HANLON’S USEFUL EFFORT

Southland Times, Issue 24211, 22 August 1940, Page 10

HANLON’S USEFUL EFFORT

Boswell And Sparkle To Reappear IN THE DARK NOW AT INVERCARGILL

Handicaps for the Otago Hunt meeting are due on Saturday.

The Kurow Meeting

Stake money for the Kurow Jockey Club’s meeting on September 28 has been increased by £215 to Nominations close on September 12. Dusky Sound

The opinion is held in some quarters that Dusky Sound will be a hard horse to beat in the next New Zealand Trotting Cup. Lochcorrib

Lochcorrib, who is engaged in the Otago Hunt Cup Steeplechase, ranks as a sister to Shillelagh Wood and a halfsister to Ballybrit, both good winners over country. Spendthrift To Spell

Spendthrift is to be put aside for a time but Colonel French and Baltrum are to be kept in work and will be raced at the Otago Hunt meeting. Back In Work

Brown Cloud has been taken up again by P. W. Creegan. The Worthy Bond gelding raced well enough last term to suggest that he will pay his way in the new season. In The Dark

In the Dark was brought back from Riccarton by Mr W. E. Hazlett. He will be raced over hurdles at the Otago Hunt meeting this month and later tried as a steeplechaser.

Hurdling Recruit Settlement, who has disappointed on the flat for a long time, is to be tried over hurdles. C. Emerson expects to start his education this week. He Is by Night Raid, several of whose progeny have shown proficiency as jumpers. To Reappear

Boswell, who is this season being trained by D. P. Wilson, is to reappear at the Otago Hunt meeting next week. The Dunedin Cup winner, Sparkle, is also to race again at the same meeting after a long absence.

T. G. Pollock’s Team T. G. Pollock has a team of six horses in work at Gore, the number including Phalanx, Atua Rere, Fidelis and Lake Mist. The last-named is a six-year-old mare by Balboa from Flying Mist, the dam of Ardmayle. A Veteran’s Opinion

It is interesting to record that Mr Jack Lowe, the oldest trainer in the Dominion, gave it as his opinion that Slayer was the fittest horse in the National Steeples—a compliment to Mr A. Cassels, who has charge of Mr Hariett's horses at Salisbury.

Repiy To Correspondent *'T.L.” Invercargill.—Hector’s Own, the dam of Dusky Sound, was bred by Mr C. Crisp, jun., Kelso. She was foaled in 1919 and was got by Sir Hector from a mare by Dragoon. Sir Hector was got by Electioneer from Tracey Bell, by General Tracey from Fannie Bell. Dragoon was got by The Gossoon from a King Harold mare. Three-Year-Olds

Gallant Chief, Imperial Jade and Betty Boop were the only three-year-olds to win over £lOOO last season, their respective earnings being £l2OO, £1175 and £llO5. Gallant Chief is by Gallant Knight, whose winnings exceeded that of his son by only £5. Imperial Jade is a full-sister to Indianapolis, and Betty Boop is by Jack Potts from Disappearance. English-bred

Dhoti, who finished second at Moonee Valley on Saturday, when making his first appearance in Australia, is one of the English horses which was sent out with the intention of carrying the colours of the Duke of Kent. When the Duke’s appointment as GovernorGeneral was cancelled the horses were sold. Smile Again

Smile Again, who beat the mile saddle field the last day at Addington, is still owned in Southland but is held in lease by P. Gallagher. Her owner, Mr J. McTavish, of Ryal Bush, has received good offers for the Adioo Guy mare but has declined to part with her. Smile Again is a sister to Grand Mogul and a half-sister to Aspirant, and she should prove a valuable brood mare. A Good Run

Hanlon was meeting “town hall” class when he contested the Heathcote Handicap last Saturday, and had he been more favourably placed over the early stages, would probably have finished in the money. In the big field of 24 he was last to enter the straight, then he put in a great run, and in a blanket finish between six horses, he was fifth. Which Dai?

A well-known Dunedin owner received the following letter from the North Island: “Dear sir, I backed your horse at the Hunt meeting, but evidently it was the wrong day, and rather than give the bookmakers another donation I appeal to you which day to support your horse. If you are a good sport, send up a letter to reach here the day he goes off.” The horse has not gone off yet, as it was not started again. Official Silence

A rather notable feature of the performance put up by Josedale Grattan in making a record of 4tnin 18 l-ssec was that it followed a fall on the first day of the meeting. Naturally many wanted to know what caused the fall of the favourite and other information concerning it. Nothing of an official nature was supplied until the following Wednesday morning, when a correspondent of The Press (Christchurch) wrote as follows: “On reading your sporting page on Monday morning, 1 could find no report of any official inquiry into the falling of Three Bells and Josedale Grattan. May I, through your paper, ask the president of the Metropolitan Trotting Club if there was an inquiry by the Judicial Committee into the incident? The decent section of the sporting public is fed up with the treatment that F. J. Smith receives at Addington. On almost every occasion he comes to Christchurch he is involved in an accident, and no action is taken. Is it not the duty of the Judicial Committee of the club to see that a visitor like F. J. Smith receives fair play and the' investing public every

protection in making their investments? I saw the chief stipendiary steward conducting an informal inquiry in the birdcage. Surely such an incident demanded a full investigation by the stewards. The sporting public resents the apparent bias of the whole business from the inquiry room to the race track itself, ever since F. J. Smith has been coming to Addington.” The following explanation was received from a stipendiary steward: “The stipendiary stewards did make an inquiry into the cause of the accident in which Josedale Grattan and Three Bells were involved, and found no reason to take any further action.” Winning Sires

The placing of Beau Pere (imp.) in 20th place in the winning sires’ list for the 1939-40 season, prepared for the “Australasian Turf Register” has been the subject of comment by breeders and owners of stallions. Beau Pere’s stock in Australia won £8378, but, with his winners in New Zealand, the amount is increased to £31,925 for the season. He was shown as the leading sire in the quarterly figures, but, before the statistics for the final quarter were issued, the Blbodhorse Breeders’ Association of Australia was approached for a ruling whether Beau Pere’s New Zealand winners should be included. The advice was to treat the matter as in the past. The previous year Beau Pere had been credited with, the stakes won by his progeny in both Australia and New Zealand, which placed him fifth on the list of winning sires. In dealing with his figures this year, the statistician has, according to the statement of a breeder on Saturday gone back to a procedure in vogue many years ago.