RACING AND TROTTING

Southland Times, Issue 23228, 17 June 1937, Page 10

RACING AND TROTTING

News—Prospects—Results ...

Racing June 17. 19—Hawke’s Bay J.C. June 19—Greymouth J CJune 19 —Opotiki J.C. June 26— Ashburton County R.C. June 26—Dannevlrke Hunt Club. July 3—Manawatu h-C July 3—Oamaru J.C July 6,8, 10—Wellington HC. July 17—Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club. July 17—Walnu.te Hunt Club July 24—Rangltikl Hunt Club. July 24—South Car terbury Hunt Club. July 29. 31—Poverty Bay T.C. July 31—Christchurch Hun> Club. fretting June 19. 23—Auckland T.C. (By THE CURRAGH) The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club’s meeting opens today. O. E. Hooper is about again, supervising the work of his team, but his ankle is still in plaster. Wotan who won the Melbourne Cup last year has been entered for this year’s contest.

Thrtries for the Wellington Racing Club’s winter meeting close on Monday. Southland is likely to have a few representatives.

Golden Eagle is having a short spell prior to J. Shaw tuning her up for the August meeting at Addington.

It is reported that Willie Win is a sure campaigner in Australia next season.

Royal Chief is again in work under F. D. Jones. He is booked for the Wanganui Guineas.

F. D. Jones has Cerne Abbas in work again and the filly is reported to have built up during her spell.

Fairweather, who has not been racing well lately, has joined J. Ross’s stable at Oamaru.

Amelita returned from the Dunedin meeting in good health but a decision as to her future has not yet been reached.

Mr J. B. MacGregor did not take Ardchoille with him to the north and the big chestnut is still quartered at Endeavour Lodge.

Streamline and Rousseau were present at the Dunedin meeting, but owing to the state of the track were sent home without being raced.

Frisco Boy, who has been on the easy list since winning the All Aged Stakes, has been placed in commission again. He is carrying a good deal of condition.

The crack three-year-old Gold Rod has returned to G. Price’s stable at Randwick after a spell at Richmond. He is said to be looking remarkably well.

It is reported that Mr J. Richardson had a win running well into four figures when Royal Order won for him recently in Australia. The colt started at a double-figure quote.

Monarchy, who led most of the. way .in the Napier Steeplechase, was ridden by his owner and carried 301 b overweight. Over the final stages he was beaten out of a place.

For having won the Commonwealth Steeplechase at Moonee Valley on May 29, Santa Casa has been rehandicapped to carry 11.2 in the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase on July 10. This is a penalty of 61b.

The Oamaru Jockey Club has received an excellent list of nominations for its winter meeting and as expected, Southland is well represented. The following are the entries from this province: Hunting Go, Gay Boa, Polar Star. Shillelagh Wood, McHeath and Double Shot.

No fewer than 53 different horses participated in the prize-money at Wingatui last week. Last year at the same meeting 55 got into the money. The only other three-day meeting south of the Waitaki River is _ the Riverton fixture, and 50 horses divided the prize-money last Easter.

It is reported that the Vincent Jockey Club intends to carry out a scheme of improvements on its course, and plans for a new totalizator house have already been prepared. A meeting of the committee will be held on the course this afternoon to decide the lay-out of the new buildings.

The defunct stallion Balboa was the most successful sire at Wingatui last week, his progeny winning five races, also being in minor placings five times, and winning £B4O •in stakes. Nightraid with three winners and two placings was credited with £630. Paper Money had three winners and one placing for £4lO, and Valkyrian two winners and four placings for £325.

If original intentions are carried out, it should not be long before the American importation, Bing Crosby, is seen in action. When Bing Crosby first arrived in New Zealand his owner Mr D. McFarlane (part owner of Sea Gift) decided to give him 12 months in which to acclimatize, and having been here nine or 10 months, he should not be long in making his bow to the New Zealand public. Like Sea Gift, the American is trained privately by E. J. Smith at Prebbleton.

Though there may be nothing the matter with him, the champion two-year-old of this state, Lynch Law, has not been seen on the tracks at Randwick for over a week (says “The Australasian”). About three weeks ago he reappeared, and did light work on the sand track, when he appeared to have recovered from the lameness which caused his withdrawal from Victorian events last February. His absence from the tracks is not altogether assuring, but it is to be hoped such a fine colt will soon be back among Jamieson’s team.

Serious results might have followed a foolish lack of consideration by three young men at the Wanganui meeting on Thursday. Their action might have been without thought, but whether it was or not the club should make it impossible for such an incident to occur again. It was while the Wanganui Steeplechase was being concluded that the incident took place. Clarion Call, then well over half a furlong clear, had just jumped the last fence when the young men dashed out from the inside of the course and across the track where horses jumping the fence would land. Royal Banquet came along just at that moment, and while the horse was in mid-air N. Trillo had to take hold of the reins to prevent a possible collision. What Trillo said to the man he managed to miss was not heard on the stands, but doubtless it was to the point.

At the yearling sales at Trentham in January, buyers included Sir J. B. Robinson, who has won races in South Africa with horses bred in New Zealand. His purchases arrived in South Africa

a few weeks ago, and a South African writer commented on them as follows: — “When the two New Zealand colts arrived by the Ascanius last week, acting on cabled instructions from their owner. Sir J. B. Robinson, who is in London, my visit of inspection was rewarded by seeing one of the finest types landed from the Dominion. Having expressed equally warm praise when Brabant arrived, the colt by Hunting Song—Crisis, tracing to Cissy by Musket, merits all the eulogy one can lavish on this big bay, who has scope enough to rank with the best in training. The other colt by Posterity (Son-in-Law) had the bad luck to contract strangles while waiting for transhipment at Sydney, but was over the trouble. This is also a good type, but not quite comparable with the grandson of Hurry On.”

Form usually works out consistently in the open steeplechases at Dunedin. Going back 10 years it is found that The Babe, after winning the Otago Steeplechase, finished second on the next day, and won again on the third. This performance was duplicated a year later by Fabriano. Top Gear, winner of the Otago Steeplechase in the following season, did not run again, but Snowfall won on the second and third days Valves accounted for the Otago and Wingatui Steeplechases, and ran third in the Dunedin Steeplechase, and Quinopal won the first two and did not start in the third. Two years ago Graball improved on these figures and captured the treble.

The stipendiary stewards controlling racing in the Melbourne metropolitan radius have in the past often been criticized for what have been looked upon as sins, both of commission and of omission. On the whole, however, it is conceded that they are carrying out a difficult job rather well (says “The Australasian.”) Racing generally is pretty clean, and there have been very few “unfortunate occurrences” in recent times. It took the stewards a long time to reduce the amount of interference in races due to reckless or careless riding, but much has been accomplished in that direction. Interference will never be wholly eliminated from racing, because there are times when circumstances make it inevitable. Horses are. sometimes clumsy in a field, and jockeys make an error of judgment, but when everything is- taken into consideration there is really very little careless and deliberately rough riding in Melbourne.

Clarion Call simply outclassed his opposition in the Wanganui Steeplechase, cantering home a furlong ahead of Royal Banquet, who was lame after the race. This was Clarion Call’s first appearance as a ’chaser, but it placed him second in the weights for the Winter Steeplechase at Auckland, and he would probably have been favourite if he had been sent up to Ellerslie. He is only six and a young horse for a jumper. By Hunting Song from Saxon Saint, he is beautifully bred. Saxon Saint’s sire Hallowmas (by Martagon, sire of Martian) left Reremoana, one of the Dominion’s best milers, and her dam Formless was by Multiform from Dreamer, a mare tracing back to Trenton and Panic (a noted producer of jumpers in Australia). Hunting Song’s progeny take naturally to fencing, and there are unbounded possibilities in Clarion Call in this line.

Discussing the influence of American sires in improving the standard of pacers and trotters in New Zealand, a northern writer says: “There is one sire whose influence on the light harness industry, especially on the female side, is paramount, namely, Berlin. Up to 1882 1 : only trotting horses in New Zealand were the progeny of secondrate thoroughbreds from utility mares of little breeding.. About that time Mr Robert Wilkin decided to improve the breed, and to that purpose imported from America two standard-bred sires, Berlin and Blackwood Abdallah; also the brood mares Blue Grass Belle, Messenger Maid, - Fannie Bell, Woodbum Maid, Jeannie Tracey and Belle Briggs. Unfortunately, Mr Wilkin did not live long enough to realize the wonderful influence his importations were to have on the future of light harness racing. He died a few years after setting up a stud farm at Fendalton, and the horses found new homes in various parts of the Dominion. For many years the progeny of these importations practically swept the boards. As a sire, Berlin did more to improve the standard of trotting than any stallion of his time; in fact, many old-timers still hold the opinion that he was the equal of any subsequent importations. Like the great thoroughbred sire Traducer, his excellence was perpetuated at the stud both by his sons and daughters.” Berlin was purchased by Mr James King, of Timaru, and remained there for the rest of his stud career.