CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 4048, 13 October 1931, Page 51

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By

Observer.

The weather has been fine during the past week, and the work on the tracks has become much more interesting with the near approach of the November carnival at Riccarton. In the meantime the South Canterbury meeting, to be held on Saturday, is attracting a good deal of attention, about 30 horses for this quarter being included in the large list of acceptances. Riri continues to get through plenty of strong work, which he is doing in great style. He was sent a mile and a-quarter on Saturday, with something in hand in the early stages, but at top speed over the final stages. He is making fresh friends. | I expect the brother to 'Chide to race well in the New Zealand Cup. Ranelagh is arousing increased interest on account of the nature of his tasks, which have been lengthened out to a mile and a-quarter, in preparation for the New Zealand Cup. He is a bold galloper, and if only he would do his best he would win good races. He will be a starter in the Timaru Cup on Saturday. Gay Crest is bowling aloug freeiy in his work., and he should be in great order fot the New Zealand Cup, in which he should race well. He will be seen this month at Trentham, where he should perform prominently. A. E. Ellis will ride him in the New Zealand Cup. Compris will be racing at Trentham this month. He is thriving on his usual light preparation, and he will run on a long way in the New Zealand Cup, as he is a National stayer. Gustavo has been responsible for a few useful gallops lately, but he is not being seriously tried out at present. He may not be at his best until nearing the date of the Auckland Cup. I’. V. Mason has Jaloux going along steadliy in useful work, without anything of an outstanding nature. He may not be up to Cup standard, but he should win races later on. Adelphi has been galloping well lately, and he should show up in liis engagement at South Canterbury. Spoon has done a lot of useful work, but she resumed sprinting only last week, when she registered two very smart efforts. She looks a great prospect. R. Coveny has made a good recovery, so far, from the effects of his fall in the Geraldine Cup. He has been discharged from hospital, but he will not be fit to resume racing for some time. Royal Baby is coming on nicely, and this good-looking three-year-old should pay her way in the best of sprint company. • True Shaft has been spelling since' he returned from the Kurow meeting. He is not sound, and it looks as if A. M'Aulay would be troubled to get him through a solid preparation. Zeebrugge looks well and he should work- his way out of hack company before the season is much further advanced. Ball Dress is training on well and she should be among the early winners. She is at her best over a mile. Dunraven is suffering from a burst hoof, and he will not be asked to do any work for a few days. Amorist looks at his best, and he should race well in the hurdle race at South Canterbury. If he fails, it will be evidence of deterioration. Moorbird will be strongly fancied for the Tycho Hack Handicap at South Canterbury. She has been galloping brilliantly in her recent work.Weatherly is showing improved form in training, and he may pick up a stake soon.

Royal Love looks m the best of condition, and he should be equal to a good performance in the In.iaru Cup. Knocklong, who has an engagement in the Spring Stakes at South Canterbury, is showing great speed in her work, and she will be hard to dispose of. F. E. Jones has secured a lease of the

four-year-old mare by Arrowsmith from Seaside, by Autumnus from Telescope. She is backward at present, Out she should be useful later on. The Riccarton trainer, R. Longley, has a good-lookiiier yearling colt by Robespierre from High Heels. The mare,was rested last season, and she has gone back to Robespierre. Iler three-year-old fitly. High Tor, by Royal Stag, is going on well and looks like being useful. O. E. Hooper, the well-known trotting trainer, is likely to be represented among the gallopers shortly, as he has placed a two-year-old gelding with F. E. Jones, to be prepared for racing. The youngster is bj- Nightraid from Wink-a-Peep, by Winkie from Oil Wells. He is at present in the early stages of his education. Ma Belle Polly is due to race over six furlongs at South Canterbury, but I expect her to show up as a stayer later on She is being got ready for the Oaks, and she was travelling well at the end of a mile on Saturday. Ramo is galloping in great style at present, and he can be ticked off for an early win. Nightguard has been kept to sprinting during the past wcek._ He is none the worse for his race at Kurow, and he may open his winning account very soon. The local trotting tracks are starting to provide more interest, and from now on the training work will become important, in view of the big meeting at Addington next month. The trotting starter Mr A. J. Hastings was at Addington one morning this week to give barrier practice to any horses that were in need of it. He was on *he course for about two hours, and a number of trainers availed themselves of the opportunity to dispatch their changes from the barrier. One lot consisted of nine horses, with five in the front division. The action of the starter in attendng was much appreciated by trainers. It is understood that the starter will visit New Brighton if his services would he of any assistance to the trainers of that course.

The Cup horse Native Prince looks better at present than he has done at any time since being trained at Addington. He will require to show some improvement to be successful in the big November race, but he is working satisfactorily, and promises to be at his best next month. The imported trotter Stanley T. is doing plenty of useful work on the Addington tracks, and he should be in his best form for next month’s racing. It is to be hoped that he will be cured of his bad habits at the start of the races. He is very un-

reliable at the barrier, and when he fails to go away he will not get into his gait until all hope of success is gone. When properly set at his gait he does not look like making a mistake. Colonial Boy is being sent along in his training work, and the pacer looks in tine order for racing. Colonial Boy can go well over two miles when on the top ot his iorm.

Muriel de Oro continues to go on the right way in her training work. She should not be long before she wins a race.

Trimmer is being kept in work, but he is not likely to make much improvement and he will be lucky if he succeeds in win. nmg a race.

wui- 1 ro ?£ ls ,g ra<^u ?By getting the pacer \v ilham the Great into racing condition, and is doing plenty of solid work at New Brighton.

Daphne de Oro is still in thi paddock on her owner’s farm, and nothing definite lias been decided regarding her future. It is possible that she will be retired to the stud.

Lifebiioy looks big and well, and he is pacing resolutely in his training work. 11c has both speed and stamina, but he has a bad habit of mixing his gait in his races.

Radley is now settling down properly to the trotting gait, and when he has had some more experience he m.iy be expected to snow good form in -aces. Fifa, who did all her racing when trained by J. N. Clarke, has been soil, and has gone into M. B. Edwards’s stable, u 15 s a veiy Promising performer, who should reach the best unhoppled company before long. The three-year-old brother to Daphne de Oro. in H. Frost’s stable, is not being hurried in his preparation. He is built on much more solid lines than his relation, and he should be a good performer. Ihe ancient trotter Nighborn is now being trained at New Brighton by F. Clements, who has secured a lease of the horse. Nighborn was a good trotter in his young days, but he went wrong behind eal '*y, 111 his racing career. Despite his disability, Nighborn has raced on for a number or years, but he is now on the down grade.

There was an interesting niece of work at Addington a few days ago between Logan Park, Surprise Journey, Warplane and Free Advice. They started in the order named, and covered about a mile and five furlongs. The speed was on all the way, and, they went particularly well. It was, in fact, one the best workouts seen at Addington for some time, ami it showed that the Cup candidates. Free Advice and Logan Park, are well forward m their preparation.

White Satin is being kept at the pacing gait. It remains to be seen, however, how she will shape with the colours up at lier new gait. The Wrack mare does not seem to be a generous worker, and she may not stay so well as a pacer as- she did at the trotting gait.

G. S. Smith has taken up his trotter again after a lengthy spell. He is seven years old. and is by Lee Norris from Maori Princess. He showed promise as a three-year-old, but had to be thrown out of work, as a result of splints, an ailment which necessitated a long rest. He maybe given to N. L. Price to train. F. G. Holmes was unable to attend ihe Methven meeting, owing to a severe attack of influenza. The Addington trainer is all riylit again, and he has resumed work with his team. Mcrce Bingen has joined Koro Peter as a member of A. Cox’s team at Addington. J. Davidson is now training Bold Bill, but he will find it difficult to place the pacer where he will have much chance from his present mark. Great Author, who ig now trained by F. G. Holmes at Addington, seems to be keeping fairly sound. If his trainer can give him enough work he should soon win a race, as he is a fine pacer over any distance.

J. Davidson has Pearl Bingen going well at present, and this useful pacer may win a race at one of the West Coast meetings. Nelson Ata is being kept steadily at work, and the Nelson Bingen trotter looks in fine order. In some of his recent races, however, he has not gone away well. Major Lind has been pacing so well in his work of late that he should race prominently in any event in which he is started. He seems to be best over sprint courses. '

The New Brighton Trotting Club’s meeting was held on Saturday in warm weather, but a strong nor’-wester made the conditions unpleasant. Fields wre large, and though the classes were loose, the competitors included a number of improving young horses. First Wrack scored her first success when she won the Innovation Handicap. She had not raced since she was a two-year-old, until the Methven meeting, early in the month, when she trotted well but failed to stay, probably due to lack of racing. She stayed on well at New Brighton, drawing right away at the finish. First Wrack was bred by her owner, Mr H. F. Nicoll, and is by Wrack from Pearlchild, dam of Chi Ide Pointer, Pearl Pointer, Sea Pearl, and Nantwich, four good pacers. She seems to have recovered from the ailment which prevented her from being trained for so long after two years, and she will reach good, class later on. Arohanui went a fine race in the Innovation Handicap, trotting solidly all the way. It was easily her best performance. and she should continue to improve. J. N. Clarke, who has not had much luck of late, provided a surprise by winning the Shirley Handicap. Guy Denver is by Guy Parrish from Leila Denver, a mare who was raced by Clarke. Guy Denver did not win last season, but in his latest start he was always up with : the leaders. Handicapped at 3.38, he

went nearly 14see faster, which doubtless accounted for the indifferent form of some of the others in the field. Silver Bingen had no chance with Guy Denver at the finish of the Shirley Handicap, after being in a good position all the way, but he paced a sound race. He has been working well lately and his turn will come soon.

Baron Bingen, the winner of the Waimairi Handicap, gave evidence of his ability to go two miles by his effort in the Methven Cup. in which he finished very strongly. He was driven a patient race by his trainer, C. S. Donald, who brought him along with a fine run in the straight. This well-bred pacer has

always been troubled with unsoundness, but he now seems to be much sounder than formerly, and he is racing better over a distance. He may eventually do credit to" his lineage, and he may approach the performances of his brothers, Great Bingen and Peter Bingen. Netta Oro is racing consistently but unluckily at present. She paced another sound race when she beat all but Baron Bingen in the Waimairi Handicap. Although she is a good stayer, she does not seem to possess much dash for a final run, and this may account for some of her recent defeats.

In accounting for the Summer Handicap, Silver de Oro scored her first success since she won the Sapling Stakes in June. She showed a good deal of stamina, as after a good beginning she lost her place, but she came home fast to win decisively. She is very well, and she will have to be reckoned with in the three-year-old classics. Oxford Queen, after racing well in the Shirley Handicap, put up a much better performance in the Summer Handicap, in which she was beaten by the three-year-old, Silver de Oro. She has plenty of speed, but does not stay well. Erin’s Pointer made a good beginning in the Avon Handicap, and was lucky to miss some trouble that occurred at the back of the course. She is a smart pacer, but in the meantime good only over short courses. She is by Travis Axworthy from Erin’s Logan, who raced well as a free-legged pacer. Ratloc had every chance in the Avon Handicap, but he failed to go with Erin’s Pointer at the finish. If he remains sound, he should race well over two miles. Millie de Oro was unlucky in the Avon Handicap, as she lost a lot of ground through interference when Banffshire Lad broke. Under the circumstances she did well to get third, but Erin’s Pointer won so easily that it is doubtful if the trouble affected the result. St. Petrox, who won the New Brighton Handicap, is a trotter without much speed, but he is very solid. He had the way partly cleared when Great Burton and Iwanta got mixed up at the start. St. Petrox did not have to improve on his handicap, and it was not a good field. Mountain Mist, who was second to St. Petrox in the New Brighton Handicap, is a trotter of the solid type, without brilliancy. He has been racing very consistently, and though he did not go up to his handicap time, he can be expected to show more improvement in future, as he is quite a young performer. Major Lind was always in the picture in the Beach Handicap, and he won rather easily. The imported pacer is best over short courses, and those who have witnessed his training work were prepared for a much smaller dividend. Brentlight, who was second in the Beach Handicap, has the edge taken off his speed through his effort over two miles earlier in the day. The little pacer would have been very hard to beat had he been reserved for the sprint event. Lough Neagh was in front all the way in the Farewell Handicap, and then hung on in fine style to shake off the favourite, Our George, over the final furlong. Earlier in his career he was a good winner, and though this was his first success for some time past, he had given promise of a return to form. He may go on now to more victories.

The imported pacer Our George was backed very confidently in the Farewell Handicap, and probably he was unlucky to be beaten. He met some trouble early, losing a bit of ground. This made all the difference, as he was kept busy to hold his position. An early win may be expected, preferably over a short course.