RACING AND TROTTING

Southland Times, Issue 23768, 16 March 1939, Page 10

RACING AND TROTTING

GREAT WESTERN • ENTRANTS Novice Candidates Of H. Morton SOUTHERN CHAMPION HACK FIELD Nominations for the Otautau meeting close at 8 p.m. tonight. Birchwood Hunt acceptances close tomorrow evening. Sulieman’s Rider Sulieman, one of the favourites for the Railway Handicap at Trentham, will be ridden by P. Burgess. J # W. Jennings Engaged J. VJ. Jennings has been engaged to ride Boswell in the Riverton Cup. At Waimate and Oamaru • The Invercargill apprentice J. L. Strathern left during the week to ride at the Waimate meeting on Saturday, as well as Oamaru the following week. Double Gift and On Call will be two of his mounts. Western Song In Trouble Western Song pulled a shoe after working on Tuesday morning and was lame behind afterwards. It was intended to school him yesterday morning but as he was still lame this was not done. The trouble was not considered serious. Schooling Display King Willow (T. J. Boyle) and Actor (Taylor) were twice schooled over the three new brush fences at the back of the course yesterday morning. Both jumped splendidly and completed the task in good style. Actor is an outstanding jumper. I Foxlove and Galleon Foxlove and Galleon have both been nominated for the Riverton meeting as well as the principal events at the Great Autumn meeting at Riccarton. A decision where the pair will do their Easter racing will be made when the weights for the two meetings appear, but it is more than likely that they will be raced at Riverton. Spanish Lad The presence of Spanish Lad in the open sprint races at Riverton appears to be one of the reasons why these fields are much smaller than last year. The Balboa gelding has also been nominated for the Great Easter Handicap at Riccarton, and it is likely that after racing the first day at Riverton he will be railed through to Riccarton to contest the Great Easter Handicap. At Trentham Further riding engagements for the first day at Trentham include:—W. J. Broughton: Ruling Star, Trebor, Drachma, Pearl of Asia, Taurangi, Russian Ballet. G. R. Tattersail: The Bigot, Prediction, Globe Trotter, Beaulivre, Siegmund (second day). S. Anderson. Huntino, Windsor Chief. W. Jenkins: Lady Ina, Submission, Little Dorrit. A. E. Ellis: Beaupartir and White Gold. A. McDonald: Bumble. W. J. Broughton: Sudan. C. G. Goulsbro: Old Bill. H. N. Wiggins: Florence Mills. Riverton Fields Very few horses trained further north than Timaru have been nominated to race at Riverton at Easter. The Palmerston North jumper Tangled, who won a race at Riverton last year, has again been entered for the steeplechase events, while G. Ridgway will be incharge of the Riccarton representatives Nightdress, Asset, Waitaka, Mungatoon and Garonne. Redolent will be another Riccarton traveller, engaged in the jumping events. The outside representation is not as strong as in- other years, but the material is available for firstclass racing in all sections. Great Western Entrants The Winton trainer, H. Morton, who for some seasons has produced winners of important jumping events, has three candidates, La Boca, Tautau Maid and Corban, engaged in the Great Western Steeplechase. All three have yet to win over the big timber, but Corban and Tautau Maid have been successful over hurdles. Corban is regarded as one of the best young steeplechasers in sight. He showed fine form as a hurdler while in his only appearance as a -’chaser, at Winton last month, he gave a promising display. Tautau Maid has proved herself a proficient hurdler while her schooling over the big country has also been full of promise. She has always shown her best on an easing track. La Boca is a newcomer to the jumping game but in his first start in this role he finished a good second to Poniard at Winton. In some quarters La Boca is regarded as a find among the jumping ranks and if he improves on his initial effort he will not be long off the winning list. All three of Morton’s representatives were sired by Balboa, who has left many fine jumping winners. Black Banner, Rifle Range, El Caballo and last year’s winner, Possum, are other descendants of Balboa engaged in this year’s Great Western.

.Southern Champion Hack No event on the Southland racing calendar attracts wider interest than the Southern Champion Hack Handicap, on the second day of the Riverton Racing Club’s Easter' meeting. This year’s field of 33 is two more than nominated for last year’s race, and the field to contest the mile event is an outstanding one. Disband, who has won in his last two starts over the distance, is the early favourite for the race and judging by the manner in which he spreadeagled a strong hack field at Gore and won decisively at Cromwell later, he has only to be produced in the same form to take some beating. Disband is a three-year-old' possessed of speed above the average while he promises to make a name for himself over middle distances at his present rate of progress. There are a number of other outstanding hacks engaged and these include: Lord Nuffield, Strip, Kippen, Boaform, Waitoru, Chirp, Auctor and Atua Rere.

Team of Jumpers Faculties is missing from the steeplechase events at Riverton but P. Boyle will have Red Owl, Black Banner and Shillelagh Wood to represent him in the jumping events. Faculties has not completely recovered from the fall he had at Winton when he injured a knee, but it is anticipated that he will be ready for later events. The trouble is not regarded as serious and he is still in work. Red Owl is a novice jumper who has shaped well in private and some interest will be shown in his first appearance. Black Banner has already proved himself over the Riverton, coun-

ROYAL CHIEF’S TASK TRENTHAM AUTUMN MEETING STRONG RICCARTON TEAM ENGAGED (Special to The Times) CHRISTCHURCH, March 15. Riccarton stables will once again be strongly represented at the Wellington Racing Club’s autumn meeting this week, and judging .by the satisfactory winding-up work of all of tne candidates last week, the visitors should return with many of the honours. , t For the first time for many meetings past, there will be no southern representative in the Rimu Highweight Handicap, and the first visitor to race on the first day will be j who is. to take his place m the Trial Plate. He ran a sound race to deadheat with Rex Maitland at Motukarara, and although he has become wayward of late in his track manners, he appears to be gradually improving, and over seven furlongs on Friday should be dangerous. Capricious will do battle for Riccarton in the small field for the St. Leger Stakes. She won at Dunedin last month through staying on, and bred as she is by Night Raid from Egotism, dam of several good middle distance performers for Mr G. D. Greenwood, she may be seen 'to advantage over a mile and three-quarters. Moorsotis will be put to a severe test in the Pacific Handicap. He created a big impression by his success in the Middle Park Plate, and -also at Wingatui, and it will be interesting to see how he fares some of the best of the North Island juveniles. Provided the track is not heavy, he will have good prospects over six furlongs. , Scold can be expected also to make a bold showing in the Pacific Handicap. She was unlucky not to be a winner at Motukarara. She easily accounted for Not Out in a sprint on Saturday, so should hold the latter, who is also in the race, safe. ROYAL CHIEF’S CHANCE Royal Chief, as in the Dunedin Cup, has been set a severe task in the Thompson Handicap, and he will need to do better than at Wingatui, notwithstanding that he won over a mile there, to have much chance against the high-class opposition he will encounter on Friday, but there is every reason to think he will be a much improved horse as the result of his two races and subsequent unmterrupted track work. He will be ridden by B. H. Morris, and can be depended upon to be prominent at tne right end. Trench Fight has, as is, customary with him, been galloping brilliantly, and a mile journey will suit him, as it will not be necessary to restrain him over the early stages. In his right form, he will be a very solid proposition. Haughty Winner is in both the Thompson and Railway Handicaps, and although no decision had been reached at the week-end about his programme, he will probably start in the shorter race. He has done well since his race at Motukarara, and can be expected to perform creditably in either engagement. Dictate is handily placed, and, oyer his favourite distance, he may spring a surprise. Wild Career, althougn trained in Invercargill, has been at Riccarton for a few weeks. He failed at Motukarara, but will probably do better on the bigger Trentham course. In any case, he has never been a sound proposition to follow. Trench Fight and Royal Chief are likely to do the best of the visitors. HACK PROSPECT Great Flight is entitled to be one of the favourites for the Tinakori Hack Handicap. She has won her four races in a solid manner, and has been improving all the time. If Haughty Winner should _be reserved for the Railway Handicap, he will have a large following. Density is a brilliant sprinter, as she indicated on her previous trip to Trentham, and with the minimum impost, she has only to get away at all well to set a merry pace. Lady Leigh is also very smart, and the going will now suit her. She is very well at present, and is sure to win - some money on the northern trip which will embrace Awapuni. Wild Talk ran three good races at Trentham in January, and since ran second to Moorsotis in the Middle Park Plate. She has been galloping attractively of late in company with Great Flight, and if the latter should win her race, Wild Talk’s prospects will look bright. The latter has faced well at two Trentham meetings this season, and is a useful hack. Of the trio, Wild Talk makes most appeal.

try and the manner in which he won the Dunedin steeplechase last year points to him playing a big part in the decision of the Great Western. Shillelagh Wood, who is to race on the two final days, has made good progress since being placed back in work. Juvenile Hurdler

Wynardo, who finished third in a hurdle race at the Taranaki meeting on Saturday is only a three-year-old, and horses of the age may not start over fences till February 1. Last season Wild Irishman took on hurdling as a three-year-old in May and quickly showed promise at the game, but he unfortunately broke a leg at Riccarton last August and was lost to the turf. Wynardo is a bay son of The Ace and the Glen Albyn mare Wynette, who does not appear to have raced. His only success to date was in one of the Avondale two-year-old races last season, when carrying the colours of his breeder, Mr R. M. Taylor, of Te Aroha. He is now owned in New Plymouth by Mr L. O’Neill, and it is doubtful if such an astute trainer as H. Gray would have put him to jumping so soon if he had not shown an aptitude for the game.

A Brilliant Sprinter Sulieman, by Acre from Quinkama, who will carry 9.1 in the Railway Handicap at Trentham tomorrow, has won impressively at both of his starts this season, and those who should know most about him in the north declare that he has yet to play his best card. They are confident that he will race well at Trentham, a course on which he is already a winner.

Perhaps! “There’s a horse who will beat Ajax next year,” said a well-known judge after High Caste's dashing victory in the second division of the Alma Stakes at Caulfield. “The nearest approach to Phar Lap we have ever seen,” was another prominent racing man’s comment. So was High Caste hailed as one of the greatest racehorses in Australia, and turf writers declare that few bigger and better two-year-olds have ever been seen in that country. That was before he had won the Sires’ Produce and the Alma Vale Stakes.