WAITORU WORKS WELL

Southland Times, Issue 23829, 29 May 1939, Page 10

WAITORU WORKS WELL

Hurdlers Schooled At Invercargill SOUND DISPLAY BY BALTRUIN Waitoru Works Well Acceptances for the first day of the Dunedin meeting close at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Passaform’s Rider The apprentice, R. E. Humphries, has been engaged to ride Passaform in the Birthday Handicap while G. Barclay will be on Waitoru in the open sprint. Recovered Cottingham, who was suffering from a bruised heel, has made a quick recovery, and he is again doing useful work. If he avoids trouble now he should soon be ready to show steeplechase form. Lady Montana’s Form Lady Montana produced her best form in the Manawatu Winter Cup, and she was a shade unlucky to be beaten. Actually, H. N. Wiggins, the rider of Old Surrey, stole the race by going to the front before the straight was reached. Had he waited his mount would have been beaten in all probability. Gloucester Cup Candidate

Milford, who will be ridden in the Gloucester Cup by one of his partowners, Mr W. Cunningham, was worked a mile with El Caballo on Saturday morning, Milford being ridden by Mr Cunningham. The Anomaly gelding looks none the worse for his recent racing in Canterbury but will not race at Dunedin until the second day.

Invercargill Tracks The course proper, on the extreme outer, was in heavy order at Invercargill on Saturday morning and little fast work was carried out. Strathalbyn and Astral Flash ran five furlongs in Imin 9 2-ssec, while Waitoru and Wild Career accomplished a similar task in lmin Bsec, the last half in 55sec. Considering the going both these were useful trials. Mr W. Higgins’s Horses

It is probable that the horses owned by the late Mr W. Higgins will be sold by auction. Beaulivre should bring a high price if he goes under the hammer, as he was undoubtedly the Dominion’s best two-year-old after the departure of High Caste.

Hurdlers Schooled Several hurdlers with engagements at the Dunedin meeting were schooled at Invercargill on Saturday morning. Baitruin (T. Boyle) and Ocean Singer (C. Low) were sent over three hurdles on the course proper. Ocean Singer ran off at the first but Baitruin completed his task in polished style Ocean Singer jumped the remaining two without making a mistake.. In the plumpton enclosure Guste (T. J. Boyle) was three times sent over a couple of fences and completed the task satisfactorily. He has made good progress in the little schooling he has done. Ashaway (Clutterbuck) was sent over the same two fences a couple of times. He jumped carefully but completed the task quite well.

English Importations There arrived from England last week two well-bred young thoroughbred stallions destined for Waikato and Hawke’s Bay districts. These horses are Lang Bian and Ninth Duke. Lang Bian, winner of six races to the value of 104,210 francs, a representative of the famous St. Simon sire line, has been acquired by the Karamu stud, Hastings. Ninth Duke, by Blandford, is a winner both in France and - England, and is consigned to Messrs Malcolm Bros., Te Rapa.

The Last of Valpeen “The old horse has neve? looked better, and he had been working in great style,” was the remark that Mr G. Campbell, owner of Valpeen, made as the horses went to the post in the Te Rapa Steeplechase at the Waikato meeting. In the race, the veteran jumped as well as ever, but he began to falter about 50 yards from the finish, then collapsed and died almost as soon as he fell to the ground. About three years ago Valpeen was in a bad way with strangles, and possibly this left its mark on his heart.

Trip To Sydney The Trentham trainer, T. R. George, is contemplating a trip to Sydney after the Grand National meeting. One of the team is likely to be Beau Vite, who is engaged in the A.J.C. Derby, a race from which Beaulivre was omitted. Peerless and Lord Cavendish are two others mentioned as likely to be included if the venture is undertaken.

Black Banner’s Handicap Black Banner won the three open steeplechases at Riverton last Easter, carrying 11.6, 11.13, and 12.9, and collected £BO5 in stakes, and to anyone who did not see the meeting his performances might well read as outstanding, comments The Evening Star, Dunedin. Setting a strong pace, his excellent jumping beat each day’s field he opposed, and, excepting for his jumping, there was not a great deal of merit in any of his wins, and certainly not enough to warrant him being awarded 12.13 in the Otago Steeplechase. When they met in the Autumn Steeplechase on the third day Black Banner conceded Gold Wren 241 b, but the latter fell, and was remounted to gain third money. Gold Wren showed a return to form at Timaru this month, and will meet Black Banner on 71b better terms in the Otago Steeplechase. The handicap for this race looks as if it has been framed to give the horses on the minimum a chance with Black Banner, but, with the exception of Slayer’s weight, would not bring them together.

A Class Galloper The three-year-old Protector may be put into work again. He has been running out at Racecourse Hill for some time, and was inspected last week by his former trainer, F. D. Jones. He has grown into a massive colt, standing well over 16 hands, but the knee trouble which caused him to be put aside is still evident, and Jones is not very keen on the prospects of getting the colt back to his early form. Still, Jones considers he may come right again with patient track treatment, and will probably bring him into his stable later for another trial.

Great Northern Meeting The following riding enegagements have been announced for the Auckland

Racing Club’s winter meeting, to be held at Ellerslie on June 3,5, 7:—J. F. Fergus.—Royal Dance, Smilin’ Thru’, Knight of Australia, Spinning Wheel. C. G. Goulsbro.—Balinavar, Erndale. A. Jenkins.—John Charles, Charade. D. Craddock.—Adsum. H. Turvey.— * Chikara, Mustang. A. Sinton.—Mai de Mer, Tupeotu, Tea Chat. H. N. Wiggins.—Valmint, Marie’s Acre, Bronze Moth. G. Cameron.—Round Up, The Trimmer. S. Tremain.—Trevace, Aero King. G. Gilchrist.—Silver Quex, Fleetwind, Jonathan, Tybalt. F. Foster.—Right Royal, Little Briton, Agog, Melvanui. J. H. Mcßae.—Pyrenees. R. W. McTavish.—Valamito.

Aids to Speed Wild rumours that a gang of dopers is operating in Sydney are probably unfounded (says an Australian writer), but the stewards are not disregarding the possibility that horses are being given stimulants, whether by outsiders or the trainers themselves, and they are taking precautions. At Hawkesbury recently, Mr G. Williams, chairman of the stipendiary stewards, interviewed the trainer of a horse that entered the mounting enclosure in a lather, and obviously in a nervous condition. The trainer was able to prove that the horse had not been interfered with, and that it was normally inclined to break into a sweat before a race. But the fact that Mr Williams took the trouble to ask questions indicates that he and his fellow-

stewards are keeping a close watch on all runners. Undoubtedly, a certain amount of doping does go on in Sydney. A prominent veterinary surgeon declares that during any day’s racing he can pick out many horses which have received some aid to their speed. The position, however, has improved considerably in the last few years. Shortly after the merging of the Australian Racing Club and the Australian Jockey Club interests early in 1933 it was nothing unusual to see horses enter the official enclosure fighting mad with some drug. Keen backers used to wait the horses’ arrival before betting. They waited so that, from the antics in the enclosure, they could judge which horses had been given a stimulant. Then they would bet confidently—and seldom lost. They cannot carry out these betting tactics now. But the stewards must continue their deterring work, so that such a state of affairs does not return to Sydney racing-