SPORTING

Southland Times, Issue 25362, 14 August 1935, Page 10

SPORTING

NOTES BY THE CURRAGH. There will be trotting at Addington to-day. Valpeen won his second Grand National yesterday. Veteran rider W. J. Bowden won his first Grand National on Valpeen. The Winter Cup was run in second fastest time on record yesterday. Gamble’s stumble at Addington on Saturday was said to be due to taking fright when another horse broke in front of him. Sir Charles Clifford has disposed of Knock Out to a patron of O. Cox’s stable, and she will race in her new interests at the current meeting at Riccarton. It costs £55 to start a horse in the Melbourne Cup. The owner of the winner will collect £G4OO and a trophy valued at £2OO this year. The owners of the second and third horses will receive £lOOO and £6OO respectively. The appropriate name of Gay Step has been claimed by Mr C. Boyle for this Australian-bred filly by Gay Lothario from Tickletoe, by Sir Anton (son of St. Frusquin). The youngster cost her owner 300 guineas at the Melbourne sales. The veteran of this year s Grand National field, from point of age, is Umtali, a son of Tractor now 12 years old. Billy Boy and Punchestown are both 11 years, and Pahu and Peterctte are 10 years. The juveniles of the field are Dunmure and Free Air, who are each just turned seven years. Mr J. H. Whitney's famous steeplechaser Thomond 11., who has run third in the last two Liverpool Grand Nationals. went to France to contest the Grand Steeplechase de Paris, four miles, at Auteuil on June 23, but he failed to do better than finish eighth in the field of 13, nine of whom completed the course.

Bad luck was experienced at Mr Percy Miller’s Kia Ora Stud in New South Wales with the New Zealandbred mare Sennight, dam of Weatherwise and halfsister to Pillow Fight. Sennight foaled a chestnut filly to Pantheon, sire of Peter Pan, six days before the end of the season. As the result this filly will not to able to race in the classics and she will rank as a year older than she really is.

The 4.20 registered by Indianapolis when he finished second in the King George Handicap a year ago was a record for a five-year-old pacer for that season of the year, and was actually a record for a horse of that age at any stage until he reduced it to 4.15 4-5 in the Trotting Cup three months later. These figures give some idea of the merit of War Buoy’s 4.18 4-5 in the August Handicap.

Valpeen, who won the Grand National Steeplechase for the second time yesterday is a brown gelding, Byrs, by Valkyrian from a mare of unknown pedigree, but believed to be by Spalpeen. Bred, owned and trained by Mr Gordon Campbell, of Okoroire, near Matamata, he began racing at five years and has started 44 times, for nine wins, including Pakuranga Hunt Cup. Great Northern Grand National, Sussex and Wellington Steeplechases.

Teviot Downs trotted his best race for some time in the Stewards’ Handicap on Saturday, for he led the field for more than a mile and threequarters and the speed was not slow, states the Press. Just when it. seemed likely he would win, the black trotter broke up, and from then on took no serious part in the race. On the second day of the meeting Teviot Downs is engaged in the Avon Handicap. 3min. 27sec class, one mile and a-half, and the shorter journey may suit him.

Mr J. R. Cochrane of Gore has two very well-bred stallions to place at the services of breeders this season in Rosenor and Full Feather. Both did excellently as racehorses on the turf and already have left some promising representatives. Rosenor is by the English sire Grosvenor (the only son of Sceptre) who has been very successful at the stud in England. His dam is Roscy. a good winner in the Old Country. Full Feather is by Autumnus— Equipment and his progeny so far show every promise as to size and quality. Breeders can be counted fortunate to have two such sires at their disposal.

Kelly, who proved himself a firstclass three-year-old last season, is getting through a solid preparation at Ellerslie and. judging by his appearance, he should be better than ever this term. On Friday he was given a workout over five furlongs, and, although he was not extended, he ran the distance in good time considering the state of the ground. In all his races last season Kelly proved himself a good stayer, and among other races he won the Great Northern St. Leger. As the Kilbroneys, improve with age, Kelly should make his presence felt in any long-distance event he takes on this season; in fact, it would be a surprise to see him taking a prominent part in the finish of a race like the Auckland Cup.

Up to the present stage of his career, War Buoy has the best record of any horse that has preceded him on New Zealand trotting courses, Indianapolis included. Fifteen wins in seventeen starts, and two miles in 4.18 4-5 in August, are records for any five-year-old, and it is difficult to set a limit to his future capabilities. He may not develop as Indianapolis has done, but he does not suffer by comparison on the score of courage, and his conformation may assist him to last longer than the big champion. War Buoy displayed courage in a high degree when he commenced racing as a four-year-old with an ugly wound in one of his legs, and he did not flinch when given his first real taste of the whip on Saturday. He has all the attributes of a real horse, and is now a first-class box office attraction.

It has been stated more than once that the Victorian horseman, W. Duncan, intended to resume race riding in the new season. The latest news from Melbourne is that he has no intention of apnlying for a license and that he is unlikely ever to get in the saddle again, even for exercise on a hack. Since the accident that put him out of the racing game, nearly two years ago, he has been gradually restoring his nerves and health. He returned recently to Melbourne, after a happy and carefree tour of New South Wales and Queensland in a motor caravan. Thanks to plenty of outdoor exercise, he is restored to normal health, but he realizes that being a jockey in these strenuous days calls for greater strain than he is disposed to risk. It seems certain, therefore, that this one-time brilliant jockey has said good-bye to the Melbourne race crowds, which he has so often roused to enthusiasm by his artistic displays in the saddle.

During the past 35 years the record for the Grand National Steeplechase shows that only five horses carrying the highest weight on the day have won, all comparatively recently, and that 26 have failed to finish in the money. Of

the remaining four, one has been second and three third. The winners with top weight since 1900 have been Coalition 12.7 in 1921, Oakleigh 12.0 in 1923, Beau Cavalier 11.7 in 1927. Aurora Borealis 11.1 in 1930, and Billy Boy 11.13 in 1932. The second such horse was Corazon 12.3 in 1911; and the third horses Kaitere 13.3 in 1907, Crib 11.13 in 1917, and Master Strowan 12.7 in 1918. The highest top weight in this period was carried by Moifaa, who was unplaced with 13.6 in 1901. Kaitere, winner of two Great Northern and two Wellington Steeplechases, was four times top-weight for the National, but his only placing in the race was his third.

There is little vice in the trotting filly Airflow; but she has a bad habit of rearing that is rather unnerving to her driver and exasperating to her backers. When the horses were being lined up for the Introductory Handicap at Addington on Saturday, Airflow reared up and fell backwards, upsetting her sulky and driver, P. Gallagher. She was quickly on her feet again and the fall seemed to settle her down, for she did not repeat the performance. It is the standing start that appears to distress Airflow, and possibly under American conditions, where the scoring starting system rules, she would not give any trouble. Taxpayer, from the same stable,‘also appears to have caught the rearing fever, for when the barriers were released in the International Handicap he promptly stood on his hind legs and lost all chance of victory.—Christchurch Press.