TN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3612, 5 June 1923, Page 47

TN A NUTSHELL.

Mr G. L. Stead has again placed Royal Box and Tarleton in work. Fabiuuns broke his back when running at Wingaiui, and had to be destroyed. The Ashburton Trotting Club will hold ita Winter meeting on Saturday, June 9. Sun Coil, a colt got by the New Zealand Cup winner Midnight Sun, recently won the West Queensland Derby for Mr E. J. Watt. General Detain ran an excellent race under 11.13 in the Otago Steeplechase, in which he was attempting t-o give 291 bto the winner. It is a somewhat remarkable tact that not one of the horses that started in last year’s Otago Steeplechase figured in the field this year. Clean Sweep broke down whilst running in the Birthday Handicap. He has been more or lees under suspicion of unsoundness for some time. The locally-owned pacer Adair followed up his success at Forbury Park by winning the Pupcru Handicap and stepping two miles in 4.31 2-5. Loughrea cannot act up t-o his best form when racing in heavy going, and that no doubt was the reason for his withdrawal from the Birthday Handicap. Bonneiter staried first favourite in the Birthday Handicap, but failed to run into a place. She afterwards made amends 'ey winning the Provincial Handicap. Vice Royal paid a remarkably good price when he won the Winter Welter, after he was responsible for creating an exodus in the field handicapped for the lace. On Wednesday, June 6, acceptances are due for all handicaps to be run at the Ashburton Trotting Club’s meeting. Payment is also due for the X-sv Zealand Sapling Stakes at the same time. Pamplona, the winner of the Otago Steeplechase, is a half-brother by Pallas to Lo-chella, « winner of the Grand Rational Steeplechase, Ibe Great Northern Steeplechas, and Great Northern Hurdles. Several old-time winners of the Birthday Handicap scored with next to the proverbial stamp on their back. Merry man won the first Birthday Handicap run in 1873 with 6.5, and Atlantic, who won m 1880, had a “burden” cf 6.3. Laughing Eyes continues to show' winning and improving form, and incidentally prove the value of Eager Eyes as a brood mare. Her first two foals are Listening. Post and Laughing Eyes, and her next foal is a promising filly rising two years old by Buckwheat. The South Canterbury Hunt Club will hold its annual race meeting on July 21. The principal events will be the South Canterbury Steeplechase, of 20-Osovs, and the Teschemakor Memorial Hunt Cup chase, of 150sovs. Nominations are due on Tuesday, July 3. , . Mr Gerald L. Stead had one of his breeding amongst the winners at the San-d-own meeting held on May 19. ”! ! 1 s vms a filly named Lemming-ton and got by Nassau from iSt. Sophia, the dam oi Kumocn. Lemmington beat 11 others m a three-year-old handicap. . Rorke’s Drift has established a record m connection with the Birthday Handicap that will take some equalling. In 1916 he won as a four-year-old with 10.0 up, m LI/ with 9.6, and in 1921 with 8.4. He is the only horse that has won with over 9.0 up in the history of the race. Guncase, although built on smaller lines, bears a stronger resemblance to Rorke s Drift than any other horse got by Calibre. Matchbox, the dam of Guncase was got l>y Buccleuch from Fireside, by Perkin Marbeck II from Bvtheside, by Stony jurat from- Alsace, by Apremont. , The crack racehorse Euivthmic will commence stud duties next season at a 75-gumea fee He ran in 47 races, scored wins, six seconds, four thirds, and was six times unplaced His tc-tal winnings amounted to 36 891sovs. He starts in good company an Comedy King (who is full at 2-OOgs) will be his stud mate. After his disappointing display on Lie second day at Ashburton, Urgency s win m the Birthday Handicap was somewhat m the nature of a surprise, although in keeping with the promise of form displayed earlier in the season. Urgency was got by Clarenceaux from Madrid by \aseo from Flame, by Phaeton—Catherine Wheel, by Maxim from Miss Kate The Spartero gelding Kohu, who won the Great Northern Hurdles on Saturday, fell in 'both the Grand National Steeplechase and Great Northern Steeplechase when running in these races last season He •has ‘always havd »a following - wlii.cn expected him to make good over the jumua, beca-upe he is a better class horse than the majority who are put to the game. f Gamecock, who won the Jumpers r lat at Winp-atui on Saturday, shares the honours dt the seven-furlong record for the track In 1919 he earned 7.13 and dead heated with Radial 9.7, and ran the journey in 127 1-5- lie also holds the honours attached to classic distinction, as he won th a Dunklin Champagne Stakes of 1917 and also the Canterbury Champagne Stakes. Th" Dunedin Jockey Club made a pleasing start with its Winter meeting by handlin" £27 12!, or £3982 10s more tnan on th*, opening ’ day of last year’s meeting. This year, however, the meeting opened on a Saturday, whereas Tuesday was the opening day last season. On the Saturday of last season’s meeting, which fell on the public holiday of June 3, the totalisator investments amounted to £46,439 19s. The Oamaru Trotting Club recently made a present of a handsome rug to Mr J. Samson, who has -acted as honorary judge to the club Mr Samson leaves this week on a visit to Australia, and will no doubt participate in some trotting meetings in that part of the world in order to glean some ideas that may benefit the sport in this country. Mr Sams-on is the strong man in the Forbury Park Trotting Club, and proved it by the laudable attitude he adopted in connection with the construction of the new stewards’ stand. Les Paddington carried 10.9 and nut up a track record for two- miles over hurdles at Randwick at the May meeting, and cut out. the distance in 3.401. The New Zealandbred Chrysostem was amongst the unplaced lot in the race. Les Paddington has a pedigree that traces to this country. He

was got by Paddington out of Skopo, by Skopo-s—Fulminate, by Gossoon from Percussion’, by Musket—Sister Agnes, by Rosicrucian. He was followed home by Delusion, who was got by All Black from Dame Rumour, by Achilles —Rumour.

Until a couple of years ago the plough gallop at Wingatui was difficult to work into satisfactory condition after it had been turned up for the winter. The stiff, clayey nature of the ground would form/ into hard, ston-ey-like lumps, that proved very difficult to pulverise. A great improvement was made when the track was top-dressed with coal dust and sand. The ground became far more friable and easier to work into good going, but unfortunately the flood lias swept all the light dressing away, and all the good work in the way of top-dressing will have to be done over again. "When returning from Wingatui one morning' last week the writer noticed the veteran horseman James Colton wending his way along the South road. He was walking remarkably briskly, considering that he won the Birthday Handicap of 1874 cn Little Nell. Jimmy Cot • on. held the reputation of being the gamest and one of lire best all-round horsemen of his day ever hurdles, fences, on tHe flat or on a buck-jumper. He won many and many a time over hurdles and fences, and he cculd stay with a hors© after it had bashed out a panel or two, when present-day short-seated riders would be shot a hundred feet ahead. He won the Dunedin Cup on Lady Emma in 1884. the Champagne Stakes of the same year on Lady Evelyn. The veteran was always very highly respected o.s a straight-goer, and no doubt the honours he won in the saddle in bygone days helps to lighten the load of accumulating years in much the same manner as a medal on a soldier s breast seems to impart perpetual youth to his deportment.