IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3672, 29 July 1924, Page 51

IN A NUTSHELL.

The Nassau gelding Tarleton is ag-ain in commission at Rieearton. Clontarf gave nothing a chance with him in the Waiha-o Hack Handicap. Den Francisco broken down whilst racing at the Wainilte Hunt meeting. Sautist is a lather promising sort who is engaged at Rieearton on Saturday. Acceptances for the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting are due on July 3J. The Otago Hunt Club will hold tlicir annual race meeting on August 30. Medley, the dam of Ballymena, has been sent across to Sydney to be again bred to N assau. Camel Amble., who won so well at Timaru, is amongst those engaged at Rieearton on Saturday. A rider in a couple of races at Waimate did exactly the opposite to liis riding instructions. Likelihood did not mn up to his beet form at Waimate, but may do better in the near future. i lompter has been worked on the New Brighton course since racing at the Wellington meeting. The Canterbury Hunt Club hold theiar annual race meeting at Rieearton on Saturday of this week. Only three horses completed the course in the Waimate Steeplechase, but they provided a stirring finish. The Sarto—Fairy Benzie gelding Agnola is on the improve as a hurdler, and won easily in his race at Waimate. Nominations for the New Zealand Cup of 21Q0sovs (including cup valued at lOOsovs/ are due on Friday, August 22. Six Cylindra and Grey Star were the best of moderate lot of hunters seen out at the Waimate Hunt meeting. ihe Australian-bred colt Cawnvore, owned by Mr E. Alison, has joined F. D. Jones's team to be prepared, for the A.J.C. Derby. A final payment is due on Wednesday** August 6, for the Grand National Steeplechase, Grand National Hurdles, and Winter Cup. Acceptances for the minor events to bo decided on the first day cf the Grand National meeting are due on Wednesday, August 6. ‘ * The New Zealand-bred mare Sovereign is again in work in Sydney. So far she has not faced a starter since sold to go to Australia at- 2€oogns. Stream is credited with running no lesS than 49 races lest season. She is thus not only a stream, 'but, in fact, the Tennyson s brook of our racing world. Fieetstone, the winner of the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase, started favourite at a point shorter than Haom-a, whom the tO S? 2I ,eat a lle ad ' n a great finish. The stakes for the A.J.C. Spring meeting range from 750sovs—an amount added to three jumping events—to 8000sovs, the addea money attached to the A.J.C. Derby. . Happy Warrior seems to have developed into a Pit or a handful, as he has boltca and so e-poiTt Ins chance in the last races for which he has Leon saddled up • L° ch ’ carrying top weight of 37 Un, h Canterbury Handicap, one mile ana a-qu-arter and ltXJvds, run at Park on July 12, failed to finish in a place Te Allan Lad and Revel arc- a cou>de of youngsters booked to race in the Maiden. Stakes to be run at the Christchurch Hunt A speedy sort m Clontarf is engaged in the same race. 8 0 J 111 lno The well-known horseman L G Kino- was seen ill the saddle at the Waimate Hunt meeting, but was not fortunate enough to secure a mount gc-od enough to give him a winning ride. Radial was elected favourite for the Moiven 5\ elter, despite the fact that he moved distinctly sore in his preliminary Carmine was in the name state, and came back lame after his race. Ail sorts of tales were going about when Sunny Loch won the Thompson Handicap. E. Lowe, who rode the big gelding on that occasion, had a mount on him again at a recent suburban meeting. The Metropolitan Trotting Club has refused the request of tile Canterbury Owners’ and Breeders’ Association to alter the conditions attached to some of the events on the August programme. The English horseman, J. R. Anthony, recently achieved the remarkable record of riding four winners and a second in five mounts over fences and hurdles at a meeting held at Cartmel on June 9. This year’s annual meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club marked an infusion of new blood on the committee, and the unseating of those stewards who have held office for a considerable number of years. Apparently a matter of the most vital importance to the welfare of the Dunedin Jockey Club and incidentally to racing in Otago generally seemed to escape notice at the annual meeting held last week. S. Tnilford saddled up 39 winners during the season just concluded. In doing so he did remarkably well, as his team did not consist of winners which sometimes gather easv money in weight-for-age races. Orange Bitters runs like a rogue occasionally. He did so in the Studholme Hurdles, but subsequently landed the Hunters’ Plate. He does not relish the jumping business, and at times is not too keen on the flat. Gloaming has been once more shipped to Sydney, although he has been practically idle since racing at the Great Autumn meeting. Perhaps he has been sent across merely to “chaperone” Parody on the voyage. The Boniform—Dearest youngster Bonito, who has yet to face the starter, is amongst those engaged in the Cashmere Plate to be run at the Grand National meeting. He is a fine big sort that looks as if he could travel. The French colt Optimist, who cost 500,000 f Danes when a two-year-old, was amongst those finishing well buck in tho ruck of this year’s Derby field. The price quoted is the highest ever paid for a two-year-old in France. Some fairly versatile performers are engaged in the Grand National Steeples and Grand National Hurdles. Amongst those the few who have won over both the big timber and hurdles are Lochella and Sir Roseberv. The Victoria Racing Club has informed the proprietary clubs under their jurisdiction that the minimum stakes on a week day must not be less than £IO9O, and on a Saturday or public holiday not less than 1300sovs. Master Peter finished on well at the end of a solid run race when he won at Waimate last week. The merit of the win was enhanced by the fact that, despite his load of 12.3, lie was up taking a hand in forcing the pace with Sherlock. Strathglass seems to have lost all form. At one time he was regarded as one likely to win a good race over hurdles or fences, but he seems to have lost his punch. At Waimate he was with the leaders for about half a mile, and then faded out. The death ie reported from the North Island of J. Y. M’Cracken, who formerly trained a team at Rieearton. He trained Desert Gold’s half brother Croesus, and also

First Salute, Arch Salute, Social Pest, Female Franchise, and others of lesser note. The South Island racing season came to an end with the Waimate Hunt C'mbs meeting, held on Thursday. As it will be resumed at Iliccarton on August 2 it would he more correct to say that racing merely hesitated for a few days at the conclusion of the Waimate meeting. King Sol is too slow on his legs in the early part of a race to 3core as a sprinter. In the Morven Welter when there was not much pace on he soon hit the front, and practically won from end to end. He is a well-bred sort, as he was got by Solferino from Pretty Face, by Clanranald from Delusive, by Trenton —Elensis, by Barcaldine. F. D. Jones is to prepare Killocra for his engagement in the A.J.C. Derby. 1, will be interesting to note if Killocra trains on into a stayer. He was got by Ki lb-rone, from Puttee, by Grey Leg from Etin, b. Bread Knife—Pindi, by Galopin—Dee, by Blair Athol —Kate Dayreel, by Wild Day reel. F. Gray claims that Chrysostom is the cleverest jumper in training. In the Grand National Steeples he hit fences with all his legs, and at one of them nearly stood on his head, but recovered himself. That may be so, but if Chrysostom is clever at keeping on his legs, he is really not so clever as a horse which does not take severe liberties with his fences. Juggernaut is one of the very few remaining sou 3 of St. Simon still at the stud. Juggernaut was got by St. Simon from Amphora, by Amphion from Sierra, by Springfield—Sandal. He sired this year's winner of the Woodcote Stakes in Iron Mask, whose dam is Fer, a mare by Santry, from Ailedory, by Childwick (son of St. Simon) from Winged Victory. The Australian Jockey Club has decided to extend the payment of subsidies to breeders of winners of imported two and three-year-old races at Randwick to breeders in all parts of the Commonwealth and also New Zealand. It has also 'been decided that the breeder of the winner of any of the principal weight-for-age races at Randwick will also receive a subsidy. The Birkenhead gelding Aurore came within an ace of effecting a big surprise in the Waimate Steeples. Despite the fact that he was only carrying the minimum, his rider did not ask his mount to make the topweights feel their burdens, and Aurore only arrived on the scene in the run from the last jump. He came with a good run, and as they passed the post, finished stronger than e-ther Master Peter or Sherlock. A winner with an interesting pedigree scored ai Kempton on June 7. This was a colt named Battleship, who won the Queen's Handicap, of 830sovs, 2 miles, and beat amongst others the crack filly Terisina. Battleship i 3 a three-vear-old got by Pommern from Smasher by Carbine from Knobberri by Galopin—Assegai by- Toxophilite. Assegai is closely related to Musket, and it will be seen that Battleship is inbred to tho famous son of Toxophilite, who gave New Zealand and Austrlaia some of our best performers. The French crack Epinard may be the most brilliant horse in tho world, but there seems good grounds for claiming that he is a sprinter pure and simple. Just before the last mail to hand left England, Epinard was beaten by another four-year-old named Premontre at level weights over a mile course at Longchamps, where, the former has scored some of his greatest triumphs. It will be remembered that Epinard was also beaten in the Cambridgeshire by Verdict, who was, however, in receipt of weight from the Frenchman. One of the remarks better left unsaid at the present time was one which drew attention to the fact that the Timaru Trotting Club had a lot of money in hand and did not know what to do with it. This was said at the annual meeting of the club, and is apt to create an impression that other clubs are also in financial strength, whereas quite the contrary is the fact. An effort is being made towards obtaining a reduction in the most oppressive taxation, which is crippling racing; and boasting of wealth at the present is, to say the least, a little indiscreet. The Canterbury Jockey Club do not supply any great encouragement to run candidates for the Grand National Hurdles in the Trial Hurdles. A winner of the Trial Hurdles incurs a penalty of 121 b in the Grand National Hurdles, and that increase, no doubt, accounts for the small field wdiich is likely to face the starter this year, as on previous occasions. Then, again, a stone extra for winning over a mile and threequarters is no criterion as to what may happen at the end of two miles and a-half, and hence the set penalty is unduly harsh, and quite clearly not in favour of a good race in the Trial Hurdles. A great amount of interest was taken in the race for the top of the winning list of lider3 for the season which has just closed. It finished with a dead heat between C.

Emmerson and M. M'Carten. Emmerson was decidedly unlucky in not scoring a win at either the Timaru -or Waimate meetings, but the Fates were against him. There seems to be a tendency to make rather too much fuss over the so-called “champion” of each racing season. More atftention should be paid to the ekill, horsemanship, and integrity displayed in the saddle, and not the mere fact of riding winners. There is not the slightest shadow' of a doubt that good horsemanship wdll win many a race that would easily be lost in less capable hands, but even so riding winners may be uiere luck in obtaining good mounts on which it would be hard to lose. The Christchurch Hunt Club's meeting, which is to be held at Riecarton on Saturday, w'ill once again form a very interesting “curtain raiser” to the more important equine drama which will be staged during the Grand National week. The majority of the best horses engaged at the Grand National meeting figure in the fields handicapped for the Hunt meeting, and the running will carry extra interest on that account. It is quite possible that several of those raced on Saturday will not be quite tuned up for business, because they will still have a strenuous week to get through during the Grand National meeting. Under the circumstances, it would be wiser to spy out the land with an eye trained principally on the Grand National meeting. Winners will not, however, incur a penalty for the big events, and the card should, and no doubt w'iLlj supply some interesting racing.