CLARION CALL TO REAPPEAR

Southland Times, Issue 24112, 29 April 1940, Page 10

CLARION CALL TO REAPPEAR

Successful Southland Family RED DRAGON SHOWS PROMISE Acceptances for the Southland winter meeting close at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Nominations for the Southland Patriotic meeting close on May 14. Nominations for the South Canterbury meeting close on May 6. Confidant Confidant, whose recent form has been full of promise is a two-year-old colt by Philamor from Lucy Locket, the dam of Chirp. Hurdler Winner Far East, who beat the hurdlers at Washdyke on Saturday, won a flat race at the Marlborough meeting last Monday. This was the third hurdle race he had contested, but since the Marlborough meeting he had been schooled by R. Register. He is a five-year-old gelding by Hoturoa from a mare by Gay Spark. The “Hack” Rule There is still an idea that Silkwood, who has won £502 in winning stakes, is eligible for hack races. The rule, however, is very clear. It states: “A ‘hack’ is a horse who has not at any time before the time of entry for a flat race, hurdle race or a steeplechase, as the case may be, won such a race of the value of £250 or more to the winner, or such races of the aggregate value of £5OO or more to the winner.” Hurdling Recruit A newcomer to the hurdling ranks with class on the flat is Dungarvan, who will probably make his debut in the role at Egmoni. He has not yet had much schooling, but what he has done has been promising. Shows Promise The Lord Warden gelding Bed Dragon, who was recently acquired by Mr A. S. Jones, was fairly forward when sent to A. S. Ellis, and all going well he will be given his first run as a jumper at Washdyke next month. He is credited with having schooled well at Riccarton. Related To Bay Biddy Sleeveless, who has shown herself to be a high-class sprinter this season, is a half-sister to Bay Biddy, who raced for the late Mr G. Bain, of Riverton, a few seasons back. Bay Biddy won a few races but failed to carry on and is now being bred from in the Western District. Bay Biddy was by Shambles and Sleeveless by Valkyrian, their dam Chivalry (who also produced Fearsome and Amount) being by Gay Lad from Lady Talbot and tracing back to Lady Zetland, by Perkin Warbeck 11. Clarion Call Much interest in the Egmont Steeplechase will centre in the reappearance of Clarion Call over country. The Hunting Song gelding has been racing successfully over hurdles this season, winning at Trentham and Ellerslie, but the last race he had over the bigger fences was when winning the Grand National Steeplechase under 11.1 nearly two years ago, on that occasion beating Bryce Street, 9.6, by three lengths. He won the Egmont Steeplechase two years ago under’ 10.12 when having his first race for eight months. A New School?

In the past week the question of starting at race meetings has exercised the minds of a large number of racing people in Hawke’s Bay and, though the opinion is fairly general that there is room for a new school of starters, no one has yet been able to put forth anything that looks like a solution to the problem facing not only the Hawke’s Bay clubs, but also the New Zealand Racing Conference (says a Hawke’s Bay writer). The man in the street, owners and trainers, jockeys, racing officials and others all seem to agree that the time has come for many changes to be made in this direction and that new men should be tried out. But what club in Hawke’s Bay is in the position to undertake risky experiments? Might not a novice lose his nerve and make starts worse even than those that have aroused such keen discussion in the past few years? A Successful Line

The fact that such a good class sprinter as Spendthrift has been pul to hurdling has surprised many people, probably more on account of his age—he is only a four-year-old—than anything else. The Paper Money gelding has, however, done more schooling than most horses of his age and has shown himself to be very proficient at the game. Spendthrift won a race as a two-year-old but he failed to race up to that form the following season. As a three-year-old he did a good amount of schooling and when brought in this term he was also jumped. Before he won a hack sprint at the Dunedin summer meeting he was consistently schooled while the day he won his first open sprint, at the Southland summer meeting, he figured as an acceptor for the hurdle race on the same programme. While very few of Paper Money’s stock have appeared as jumpers Spendthrift has much to recommend him on his maternal side. His dam Fleet Lady was an unraced mare by Fleetham (a great jumping strain) from Miss Signal, by Signalman from Miss Stent, who was imported from Australia some years ago with the idea of founding a line of jumpers. Fleet Lady is thus a half-sister to The Smuggler and Signaller, two good winners on the flat who later made names for themselves as jumpers, while Rioter was another out of Miss Signal. Another very successful branch of this family has been founded by Morse Signal, by Vice Admiral and also out of Miss Signal. Morse Signal is better known as the dam of Trebleack, Doubleack, Waito.ru and Ackemma. On the score of blood Spendthrift has much in his favour, in whatever department he is raced. Streamline

Streamline, who will make the trip from Christchurch for the northern jumping circuit, had not raced except last Saturday for nearly three years, but his form is worth noting. A week before Nocturnus won the Grand National Steeplechase, Cock of the North, Nocturnus and Streamline finished in that order in the Homeby Steeplechase at the Christchurch Hunt meeting. Streamline did not race again after this as he broke down, but it is worth noting that he was required to give Nocturnus 31b. Before that Streamline had won the South Canterbury Steeplechase with 10.13 from Polydora 10.11. He also won a steeplechase earlier at Ashburton, but while he may not have come up to expectations over country his hurdling form

was good class. He ran third in the Grand National Hurdles in 1936 with 9.11 to Jolly Beggar 11.4 and Clarion Call 10.9, and that was his last appearance as a hurdler, but before that he recorded a second, three successive wins and a third over the battens. His wins were at Timaru and Riccarton. He won each day of the Easter meeting of the C.J.C. carrying 10.10 over two miles on the second day. His third was at Trentham in the Trentham Hurdles with 10.0 to Black Marlin 9.3 and Ruaform 9.10. Considering the long period he has been out of action he may require some racing, but at 9.7 in the Tongahoe Hurdles at Egmont his connections have no ground for complaint.