AUSTRALIAN TURF ACTIVITIES

Southland Times, Issue 23825, 24 May 1939, Page 10

AUSTRALIAN TURF ACTIVITIES

WINNERS SIRED BY ILIAD

VISIT OF INDIA’S LEADING TRAINER

By

SIR MODRED

Racing will be held in Sydney this week at Rosehill (Wednesday) and Canterbury Park (Saturday). Melbourne racegoers will be engaged at Geelong, Ballarat and Williamstown meetings this week. New Zealander, G. Price, has trained winners of the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane Cup two-mile races. Rabbi, sire of Rabble, Arctic King and Synagogue (in India) is a New Zealander now at an Australian stud.

Sydney turf officials have declared against jockeys who do not ride their mounts out for place bettors. The Melbourne Cup winner of 1938 in Catalogue was an acceptor for the Manawatu Winter Cup last week, but was not started.

Cheque, an aged gelding by Paper Money from Roburite, by Absurd from Robur, by Rokeby (imp.) was a recent Victorian winner.

Sir Ken, a four-year-old son of Night Raid (imp.) from,Lady Violet, has been racing with some success in Victoria of late.

One of the best of the progeny of the Southland sire Siegfried (imp.) now racing in Australia is the three-year-old Bankshaw. South Australia’s well-known horses Grantley and Nobody’s Son, have been nominated for the Victoria R,C. Grand National Steeplechase, of £2500. Trainer, G. Price, of Sydney, took three horses, Spear Chief, Mildura and Waireka to the Brisbane Cup carnival of 1939 to win £4150 in stake money. The Windbag colt Tempest is considered to be the best horse Adelaide has had for many years. South Australian bookmakers paid out about £6OOO over the Goodwood Handicap-Adelaide Cup double. WINNERS BY ILIAD At a recent meeting at Belmont Park, West Australia, two New Zealand-bred sons of Iliad (imp.) won races. Ebb Tide, from Ebba, scored in the Belmont Plate, and Study, from Sweet Charity, accounted for the Belmont Handicap. This was Ebb Tide’s third success in four starts, while Study, since January, has won five races, including two dead heats. On Tuesday, June 6, entries will close for a number of the most important spring handicaps and youthful classic events of Victoria. The conditions for the greatest race of all will be similar to those of last season for the Melbourne Cup, of £lO,OOO and a trophy valued at £2OO, second £2OOO, and third £lOOO out of the prize (two miles). The imported English horse Son o’Mine, sire of Son of Aurous, winner of the Adelaide Cup,,died in a peculiar manner a few years ago. While cropping the rich clover, which grows on the river flats of his home stud property, he was stung on the tongue by a.bee. The tongue became so swollen that Son o’Mine choked and died. It is not surprising that his progeny include at least one pronounced stayer in the Adelaide Cup winner, as the unfortunate sire was by Son-in-Law from Arquebus, a mare of Spearmint sire line. India’s leading trainer, Roy Higgins, has a string of about 50 horses under his care in Bombay. He is at present on a month’s visit to Australia. In the course of an interview the trainer from the Far East mentioned that his charges included the New Zealand-bred Synagogue, who won several races last season, one of the number being t*je last event for first-class performers decided during the concluded turf term. Synagogue, who was recognized as a good performer in Australia and New Zealand was sired by Rabbi (PaladinRachel, by Kilbroney) from Lady Ruth, by Tractor (imp) from Queen Ruth, by Rokeby from a mare of Trentop maternal family.

RIVAL FOR AJAX In the opinion of Roy Higgins, of Bombay, now in Melbourne, India’s crack performer, Feminist, would try Ajax out in a race over one mile or ten furlongs., India’s leading trainer considers that Ajax has been fortunate in not meeting a horse of the best class. This summing up of Ajax’s capabilities will find supporters in Australia and New Zealand, experienced men who will live in hopes of the brilliant son of Heroic meeting the Dominion crack Defaulter over at least 10 furlongs at w.f.a. in the spring of next season. The very attractive entry of 72 jumpers has been received' for the Victoria R.C.’s Grand National Steeplechase, of £2500 (about three miles and a furlong), run on July 8. The maximum weight is 12.7, and the race will be decided over the standardized steeplechase fences now familiar to Southlanders interested in cross-country racing. The list for the Grand National Hurdle Race, of £2OOO (3m.) discloses 81 entrants, including the names of a number of New Zealand-bred performers. The Dominion crack Erination, a jumper of the very best class, has been engaged in both events. The imported English sire Andrea has caught the fancy of many experienced Australian studmasters. A colt, the first and only one of his progeny to be submitted at the recent Sydney Yearling Sales, was disposed of to a West Australian owner. The fate of this youngster may provide interest in Southland as he is a half-brother to the Invercargill-owned mare Amelita, out of Black Vera (imp.), by Black Jester. When raced in England the new sire won £9OOO in stakes as a three-year-old. Beautifully-bred Andrea is by Solario (son of Gainsborough) from Persuasion, by Roi Herode (sire of The | Tetrarch) from Flash of Steel, by Royal ] Realm (son of Persimmon, by St. I

Simon) from Flaming Vixen, by Flying Fox (sire of The Welkin, sire of Gloaming). The new sire came of a-line responsible for champion racehorses in England, America, Australia and New Zealand.

By winning the Goodwood Handicap, of £650 (6fur.) Panka will go down in turf history as successful in the leading sprint handicap of 1939 in South Australia. It was one of the easiest victories ever recorded in the race. The winner is a three-year-old gelding and it was on the advice of Mr C. Wheeler, well known as a buyer of yearlings in New Zealand that the juvenile’s breed-er-owner, Mr A. R. Withers, turned the three-year-old’s attention from extended racing to sprinting. After the race a Victorian visitor offered 1000 guineas for Panka and an Adelaide owner was willing to give 2000 guineas for the flyer, but a pleased owner could not be induced to part with his smart galloper. The breeding lines of this firstclass sprinter in embryo are of interest in the Dominion. He is by Salatis, by Shepherd King (imp.; and winner of the Caulfield Cup), by Martagon (sire of Martian) from Traquette, by Traquair (imp., and by Ayshire from Chelandry). In maternal family Traauette traces to a noted daughter of Trenton. The strain of Chelandry is one of the most valued in Australia at the present time, and in Southland it is very prominent in some of the best mares of Mr W. T. Hazlett’s stud. Panka claims strong infusions of St. Simon blood each way, while the names of the great sires Magpie, The Welkin and William the Third present themselves close up in his dam’s pedigree.

FINE RECORD OF RIOTOUS HAS WON 21 RACES TO DATE Riotous, who gained his most important success in the Te Rapa Steeplechase on Saturday, is 10 years old. He began racing at three years and he has been a winner each season excepting that of 1935-36, when he did not compete. He won in his first start over hurdles as a four-year-old at Woodville. Bred by Mrs M. G. Mclntosh in 1928, Riotous is by Birkdale from Cross Word. Birkdale was by Birkenhead, a very prolific son of Orme, from Thame, by Sword Dance from Lady Mersey, own sister to Carbine. Cross Word was by All Black from Wordy Warfare by Camp Fire, son of Carbine, so that the Musket-Mersey strain appears close up in both sides of the pedigree of Riotous. . The best season so far enjoyed by Riotous was as a five-year-old, in the 1933-34 season, when he won eight jumping events, including the Mangere, Egmont, Wanganui and July Steeplechases, and was placed on seven other occasions, winning £1295 in 18 starts. The following three years were comparatively lean ones; in that period he won three times in 15 starts, but last season he had a successful innings, winning £lOl2. His victories included the Cheltenham Hurdles at Feilding, Ohawe Hurdles at Hawera, Hauraki Plains Steeples at Paeroa, and the A.R.C. Autumn Steeples at Ellerslie, so his versatility was demonstrated that year. His activities in the current term have yielded one win, three seconds and a third in seven starts for £715. Riotous has always raced in the interest of his trainer, L. Knapp. His record to date is as follows:—

Age Starts First 2nd 3rd Sta £ kes won 3yrs 7 1 3 1 110 4yrs 9 3 . 5 189 5yrs 18 8 3 4 1295 6yrs 8 2 — •—- 410 8yrs 7 1 1 2 220 9yrs 19 5 2 4 1012 lOyrs 7 1 3 1 ... 715

Totals 75 21 17 12 3951