TO-MORROW’S RACES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16706, 25 July 1928, Page 4

TO-MORROW’S RACES

G.R.C. WINTER MEETING PROSPECTS OP A RECORD There Is every prospects of the Gisborne Raring Club’s winter Hireling creating' new records for atteiitltuice, and great interest will centre in ihe first day’s events, to be conducted tomorrow at the Park course. There are nine heats on the card, the Maiden Knee and the Hack Flat Handicap having been divided, and in consequence the meeting will open a little curlier than is usual. Racegoers would be well advised to fix the new hour of starting, 11.20 tun., in their minds, and to bo early on the scene. Over 30 visiting horses will compete at the meeting, the runners from outside stables including many notable performers on the New Zealand turf. There is. of course, the prospect of a close finish in the jockeys’ premiership competition, two of the riders, T. (troon and R. Reid, having brought their totals of winning rides for the season to 74 nrnl 72 respectively. The Gisborne meeting represents the last opportunity either will have of adding to his total, and neither will be short of mounts during the meeting. There is a likelihood that A. E. Ellis, the third jockey in the winning list, at present, will also seek to extend his list at the Gisborne meeting, and as he is proficient both on the fiat and over jumps, he may run either of liis rivals very close, although he is now eight behind Green. The course is in excellent order, which is quite in keeping with its reputation, of being one of the best winter courses in New Zealand. There have been training on the schooling tracks over 100 horses during the last few days, and included among these are a number of promising youngsters; much interest lias been taken in the appearance of the first of the Hunting Song youngsters in particular. The hurdles and steeplechase- fences have not had the use the trainers of some of the entrants would have liked, owing to the unpropitious weather conditions, but most of the hurdlers and cross-country horses have managed to get .in a- satisfactory amount of schooling, and excellent sport should result to-morrow. .The Gisborne Racing Club lias disbursed a considerable sum in the payment of fares for visiting horses, and in reinforcing the stakes for .the divided races, but the outlay should be well justified, for the number and quality of the horses from outside stables brought to compete at the meeting is much above that recorded in connection with any previous local meeting. Auckland has sent Taku Tama, Pita, Eahepoto, Bahadur, and Dave; Wellington is to lie represented by No Favors, Palmerston North sends Fee Simple and Wanderlust, and Hawke’s Bay and Wairoa have big contingents quartered temporarily in the neighborhood of the Park course. Despite the strength of this invasion, however, it is confidently believed that local horses will lift a fair proportion of the stakes offered by the club.

POINT-TO-POINT MEET P.B. HUNT CLUE’S DAY For the first time since the war, a point-to-point meet will lie held on Friday by the Poverty Bay Hunt Club, the course having been selected near Awapuni, approximately between the Park racecourse and Alatawhero. A great deal of energy has been shown by tli ■ Hunt Club members in preparing the course, erecting rickcrs, clearing obstacles, and flagging the course, and by to-morrow the arrangements should be complete. The meeting will be conducted by the officials of the hunt, and entries in the various events are limited to horses which have hunted this season with a recognised Hunt Club. Except in the Ladies’ Cup race, the riders will be required to bo qualified for gentlemen riders certificates. There are four races on the programme, the lightweight, heavyweight, and consolation events for men, and the Ladies’ Cup. The first event will start at about one o’clock on Friday afternoon, and the programme should be disposed of in ample time to allow the spectators to reach town before dark. The best vantage point from which to view the races will be adjacent to the starting point, which will be on the stock road from the Park to Matawhero. To reach the locality, intending spectators arc recommended to proceed via Childors road towards the Park, turning off to the left at Chalmers road, crossing the railway line and then taking the first metalled road to the right. The starting point is near the end of the metalling on this road. Should the programme continue late into the afternoon there may be a conflict of interest as between the steeplechases and the llccney-Tunney fight report. To obviate the necessity of interested spectators leaving the point-to-point meet, Mr. R. C. Fisken has arranged to have erected near the starting point a radio reception set, with n loud-speaker, and in the event of the broadcast, of the big fight being picked up and re-broadcast from Wellington, the visitors to the steeplechase gathering will enjoy the same advantages as those who remain in town within reach of the local broadcasting station. It was a happy thought on Mr. Fislcen’s part to suggest. this course, and his action will be much appreciated. A.E.C. REDUCES STAKES A DECREASE OF £2OOO (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, last night. The Auckland Racing Club decided to-day to reduce the stakes for the coming season to £61,000, a reduction of £2OOO.

The Auckland Cup remains at £3OOO, and the then! Northern Steeplechase at £2OOO. The Mitchelson Cup is reduced (nun £2OOO to £ISOO. the King Edward Memorial Handicap from £IOOO to £BOO, the King’s Plate from £6OO to £SOO. the Sommer Cop from £I4OO t.o £1250. the A.ICC. Handicap from £2OOO to £1750, tin- Easter Handicap from £1750 to £ISOO, the Great Northern 11,miles from £2OOO to £1750. the Win ler Steeples from £1250 to £IOOO, and tin* [luia Handicap from £9OO to £750. Tim club decided to revert to eight races a day at the spring meeting, a back hurdle race and a hack fiat race (a mile and a-quarter), each of £4OO, being included. The programme for the autumn meeting provides for eight races a day. the Eden Handicap, one mile, and the St. Hellers Hurdles, each of £4OO, being new events.

Future classic races, for which nominations will be taken next- June, are reduced altogether by £2OOO. The Foal -Stakes is reduced from £ISOO to £1250, the Champion Stakes from £ISOO to £IOOO, the Guineas from £ISOO to £IOOO, Hie Derby from £SOOO to £2500, the St Legci: from £IOOO to £750. The Ouoinmga. Steeplechase, to lie run at the spring meeting, has been altered to carry hack conditions, and I lie stake reduced lo £4OO.

The Spearmint mare Pinetta, dam of Rapine, was mated last year with Paladin (son of Polymelus), but no foal will, it- is said, result. The mate selected for Pinetta this season'is Hunting Song (by Hurry On). At the dispersal sale of the Kinloch Stud last. January Pinetta was bought by Air, A. B. Williams for 325gns. The Hawke’s Bay sportsman has good reason to retain happy recollections of his purchase of Pinetta’s most noteworthy son Rapine, for he won prizemoney under his colors to the amount of £20,330. A reference to the Stud Book shows that Pinetta was foaled in 19]4, so that there is some reason to hope she may produce another performer up to the standard of Rapine.

The New Zealander, V. O’Neill, has been outstandingly successful as a trainer in recent years (remarks the Melbourne Sun). Apart from horses which he has trained for patrons, lie has scored many successes with horses which he has bought, broken in and raced himself, sometimes as full owner and at others as part owner. The greatest of these was, of course, Spearfelt, who won stakes to the value of over £28,000. Spearfelt won the following V.R.C. races: — Gibson Carmichael Stakes, Victoria Derby, St. Lcger, Australian Cup, Afelbourne Cup, Governor’s Plate, and King’s Plate. Murrumbccna, Lady Reynard, Flying Wynne, Switzerland, Eemoo, Imitator, and Longlands are just a few of the many other winners from his stable. All types of races scorn, to come alike to O’Neill. O’Neill has been associated with horses practically all his life. He rode in races at the age of 11. About 20 years ago, with his brothers, he gave exhibitions of horsemanship’ at the Christchurch (N.Z.) Exhibition. ■ * * * * A. horse that performed well this season and who should do better next season is First Sight, one of F. D. .Tones’ team. In nine starts he has only once been out of the money, wanning three events, being second; on five occasions, and third once. His victories were in the Trial Handicap, six furlongs, at Alarton, the Wallaceville Highweight, Handicap, one mile, at Tvontham, and the Post Handicap, one mile, at Iticcarton. First Sight has Leon going along all right in his work at Christchurch, and he will probably have his next start at Christchurch Hunt Club meeting- on August 4, and will later bet raced at the Grand National mooting. He is engaged in the Winter Cup. * * * *

Arikiwai stood up to his work so satisfactorily last week, after a gallop with Limerick, that, F. D. Jones decided to definitely take him to Sydney, and Ihe team will be shipped by the Ulimaroa from Wellington on Friday. Everything has progressed well with Limerick, Roscrea and Gay Crest also, and with these and Light Hearted, Jones will have a powerful team for the invasion.

There were few daughters of Carbine in New' Zealand, and Alonganui, the last ono of the number, died some time back. Alonganui’s last foal was a filly by All Black, and; she is known as Maungakino. In 1925 Maungakino was mated with Prince Willonyx, and the colt she produced to the English horse in the following year is credited with being of prepossessing appearance. With the St. Simon strain on the top line on tbo sire’s side and with the Gallinule and Carbine strain on the dam’s side, something of the racehorse quality should be found in Maungakino’s colt.

Aberfeldy received a knockout blow when bo fell in tbe Winter Hurdles at Wellington (says a Christchurch writer), and it will be many moutlis before bo can be trained again. The skin on one of bis front legs was ripped from the knee downwards, and it is feared ho suffered internal injuries as ; well from the horses in bis wake galloping on him. It. W. King has had no luck with the Quin Abbey gelding this season. He .was going well when he fell and would have gained second money, while his prospects of winning ;i race at the Grand National meeting looked favorable. 'With ICaikahu under a cloud and Aberfeldy out of action, lticcarton will be without a representative in the Grand National Hurdle Race, and the same state of affairs will exist in regard to the Grand National Steeplechase. This is a most unusual happening as far as Riccarton is concerned. * * * * The Sled mere Stud, established by the late Sir Tattoo Sykes and which is still carried on, is one of the outstanding—if not actually the most successes, viewed from a financial point, that the history of thoroughbred establishments can furnish. It •is computed that the horses raised there, embracing the period from 1808 to 1927, realised the vast sum of £801,351.