ROUND ABOUT RICCARTON

Southland Times, Issue 22991, 10 September 1936, Page 10

ROUND ABOUT RICCARTON

NEW ZEALAND CUP FIELD PROMISING HURDLERS (By Sir Modred.) Christchurch, September 8. Following over a week of broken weather and sodden tracks a welcome change is forecasted at Riccarton. The New Zealand Cup candidate Lady Kate, by Paladin, and trained by P. McGrath, was schooled over the pony hurdles to-day, probably with the object of making her settle down soberly to the flat-racing business. L. J. Ellis has returned from a holiday and leaves for Wanganui to-day to fulfil engagements as a horseman at the meeting there on Thursday and Saturday. The well-bred mare Final Shot, by Winning Hit from Rivalry, by Antagonist (St. Simon sire line) from Equipment, by Martian from To-morrow, by .Bill of Portland (imp. St. Simon line) from Elusive, by Trenton (Musket line) from Eleusis (imp.) has been mated with the imported English sire Mysotis. The owner of Final Shot has purchased from Mr G. Murray Aynsley the juvenile filly Orange Bud, by Polazel (imp. and son of Polymelus) from Orange Blossom (dam of Silver Ring, by Silerado) by Nassau from Nantes, by Stepniak, to take her place. Orange Bud, who promises to be a smart galloper, will in future be trained for Mr J. D. Simpson by Mrs J. Campbell. The Gore-owned pacer Chechahco confounded the critics on Saturday at the New Brighton Trotting Club’s meeting by winning the Wainoni Handicap, of £l6O (l : *m.), very easily in the hands of R. B. Berry. Mr F. Wallis, jun., has been patient with his gelding and reaped a deserved success. Berry’s pupil was not fancied by the public, but as he started as a 4—4 selection it is safe to assume that there was support from the south for the seven-year-old Wrack pacer. . Berry also drove Broughshane to victory during the afternoon, but failed with the fancied Valdor in the Electric Handicap, saddle (Im.). The last-named may do better later on. Berry, now one of Jhe leading light harness trainers in New Zealand, began his career as a trainer of light harness horses in Invercargill. He was originally a crack flat race jockey. Bred in Australia. The New Zealand Cup candidate Fersen, by Verbius (imp.)—Gallantry, is an Australian-bred galloper and opened his account for the current season by scoring over seven furlongs at the Taranaki Hunt fixture on Saturday. Prior to being purchased cheaply in Melbourne on behalf of Mrs W. D. Graham, of New Plymouth, the gelding displayed stamina in Victoria as a juvenile and it was thus surprising to find him quitted at a price round about 150gns. He won the Taranaki Cup for his lady owner and was fancied for the New Zealand Cup and Auckland Cup of last season to run well in both events. He is trained by H. Gray and with increased age may prove dangerous in some of the lengthy races of the new season. Indications point to the Riccarton trainer S. Barr having two useful jumping pupils in his stable for spring racing—Redolent and Vitaphone. The latter is a seven-year-old gelding by Cape Hom (imp.) from Velour, by Birkenhead from Maluri, by Malua. This is a jumping pedigree, as descendants of Cape Hom have been winning over hurdles in Melbourne for Mr W. R. Kemball, while on the maternal side of his house Vitaphone has credentials in a similar direction. His dam, Velour, was got Hy Birkenhead, a noted sire of steeplechasers and hurdlers in New Zealand, while his grand-dam. Malieri, was a daughter of Malua, winner of the Melbourne Cup in 1884 and subsequently first home in the Victoria Racing Club Grand National Hurdle Race, carrying real weight that would stagger some of the jumpers of the present day. The Riccarton-trained two-year-old crack of last season, Wild Chase, left here on Saturday night en route to Wanganui, to compete in the first classic three-year-old event of the current season—the Wanganui Guineas. The son of Paper Money may not have been strung up to his best shape when he, left home, but he was in forward condition all the same and pulled up well one morning last week after carrying out a smart mile,, the distance over which he will run in the Guineas. He is a very fine colt and if a descendant of Paper Money is ever to figure as the winner of a New Zealand Derby, Wild Chase may prove the goods. As far as the .writer can judge the son of Paper Money will run out a stem mile and rate with the best of his age over ten to twelve furlongs—the Derby journey. The Wanganui Guineas will probably attract a fair field, with the Aucklander Gallio in most demand. This colt Gallio, by General Latour—Prodice (halfsister to Ammon Ra), by Catmint (imp. and son of Spearmint) from Haydes, by Hymettus (imp.) and on to a doubleblend of Musket blood on the maternal side, was accounted the best youngster in New Zealand last season, but that is open to question. At the same time, Gallio was a brilliant performer who beat Wild Chase in Auckland, but there may be a different story to tell later on during the current turf term. The meeting of the two colts will create widespread interest on Saturday at Wanganui. Gallio is trained at Te Awamutu by A. Cook, a very successful trainer, who, by the way, learned his business with Mr A. D. Mclvor, at Riverton, during the period when the latter was turning on many good winners on metropolitan and other tracks. . On his North Island campaign ot the present week Wild Chase will be accompanied by two other juveniles from the Chokebore Lodge , stable of H. and A. Cutts in Recollection and impersenator. The former does not appear to be at his best yet, while the latter is approaching attractive form. Impersonator is well-bred, as he is a son of Winning Hit from Miss Mimic, by Sanquhar (imp.) from Counterfeit (very speedy). New Zealand Cup Reflections.

FIELD

Fifty-two horses, or one more than last season, have been nominated foi the New Zealand Cup, to be decided in November and it is satisfactory to note that the great majority of the bestknown handicap performers in New Zealand have been entered, while of the number visiting Australia Silver Ring, Silver Streak, Palady, Queen of Song and Dungarvan have been listed. Eight of those nominated represent women owners, which must constitute a record for the event. At present Southland can claim two representatives—Tauramai and Hom’s Reef, while two sires of Southland, Songbird (Queen of Song) and Nigger Minstrel (Carfex) have the descendants named. Of the five horses at present in Australia figuring in the list, several of the number may return for the Cup provided the weights prove tempting enough. It has been claimed time and again that the progeny of Paper Money cannot stay, yet experienced handlers of gallopers have entered Silver Streak and Queen Dorothy, both descendants of the Greenback sire, for the C.J.C. contest. In the hope that courses of hurdle racing may have subdued Polydora to a reasonable frame of mind the Polazel

mare has been named as a nomination and it will not cause any surprise if she should come through a Cup venture with credit. Quite a number of Australian-bred gallopers appear in the list and all are useful horses, including Southdown, Sunee, Fersen, Aussie Ra, and Velocipede. It may be pointed out that Southdown and Velocipede (a very promising four-year-old horse owned up Auckland way) are sons of a noted stayer in Rampion. Southdown failed badly in the Cup race of last season, but in the meantime he has been added to the list and has furnished into a gelding of strength and size, but rather deficient in middlepiece. . It is hinted that Mr Samson may decide to try Southdown at hurdle racing and he is big and strong enough for the game—he was noticed to gallop well across the flat at Riccarton one morning last week. Only One Three-Year-Old. A feature of the long list of 52 prospective competitors is the fact that Captain Furst is the only three-year-old engaged and it would be difficult to discover w’hen such a happening occurred before in the history of New Zealand Cup nominations. The Hawke’s Bay juvenile has a half-brother in the big Riccarton two-mile stake in Werohia, by Guyspear, a good galloper who promises to stay. Bred by Mr F. Ormond and nominated by Mr H. Neagle, Captain Furst is a stoutlyblooded gelding by Arausio (imp. and by Sunstar from , a staying maternal source) from Huiarau, by King Mark (imp. son of Marco from the St. Simon line) from Te Aupaki, by Merry Moment (imp.) from Timua, by Birkenhead (imp.) from Hinewhata, by Vasco di Gama. Mr Neagle’s juvenile has yet to prove himself up to the best New Zealand Cup company, but there is no reason why he should not do so before the valuable handicap comes up for decision in November.