THE WELLINGTON STEEPLECHASE

Southland Times, Issue 24164, 28 June 1940, Page 8

THE WELLINGTON STEEPLECHASE

Paris Last Southland

Winner

COLONEL CYGNUS HAS DONE WELL Acceptances for the Oamaru Jockey Club’s meeting close on Monday. For Sale The imported pacing sire David McElwyn is advertised for sale. Fine Display Bally Brit’s display of jumping during the week is described by one writer as the best seen at Riccarton this winter. King Potts T. H. Gunning, who had the misfortune to lose the good mare Red Pigeon, has in King Potts a smart pacer who may rise to first grade company in the near future. At present King Potts is having an easy time, but he may be on hand for August racing. Improving Smoke Screen was a disappointment to his connections in his initial hurdle displays at Wanganui, but he ran a much more promising race at Otaki. He looks likely to come on rapidly now and of course he has much more than the average jumper’s pace. Reply To Correspondent The mare you mean is probably Straight Shot, a sister to Great Shot. Straight Shot, who was foaled in 1929, was got by Last Dart from Geranial, by Solferino from Carmania, by San Francisco from Campania, by Robinson Crusoe from Campanilla, by Maribynong. Promising Youngster

P. Gallagher is handling an attractive two-year-old gelding by Quite Sure from Sundock, dam of the honest and consistent performer Toorak. The youngster is a good 'mover, with plenty of quality.

Highly Rated The Raker, as a reward for successes in hack fields, has been allotted 8.2 in the Caulfield Cup and 8.0 in the Melbourne Cup. He is placed within 21b and 51b of Yours Truly, winner of the last New Zealand Cup. On his form, The Raker has not earned more than 6.7 in either of the Victorian races. Nelson Eddy

Nelson Eddy has arrived at L. O. Thomas’s stable at Addington to be prepared for next season’s racing. He is in excellent condition to begin a campaign which should be remunerative to his owner. Thomas also has Peter Pilot, Premier, Otaua, Canadian Prince, Trevor de Oro, and a filly by Great Bingen in work. Manfred’s Derby

The death of Manfred recalls the sensational A.J.C. Derby of 1925 when with odds on him he .played up at the start and got left so badly that his chance appeared hopeless. The official records state that he was left half a furlong, but he got up to win by a length and a-half. The time 3min 35} sec, on a good track, suggests that the rest of the field failed to make the most of the opportunity, but there is no doubt Manfred had wonderful pace.

Winning Family Bold Blood, who dead-heated in the second division of the Waikanae Scurry at Otaki, is a six-year-old brother to Sporting Blood and Sly Fox. His career has been restricted by unsoundness and he did not pull up any too well after his race. For this reason also his Gisborne owner, A. Mclntosh, has him with D. Prosser, where he can be trained on the Porirua beach. Like most of the breed Bold Blood appears to be at home in soft going.

Pleasant Surprise About five years ago a speculator in Melbourne ran up liabilities amounting to £lOOO, and as he did not attend the subsequent settling the bookmakers concerned wiped off the transactions as bad debts. There was a pleasant surprise for them at the settling on a recent Monday, as the backer attended and paid off every penny of his liabilities.

Well Related

Among the maidens engaged at the Dannevirke Hunt meeting is Jumna, a two-year filly by Bulandshar from Liasion (dam of Quadroon, Florence Mills and Old Bill). Jumna, who is trained at Awapuni by L. Wilson, has shown plenty of promise in private. She came from a line of cup and classic winners, including Gaine Carrington, Peter Jackson, Wotan, Menelaus, Nones and Prince Paladin, in addition to Old Bill.

Wellington Steeplechase With Turaki, Gay Boa and Bally Brit Southland stables are more strongly represented in the Wellington Steeplechase, to be run at Trentham next month, than they have been for some years. The last Southland horse to win the Wellington Steeplechase was Paris (G. Dempster) who beat Nukumai and Copey in 1931. The following year Paris was again taken to Trentham and on this occasion he finished second to Billy Boy with Hard Gold third. In 1935 Dunmure (V. Langford) was third to Valpeen and Ruby Meteor, while the following year he was regarded as being unlucky in finishing second to Diamond with Pahu third. Twelve months ago Gold Wren

was a moderate third to Survoy and Power Chief while in 1937 Trisox (who' was a stable mate of Gay Boa at the time) made an unsuccessful trip to Trentham.

Colonel Cygnus’s Success Considering the few representatives that he has racing Colonel Cygnus has made quite a name for himself at the stud this season. His most important winner was Sparkle, whose list of successes included the Dunedin and Winton Cups, while Colonel French, Colonel Roqge, Astral Flash (last season) have also represented him besides winners in Australia. Colonel Cygnus has been used extensively at the Chelandry Stud, and in the next few seasons he will be well- represented. Last season, however, he served very few mares, the majority being mated with Sir Simper. In the few that have raced Colonel Cygnus’s stock have all impressed as good gallopers and what is more clean-winded horses—the majority being well endowed with stamina. Colonel Cygnus, who was imported by Mr J. M. Samson, of Dunedin, won several races in New Zealand. On his dam’s side he is closely related to the Epsom Derby winner, Cameronian. He was got by Cygnus (a son of Sunstar, a Derby winner and by Sundridge) from Kishle-Shee, by Acclaim (a son of Amphion) from Bon Vin, by St. Frusquin (St. Simon’s best son in England). He traces back to Sonsie Queen, ancestress of Cherimoya, winner of the Oaks, and Cameronian, winner of £31,269 in stakes. Sonsie Queen was by Musket (imp.) and founder of a mighty line as a sire in England and New Zealand. A number of fillies by Colonel Cygnus have already been mated with fashionable sires in Australia and the Dominion and there is good reason to believe that they will breed on. The presence of both Padishah and Clarion Call in the Wellington Steeplechase will make an interesting handicap. Mr Coyle has received plenty of advice about their respective merits and one South Island critic goes so far as to say that Clarion Call will have to give Padishah weight, comments a Wellington writer. It will be surprising if it is not the other way round though the difference may not be great seeing that the maximum weight that can be allotted is 12 stone. The point to remember is that while Clarion Call’s record as a steeplechaser is better than that of Padishah, his peak has undoubtedly been reached, while Padishah still has a lot in front of him. Moreover, while ( both have won a National, Clarion Call was never able to win a Grand National hurdle race in which Padishah has twice been successful; and finally even at his best Clarion Call could never win a Wellington Cup or a C.J.C. Metropolitan handicap.

A NOTABLE DERBY RECALLED WHEN HEROIC BEAT NIGGER MINSTREL Memories of the memorable finish for the A.J.C. Derby in 1924 were revived recently when news came from New Zealand of the death of Nigger Minstrel, one of the participants in the epic struggle, writes Pilot in The Australasian. Nigger Minstrel was a brother of that brilliant mare Desert Gold, and was a high-class horse himself. He was bred in New Zealand by Mr T. H. Lowry, and was raced by his breeder. As a two-year-old he won the FitzHerbert Handicap at Wellington and the Great Northern Champagne Stakes at Auckland. The following spring he came to Sydney for the spring meetings, and made hacks of his opponents in the Rosehill Guineas. Unfortunately, before Ashley Reed had weighed in after the race the attendant started to take Nigger Minstrel back to his stall. He was called back, and in turning Nigger Minstrel strained a tendon. It was sore and inflamed for a few days, and for the best part of a week he did little work. That probably made the difference between winning and losing the Derby. Sir Dighlock tried to steal the race, and set up a lead of about 15 lengths, and he was still that distance clear of Solidity and Heroic six furlongs from home. Cairns soon after set Heroic going, and he paced the others up to the tiring Sir Dighlock, who faded out at the bottom of the straight, and left the race to the three placegetters. Heroic was challenged by Niggfer Minstrel, and half a furlong from home Nigger Minstrel seemed likely to succeed. The check in his preparation told at the finish, and Heroic fought him off. Meanwhile Spearfelt, on the outside, was battling on with great determination, and probably was doing as well as Heroic was on the post, but he could not make up his leeway. So Heroic, Nigger Minstrel, and Spearfelt passed the post in that order with heads between them. As the race was run, the honours were with Heroic, as he did the hard work of running down Sir Dighlock, and then had to withstand challenges from Nigger Minstrel and Spearfelt. All things even, any one of the three might have been the winner. It was a great race. The following Wednesday Nigger Minstrel was confidently backed against Gloaming in the Craven Plate, but he was knocked out by his Derby race, and was last of the four runners. Nigger Minstrel did not do much racing afterwards. He was a . useful sire in New Zealand and one of his sons was the Moonee Valley Cup winner, Peter Jackson. FLAG STEEPLECHASE AT WINTON PROCEEDS FOR PATRIOTIC PURPOSES Providing permission is granted the annual flag steeplechase meeting to be held at the Winton racecourse by the Winton branch of the Birchwood Hunt will be for patriotic purposes. This was decided at a meeting of the branch at which there was a good attendance of members. The president, Dr P. Gow, presided. It was decided that there would be no deductions whatever for expenses, which would be paid by the branch from its own funds, and that the total takings would go to the patriotic fund. The date was fixed for July 13, application to be made to the Winton racecourse trustees for permission to use the course. It was reported that all the trophies were in hand from last year’s abandoned fixture. A programme was arranged and will comprise two steeplechases, a handy hunters’ competition, a joggers’ race, hunters’ flat, pony race and a two-year-old sprint. WOMENS HOCKEY TOMORROW’S MATCHES The matches in the women’s hockey competition to be played at Queen’s Park tomorrow are:—l.4s p.m., ExHigh v. Technical, referees, Messrs Perrin and Kelly. 3 p.m., Invercargill v. Collegiate, referees, Messrs Holmes and Hinton. „ Invercargill.—P. Sinclair, M. Kelly; F. Foulston, H. Sandri, B. Swale, M. Elliotte, P. Hall, E. Edwards, G. Tomlins, M. Howie, F. Watt, P. Hemmings.