Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 662, 14 May 1929, Page 6

Durf Notes

CONDUCTED BY

At Wanganui The winter meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Clu£ is to be held at Wanganui on Thursday and Saturday of this week. The Wanganui Steeplechase and Century Hurdles, the two big jumping events, are to be decided on ahe first day. Was Unlucky Big Bertha ran a fine race in the first division of the Franklin Stakes at Pukekohe on Saturday, after being nicely placed in the early part and then losing her position before the’ field had covered half the journey. The astounding effort she made from the bottoih of the straight wli£h in an apparently hopeless position warranted a better placing than third. First and second horses in this event had none the best of matters neither. B. Cowan has always found Big Bertha a hard mare to train, but she will only need to reproduce Saturday’s form to have an undeniable chance in her next outing. Gave Promise Two that surprised by their forward running- in the sprint at Pukekohe on Saturday were Ruffles and Chelone, in second and third place respectively at the end. The former was allowed to wait in behind the until the home turn, where he pushed his way to the front and looked all over a winner until Gold Money burst on the scene. Ruffles is a smart sprinter racirfg without luck. Chelone surprised by finishing in strong fashion, and it is not too late yet for P. Scally to land a stake with the speedy son of Leighton, providing, of course, he continues to mend his ways at the post and will ,do his best in a race.

One From Tasmania Highwayman, winner of the Egmont Hack Steeplechase, has done very little racing.in this country. He ran third in a hurdle race on the opening day at Hastings recently, but the next day performed indifferently. He is only a new chum at steeplechasing, but he shaped well at Hawera. His legs, however, do not look like standing a very strenuous campaign.

Change of Dates Says a Southern writer; “The Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting, usually held in May, is adjudged rather late in the season, considering it has high-class events on the programme. Despite the dates, however, the races have of late been well supported. The club is out for a change and intends to apply for March 22 and 23 next season. These are nearly sure to be objected to, and will follow just after the Wellington Thompson Handicap meeting. They are days which are specially sought after by £he Manawatu Racing Club.” Must every other club (outside the Wellington R.C.) bend the knee to the Manawatu R.C.? It would be better for itself if Manawatu knocked a day off >its summer meeting and staged a day later in the season instead of wangling, season after season, dates that it wants for its autumn fixtures. .

Disappointing Mountain Crag’s display in the Hack Steeplechase at Hawera was very disappointing. Ho jumped badly and was a beaten horse a long way before he eventually fell. When he raced at Masterton he was very big in condition and he was given a rather severe race for a first start. It knocked him for the second day, when lie did not run nearly so well, and although he ran such a good race at the Mart.on Steeplechase it now looks as if he is not yet in hard enough condition to stand solid contests. Not Welcomed

The fact that the Oamaru Jockey Club is applying for January 2 and 3 next season as the racing will create opposition from tlie Wyndham and Southland Racing Clubs as the establishment of a Waikouaiti-Oamaru circuit during the first three days of the new year season will not be to the advantage of home turf institutions. With the Dunedin Jockey Club racing on December 26 and 28 the Otago circuit referred to would be but this will affect the Gore and Winton Trotting Clubs.

Misleading Grey Hairs The Bisogne mare Bisox has always had a few grey hairs in her mane and tail, but they are multiplying with age, and at Hawera she presented a venerable appearance. There was no sign of senile decay when it came to racing, for she was up with the leaders all the way to the turn, and then her lack of racing condition beat her. She was one of the best performers of last winter, and-it looks as if she will be a force again this year when more seasoned. No Oil Painting

’Tis well for Light Hearted that beauty is only skin deep, for if looks really counted for anything, the New Zealand gelding wouldn’t be much more useful than a stenographer with frostbitten fingers, caustically observes a {Sydney writer. Any race day when Light Hearted parades in the enclosure he is the cynosure of all eyes, and, many marvel that such an ordinarylooking customer could bo so great a galloper. Easily the most peculiar portion of his ungainly but sturdy make-up are his eyes. They give one a first impression of being odd, and each is ringed with a prominent white circle. The effect on his face makes him look like nothing so much as an impersonator of a coloured comedian. To Go Into Liquidation It is understood that a minor club in the South Island fairly close to Wellington is likely to go into liquidation. It has not enjoyed much success for some time, and has just been hanging on, according to the Wellington writer, “Vedette.” As it seems obvious that the local people do not patronise the meetings to any great extent, the district is more or less a nonracing one, and it is hopeless to carry on. It is a peculiar feature of New Zealand that some districts are undoubtedly uninterested in racing, and this appears to be one of them. Doubtless there will be plenty of applicants for the permits if they become available, for by some reasoning difficult to understand, minor clubs which are barely paying with one day appear to think that two days or more could be run at a profit. Wingatui In Winter The following entries have been made for the principal events at the Dunedin meeting next month: BIRTHDAY HANDICAP, of £375; li miles.—Beacon Light, Beau Geste, Circulation, Countersign, Evening, Kin!? Balboa, Money Mine, Prickles, Royal Saxon, Some Rose, Town Bank. OTAGO STEEPLECHASE HANDICAP, of £500; about 34 miles.—Charlatan, Fabriano, Greenstone, Handy, Mainspring, Nylotis, Royal Fashion, The Babe, Terehu, Wharncliffe. TRADESMEN’S HANDICAP, of £250; 6 fur.—Arrowmir, Arch Arrow, Battle Flag, Caterpillar, Coomassie, First Raid, Great Star, Gay Sonnet, King Balboa, Meadow Lark, Miss Mercia, Paper Boy,, Royal Saxon, Royal Tractor, Sudden Storm. Tripaway, Taboo, Waving Corn, Wayward. SECOND DAY.—OTAGO HURDLE HANDICAP, of £375; 2 miles.—Aberfeldy, Antrim Boy. Blue Peter, Rrightling, Goldtown, Heisler, Lancer. Nine of Spades, Overdrawn, Parader, Rangitahi, Troilus, Umtali, Wharncliffe.

EARLY BIRD

Will Do Better Theodolite has not been up long and she was not “expected” at the Franklin meeting ofi Saturday. Nevertheless she ran in a manner suggesting that A. Kemp has a promising maiden who will be seen to advantage next season. Seaday (Day Comet.— Seaquil) was always in the limelight in the Maiden Stakes and her pace should secure some success for her in similar company later on. Showed Keenness There was plenty of money for Valuation in the Pukekawa Handicap on Saturday at Franklin and backers were sanguine when Tinker edged in from number eight position at the barrier to four. 1-Ie got a good jumpout, and travelling well in behind the leaders looked all over a winner when his jockey pushed him through on the rails when they hit the straight for the rur home. However, his effort was short-lived and he petered out in quick fashion. It would appear as if a dry track would be more suited to Valuation. Popular Victories Everyone was pleased to see the Ellerslie owner-trainer, J. Ross, score with both Diamond Queen and Bizarro at Pukekohe on Saturday. Formerly Diamond Queen has failed through want of stamina, but when her rider asked her for,, an effort on Saturday she responded in generous fashion, indicating that with perseverance she is now coming good. Similar mention might be made of Bizarro. At any rate now that these two horses have showed winning form it is to be hoped that it continues. Smart Sprinter Ellerslie trainer W. Kemp was enthusiastic about the chances of both King Emerald and Gold Money at Pukekohe, and prior to the day’s sport commencing he expressed to tlie writer the opinion that lie had a rare prospect of capturing the double. King Emerald let him down—fourth was his best —but it would have taken something of the Aussie calibre to have beaten Gold Money. Last for the first

couple of furlongs, the Paper Money filly was then edged up on the outside and as the field swung across the top she was in the middle of the course with five horses on the inside of her. Still very wide out as they raced round the turn it was thought the effort had been too much fox' hei\ but she smothered the opposition in the last furlong. There was not a more impressive performance l'egistered on the day, and it bears out the contention that Gold Money is one of the finest sprinters in the province. King Emerald, too, ran a very creditable race after being one of the leaders all the way, and he must be given a good chance of achieving success in the Coi'nwall Handicap, a race in which he filled second place last year.

Breeding Mix-up The mix-up in the breeding return of the A.J.C. Derby winner Pi'ince Humphrey is an unusual but it has happened before, records a Southern writer. The classic example of course was Bend Or. A great controversy raged over the breeding of this great x'acehorse, who was recorded as being by Doncaster out of Rouge Rose. Bend Or won the Dei'by in 1880, x'idden by F. Archer, after- a terrific struggle with his famous contemporary Robert the Devil, who beat him on three of the five occasions they met. A celebrated objection was lodged against Bend Or after his Derby win on the ground that he was not the Rouge Rose colt described by the Dulse of Westminster, but was the colt out of Clemence. Though it is nearly forty yeai's since the incident, the case is still a fascinating subject and it is generally held that the breeding returns were mixed and that the colt that won the Derby named Bend Or was l’eally Tadcaster by Doncaster—Clemence. The mystery was never pi'operly cleared up and Bend Or has gone down to histoi'y as by Doncaster from Rouge Rose. At Riccarton on February 4,1909, the two-year-old filly Ingoda (Stepniak—Ai'migei'a) won the Lyttelton Plate, but it was subsequently found that her breeding had been erroneously entered and under the Rules of Racing at that period she was distanced for the race. She had been confused with Zembia (Stepniak—Miss Niente), who was alio in the race in the same ownership and ran last. Ingoda, it will be remembered, won the Oaks the following season, and going to Australia became the dam of the Melbourne Cup winner King Ingoda and the maternal grand dam of Corinax. Judginc Form

The retired . city magnate turned landowner desired to have a good head gardener for his place in the country. He advertised the post and asked a friend to be present at the interviews to assist in appointing the best man. After the applicants had retired, the new v said, “I thinft we’ll have the third man. He has such an honest face.” “Face!” snorted his friend, “Let me tell you something. Choose a gardener by his trousers. If they’re worn at the knees, have him, and if they are worn at the seat, don’t.”

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