Sporting JOHN GAY DOING WELL

Southland Times, Issue 24864, 2 October 1942, Page 2

Sporting JOHN GAY DOING WELL

DUNEDIN GUINEAS CANDIDATE John Gay has done well since he won the John Grigg Stakes. He is striding out well in his training tasks and he should be a fit horse for the Dunedin Guineas. Favourite The Raker is an early favourite in Dunedin for the Ranfurly Handicap at next week’s meeting at Wingatui. Marquee When Marquee won over 10*,4 furlongs at the winter meeting at Wingatui, he carried 8.0 (the minimum) and Gnohlll (second) 8.4 and Arabian Night (third) 8.2. Gnohill has won since, over six furlongs, and will meet Marquee on 21b better terms over, the same distance at Wingatui next week, while Arabian Night comes in on 101 b better terms with Marquee. Georgia will meet Marquee on 141 b better terms. ■ First Success Circular Note had no trouble in winning | the hurdle race at Otaki on Saturday. The hurdles' were not difficult, and he was too good for the others on the flat. His stablemate, Colossal Chief, who had won at Marton, was never dangerous. Kindergarten An interesting entrant for the Flying Handicap at tire Hawke’s Bay spring meeting is Kindergarten, who has not raced since he won the Auckland Easter Handicap last April. The only other race which Kindergarten contested last season was the North Island Challenge Stakes at Trentham, which he won. A Good Win Revelling in the soft going. Augment beat the sprinters decisively in the open sprint at Otaki, his dividend running into double figures. Tlie Thompson Handicap winner has not earned anything for a long while, but the opportunity seemed to be there on Saturday. Foxhaven Foxhaven, after a short rest, is again striding out in strong work, but without being sent at his best pace. He does not I look up to winning the Dunedin Guineas. I unless he can improve a lot on his Ashbur- | ton form. Arabian Night, who will accompany him to Wingatui, is all right, but he is not an impressive worker. Palfrey Palfrey is doing plenty of good work and he should be a fit horse for Wingatui. He looks like being a useful candidate for distance races this season. Moderate The hurdles racing in both islands just now are rather moderate, although they are fairly numerous. A really smart novice could compile a sequence of wins, comments a northern critic. Egyptian Rose Egyptian Rose has not had a race since the Washdyke meeting last April. Her record last season was five wins, one second, and two thirds out of 15 starts. Her last success was scored in the Middle Park Plate, run at Motukarara, when she carried 9.11 and beat Straight Bat, 6.13, by a good length in Imin 15sec. Now a four-year-old, the Iliad-Lotus Lily mare is likely to have improved, and, like her stable-mate, The Raker, can handle any sort of going. Well-bred Pacers Safety Pin and Festivity, two good winners for F. G. Holmes during the last 12 months, are engaged at the Patriotic meeting on Saturday. Festivity is by Rey de Oro from Trix Pointer, a New Zealand Cup winner. Safety Pin is by Rey de Oro from Bonny Logan. The dams of both these pacers were among the best in New Zealand a few years ago. Big Nominations The New Brighton Trotting Club has received 188 nominations for the eight races to be run at its meeting at Addington on I October 10. | Sandiways , The form shown by Sandiways at the ■ Geraldine meeting on Saturday showed him i to be a pacer of the greatest promise and I one likely to enter good class company, j states The Press. He will be given another i chance at Ashburton on Saturday, when he I will meet useful horses in Castlebar, Festivity, Quite Good, and Audition. The field in this race is composed mainly of horses that have graduated from the maiden classes and give promise of rising to the higher grades. Castlebar, from D. Teahen’s stable, is a good type and may yet be heard of on metropolitan courses. John Gay Mr H. D. Greenwood's three-year-old colt John Gay has breeding of the best to recommend him for future fast galloping. His imported English sire, Theio, was a speedy, winning two-year-old and son of the noted sire Tetratema, who was unbeaten as a two-year-old and the following season won the Two Thousand Guineas, The dam of the Grigg Stakes winner was Jenny Diver, by Lord Quex from Polly Peachum, by l Feramorz from Tressida, by Tressady from Princess Melton, whose dam, Chand Bee Bee, was a valued Australian stud proposition imported from England, writes Sir Modred. There is good staying blood in the veins of John Gay, but a close analysis of his family tree suggests that he should make good as a performer of striking brilliance. Happy Ending When requested by cable from Melbourne : to put a price on Happy Ending, the gelding’s owner is reputed to have replied in ; terms of £6OOO. With successes to his : credit, including wins in the New Zealand : Cup and Wellington Cup, the New Zealand ; galloper is really a valuable racing pro- : position when it is pointed out that he has > been handicapped ’at 8.4 in the Caulfield j Cup and 8.5 in the Melbourne Cup, pound- ■ age in each instance that should be well ; within his compass. B. Burgess, trainer of . the Beau Pere gelding, can be accepted as , a man thoroughly capable of estimating Happy Ending's real worth. j Auction < If suitable transport arrangements can be 1 made the champion Queensland sprinter, ; Auction, is to be sent to Melbourne to race, s In the event of his reaching Victoria he s is to compete in handicaps and pitted against the weight-for-age cracks over distances not confined to his favourite short courses. A great racehorse, he started in 19 races last season for 10 wins, four seconds and one third, writes Sir Modred. A gelding and now a six-year-old Auction is by Monash Valley, a consistent sire and son of Valais, one of the most successful English t sires ever imported to Australia, one of his i best sons being Heroic. Auction’s first sue- r cess of the new season was gained a few r days ago under 11.13. s Family Triumph J It not often occurs that an owner-breeder 1 wins two races in succession with the pro- ' geny of the one mare, but such was the case at Orari, when Eulogy and Eulogist both won for the breeder-owner. Mr J. H. Pros- 1 ser. Eulogia is by Paladin and Eulogist by ‘ Myosotis, and both are from Motunau, who * is by Limond from Eulalie, by Absurd from Eulogy, so they have some fashionable blood < to recommend them. Eulogist was offered 1 for sale at the Grand National bloodstock sale, but with a reserve of 400 guineas did not find a new buyer. Saturday’s stake was worth £lBO. so that Mr Prosser has reason to be pleased that he had to retain his horse, < states The Press. Eulogist has always been < considered a high-class galloper, but unfor- * tunately has suffered from deformed feet, j and consequent heel trouble, and much dlf- 1 ficulty has been experienced In getting and * keeping him in the desired racing order. * Eulogia, too, has given trouble to her trainer, 1 as she is a shy feeder, and has seldom car- 1 ried much condition. She appeared very * light on Saturday, but evidently this dis- 1 ability did not affect her, as she won her < race decisively. j Miss Saone Miss Saone was in keen demand for the I Raukapuka Hack Handicap at Geraldine, but although she began well from an inside i berth, she met trouble in the first two fur- ' longs, and being sent back, was hemmed I in for a long way. She nevertheless ran a < creditable race, and is likely to earn some 1 good money later. 1 Gunga Din j Gunga Din, winner of the second division > of the hack event at Orari, is a four-year-