EARLY JUMPING TREBLES

Southland Times, Issue 23794, 17 April 1939, Page 10

EARLY JUMPING TREBLES

Black Banner’s Feat Stands Out ELDERSLIE STUD TO BE SOLD Nominations for the Southland Racing Club’s winter meeting close on April 28. Gold Wren Gold Wren took no harm from his racing at Riverton and will be given a chance to make amends for his failures at winter meetings. The Elderslie Stud It is reported that efforts to form a new company to carry on the Elderslie Stud have not been successful, and this property which E. Steele, of New South Wales, was acquiring for the purpose of continuing the stud, is again the property of the old company, now in liquidation, and on the market for sale. Returned After racing unsuccessfully in Australia for the last three months, Stretto returned to Auckland on Tuesday. The Hunting Song mare developed respiratory trouble and she failed to show anything like her true form. Stretto is to be retired to the stud and her first mating will be with Bulandshar. High Caste’s Earnings High Caste’s second in the Sires Produce Stakes and his win in the Champagne Stakes were worth £2500, and he has now collected approximately £7350 since he was sold for 7000gns. Although it seems he is not the wonder colt he was proclaimed to be he has been a profitable investment for his plucky buyer. _4 Unique Record

Kalika, winner of the Yaldhurst Handicap at Riccarton is a four-year-old filly by Constant Sun from Kaahumanu, and owned and trained by Mr J. A. Hennah, of Hastings, the owner of Padishah. . Though Kalika had no previous form (four unplaced performances this season) to recommend her she started favourite. Her owner holds the unique record of never having taken a horse to a meeting at Riccarton without winning a race. Narrowly Beaten

Dictate repeated his record of last year by filling third place in the Great Autumn Handicap, after being handy all the way, but again he was narrowly beaten by last year’s winner, Arctic King, coming from further back. He seemed to go scratchily in his preliminary, but moved freely in the race. Settlement was a close fourth, but was very unlucky. He got off well, but soon drifted to the rear, where he remained till less than half a mile from home. Better placed early, he would have won. Siegmund’s Feat

Siegmund is not the only horse to have raced elsewhere on Easter Saturday and then won the Great Autumn Handicap at Riccarton on the Tuesday following. Three years ago Queen of Song won the Riverton Cup on the Saturday, travelled north by float over the week-end to Christchurch, and won the Great Autumn Handicap on the Tuesday. Wild Career tried to go even a point better last year, as he won the Riverton Cup on the Saturday and was on hand at Riccarton for the Great Easter on Monday and the Great Autumn on Tuesday, but he failed in both his Christchurch races.

Related to Phar Lap Two of Entreaty’s progeny were sold cheaply at the Easter bloodstock sale at Christchurch last week. Raphis, a four-year-old full-sister to the mighty Phar Lap, was secured by Mr K. Austin for 40 guineas, and flam Way, a two-year-old half-brother by Iliad to Phar Lap, was bought by Mr H. A. Boyle, of Christchurch for 25 guineas. Entreaty, the dam of Phar Lap, was also offered on account of Mr F. Armstrong, of Christchurch, and she was passed in at 100 guineas. Other passings at the sale were Pledge (dam of Sword-Stick) at 5 guineas, Haughty Toti (a three-year-old sister to Rebel Song) at 30 guineas, and Battle Flag (dam of Slayer) at 25 guineas. Good Betting On Steeplechasers The smallness of the fields for the five steeplechases decided at the Riverton meeting was a disappointing response from owners for the good stakes’ offered, but these races were still the big attraction at the meeting Only 30 starters contested the five races, but the betting on them was good, as £11,739 10/- was the aggregate of the pools, states The Evening Star, Dunedin. The season may have been too early to attract jumpers from the north. No horses from the Canterbury stables were engaged, Tangled represented the North Island, and Slayer, Rifle Range (who is owned in Southland), and McHeath went from Wingatui. For the Dunedin Winter meeting most of the Southland jumpers can be relied on to be present, and in June a number of Riccarton horses should also be available, so the prospect of obtaining larger fields is bright. But the most pleasing feature of the Riverton meeting was the good betting on these races, and this is likely to be repeated at the Wingatui winter gathering. Jumping Trebles The achievement of Black Banner in winning the Great Western, Riverton and Autumn Steeplechases on successive days of the recent Riverton meeting is a record that has few parellels in this country, but two can be cited of other jumping trebles, although neither was on all fours with Black Banner’s effort. Black Banner carried 11.6 to victory in the Great Western; an additional 71b did not trouble him on the middle day and he annexed the honours in the Autumn Steeples under 12.9. Winning stakes amounted to over £BOO and his rider, T. J. Boyle/ would collect over £7O. At the Great Northern meeting at Ellerslie in 1928, Glendowie won the Hunt Club Hurdles, Great Northern Steeples and Winter Steeples, his total winning stakes being £2600. S. Henderson was his rider throughout the meeting. French Fleet, another Southland horse, won the three hack steeplechases at the Dunedin winter meeting of 1932. He was ridden by E. Mackie and carried 9.13 on the first occasion and 11.12 on the last. The fields were small and French Fleet’s reward for this feat was a mere £225.

Reading Is Well Bred Reading, victor over the Dominionbred High Caste in the A.J.C. Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick last Saturday, is a colt who has been show-

ing useful form during the season. Up to the end of last week he had raced only six times for four wins and two thirds, and he becomes entitled to rank as one of the leading colts of the term. Reading is a son of the Abbot’s Trace horse Marconigram, the sire also of the Melbourne Cup winner Marabou and the Sydney Cup winner Contact. A bay colt, he is the first foal of the High Art—Encre mare Gravure, a halfsister to the Caulfield Cup winner Journal, and as Encre, a prolific winner herself, was no other than a halfsister to the “iron” horse David, he is very stoutly bred maternally. As a yearling he was purchased for 400gns by his present owners (Messrs G. S. Luscombe and F. P. Manusu), for whom he is trained by J. T. Cush at Moorefield. Back in December Reading won the Two-year-old Handicap, five furlongs, at Canterbury Park and at his next start he was successful in the Nursery Handicap, four furlongs and three-quarters, at Rosehill a fortnight later. He was next third in the A.J.C. December Stakes, won by Esperanto, and after a short let-up he came out fresh to win the second division of the Juvenile Stakes, four furlongs and three-quarters, at Rosehill on March 18 easily in course record time of 57sec. In all his races he has finished strongly.