COLLEGE BOY A VETERAN

Southland Times, Issue 23818, 16 May 1939, Page 10

COLLEGE BOY A VETERAN

SEA GIFT STILL A CHAMPION

SAFE VOYAGE WILL WIN IN BETTER COMPANY

Indianola covered more ground than anything else in her race on Saturday and it was not surprising she stopped at the finish. Retired Satin King has definitely been retired from racing and he is now being used as a hack. At the top of his form the Erin’s King gelding was a great stayer, and took a two-mile winning record of 4min 16sec. A Veteran College Boy, who dead-fieated with King Potts at Forbury Park on Saturday, was foaled in 1925, the Cathedral Chimes gelding now being in his fifteenth year. It is declared that he is a better horse now than at any stage of his career. Champion Trotter Sea Gift’s defeat of a strong field of pacers at Forbury Park on Saturday was one of the high-lights of the meeting. The Wrack mare is still the champion of her gait. Found His Mark Dan McGrew’s sequence of successes was brought to an end at Forbury. Although he ran solid races each day he found the company a little beyond him but this should not be held against him. An Improver Drumoak has always been highly rated and on Saturday he made an exhibition of a strong field of improvers. When he took charge across the top nothing else had a chance with him and he will win in much better company. A Bad Run Pontoon was expected to show up against the novices at Invercargill on Saturday and although he loomed up on the outer at the straight entrance he did not look like taking a hand in the finish. He began smartly but drifted at the end of two furlongs and with a round to go he was badly placed in a big field. He made up a lot of ground but was well beaten at the finish. Novice Winner Safe Voyage’s defeat of a big maiden field at the Southland meeting was a performance of more than average merit as the Happy Voyage mare appeared to strike trouble more than once on the journey but she overcame these difficulties to win rather comfortably. Later in the day she was produced again but she lost several lengths at the start. Even then she finished close up fourth. The Privateer Inquiry After Privateer had won the Beach Handicap the first day at Forbury, a charge of inconsistent running as compared with his form at Oamaru the previous week when he finished last over one mile and aquarter, was made against the connections of the gelding. The information that “the explanation had been accepted" was conveyed to the Press room by the chairman of the judicial committee (Mr B. S. Irwin). A request that some information as to the nature of the explanation be given was made to Mr Irwin, who, however, refused. Farcical Race

When drivers are permitted to make a farce of a race as was the case in the Ritchie Memorial Handicap at Forbury Park on Thursday it is high time the club took some stand. When horses of the class of Horsepower, Lightning Lady, Marlene, Nell Grattan and others —the majority of which have taken

two-mile records of about 4min 20sec—are unable to better their handicap marks from a 4min 31sec limit on a fast track then there is something radically wrong. The first half mile of the President’s Handicap took Imin 9sec, the mile 2min 25sec, the mile and a-half 3min 34sec and the full journey 2min 35sec. It was not until the last half mile that there was any pace on at all and one furlong in the middle stages actually took 22sec to run. Exhibitions of this kind will not assist trotting in Dunedin. One way out may be for the club to reduce the stake if a stated time was not bettered. Later in the day Acuity from a 4min 40sec mark won over two miles in 4min 27sec.

Forbury Records Records for the Forbury Park track are as follows:—Against time: One mile, Indianapolis, 2min 3 3-ssec, February 1936; one mile, Todd Lonzia, 2min 22 2-ssec, May 1930 (two-year-old trotter); one mile, Todd Lonzia, 2min 11 l-ssec, November 1932 (trotter). In a race: One mile, Great Bingen, 2min 7 3-ssec, December 1925; one mile (saddle), Rocks Ahead, 2min 9 2-ssec, February 1936; one mile and a-quarter, Supertax, 2min 38 4-ssec, November 1937; one mile and three-eighths, Icevus, 2min 57 2-ssec, January 1939; one mile and a-half, Fremont, 3min 14 l-ssec, November 1938; one mile and five-eighths, Self, 3min 34 3-ssec, February 1936; two miles, Parisienne, 4min 15 3-ssec, January 1939.