SPORTING

Southland Times, Issue 22108, 31 August 1933, Page 10

SPORTING

NOTES BY

ROUNDABOUT.

Ashburton County R.C, nominations are due to-day.

Geraldine spring meeting entries close on Monday.

Master Anomaly is booked to be tried out over the hurdles.

Irish Lancer is now working much more kindly than hitherto.

First payment for the 1933 N.Z. Trotting Derby falls due on Friday.

Hawera reports credit Aga Khan as being ready to race at short notice.

Morena was amongst those irpated to easy exercise at Wingatui on Tuesday.

Mobile is again in work at Wingatui and appears to have thrown olf his soreness.

Chhoto is being selected in some quarters as likely to race well at Wingatui on Saturday.

The opening event on the Otago Hunt Club’s programme on Saturday is timed for 12.45.

In his track essays at Hawera No Doubt is showing much more pace than the average maiden.

Northern reports credit Lord Vai with doing good work and he is selected as a likely early winner.

Woodville track watchers are awaiting the next public outing of a maiden performer called Tommy Atkins.

Meadow Lark is stated to be doing well on easy task and likely to prove a bargain at the £5O paid for him.

Cherry Queen is working well at Wingatui. She will be more forward than most of the oppositon on Saturday.

H. Wiggins will ride Merry Way, Glowlight, Bold Bid and General Quex at the Taranaki Hunt meeting on Saturday.

Waikari, who finished second in the Novice Handicap at Warwick Farm on Saturday, is a brother to Agrion (Limond —Waterwings).

The hurdles event at Wingatui on Saturday although only comprising six runners is attracting a good deal of attention and it looks like being a stem contest.

Guid Hairst beat Silver Bingen by half a head in the Onehunga Handicap at Auckland on Saturday, but the platings- were reversed through the winner boring and interfering with Silver Bingen. Guid Hairst was not as forward in condition as Silver Bingen, and his backers should not have long to wait for a win.

While on his visit to Auckland the Addington trainer, J. J. Kcnnerley, purchased the three-year-old gelding Young Travis, who is by Travis Axworthy from Bell Bingen. Bell Bingen, who is by Bingen from Bertha Bell, was imported from America by Mr E. X. Lelievre, who bred Young Travis, and the sister to him, Bell Axworthy.

Weights for the New Zealand Cup are not due until September 25. There is no fixed maximum this year. Tire rehandicap condition is as follows:— The winner, after declaration of weights of any race of the value of 200 sovs. or of any race or races of the value of 400 sovs may be rehandicapped, provided that no horse be rehandicapped to carry over weight-for-age.”

During last season Little Victor ran some good races at New Brighton, and he is evidently suited by the course ; as his best performances have been recorded there. He is usually a smart beginner, and from the front of the Dash Handicap he may be prominent for a good part of the journey. In winning the Shirley Handicap at the October meeting at New Brighton, Little Victor covered the mile and a half in 3min 21 l-ssec.

After Chatham had won the A.J.C. Epsom and Craven Plate and the V’R.C. Linlithgow Stakes last spring he appeared to be so badly affected in the wind that his retirement was announced. Some new treatment was however, tried with him. It would seem to have proved most effective, judging from the Warwick Stakes on Saturday. Chatham scored a runaway win by five lengths in lmin 371 sec, with Kuvera and Rogilla in the places. Chatham has 9.10 in the Epsom this time, or 111 b more than he won with last spring. He meets Autopay, who finished fourth then, after having been last half-way, on 101 b worse terms.

Heroic and Windbag, who headed the Australian winning sires’ list last season, have commenced the new season well. Windbag was successfully represented at Warwick Farm on Saturday by Chatham and Topical. Heroic has had a number of winners this month, and his three-year-old son Hall Mark won the Underwood Stakes, weight-for-age, one mile, at Williamstown on Saturday. Hall Mark promises to be a tough proposition in ■ the Derbies. Topical, who won the Australian Cup in March, had had a win this season prior to Warwick Farm. He is highly fancied for the Metropolitan, in which he has 8.5. The Victorian handicappers were harder on him, as in a lighter handicap he has 8.7 in the Melbourne Cup and his Caulfield Cup impost is 8.11.

If one could forget the occasional lapse of form on the part of Holly Bank, they would be justified in regarding him as a winner at the New Brighton Trotting Club’s meeting next week. In saddle or in harness his recent efforts have been marked by brilliance and determination. It is quite likely (says “Argus”) that the enforced spell caused by an accident on the training track at Addington many months ago has benefited him physically. J. Young had him on Saturday at New Brighton, where he hit on the grass circuit in a convincing manner, running home over his last four furlongs in lmin 9 l-ssec as if he was just having a look at the scenery. He certainly is in fine order for immediate racing.

War Buoy, the champion two-year-old pacer of last season, is the only one of the previous term’s notable youngsters who is down to race at the New Brighton meeting, but at Wellington, the following week, there will be more of the same age competing. Guy Junior is the best known of the younger division at Wellington, but interesting entries are Blondie, who was the only one of the acceptors for the Sapling Stakes who did not fill his engagement, and Blandford. The lastnamed has raced only once, to fill fourth place in the mile and a-quarter event at the Hunt Club’s meeting a few weeks ago. Morello, another of the same age, who resumed work about a month ago, will possibly have his first outing as a three-year-old at the Methven meeting, to be held at the end of September.

“The Government remission in totalisator tax has been of great assistance to racing clubs throughout the Dominion ” stated Mr C. Louisson, president of the Manawatu Racing Club, at the

annual meeting of that body, “but further concessions are required to enable many of the clubs to carry on. It is the intention of the Racing Conference and the clubs to approach the Government again with a view to ameliorating the present conditions of racing, and several matters of great importance will be placed before them for their favourable consideration. It has been a necessity for all clubs to reduce their stakes, and it is considered that the stakes tax should be removed to enable owners to carry on; otherwise, a further decrease may be expected in the totalisator turnover, and in the ranks of owners. It is to the advantage of all racing clubs to work for those who are interested in or obtain their living by racing; by taking a broad view in this respect they will not only be helping others, but will eventually benefit their own institution.”

Autopay left here for his trip to Sydney well forward in his preparation and looking as well, if not better, than ever, writes The Watcher. He has not taken long to earn expenses, for his win in the Campbelltown Handicap on Saturday was at double figures, of which no doubt his party took due advantage. Autopay was troublesome on lining up and* was sent to the outer, but he was well away and holding a handy position early, moved up entering the straight, and scored well. The field was a good one, and Dermid, who ran second, receiving a stone and a pound, is fancied for the Epsom Handicap. Altogether Autopay put up an excellent performance. He has 31b less in the Epsom Handicap, 9.7, while Dermid has 11b less, and Tom Pinch, who ran third on Saturday, 51b less. Dermid is given credit for finishing strongly against Autopay. Last year Chatham won the Campbelltown Handicap before going on to his decisive Epsom win, and maybe Autopay will follow suit and so win his second Epsom. If he gets away well he cannot be denied a good chance, for he is a topliner up to a mile.

There now seems to be a strong possibility that Winooka and Equipoise will meet in a test of speed in America. We would perhaps be more confident of the result if Phar Lap, at his best, was in Winooka’s place, says a Melbourne writer, but the Windbag horse represents the best Australian form of the time up to a mile. As Equipoise has the same rating in America, it will be a battle of giants. Not that either horse is what may be called abnormal in build. Equipoise is about 16 hands high, so that he would stand over Winooka, but this is neither here nor there when they are being judged by racing merit. Equipoise is a dark chestnut. To Australians the most interesting point about his breeding is that in the back lines it shows the name of Darebin, the well-performed Victorian-bred son of The Peer, who was sent to the United States about half a century ago. It seems rather remarkable that Darebin should in a measure be responsible for the great galloper that will, all going well, shortly measure strides with the champion miler from this country. Horse breeding is full of romance. The turf and stud in America have a good deal to thank Darebin for, and evidently the blood he introduced into the country is still alive. Equipoise, by Pennant, is a product of America, and is by Peter Pan from the English-bred mare Royal Rose, by Royal Hampton

Arguments frequently occur concerning the value of a gallop when the poles are of varying feet out from the rails. The following, which is published in racecards in Australia, may be of value to trainers and others: In doing working gallops it is often necessary to run horses outside the poles a considerable distance from the rails, and trainers are at a loss to knew the extra distance they have covered. By measuring the distance the horse was out from the rail, and deducting one yard and multiplying the balance by six, it will.be as nearly as possible correct —that is, for a full round of the course. Example: If a horse runs 12 yards out from the rail, he will cover 66 yards more than the measured distance of a course—that is, 12 yards less 1, or 11 multiplied by 6, which is equal to 66 yards. For half a round of a course, deduct one yard from the distance out from the rail and multiply the balance by three. Example: 12 yards less 1, or 11 multiplied by 3, would be 33 yards over and above half the distance of the course. This calculation is based on the fact that the circumference is three and one-seventh times that of the diameter of the circle, but as racecourses are surveyed 3ft from the rail, and most are oval in shape, the absolute rule does not apply. However, as before stated, the distance out from the rail (less one yard) multiplied by six, will be found sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes. The term “a distance” in racing is equal to 240 yards.

Wrack, who heads the sires’ list this season, is of the younger generation as sires go, and his rise has been phenomenal. His oldest progeny are seven years, and he has set a new record by topping the list in such a short space of time. Wrack took a record of. 2min llsec, covering the last half in 58.’sec, and was known as the “iron horse,” so well did he wear on the race track. He is of a particularly attractive individuality (says “Ribbonwood”), and has a well-balanced pedigree. He was got by Peter the Great, and his dam was Colorado Belle 2min 7 l-ssec, a daughter of Colorado E, 2min 4.isec. Wrack has sired a greater percentage of classic winners than any other sire in the history of trotting in the Dominion. Wracklei won both Derbies in 1928. Arethusa won the Sapling Stakes and New Zealand Derby in 1930, Ciro won the New Zealand Derby, and Tempest the Great Northern Derby in 1931, and Indianapolis won the Great Northern Derby last year. White Satin won the Sires’ Produce Stakes, for three-year-old trotters, at Forbury. In addition, Wrackler has proved a champion dualgaiter. He went on to win the New Zealand Cup, and two years later he won the Dominion Handicap, the highest honour for a trotter. If he never leaves another winner, Wrack _ has gained everlasting fame by siring Wrackler, and there is no saying to what heights Indianapolis may. yef attain. N.Z. TROTTING CUP. CLASS AND STAKE UNALTERED. (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, August 30. The programme committee of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club decided to-day to make the conditions for the New Zealand Trotting Cup the same as last year. The race will be for horses assessed on 4.26 or better and the stake will be £l5OO. TRAINER’S APPEAL. REFUSAL OF LICENSE. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, August 30. An appeal against the decision of the now defunct Licensing Committee of the New Zealand Rating Conference refusing to grant his application for a trainer’s license for the 1933-34 season has been lodged by H. E. Gray, a former well-known jockey. The appeal is made under Rule 102 of the Rules of Racing, which was revoked at the last annual meeting of the conference, but which still applies to decisions of the old licensing committee.

The time and place for the hearing of the appeal will be fixed later.