Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 444, 28 August 1928, Page 10

Turf Notes

—♦ By EARLY BIRD.

Marton Acceptances To-night Acceptances for the Marton spring meeting, to be held to-morrow week, close to-night. I Dannevirke To-morrow | There will be racing at Dannevirke ! to-morrow and on Thursday, and at I New Plymouth, and Wingatui on SatI urday. A Temporary Absence The three-year-old Sir Mond ricked a muscle a few days ago, and consequently he is now on the easy list. At Pukekohe For several months now the Auckland lightweight jockey, E. Tuohey, has been attached to W. Scholium’s stable at Pukekohe. Tuohey, who can go to scale at 7.0, was not favoured with very much luck last season, but perhaps he is to be more fortunate this term, for he will probably do the riding for the above-mentioned establishment when the weights suit. On the Hills The hurdler Scot Free is being worked entirely on the hills just now, and his mentor, A. Julian, may keep him at this particular kind of work for some time yet, for he regards it as being the most satisfactory treatment in which to get the Quin Abbey gelding at his best. Will Do Better

Toward the close of last season Blue Spear showed up in one or two events in such a manner as to suggest that he would not be long in making a good return for the trouble his trainer, J. Lambess, has expended on him. On Saturday morning Blue Spear was accompanied by Hanibal in a gallop over half a mile, and the pair recorded a nice effort by striding over the distance in 51 3-5 —this was the best gallop of the morning. Blue spear was going very well at the finish, and his forward condition at the present time warrants the opinion that he will turn out more than a payable proposition in the next few months. Full Feather’s Programme

. Sir George Clifford contemplates racing some horses at the Wanganui Jockey Club’s meeting next month. Full Feather will be a competitor in the Wanganui Guineas and the Eclipe Stakes, while Quarterdeck and Swoopalong will fulfil engagements in hack races. At one time this was a regular spring trip for horses from the Chokebore Bodge stable, but it has been dropped lately, and the last time Sir George was represented being four years ago, when Winning Hit ran third to Royal Divorce and Enthusiasm in the Eclipse Stakes.

Visiting Young Sire The brood mare Koura will journey to Hunterville shortly on a visit to Nigger Minstrel, who is owned by Mr. J. Bull. Bicolour Sold At the Sydney racehorse sale yesterday, Bicolour (who has been retired from the race track), half-brother to Windbag, realised 525 guineas, tallies being 4—o. Brother to Crown Area Moorfield has foaled a colt by Acre, the foal thus being a full brother to Crown Area and Mooregas. Mr. W. White last season refused two thousand guineas for Crown Area. Queen Arch’s Rider The Auckland jockey B. Manson -will be riding at the Marton Jockey Club’s meeting next week, and at the present, time his only mount is Queen Arch, in the Marton Handicap. Manson was well to the fore last season, for he piloted numerous winners throughout the Auckland Province. For the Classic Providing nothing intervenes, it is the intention of the* connections of the two-year-old Bennie to give him his first outing in the Avondale Stakes, which comes up for decision at the Avondale meeting on September 22. Although it is doubtful if Bennie has sufficient speed to win a classic, he can muster up a fair amount of pace and should prove equal to scoring a win before he has far advanced on his racing career.

Riding at Marton With the 7.0 minimum again the rule as from Saturday next, lightweight jockeys now come into their own. And such is the case with H. Wiggins, who had very few rides during the winter. Wiggins will be riding at the Marton meeting next week, and at the time of writing he has four mounts Kilmiss, Keddar, Abisogne and Bethal. At the Taranaki Hunt fixture on Saturday, Wiggins i*s to ride Green Acre and Tangerim. Facing the Barrier

A. Julian advanced his three year-olds another step forward m their education when he indulged tb*em in barrier practice at Ellerslie yesterday morning. The trio, which comprised Norval Tea, Town Teller and a filly by Cynic from Heatherspray, showed good behaviour at the tapes, and accustomed themselves to the new settings with studied indifference. They were not particularly smart from the barrier, but experience will no doubt remedy this defect. The Mask Destroyed When the New Zealand gelding. The Mask, by Quin Abbey from Culross, first made his appearance in America, he created a big impression, and later proved himself a speedy galloper. But after winning at his first start in the new season in Vancouver, he was galloped on at a subsequent outing, and was cut about so badly that he had to be destroyed. The Mask was owned by Mr. F. Beban, and he was taken to America by W. Holmes, with Star Stranger 11. and Waihemo. The lastnamed pair later returned to the Dominion, and at present are being trained by N. C. Price. Stewards Change Breezy’s Rider When the stewards brought the exNew Zealander Breezy back from the post prior to the Encourage Stakes at Victoria Park, Sydney, a fortnight ago (relates an exchange), and substituted G ‘ Browne for F. Guy as the rider, the public in the stand rose and acclaimed the move. Such a procedure from the public is almost unprecedented in such cases, but the rapid drift of Breezy in the market, leaving many with ’tickets at a particularly short quote, caused anxiety. There are occasions when the babbit of changing the riders, so popular with the stewards, is not always a correct one, especially where a boy, just starting to climb the ladder, is given his first chance of a win on a decent horse. But there were no such circumstances connected with this incident. Breezy opened up a short-priced favourite, but there were apparently well-armed bookmakers in the ring, and it was no time before the mare was at almost double figures. Before the stewards took their action he came back to half those odds, and temporarily afterwards dropped even shorter; but when the barrier rose he was back again at the former figure. That Breezy did not win, even after the change of riders, detracts nothing from the wisdom of the stewards’ action. They have repeatedly shown themselves awake to the ring doings, and the public is rapidly training confidence. Incidentally, at a recent Victoria Park meeting, the stewards substituted Browne for Guy on Dal Eaton, from the same stable as Breezy.

Napoleon—and Hector Gray Some time ago Mr. W. H. Gaisford made an application to the executive of the Racing Conference to have Hector Gray attached to his training establishment at Awapuni, the chief object of his engagement being to attend and ride Commendation in his exercises However, the application has not been granted, and consequently Gray will have to remain in the employment of Mr. W. C. Ring, of Auckland, the conditions laid down by the Racing Conference in regard to his position with Mr. Ring being, “That he does not alter his employment without special permission, and does not enter the jockeys' room if leading courses - or other pretext, and wifL < J ray must not be in any place when a race meeting is in progress, unless attending Mr. Ring's horses in training, suspension to be revocable by executive of Conference. They seem 1° bav ® ? 0t Gray tled down hard and t» sporting scribe, who calls who Stor 7 of the American who was doing the sights of Paris leon nS “That V".. the - tomb o£ Na Po : . * That, sir, said the guide “is the tomb of the gi-jsat Napoleon. That masonry that you see there is es«mated to weigh. 100 tons. Insiders a steel chamber weighing 50 tons, and inleaS ° U Tho a ?°f e " Coffln ' lined with lead. Tile Tank looked at his informer. “Well,” he said, “it seems to me that you have got him all right and if ever he does manage to escape’ card®'” 16 at my expense - Here Is my