ON INVERCARGILL TRACKS

Southland Times, Issue 24238, 23 September 1940, Page 9

ON INVERCARGILL TRACKS

Death Of Woodend Reported BEAU LEON’S FINE FORM Nominations for the Dunedin spring meeting are due tomorrow. Blissful Lady Blissful Lady has had to. be eased in her work because of an injury. Wild Career Although he has yet to put in an appearance at the tracks Wild Career has been hacked about. Stud Item Charmaine, who is in foal to Valkyrian, is to be mated with Paper Slipper this season. Named True Form is the name which has been selected for the two-year-old gelding by Blatherskite. from Charmaine in T. E. Pankhurst’s team Colds Prevalent Several horses at Invercargill headquarters are being troubled with colds and have had to be eased in their work. Morse Signal Morse Signal, the dam of Doubleack, Trebleack, Waitoru and others, is still alive but she has failed to produce for four years. Woodend Dead The death occurred a short time back of the Lemberg horse, Woodend. He was not a great success as a sire but he was well represented on the winning list in Southland. Lochlaggen, Trebleack, Enwood (an outstanding three-year-old), Golden Lap, Shillelaghwood and Burwood were among his best winners. Woodend was a particularly well-bred horse and his mares may be expected to breed on. At Invercargill There was little work of interest at Invercargill on Saturday morning. The heavy rain which had fallen on Friday left the tracks in fairly heavy order, and most of the horses were given pace work on the No. 2 grass. Cup Specialist Night Dress is becoming something of a Cup specialist. His successes include a Waikouaiti Cup, Peninsula Cup, Waimate Cup, and Geraldine Cup. He also won the President’s Handicap at Oamaru. All these races were run over a mile and a-quarter. Dam Bred Here New Zealand has an interest in Pandect. Mr J. Wren’s three-year-old colt, who is said to have done the best Derby trial of the season in his race on Saturday last, when he finished third in the Chelmsford Stakes to Beaulivre and High Caste. Pandect is by Pantheon, sire of stayers, and his dam, Credit, is by Paper MoneyKillena, by Kilbroney-Ena, by Royal Artillery-Stressa, by Orvieto.

Craiglea’s Prospects Craiglea failed in two races at the Grand National meeting, but she is of little acount ifi soft going and the season 'should not be much further advanced before she reaches the winning list again. Trained by E. J. Ellis at Washdyke for Mr J. Morrison, Craiglea is a five-year-old chestnut mare by Iliad from Madge’s Tray, a half-sister to a useful but unsound sprinter in Capital. At her final start last season Craiglea won the Levels Hack Handicap at Washdyke in July, beating a useful field of hack sprinters with something in reserve. Her record for the term was two wins, three seconds, and four thirds in sixteen starts. Craiglea may contest the six furlongs Gillies Hack Handicap at the Kurow meeting and if the Oamaru track is reasonably firm she should make a bold showing. Beau Leon The Beau Pere colt, Beau Leon, who races in the colours of his breeder, Mr E. H. Cucksey, of Te Awamutu, established definite mastery over the Auckland three-year-olds at the Avondale meeting held at the week-end. His win in the Avondale Guineas was clear-cut and decisive, and the winning margin could have been a good deal more had his rider kept him up to his work once he reached the front. Beau Leon has grown into a good looking horse and he has the build and the gait of a stayer. He met some useful hacks in the Champion Plate on the first day, gave them a big start from the halfmile, and then did only as much as was required of him to win handily from Greek Queen, Classic and Tellsom, who represent about the best northern hack class. In the Guineas, Beau Leon kept the leaders within easy reach till approaching the home turn where he ranged up alongside them. Once- he got to the front he was inclined to loaf, but he was going well within himself, and although Lou Rosa put in a late claim, Beau Leon responded readily to a slight urge from his lengthening his stride, he quickly placed the issue beyond doubt. There is little doubt that Beau Leon will prefer distance racing, and he is the best Derby prospect seen out so far this season. He is typical of the Beau Pere tribe, and an easy-actioned galloper.

Forty Years Ago Many of the younger generation of racegoers are apt to be impressed by those of their elders who are convinced that nothing in racing is as good as it used to be (says the Timaru Herald). The old-timers insist that horses have deteriorated, although / nowadays gallopers average about five seconds a mile faster than they did 50 years ago; also that stamina is being discouraged the distance , of races, when the truth is that the records reveal that the average distance is about 30 per cent, longer. It ■ is necessary to go back only 40 years, and take the Geraldine meeting as a basis of comparison, to prove how ; much progress has been made. At the 1900 meeting at Orari, the average number of starters in galloping races over the two days was 4.3, fields rang- -■ ing from two to six. The level of »;stakes offered"is indicated by the fact t that a good sprinter, St. Denis, won the 1 two open “sixes,” carrying 9.10 and 10.9, and his owner received £2B and £lB. Just previously St. Denis had ■'won at Ashburton and collected £3O.

At Washdyke, Goldspur, one of the flyers of his day, carried 10.11 and won £3O. At Waikouaiti there were two runners in the Cup (£4O) and two in the sprint (£3O).