Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 688, 13 June 1929, Page 12

Turf Notes

CONDUCTED BY 'LAKLY BIRD

Riding At Napier R. Reed will have the mounts on Lucky Bag and Malahut in their engagements at Napier Park, if they are started at the meeting. T. Green will ride Road Hog and Vinella, while T. Metcalf will pilot Irish Court. Back Again Star Shell has returned to his old quarters as an inmate of G. New’s Awapuni stable. The Battle Eve gelding has not raced since December, but he nevertheless looks in very fair order. Incidentally, G. New is not enjoying the best of health at present. Getting On J. Hastie has added Rouex to his Awapuni team. The Ivilbroney—Lady Laddo gelding, who is now rising eight-year-old, is carrying a very robust appearance at present and some time will elapse before he is ready to race. Still Sore Tiega is still feeling the effects of the injury he received when Gala Day fell tit Wanganui and it has been deemed advisable to allow him to forgo his engagement at Napier Park. Mrs. McDonald left Palmerston North . esterday with Grand National, Calluna, Glyn Dliu, Mountain Crag and Blue Paper and will not return till following the Hawke’s Bay fixture next week. A. McDonald and P. Adams will share the riding of the team on the trip, although F. Larsen may be found on Blue Paper at Hastings. The lastnamed is an attractive youngster by Paper Money from Blue Lake. Injured Horseman

Alister McDonald (brother of the well-known horseman), who suffered injuries to his shoulder and leg when Red Bank fell with him on the opening day at Otaki, has been discharged from hospital, but lie is still confined to his bed, the leg being considerably swollen. Adding To His String In addition to the Australian Sun gelding Brilliant Light, J. P. Coyle has added a four-year-old filly by Bisogne from Sleeping Beauty, a three-year-old gelding by Acre from the same dam. and a rising four-year-old gelding by Warplane from a Sarto mare to his active string. He has also received a rising three-year-old by Quin Abbey, but he is out spelling after having been added to the list. The Tea Tray-Piraeus colt owned by Mrs. M. A. Perry and trained at Awapuni. has been accorded the cognomen of Portray. Mrs. McDonald has also received from the same owner a rising two-year-old half-brother by Cape Horn to Duo, while she will also take in hand in the near future a youngster by Cockpit from Gold Bound. The lady mentor’s team is rapidly growing.

Ready For Trentham Mister Gamp, who looks none the worse for his trip to the Great Northern meeting, was out on the tracks at Awapuni on Tuesday morning. With R. Reed in the saddle the Bronzetti gelding appeared anxious to he given his head in a task on the sand. Red Fuchsia and Locarno, who also made the trip to Ellerslie, were likewise out, but they were restricted to easy tasks. Elicit is once again among the active workers, the Elysian gelding having been working on the roads. Commendation Gallops Since making his appearance in the Awapuni Gold Cup three months ago. Commendation has been pottered about the tracks, his training activities being restricted to trotting and cantering with an occasional round at an easy pace. G. Jones is, however, now commencing to quicken the Limond gelding up and with R. Reed in the saddle at Awapuni on Tuesday morning he bowled along over a round prior to speeding up over the last half mile on the second circuit. He was a little slow to begin, the first furlong taking 15 but he got to the end of the second in 28i, and completed his full task in 54 2-5. It is intended to nominate Commendation at Wellington and Christchurch, and with the arrival of the spring he should be a vastly better borse than what he was at the beginning of the present term, when his preparation was somewhat hurried. It would bo at least pleasing to find the gelding recover something like his old form.

Soon Soars Winning a few races soon puts up the price of a gee-gee, an instance of this being the recent sale of Caterpillar, the three-year-old filly by Paper Money—Tortrix, for 750 guineas, as after her first few efforts 150 guineas would have purchased her. She has only been raced this season, and of late has come on in a most favourable fashion, as out of her last five starts she has prevailed upon four occasions. Son Of Oratress Orat.orian is the name that has been given to the yearling son of Hunting Song and Oratress. The youngster is therefore a half-brother to Oratrix, Concentrate and Oral. The baby is well connected, as his half-blooded relatives have shown out attractively in their essays on the turf, and the gets of Hunting Song are making pages of turf history in a very pronounced I fashion. Consequently, on breeding I and family performances, the future of ! Oratorian should have a favourable glint attached to it. What a Difference? There is no doubt that if Becalmed had finished first instead of second in the Canterbury (Sydney) Maiden Welter Handicap on Saturday week last, it would have meant a big difference to trainer J. E. Smedley. Becalmed is a half-sister to Stormy, and her connections rated her chances so highly that they backed her from fives right down. But Sandra proved too good for Becalmed. In the next race Smedley turned out the winner, Shekels. If Becalmed had won her race, it is safe to say to say that Shekels would have started at considerably less than the splendid odds that obtained about her at barrier rise. In this case the downfall of Becalmed meant the difference of several hundreds of pounds to Smedley. The Other Side It is strange how, when a horse hits the front at the termination of a race, the plaudits are showered upon him, irrespective of the. fact that his prior essays have been so bad that he has been adversely commented upon, writes “The Squire.” Such has been recorded in favour of Magna Charta, who won at Wingatui recently, when he scored for the first time over hurdles, as now the wheeze is being disseminated that a likely National Hurdle winner has come upon the scene. Nothing succeeds like success. However, it looks as if it was just a bit too previous to allot the recommendation to Magna Charta in regard to favourable opportunities in connection with the Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton in August. In the major number of instances it has taken a seasoned performer to succeed in the miles Grand. National Hurdle Race, and what has had to be accomplished previously : in regard to a contest of that sort | generally has to be provided for in | future coni petitions.

Jockeys’ Peregrinations L. Dulieu is making: a good recovery from the broken collarbone he received on the last day of the Great Northern meeting, and -will be in attendance at the Waverley fixture at the end of the month. IT. Goldfinch, IT. Wiggins and H. Dulieu are other Auckland jockeys expected to be riding at the meeting. No Decision Yet As yet no definite plan of action has been mapped out for Zircon, but W. Garrett has no intention of taking the 'chaser across for the £5,000 Steeplechase at Melbourne next month. Zircon’s injured near hind leg, the cause of his withdrawal from the Great Northern Hurdles, is still causing trainer Garrett some anxiety, and until sufficient progress has been made plans for the future are in abeyance. Hastings Work-Outs

The following account of Saturday’s track work at Hastings is taken from the Hawke’s Bay “Tribune”: Keen, on the plough, ran five furlongs in 1.72, the balance of the gallops taking place on the course proper. Keen has thickened out considerably of late the result, no doubt, of the jumping he was put to for a while. Shrewd decisively beat Irish Court over the same distance in 1.27 —the former, as the time suggests, was only jogging. Sylvan Dell, looking a picture, ran three furlongs nicely in 41. This filly gives the impression of being at home under winter conditions. Brown Sugar and Essential did six furlongs in 1.21 4-s—a useful gallop. The latter is coming on nicely.

Bonayron and Royal Elm, to run three-quarters of a mile in 1.23 1-5, did well for steeplechasers. The latter finished his task the better of the pair. Acervate was not good enough to fully extend Town Section over five furlongs in 1.10. Curtsey was too good for Jen over seven furlongs in 1.40. The former impressed as likely to have bettered the time recorded if asked. Tanagra (McGovern), jumping like a buck, ran once round over the hurdles comfortably in 1.46. On appearance he is a vastly improved animal. There was little difference between Arrowshot and King Manu over half a mile in 55. Alaric (Geo. Green) showed to advantage over Santiago (Weaver) in a round over the country. The former, since coming under W. Greene’s charge, has improved a lump in his jumping. Koodoo and his half-brother, Tahoma, by Hunting Song, in running four furlongs in 53i, did very fair. Mouri Rangi finished ahead of Acred over five furlongs in 1.18. The latter galloped for the first time since coming here last Easter, so under the conditions pleased. Heather Blend (A. Griffiths), Abisogne (McKay), Kingly (Rushbridge), and Nigh twitch (Weaver), ran once round over the hurdles in 1.47. Heather Blend, staying on best, finished a length in front of Abisogne, with the other pair well beaten off.

Ballyfarnon (McGovern) and Crishna (Weaver), registered 1.422 for once round over the country. Ballyfarnon was too good for his companion, finishing three or four lengths ahead, which would have been more than doubled had they gone another round. Ponjola (Tricklebank) and Bendower (Lewis) were companions in a round over the big fences, both going well. Ponjola gives the impression of being most useful in his class. Since joining up with Peter Smith’s team he has done fine. Bendower does not appear to be the horse he was last season, not carrying near as much condition for one thing.