AUSTRALIAN TURF ACTIVITIES

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

AUSTRALIAN TURF ACTIVITIES

SUCCESS OF SON OF AUROUS STOUT BLOOD LINES OF SHELTER The Rosebery Racing Club will race on Wednesday, and the Moorefield Racing Club on Saturday. The principal meeting in Victoria this week will be held by the Williamstown Racing Club on Saturday. Decided on June 3 the next leading event in Adelaide will be the Birthday Cup of £l5OO (Im sfur.). Victorian people will shortly see the first of Sir Simper’s progeny to reach Australia as yearlings. Entries for many of Australia’s leading classic events of the years to come are due on June 6.

Young Carrington, by Gaine Carrington (N.Z.), a juvenile, was recently started over hurdles in Sydney. It is reported from Sydney that Sal Volatile, one of Salmagundi’s best mares, is to be retired to the stud. Entries for the Melbourne Cup of 1939 will close in June, with the weights disclosed later in the month. So far this season the Australian Jockey Club’s totalizator turnover has been £708,440/10/-, as compared with £639,661/10/- last year. Since Mr J. Harris, of Sydney, purchased a half-share in Spear Chief at 1500gns. the Queenslander has won seven races.

His admirers still claim that Ajax is a true stayer. However, the brilliant son of Heroic has the hardest part of the contract to prove. Purchased at the recent New Zealand Yearling Sales, 16 rising two-year-olds are ready at The Grange Stud, Wanganui, for export to their respective owners in Australia.

Owned in Melbourne, Sydney, and elsewhere in Australia, 16 yearlings at Wanganui have been educated and nourished for early racing in their new homes. Balkan Prince, the best racehorse in West Australia, was recently disposed of privately to Mr T. H. McKay, of South Australia, and will be relegated to the stud. He is a son of Victoria’s crack sire Gay Lothario (imp.). INBRED TO ST. SIMON It will be of absorbing interest to many New Zealand and Australian breeders to note that Blue Peter, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, is inbred to St. Simon to the extent of five crosses. In sire line he comes from Fairway, Phalaris and Polymelus, while in material sire family he is closely related to The Tetrarch (sire of Tractor, imp.). When Spear Chief set the new twomile record of 3min 19Jsec by winning the Brisbane Cup the sectional times were: First furlong, 13|, two in 253, four in 50, 6fur. in 1.143, mile in 1.41|, last six in 1.13 J, last half 49J, last two 24J.

Usually the first Wednesday in June is set down for the Epsom Derby, but this season the world’s greatest juvenile classic’ race will be decided on Wednesday, May 24. Of late the Randwick trainer J. T. Jamieson has had two of his charges in Kai Tere and Improvement schooled over hurdles. This practice resulted in both horses racing more solidly across the flat.

The performance of the Salmagundi mare Hamurah (9.2) in the Steadbroke Handicap (Queensland) is claimed to have been something to enthuse about. Half a furlong from home she was blocked two lengths behind the leaders. She got clear and made a great effort to be beaten by a short head for third money by Waireka, who was a neck behind First Prize, who was narrowly defeated by Bahwing, the winner. The Queenslander, Bahwing, is by Rosewing (imp., and Sunstar from Desmond’s Rose). Bahwing cost 80 guineas as a yearling and has won £3512 in stakes. TOTALIZATOR FIGURES The totalizators operating on the recent Sydney Cup, won by the New Zealand-bred but Sydney-owned juvenile colt Mosaic, by Posterity (imp.)

carried investments totalling £17,497 —win machine £4720, place £12,777. The tickets on the totalizators are issued on a 5/- basis Mosaic’s win price on the totalizators was at a useful doublefigures quote and better than that obtainable in the ring. The sum speculated on the totalizators for an important race like the Sydney Cup may not impress New Zealand racegoers, but it has to be borne in mind that the bulk of the betting on this notable Randwick handicap is transacted in the ring with licensed bookmakers. When Son of Aurous won the historic Adelaide Cup, of £l6OO (Im. sfur.), a race founded away back in 1864, he defeated a juvenile colt of more than average merit in Tempest, by Windbag. It was no disgrace for the three-year-old, who recently, won the St. Leger and other races of value, to meet his Waterloo, as he was carrying 8.7 and Son of Aurous is a good horse who was engaged in the big handicap at 7.9. The winner Son of Aurous, is a four-year-old horse by Son o’Mine (imp., and by Son-in-Law from Arquebus, a mare of the noted maternal family Musket—St. Simon cross) from Golden Betty, a mare from stout strains. The success of Son of Aurous in his Adelaide engagement was keenly anticipated in Melbourne, where he is trained, but when full particulars reach New Zeland it will probably be found that the youthful colt Tempest ranked as first selection in his home town. The English horse Son o’ Mine will be remembered as the sire of Palfrisco, who won the Caulfield Cup of 1935. At a long past period or during 1884 to be correct, the Adelaide Cup was worth more than the Melbourne Cup, as it carried £2508 and a golden cup, as compared with the Victoria Racing Club feature handicap at Flemington of £lOOO. On the occasion referred to the Adelaide Cup was worth £2OOO and the trophy to that great horse Malua, one of Australia’s most famous turf performances of all time. Malua accounted for the Melbourne Cup, the Oakleigh Plate (sgfur.). Australian Cup (2Jm.). V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race, and other events. He was one of the most versatile racehorses ever, foaled in Australia. A STOUT PEDIGREE Owned by Mr J. J. Woods, an official of the Birchwood Hunt, and a wellknown amateur horseman, a mare in foal to Salmagundi (imp.) is connected each way with Australia and possessed of a very interesting family tree. This is Shelter, by Silverado (imp. and by Polymelus) from Windshield (dam of Shatter and Control), by Tractor (imp.) from Kilbreeze, by Kilbroney (imp.) from Brisselette (imp.), by Picton (sire of Fleetham, imp.) from Marchpane, by Marcion. The mare’s sire Silverado was leased from Australia to a Riccarton studmaster for several seasons, when he sired Silver Scorn, Silver Ring, and other good performers, but he was then returned to New South Wales, where his progeny are winning. The grand-dam of Shelter in Kilbreeze and the latter’s dam, Brisselette, were exported to Australia. In their new home Kilbreeze produced to Scaliger (imp.) and Rossendale (imp.), while Brisselette was the dam of three valuable descendants by Trivalve, a great racehorse and winner of the A. J.C. Derby, V.R.C. Derby, and Melbourne Cup of 1927, as a three-year-old. Shelter was inquired after from Australia at a substantial price some time ago, but her owner replied that she was not for sale. One of Kilbreeze’s Australian progeny was the colt Warrawing, by Rossendale (imp. and by St. Frusquin, by St. Simon). He was a smart galloper and winner in Sydney. Of Brisselette’s produce in Australia the filly Tendril and the colt Sir Rawdon, both by Trivalve (son of The Welkin, imp., and sire of Gloaming) displayed galloping ability.