CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 4063, 26 January 1932, Page 52

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By

Odserver

With nearly 30 horses absent at Trentham and none of those left at home needed for racing for a few weeks, the training work at Riccarton during the past week has not provided a great deal of excitement. The touring teams will have a short rest when they return home, but in another week the trainers will be busy again with their charges, as the Dunedin Cup meeting, to be held next month, will be attracting considerable attention by that time, with the Canterbury Jockey Club’s summer meeting to follow a week later. As each succeeding big fixture comes along it serves to emphasise the strength of Riccarton stables this season in stayers. Gay Crest and Compris have been consistent performers ever since the New Zealand Cup meeting, and they must be classed as the two best performers now in training over a distance. Jaloux and Great Star lent valuable assistance to the two cracks at Auckland, where each won a mile and a-quarter. Jaloux continued to show form at Trentham, though he did not win. while Royal Love came into the picture with a useful placed effort. Admiral Drake assisted at Ellerslie and Trentham to uphold the reputation of the South Island, while Black Duke showed a return to form on the final day at Trentham. Just at present these horses stand out, and they are likely to keep on racing prominently in other distance events later in the season. Most of them will be on hand at Wingatui next month, when they will add to the interest in the Dunedin Cup meeting. Jlr P. F. Campbell had a chance to sell Compris to an Australian owner recently, but he must be well pleased now that he decided to retain the Kilbroney gelding, He has the Wellington Cup stake in hand, and still has his horse, who may get a lot more money yet, as- he has not had a strenuous life. Gay Crest enhanced his reputation at Trentham, where he registered two good performances. He has been wonderfully consistent this season, and as he is quite sound he is liable to get another stake before the season ends.

Jaloux keeps on running good races, and with a little hick he would have had more wins to his credit this season. He looks a great prospect for another stake very soon.

Sailor’s Love, who scored her first success when she won in novice company at Trentham last week, is a sister to Waterline and Fast Passage. She has a good turn of speed, but. like her relatives, she is not sound, and this will always be a serious handicap. Babel, a winner at Trentham on Saturday, is a well-grown filly and a. great gadoper. In the past, however, she had failed to repeat her track form in public, -but she only needs to show her best to get a lot more money. Silver Ring, with a win and a second, came through the Trentham meeting with an improved reputation. He will have to be reckoned with in the Dunedin Champagne Stakes next month. This two-year-old is a half-brother by Silverado to Kakara, and he may stay well later on. . ,

Nightmarch is working along quietly at present, and is gradually coming back to form. He is due for a trip to Wingatui next month for the James Hazlett Gold Cup, and if lie races up to expectations he may go to Sydney for the Easter meeting of the Australian Jockey Club. —

Cricket Bat is on the improve, and though he is not quite over the trouble that prevented him from racing at the Wairarapa meeting it is hoped that he will be all right for the Dunedin Cup meeting. Provided he trains on, he will be a good proepect for a stake later in the season at seven furlongs or a mile. A. M'Aulay has Nightguard in regular work again, and he is hopeful of winning a race with the brother to Phar Lap in the autumn. There has not been a great deal of interest lately in the training operations on the local trotting tracks. Most of the horses are in good condition as a result of their recent racing, and they require only enough to keep them well. There will be a strong contingent from here for the Forbury Park meeting this week, and it should include some winners. The trotter Koro Peter is doing a lot of useful work, but he has not been sent at top speed over a distance. He will take time to reach his best, as he is very big yet. The Australian trotter Climax is now being trained by C. Tasker at Addington. He is an aged gelding by Mauritius, and he was registered in the Dominion three years ago. Since then he has raced four times without success.

Chimer does not seem to be making any improvement in his manners at the barrier, and G. S. Smith is having a lot of trouble with him. Chimer is in good order to race, but with so many young and improving pacers about. he will find it hard to win. New Metford is back in training after a good spell. He looks as though it will not take N. L. Price long to get him into his best form again.

Repute is trotting satisfactorily in her training. She has improved in her speed, but she does not stay so well as she did earlier in her career.

The pacer Harold Thorpe lias finished his racing career, and he will go to the stud next season. He was bred in Southland, being by Our Thorpe from Playsoon, by Harold Rothschild. After showing some form in th» south, lie was purchased

by a patron of M. B. Edwards’s stable, and about two years ago he was passed on to Mr E. R. Husband. He was a pacer of the best class, who registered some fine performances over two miles. Unfortunately. he suffered from unsoundness, and leg troubles have now brought about his retirement. lhe champion pacer Harold Logan is to be given a spell. He was sore after his recent race in ‘Wellington, and his onner has adopted the safe policy. It is hoped that be will be at his best again before the end of the season. Dermott has had his Author Dillon Capriccio pacer destroyed. He was a promising youngster, but he never recovered properly from injuries he rethrough being hit by a motor car. ihe brilliant pacer Logan Park has been sold, and he will be shipped to West?, rn . Australia on an early steamer, n bile in W. J. Tomkinson’s stable he registered some fine performances, including second to Peter Bingen in the New Zealand Cup of 1929. when he did the two miles in 4.22. He is probably the fastest pacer who has been sold in the Dominion to go to Western Australia. The summer meeting of the Timaru Trotting Club was held on Saturday, when a nor’-wester, stronger -than is usual so far south, made the conditions very unpleasant. There were some large fields, which provided excellent sport. Germanieus. who won the Claremont Handicap, is a four-year-old by Drusus from a Harold Dillon mare. He is a doubie-gaited horse, but of late G. M£Kendry has kept him to trotting. Although he is bred on pacing lines, he has a good trotting gait, and he went in tins race without a mistake. Tanepai trotted a sound race when he finished second to Germanieus in the Claremont Handicap. He went out fast and led till near the winning post. He is a five-year-old gelding by Sonoma Harvester from Wahinepai, who was a useful trotter in her time, especially over short distances.

Wrecker went into W. J. Tomkinscn’s stable after the Greymouth meeting, early this month. and he has not been long in winning for his new trainer. lie was up with the leaders all through the Improvers’ Handicap, and he outstayed the field at the finish. . He is a three-year-old by Wrack, and he shapes like being a good two miler. E. C. M'Demott drove him. as Tomkinson is" on the sick list.

Erin’s Star finished fast in the Improvers’ Handicap to get second money. The Bel-fast-trained pacer is an improver, who may win very soon, as he is in good form at present. Hostess, who won the President’s Handicap. was bred in the North Island, and did her early racing for Mr J. R. Corrigan. Subsequently she was the medium of an exchange. Laplander being part iff the deal. Hostess was in F. G. Holmes's stable for some time after she came here, but she is now being trained by her owner at Methven. She is a useful sort over any distance, but not likely to reach the best class.

The Australian pacer Nimble Direct, who was second to Hostess in the President’s Handicap, went a capital race. He had to cover a good deal of extra ground in the last half mile, and he might have done better had more use been made of him in the early stages. He finished strongly, and he should be an early winner.

Taradale came home very fast over the last half mile of the President’s Handicap but he was almost on a break on the post. The Oamaru horse paced a sound race, and with a little luck he might have been successful. Onoto. the winner of the Levels Handicap, is a useful pacer by Oinako. and he is trained at Oamaru by his owner. lie has same fair form to hie credit, but his latest effort is his best.

The ex-Southlander, Needles, is a smart beginner, and this gave her a decided advantage in the early part of the Levels Handicap. As a rule ehe does not stay well, but on this occasion she hung on in fine style.

Hydro owed his success in the "Waimate Handicap to his consistent trotting, white most of the others kept on making mistakes. He is a big, powerfully built trotter by Nelson Bingen, and is trained at Oamaru by J. Henderson, whose success did not come out of turn, as he has had a poor run with his team of late. If Edith Voyage had not broken half a mile from home she might have beaten Hydro in the Waimate Handicap, as she was going well at the time, after losing her position in the first furlong. She showed a lot of speed, and she appears to lie coming back to form, so she may credit R. Townley with a win before long. First Wrack, the favourite for the Waimate Handicap, went away slowly, and at no stage of the journey did she look like a winner, failing to put any dash into her work. She did not finish with her usual determination. Mountain Ore, who was one of the outsiders in teh Salisbury Handicap, had too much stamina for the rest of the field. He should have received better support, in view of hie form at southern fixtures during the holidays. He is a good stayer by Rey de Oro, and for some time Tie was in F. Holmes’s stable, but he is now trained at Ashburton.

Erin’s Advance, who was second to Mountain Ore in the Salisbury Handicap, is owned in Southland, but is trained by J. M'Lennan at Oamaru. He is a useful sort by Erin’s King, and after being prominent all the way, he stayed out the final part better than anything in the field, with the exception of the winner. Black Lion, after failing to go steadily in the President's Handicap, kept to bis gait in the Pareora Handicap, and won rather easily. His success did not please a section of the crowd, and there was some booting, plack Lion is not solid. He has speed and stamina, but he is not reliable at the start. After standing on the mark in the Boxing Day Handicap at Ashburton, he showed brilliant speed to finish fourth. Since then h e has been very expensive, as he has been heavily backed on several occasions. His form was the subject of an inquiry after he won on Saturday, but O. E. Hooper’s explanation was accepted. An owner or a trainer would be unlucky to get into trouble over a horse like Black Lion. Sodium, racing over his favourite distance. was second to Black Lion in the Pareora Handicap, after pacing a solid race, though he had no chance with lhe winner.

Oxford Queen, the winner of the Farewell Handicap, is one of the solid kind, who can be relied on for a good performance at any time. She made a smart be-

ginning. and she looked a winner a long way from liome. She may get a two-mile stake shortly.

Lord Matcblight. making hie second appearance for the day, put up a fine performance in the Farewell Handicap. He appeared to be unlucky, as he broke when in front, losing a lot of ground and then finishing so fast in second place that it looked as if the mistake cost him the race.

Donna Gulvallis, who is one of F. B. M'Farlane's Australian team, showed plenty of speed in the Farewell Handicap, but lack of stamina settled her chance in the final furlong.