AUSTRALIAN TURF REVIEW

Southland Times, Issue 24499, 29 July 1941, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN TURF REVIEW

VICTORIAN GRAND NATIONALS By SIR MODRED Recent returns indicate that H. Badger, known as the rider of Ajax, heads the list of Victorian winning jockeys with 49| successes. A. Breasley is running second with 401 wins. Now coming into the picture, the apprentice, H. McCloud, rode three winners at Moonee Valley on Saturday. On Saturday the Australian Hurdle Race will be decided at Flemington. Run over three miles and a-quarter and 20 yards, it is the longest batten race in the Commonwealth. As the Caulfield racecourse is in military occupation, the Victoria Amateur Turf Club’s hurdle race will be decided at Flemington. With a week to run of the racing season, the apprentice rider, J. Thompson, can hardly fail to head the Metropolitan winning jockey’s list in Sydney with 116 wins. The crack horseman, W. Cook, was in second place on Saturday evening with 101 wins. When he won the Kensington Steeplechase at Flemington on the opening day of the V.R.C. Grand National meeting in his first attempt at cross-country racing Cheery Jack jumped faultlessly throughout. He became a firmer favourite than ever for the Grand National Steeplechase and when he had to be withdrawn 25 minutes before the race, consternation reigned. It was a serious case of doping and it was several days before Cheery Jack could be entrained home to Sydney. BACKED TO WIN £3OOO Published market transactions for the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race indicate that his owner supported Methuen to win £3OOO. This would not be a costly venture when it is understood that the South Australian winner starter at 50’s. In addition it is claimed that Mr Kirby also coupled Methuen in turn with five Grand National Steeplechase candidates to win £5OOO, and the win—ner, National Debt, was one of the chosen, the full amount won being recorded at very long odds. Apart from two or three licensed operators, the bookmakers were substantial winners over Methuen straight out and also in association with his fellow South Australian, National Debt, who races in other ownership. The Southland-bred horse Sir Simper raced once in his homeland unsuccessfully, but on being sent to Victoria furnished into a high-grade galloper, winning the Toorak Handicap and other races. He was unlucky to be relegated into third place in the Caulfield Cup. The last of his noted maternal family, the son of Grand Knight (imp.), from Simper (imp.) returned to Southland for a season at his breederowner’s Chelandry Stud, at the . same time being treated to daily exercise on Oreti beach. He voyaged to Melbourne again and staged a striking come-back by winning the Brighton Gold Cup (1:1m.), shortly afterwards terminating his turf career. His first progeny to race as three-year-olds in New Zealand have made turf history this season and their success will arouse interest in Melbourne. Three of this first crop of fcals were trained and all won races— Noko, Anglo-Irish and Anglo-French. The first of the juvenile trio to be tried out was Noko and he has outstripped his stablemates by succeeding across the flat and on Saturday he won the Hadlow Hurdle Race (lAm.) in 2min 47 2-ssec, a very smart performance for a three-year-old. Sir Simper”' - stud success appears to be assured.

ENTERPRISE REWARDED The South Australian sportsman, Mr E. 0. Kirby, of Mount Gambier, reaped the reward of enterprise for the second time when Methuen won the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race. Two years ago Mr Kirby purchased in Queensland two geldings to be educated as jumpers. They cost 800 guineas and 600 guineas respectively, and both were sons of Spearfelt, an Australian-bred sire of Carbine family through Spearmint and Spearhead (imp.). Raced as Shanghai, the former this season won the Adelaide Grand National Hurdle Race, and Methuen the Grand National Hurdles at Flemington. Shanghai was destined to carry his owner’s colours in the V.R.C. National, but he went amiss, and, fortunately, Methuen after a period of lapses returned to form in time to undergo a National preparation and carry it through to a successful issue. In naming two of his rising two-year-old colts bred in Victoria from South-land-bred mares foaled at his Chelandry Stud, Mr W. T. Hazlett has chosen the names of districts in Southland and Central Otago. Both youngsters are sons of the imported English horse Manitoba, whose two and three-year-olds have brought him into prominence in Australia and Victoria in particular. A bay colt will race as Makarewa. His dam is Yilderim, a handsome filly of very attractive conformation when handled and sprinted on the Southland Racing Club’s tracks before being shipped to Melbourne. Failing as a racing proposition in Australia despite her early galloping promise, she was relegated to the stud. Her exceptional breeding is shown by the fact that Yilderim is by Night Raid (imp., and sire of Phar Lap and Nightmarch) from Razzle Dazzle (one of New Zealand’s noted racing mares), by Kilbroney (imp.) from Simper, an English mare imported to become the dam of a long line of winners. SON OF LUMINARE Mr Hazlett’s second Victorian-bred colt has been registered as Maniototo. His dam, another Chelandry Stud mare, won a number of races for her owner in Victoria. She raced as Luminare, by Chief Ruler (imp.) from Illume, by Kilbroney (imp.) from Simper (imp.). A useful galloper Illume was the dam of winners in Flicker, Chief Light, and Luminare. The colts’ sire, Manitoba (the best two-year-old of his year in England), was by Manna (winner of the Two Thousand Guineas and Derby) from Berystede, by Son-in-Law from Beresina, by Swynford, sire of the mighty Blandford. In his first season in Victoria Manitoba sired the high-class performers Zonda, Aurania, Sun Valley. When he won the Maribyrnong Plate at Flemington Aurania was owned and trained by H. R. Telford, a native of Invercargill. A very interesting success at Ascot, Sydney, on Saturday was that recorded by the Christchurch-bred four-year-old gelding Omapo. He scored in the Second Division of the Three and Four-Year-Old Handicap (7fur.). The gelding was bred and first raced by Mr P. Mason, a Riccarton trainer, and son of the late Mr R. J. Mason, noted throughout Australasia as .. great trainer. Ranking as a younger full-brother to Haerepo, winner of many races in Queensland, Omapo is a son of Nightmarch from Azalea, by Chief Ruler from Bayloch, an imported English mare. *