TALK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 60

TALK OF THE DAY.

Bt

SENTIMEL.

* ' THE SOUTH CANTERBURY | " - MEETING. If the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s Autumn Meeting had not been held under the shadow of the Dunedin Exhibition Carnival, and the Big Show was really ! as much a carnival affair as an ExjhibiS tion. it would have proved the best held ; on the course. There can be no doubt ' that South Canterbury paid to see the Exhibition as well as other parts of the 1 country, and that fact would not leave too much superfluous cash about when it came to betting at the race meeting. Naturally the totalisator returns seemed bound to drop and did, but not to any very serious extent. There is every reason why the South Canterbury meetings should be popular with owners and the sporting public. There is a fine, big track, which cannot be beaten for races over a mile or less. There is a somewhat sharp turn out of the straight, and the club should consider the advisability of extending the distance of the principal handicap on their programmes to nine furlongs. The extension would help to minimise the crowding which seems inevitable when a field is turning out of

the straight and on the way to complete a ten-furlong race. In addition to the possibility of# enjoying some good racing at Tiinaru the club has a great asset in contributing towards success in the fact that tlxe accommodation is excellent. The lack of accommodation at some of our meetings is a serious handicap on several South Island fixtures. That, however, by the way. The card for each day supplied some excellent racing, but there did not seem any horses al>out that are likely to claim Grand National honours over either the small or large sticks. The class of flat racer did not rank particularly high, but provided some stirring finishes. Fresco outstayed the opposition in the Timaru Cup, a id Ludlow used the right tactics in getting to Sun Up as quickly as possible in order to make him feel the full length of the journey. Deucalion, who is apparently in better shape than generally expected, managed to draw up and cut Sun Up out of second money. Tarleton might have been closer than a good fourth, but he did not receive a clear run in the straight. Rivalry, Courtly Rose, Geranial, Full Swing, and Mantua seemed-to be in trouble from the time that they hit the first turn. The shorter distance favoured Sun Up on the second day, and F. E. Jones kept him fairly busy, and incidentally had the rest t . f the field in trouble to get on terms with him. Sun Up set such a solid pace that there was no less than about eight lengths between the placed lot. The minor events on the programme all kept the interest alive, and the club’s officials provided very valuable and the necessary assistance towards making the meeting a success. SHORT PEDIGREES. Light harness racing has made tremendous strides during the past 20 years, but there are still a great many people who endeavour to win races with a bus horse. One reason why that is so is due to the fact that sufficient attention is not paid to breeding, and hence there are far too many horses about with lop-sided pedigrees. If some owners were as conversant with the pedigree of a horse as they are with the mechanism of a motor they would not allow a cheap brand to carry their colours. In other words breeding in a horse is just as important as high-class mechanism in a machine. The best is always cheapest and most efficient. Nevertheless at meeting after meeting one can see heavy-actioned carthorses forced to assume the role of a racehorse. Some apparently still think the old farm mare can breed a champion, and so they go on breeding duffer after duffer, whereas they might be breeding champions. As far back to 188 G the late Mr Leland Stanford, of California, bred Sunol, who was got by Electioneer from Waxaua, by General Benton, and third dam of a thoroughbred daughter of Lexington. Sunol looked a typical thoroughbred. Her good looks and quality were the inheritance of the thoroughbred blood in her pedigree, and speed and stamina came from the same source. In 1891 she created a world’s record by trotting a mile in 2.8 L and so dethroned the famous Maud S„ whbse mark of 2.8£ had stood for years. It is the same with every horse who made history at that time. They were more or less full of the thoroughbred, and yet at the present time there are people who waste time and money by using cold-blood mares with the carthorse in their pedigree, and hope to breed a champion. Of course there are well-bred duffers, but a sure .ay to create them is to expect half and quarterbied stock to produce horses capable of winning races. There are plenty of wellbred stallions about, and likely mares are not difficult or dear to buy. Once in the paddock they eat no more than the dams of Acron, veneral Bingen, or a Native Chief. When going in for breeding fast horses remember the old saw about the folly of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. MAKING ROGUES. I f some owners .treated their horses less like racing machines and more like flesh and blood animals they would win races. This # remark specially applies to young horses whose courage will not stand the strain of over-racing, because they have not the seasoned condition to stand overwork. Courage in a sense is based on condition, because the most courageous man or horse on earth cannot carry on when they are short of trained muscularity necessary for frequent and strenuous battles. In considering the question of courage and condition in regard to a horse, the trainer should study the horse’s character and pedigree, and if they contain soft spots indicating a possible shortage of the great natural courage possessed by the average thoroughbred, then overracing or running them short of condition is almost sure to convert them into rogues. It is quite a common practice to see a horse being raced into condition and, on the other hand, it is becoming more and more a rarity to see a horse step out and win at the first time of asking. The trainer who can do the latter generally knows his business, and the one who rapes his horses into condition does not know too much, to say the least, or he would not be gradually educating the public to expect a win from his horse. Injudicious handling in the shape of over-working or over-racing partially conditioned, young horses is a prolific means of recruiting rogues, who promptly give in when condition fails, and then, even when fully conditioned, are apt to remember that the easiest way out of a difficulty is to yield when under pressure. A thoroughbred horse has a natural desire to gallop as soon as it gathers strength, but it will not gallon itself to death. The greatest blunder a trainer can make id to gallop a horse too soon and too often. It is wonderful what a vast amount of work a horse will stand without breaking its courage when thoroughly seasoned. Horses that are bad at the barrier, and show a disinclination to race, have generally been trained on the hasty methods, which unsets their temper and incidentally keeps

a.-EAKiiWKLI, HANDICAP, of 360 m™, second norse to leceive DOsova and the third 2o*ovs from the stakes Minimum weight, 7.7. Nomination, lsov; acceptances, 3sovs. Seven furlongs. DATES OF ENTRIES, ACCEPTANCES ETC., WITH AMOUNTS TO BE PAID. All Entries and Acceptances close at 5 p.tn on their respective dates, unles* notified to the contrary. FRIDAY, MAY 14, 1926. Entrance. Trial Hurdle Handicap B °i’ Brighton Handicap [ i Birthday Handicap i Otago Steeplechase .. ~ „ .* j Tradesmen’s Handicap l St. Clair Steeples i Jumpers’ Flat Handicap .. .. ~ l Winter Welter Handicap .. .. 1 Silverstreani Handicap l Provincial Handicap | l Otago Hurdle Handicap .. .. 1 Wairongoa Handicap l Wingatui Steeples 1 Janefield Handicap i Forbury Steeples 1 Invermay Welter Handicap .. .. 1 Taieri Handicap .. .. .. .. 1 King George Handicap 1 Greenfield Hurdle Handicap .. 1 Empire Handicap l Dunedin Steeples 1 Domain Handicap l Tahuna Steeples l Farewell Handicap 1 FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1926. declared for First Day, and Otago Hurdle Handicap Second Day. WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 1926. Acceptances. Trial Hurdle Handicap 2 Brighton Handicap 3 Birthday Handicap g Otago Steeplechase 8 Tradesmen’s Handicap 4 St. Clair Steeplechase 3 Jumpers’ Flat Handicap .. .. 2 Winter Weller Handicap .. .. 3 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1926. Weights declared for Second Day to appear in daily papers. Acceptances at Noon. Silverstrcam Handicap 2 Provincial Handicap 5 Otago Hurdles 6 Wairongoa Handicap 3 Wingatui Steeples 5 Janefield Handicap 2 Forbury Steeples 2 Invermay Weiter 3 FRIDAY, JUNB 4, 1026. W eights declared for Third Day to appear in daiiy papers. Acceptances at Noon. Taieri Handicap 3 King George Handicap 4 Greenfield Hurdles 4 Empire Handicap 3 Dunedin Steeples 5 Domain Handicap 2 Tahuna Steeples 2 Farewell Handicap 3 RULES AND REGULATIONS. All races to be run under the N.Z. Rules of Racing Entries by telegram must be confirmed in writing within seven days under a penalty of 2sovs. Owners are responsible for all penalties and allowances. By the entering of a horse, every person having, or subsequently acquiring an interest in such horse, shall be deemed thereby to undertake, neither directly nor indirectly, not to make any wager with a Bookmaker in connection with such horse, or anv lthpr horse in the race in which such horse is so entered Each entry shall contain, or, if it do not contain, shall be conclusively assumed to contain such an undertaking, breach whereof shall be deemed a corrupt practice on the Turf within the meaning of Part XXXIJ f these Rules. The winner of any race after the declaration of weighte may be rehandicapped Entries and acceptances close at 6 p.m. at the Club's Office, Dunedin, on their respective dates notified to the contrary. H. L. JAMES. Secretary. Box 142, Dunedin