgrim’s Way, Stardancer, and First Glance, all of whom had their admirers. It is to be regretted that all the horses handicapped at 9.0 or over have disappeared, but the field still includes some hjgh-class sprinters. Bandeira, the hope of Yaldhurst, is the favourite, despite the fact tha-i he has not raced for more than a year. With all parts of the Dominion so ■well represented, it is not easy to dissect the forni, and it seems safe to predict a great contest. Riccarton claims Mowbray, Oxenhope, Peg, Salzburg, Winning Way, Martius, Warstop, Historiette, and Jcannot. Even among this lot it is hard to pick the best, and opinions differ greatly concerning the chances even of our own local lot, several of whom have plenty of staunch, admirers. Mr Hobbs holds a very strong hand with Peg, Mowbray, and Jeannot, while Warstep is another Riccarton candidate ' that is very etrongly fancied. The prospects eo far aa the Welcome Stakes are concerned are very bright. Winning form is represented by Cortes, Downham, Marsa, and Brocade, while Football has also shaped well in a race. There ia also plenty of good material that has yet to be proved. Good accounts are to hand from the north concerning Reputation, by Martian—Stepfeldt, and Pariform, by Boni-form-Parera. There are several likely candidates from Canterbury stables, including Good Night, by Boniform—Dreamer, Bold Stroke, By San Francisco—Bravo Heart, and Honesty, by Martian—Success. There are indications that the Derby and Oaks will be good races. Amopg those in the Derby are Bonny Helen, Cherubini, Banksia, The Ha gue, Stevedore, Warstep, Martius, Salzburg, Joannot, and Mowbray, while Peronilla, Irhincr, Sunbird, French Rose, Flora Macdonald, and Joan are candidates for the Oaks that are not in the Derby. Until the visiting horses arrive there will not be much interest in the training work, but some very useful work is being accomplished by the local horses. Pilgrim s Way ia temporarily amiss, and has not been seen on the tracks for some ■days. Quarantine, who is the only horse ,loft in the New Zealand Cup that has not sported silk since the weights appeared, is doing excellent work at Riccarton. He was responsible for a mile in 1.42 one day during the week with a decent weight in the saddle. So far he has no public form to make him out a particularly good horse, but there is a strong feeling that he will stay. As things are shaping just now, I am prepared to find Quarantine start nearly favourite if ho keeps sound up to the day of the race. Martius was not on the track at Riccarton on Wednesday, and it is understood ho visited Yaldhurst for a gallop with Bon Rove. There is a growing opinion that Martius will take a lot of beating in the Derby, his running in the Dunedin Guineas suggesting that .ho will stay' better than most of the throe-year-olds. Another local Derby candidate whoso prospects are being freely canvassed is Warstop. She is moving in good stylo in her work, and she looks like proving it very useful filly. Already I have heard of one or two substantial bets being made concerning the Derby chances of Martius and Warstep. Mr Hobbs is working three of his candidates with a view to the Derby. The popular opinion is that Salzburg will not stay, and personally I do not like Jearuiot for a journey, though he is a, fine galloper. This leaves Mowbray, and he does not appear to have come on as could have been wished since the autumn. Sir George Clifford’s Derby colt, Stevedore, is doing useful work, but he is just a fair colt, so far as can be judged at present. The throe-year-old filly Duchess of Courland, by Soult —Czarevna, was on Friday shipped to Melbourne, where she will join her sister, Anna Carlovna, in Mr E. A. Connolly’s stable. Applications for accommodation at Ric-, carton are corning in fast, and from what. I can learn it seems safe to predict that wo will have more visiting horses here next month than at any previous meeting of tho Canterbury Jockey Club. The Hon. J. D. Ormond is expected to have r seven representatives, ancl Mr E. J. Watt eight. A pood deal of uncertainty appears to prevail concerning tho movements of tho threo-ycar-olds Soltano and Merry Roe. They would add greatly to the interest in tho'racing if they put in an appearance at Riccarton next month, but there is still some doubt on this point. Rinaldo is making a good recovery from his attack of strangles, but he is not likely to be racing for some time yet.