ON THE TURF AND OFF

Southland Times, Issue 23774, 23 March 1939, Page 10

ON THE TURF AND OFF

SERENATA IS SMART FILLY SWORDSTICK’S RETURN TO FORM By SIR MODRED Close observers will note that fillies and mares by Night Raid have been racing particularly well this season. Leading all the way in the Champion Hack Handicap (llfur.) at Trentham, Yours Truly, by Siegfried, won easily. Representatives of H. and A. Cutts’s Chokebore Lodge string may be prominent at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Easter meeting.

A very satisfactory feature of the Riverton Racing Club’s annual gathering is the number of novice crosscountry entrants listed.

In the event of Redolent racing at Riverton the Riccarton-trained ’chaser will probably impress as a smart jumper. The brilliant Bulandshar (imp.) filly, Konnetta, has recovered from leg trouble and is working at Ellerslie. Bred in Australia the two-year-old colt, Gothic, by Doric (imp.), has been shaping well in the North Island. Pending her retirement from the turf Stretto has been booked to imported Bulandshar for 1939 and 1940. Reported to have been injured at the Te Aroha meeting Tooley Street hag recovered and will race at Easter. Wotan’s sister, Kriemhild, by Siegfried (imp.), was beaten in the last stride of the Puritutu Juvenile Handicap at Taranaki races. Closely related to Martara, successful across the flat in India, Baldric is being schooled over the big fences at Ellerslie.

By Vaals from Administration, by Day Comet (imp.), the Auckland hack Mintlaw is a very promising performer. Topping the sale list at Trentham on Saturday the English mare, Florilege, at 575gns, is a descendant of Carbine in sire line.

Evidently owner-trainer P. T. Hogan proposes to break new ground. He has Queen of Song, Top. Row and Aranui engaged at the Manawatu Racing Club s meeting on Friday and Saturday. Gayest Son, a smart two-year-old colt returned as a winner at the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting last week, is by Beau Pere-La Moderne. He is trained by H. S. Greene in Hawke’s Bay. When Tangled ran third in the Great Western Steeplechase to Possum and Arctic King and later won the Riverton Steeplechase his owner promised to return this season. Mr Richardson has kept his word in entering Tangled this year. MINTLAW’S SUCCESS

It is not surprising to find that the Auckland hack, Mintlaw, has been found in winning vein this season. The son of Vaals (bred in Australia and by Valais, sire of Heroic) claims as his dam Administration, a mare tracing back to Steppe (imp.) and dam of Stepniak, She and Stepenfeldt. At the Ohinemuri Jockey Club’s meeting on Saturday the final issue was fought out between a pair of Austra-lian-bYed two-year-olds in the Waitekauri Handicap (sfur.), Heroic Maid defeating the colt Brazen Bold, by a length, thus reversing the placings in a race on the opening day of the fixture. The winning filly is by Marconigram (imp., and by Abbot’s Trace), while Brazen Bold is a son of Brazen (imp., and by Phalaris). The running of these youngsters affords yet another example of Australian-bred yearlings developing satisfactorily in New Zealand.

Five successes on end directs attention to the North Island gelding, Trebor. Racing as a five-year-old he is an inmate of T. R. George’s Trentham establishment. He was raced once as a juvenile and unsuccessfully at that, but he came into his own as a four-year-old. Last season he started in 15 races, winning three, recording one second and three third placings. He is by Spear Dance (imp., and by Shearmint from a mare by Polymelus) from Sports Queen. Schooled and experienced in New Zealand, J. T. Jamieson is now one of Australia’s leading trainers. His Sydney stable shelters two youthful cracks. These pupils comprise the brilliant juvenile filly, Early Bird, by The Buzzard (imp.), and the champion two-year-old colt, High Caste, by Bulandshar (imp.), by Blandford. With public form well exposed, the open handicap sprint events at the Riverton Racing Club’s annual meeting at Easter time have failed to attract a favourable, response from owners. This is not to be wondered at with valuable and in some cases more easily-won sixfurlong prizes available elsewhere. Hack races confined to a similar distance or extended to seven or eight furlongs might afford more interest to patrons and yield richer returns to the Riverton Racing Club. Events under these conditions would be welcomed by owners and trainers convinced that their horses qualified for the Southern Champion Hack Race were hardly up to the necessary standard. SERENATA’S PROMISE

When Gayest Son, by Beau Pete, defeated Baron, by Bulandshar, with a nose to the good in the Plunket Nursery Handicap (sfur.) at Trentham a filly called Serenata was only a head behind the colts. Owned by the Hawke’s Bay sportsman, Mr W. Richmond, Serenata is by Nightmarch (winner of £32,000 in stakes) from Praise (winner of the C.J.C. Welcome Stakes and N.Z. Oaks), by Limond (imp.) from Eulogy (imp., and one of New Zealand’s best taproot mares), by Cicero. The mare, Praise, is a full sister to Commendation and half-sister to Humbug, Homage and other wellknown thoroughbreds. The two-year-old, Serenata, is a sister to Russian Ballet, a filly who has proved her brilliance on a number of North Island courses. Mr Richmond’s filly should furnish into a stayer, while she can evidently muster up extreme speed. It was in part satisfactory to find Swordstick capable of winning the Waimate Cup, of £205 (IJm.), on Saturday. Despite his previous indifferent record and the fact that he is a six-year-old gelding he created the impression when raced in the south that he might still make good as a successful performer when served by time. In the circumstances to score at Waimate under 7.12 by a comfortable margin in 2min 7sec was encouraging. He may yet win an important race for his owner-trainer, Mr D. P. Wilson. The son of a stout racehorse and well-bred galloper in Rapier (a son of Greyspear, imp., by Spearmint) from the well-bred mare, Pledge, by Boniform or Kilbroney from Love Token (imp.), by Santry (a noted performer) from Amorosa, by Love Wisely. The Dunedin-owned gelding may go on to better things. He won last week as seventh selection.

Twice successful of late following a run of seconds the four-year-old mare, Florence Mills, winner of ,the Railway Handicap, of £6OO (6fur.),'at Wellington last week, ranks as a daughter of the Southland sire, Nigger Minstrel. Bred in the purple each way, Florence Mills is from an attractively-produced dam in Liaison, by Lord Quex (imp.,

and son of Lemberg) from Lovematch, by Martian from Lovelorn (dam of Nones, Menelaus, Left and other descendants of Martian), by Melton from Hebrew Maid (imp., and in foal to Melton), by Orion from Jewish Maiden, by Sheen (a good horse and successful sire) from Maid of Lorn, by Barcaldine from Princess Louise Victoria, by Hermit. The Railway Handicap winner is a representative of very successful racing families each way. A well-bred performer of ancient but good maternal lineage prevailed when Round Up won the Ohinemuri Cup, of £7OO (lm. and 3fur.) last week. With 9.7 in the saddle the six-year-old gelding won by a neck from Golden Sheila (7.12), and his achievement must be classed as an excellent one. First favourite each way, Round Up is by Lord Quex (imp., and son of Lemberg, sire of Woodend, imp.) from Nukeraku, by Wormwood (bred in Australia, and by Maltster, a noted horse, from a mare of Carbine line) from Kooya (a successful racing mare), by Signalman (a horse whose blood is valued in Southland) from Koiano, by The Possible (Musket line) from Leonie, a mare tracing back to Anticipation, by Ravensworth from Coronaria (imp.). Very successful of late Round Up is a half-brother to Royston (by Tribulation), a gelding raced for some time between the flags in Southland.