Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 430, 11 August 1928, Page 6

Durf Notes

By

EARLY BIRD.

A.R.C. Members to Meet The annual meeting 1 of members of the Auckland Racing Club is to be held in the Chamber of Commerce Building at 2.30 p.m. on Monday. Hunter Shows Promise In preparation for future hunt meetings, there is at present a big string of hunters being put through their paces at Awapuni. Several of them have shown some promise in the point-to-point steeplechase game, and with the hounds. H. H. Doyle has taken in hand the Elysian-Mobility gelding Terehu, who won the Manawatu point-to-point steeplechase recently for the second year in succession. His dam was a racer of prominence some years ago, and Terehu shows promise of living up to his breeding. L. Knapp has charge of the Sarto gelding Trouble, who ran second to Terehu at Te Matai, after running off the course at one point, and then went on to win at the Rangitikei point-to-point, while he also has Scrap Iron, a Sir Antrim-Remington mare gelding, who won at the Te Matai point-to-point. Related to Ring Boy "W. Bailey, the Awapuni trainer, is furthering the education of the Tribulation gelding Ju Jazz and Hats Off. In company with a Gasbag youngster from J. Hastie’s stable, the two hunters carried out a working gallop over six furlongs at Awapuni this week, but the Gasbag representative, who is commencing to assume racing shape, had just too much speed for Ju Jazz. The latter is out of Ju Jitsu, the dam of Ring Boy, and on the score of breeding he should be worth persevering with. Wanderlust Being Schooled New recruits to the jumping game include Wanderlust, who made a splendid showing over two battens at Awapuni on Thursday, and Vaucleuse, another inmate of G. New’s stable, who likewise proved quite at home in the role. The latter had had some experience in the art before being brought into training. The half-sistei to Lin Arlington, Hodren —who, like Wanderlust, claims Rangitero as his sire—was partnered by March On in a round over the fences, and for a first essay shaped fairly well, although he took his fences over-carefully. One for Marton Moutoa Treasury and Inflame were associated in a four-furlong flutter at Awapuni on Thursday, and although the latter held his companion for three furlongs, the Paper Money filly then drew away, to complete the distance in 51. Neither claims immediate engagements, but Moutoa Treasury promises to open her account at an early date. Working at Awapuni

Dobbin and Patearoa are being restricted to easy work at Awapuni, as are Crown Area, Broad Acre, and Blimp. Following upon his being operated on, Patearoa failed to regain his former condition, but he is now picking up, and looks a picture. Dobbin has not yet fined down to racing trim, while the other trio are not being hurried after their spell out, but they are in great order. Two younger members of the Acre family in Desert Lad and Grand Acre—the latter being a bold-looking two-year-old—are stable companions of Crown Area and Co. who will be heard of later. Educating Youngsters

There are plenty of youngsters having their education furthered at Awapuni at present, the Rangitero gelding Valuator, who has already shown quality under silk, and the Kilbroney gelding Kilorell, being again in regular work under J. Kelly. Gratton, a Gasbag gelding who was originally under Kelly’s care, is now an inmate of Batten’s stable at Feilding. Cleared Up

Surprise was expressed here and elsewhere when it was announced that the Dargaville Club intended racing on the Avondale course in face of the Dates Committee’s report (writes “Vedette’). The conference officials have cleared this matter up by stating that permisison was granted for the change of venue some weeks prior to the conference, and the issue of the edict of the committee. It is said, also, that changes of country clubs to city courses will not be permitted in future. Spring Meetings in Australia

A communication from the Australian Jockey Club’s secretary shows that there are quite a number of New Zealand horses engaged in the Hobartville Stakes at Warwick Farm on September 1 whose owners obviously have no intention of racing there. Forfeit of £1 has to be paid for these before four o’clock next Monday. First forfeits for the Campbelltown Handicap and Warwick Farm Spring Handicap, and general entries for that meeting, close at the same time.

An Appreciated Improvement The one blot on Trentham as a racecourse has been the lack of shelter tor the outside public. The club’s officials have long recognised this want, and it is to be remedied forthwith (says a Wellington writer). The concrete step and base are to be added to in the outside enclosure, and the whole roofed over. When this work is completed, the buildings and appointments will be without drawback, and above criticism of any kind. Chief Ruler Youngster The old Panmure gelding Pantler is again back in the active ranks, following upon a long period in use as a hack, he being now in H. Doyle’s hands at Awapuni. The mentor has also taken in hand a Lord Quex — Spare Moments filly, and his own Chief Ruler colt, the latter showing a lot of promise. Not Too Old Yet? Spearfelt, winner of the Melbourne Cup in 1926, was backed last week to win £20,000 straight out for this year’s big race. This was the first move in his favour since the weights were declared. Evidently the backer or backers think the horse will stand another preparation. He has not raced since he finished last in the St. George’s Stakes at Caulfield in February, but he has been doing work on the Caulfield tracks for some weeks. In the Melbourne Cup Spearfelt will carry top weight, 9.12. He had 9.3 when he won in 1926, in time which equalled the Flemington record for two miles, and he carried 9.13 to victory in 1927 in the Australian Cup, when he broke the Australasian two and a-quarter miles record.

Stable Knew Nothing J. Scobie, trainer of Fourth Hand, made it clear that the scratching of the imported horse for the Epsom Handicap and the Metropolitan did not mean that Fourth Hand would not go to Sydney for the A.J.C. spring meeting. All going well, he said, Fourth Hand would have a bid for further weight-for-age honours at the Randwick fixture. Scobie was much less definite when questioned concerning the intentions of Fourth Hand’s connections regarding the Caulfield Cup. He merely stated that if there had been any support for Fourth Hand in that race the stable knew nothing of it. One Mistake Only The Riccarton fences are anything but toys, and a horse must have a fair amount of speed to get the necessary leverage to clear them. "When Dubious was left out in front in the Homeby Steeples he seemed to oe cantering up to Cutts’s big brush fence, which stands 4ft 11 Jin, and 4ft thick. At the pace he was travelling it looked a shade of odds that Dubious would score a failure, but he cleared the obstacle safely, only, however, to throw out at a lower fence near the home turn. Dubious gave an excellent exhibition, and should not be condemned for one mistake which perhaps was not altogether his own fault. Several expressed the opinion that, except for the accident, Dubious would have accounted for Passin’ Through, who is familiar with the Riccarton country, and gave a faultless exhibition of fencing. Believes in N.Z. Blood Mr. Percy Miller, owner of the Kia Ora Stud in New South Wales, conducts his establishment -on an extensive scale, and that means he is always adding to the list of brood mares of high lineage. One of his most recent purchases is the New Zealandbred mare Moscas (by Solferino —Nithsevo). Charleville (by Charlemagne II.), a half-brother to Moscas, produced a great horse in Windbag, and it will be interesting to note whether Moscas will give the turf a horse of the same standard as the hero of the Melbourne Cup of 1925. Threw Away a Holiday Date! Judging by the remarks of several speakers at the annual meeting of members of the Foxton Racing Club, the decision of the committee to change the annual racing dates so as not to clash with Wellington has not been received too well, and there are quite a number who consider that the Foxton Racing Club has made a serious mistake in giving up the holiday (Anniversary Day), on which racing has been held for so many years. True, the dates clash with those of Wellington, but an entirely different class of horses is seen out at the two gatherings, and it seems rash to expect that the Foxton Cup, for instance, will attract horses engaged a few days later in the Wellington Cup. For the sake of the many fine sportsmen conducting the affairs of the Foxton Racing Club, one hopes that their expectations will be fulfilled, and that the meeting will benefit, but the loss of a public holiday appears to be a serious one, and the fact must have been brought home to its originators when another racing club in the same district, Ashhurst, promptly applied for the discarded date —and secured it. Victoria’s Trainers and Jockeys Jack Holt trained more winners in the Melbourne metropolitan area for the season just closed than any other trainer. He won 22 races, and, as usual, they included some nice stakes. Royal Charter was his best horse, as last spring he won all the early weight-for-age races at Williamstown and Caulfield. Holt always seems to have a weight-for-age horse in his care, and perhaps Maple will rise to those heights this spring. Fred. Foulsham was nearest to Holt with 19 winners, with R. Cameron, C. T. Godby, J. Biggins, and E. Fisher next in order. As far as stake money was concerned, James Scobie was easily at the top of the tree, the success of Trivalve in the Melbourne Cup and Derby being responsible for his position. Fred Foulsham also won his fair share of prize money with Mollison. Of the jockeys, W. Duncan was easily the most successful. He rode 54 winners. Closest to Duncan was J. Daniels, who was successful on 39 occasions. Scanlon (252), Jones (232), Wilson (22), Dempsey (21) and Ashley Reed (20) all did well. Of the apprentices, J. O’Brien (132) and R. Hynes (13) did best.

Might Beat Limerick Various judges are of opinion that Winalot will prove himself a better two-miler than Limerick, and for this reason they express the opinion that in the Randwick Plate the local horse will beat the visitor (says the Sydney “Sun”). However, these same critics are of opinion that Limerick will prove supreme in all those races he will contest leading up to the Randwick Plate. These are the races in which he scored last year—Warwick Stakes, Chelmsford Stakes, Rosehill Hill Stakes, Spring Stakes and Craven Plate. But while Limerick may beat Winalot in these races—one reason may be that the visitor will be more forward than Winalot because of the latter’s concentration on the Melbourne Cup—it is certain that the New Zealander will still be supreme? The now three-year-old Mollison may prove a thorn in Limerick’s side. On a former occasion in recent years a three-year-old settled the pretentions of a prominent Maorilander in the Chelmsford Stakes. This was the defeat of Gloaming by Heroic. And if Mollison is just as good a three-year-old as he was at two years then he may stand in the same light of Limerick as did Heroic with Gloaming in the Chelmsford Stakes of 1924.