Surf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 726, 27 July 1929, Page 14

Surf Notes

Promising Handicapper The Archery gelding- Amor, who proved himself a useful performer this season, is again working on the tracks after being treated to a spell. Smart Sprinter Money Order is gradually coming back to racing shape and getting through useful work. He has been operated on for throat trouble and the treatment may, as in other instances, prove a success. Hunting S'ong Youngster

The two-year-old gelding by Hunting Song—Crisis that trainer P. P. Neagle secured on behalf of a patron at the last yearling sales at Trentham, will race in the interest of a brother of Mr. P. Wall, owner-breeder of Kaiti, Kaihoro, Dissertation, Verbosity and other well-known contestants.

Hoy’s Latest The pupils of W. McKinnon have lately been increased by the arrival of Normandy and Pakitere, both of whom were sired by Arausio out of Hoy and Te Aupaki, respectively, writes “The Squire.” Normandy, who was bred and is owned by Mr. J. D. Ormond, is a half-brother to a number of shining lights in the turf world, as he includes among his half-blooded relatives, Anomaly, Penelophon, Shirley, Rigoletto, King’s Jest and Last Mark, the latter pair having been recent winners.

A Good Double A good many horses have won both the 'Wellington and Grand National Steeplechase, but only four —Gobo, Captain Jingle, Coalition and Oakleigh—have won the Trentham cross-country event and then gone on to score in the Grand National Steeples at Riccarton a month later. King’s Guard, this year’s winner of the Wellington Steeplechase, claims an engagement in the Grand National Steeplechase. Useful Galloper

Kaihoro, who has been one of the idle brigade on Mr. P. F. Wall’s property for some considerable time, has built up and thickened out as a result of the let-up, comments “The Squire.” She is shortly to be hacked about, presumably because she is getting on the lively side and later on will be put into active work. Probably that will not be the case until well on into next season. There is not much of the daughter of Lucullus and Suratura, but what there is goes full twelve inches to the foot. Size, however, always goes against a turf performer, for if they turn out satisfactorily, as Kaihoro has done, the weight lifter has to take notice, and poundage of an increased description is brought to bear. A good little one is all right when applied to equines, but a good big one is better. All Present A London writer is assured that this story of an extraordinary coincidence can be vouched for in every particular. After dinner in an officer’s mess talk veered to racing, and one officer told a story of a race meeting in the small Scottish town of Carnoustie at which one jockey was killed and another seriously injured. A member of the R.A.M.C. who happened to be present said: “That’s perfectly true. I was the doctor who attended to the men.” At this point one of the waiters who was in the room was seen to be looking flushed and greatly excited. Someone asked him the reason. “Well, sir,” he stammered, “I happen to be the jockey who was injured.” The Ugly Duckling -

On his breeding, Bratza, winner of the Footscray Steeplechase at Flemington last week, should be running in Cup company instead of trying to earn a crust over fences, says the Sydney “Sportsman.” He is by the defunct All Black from Queensborough, and is one of the ugliest horses anywhere. W r ell over seventeen hands, he is so high up that a step-ladder would be handy to climb on to him. His long coffin head looks as if it had been throAvn on to his neck and had nearly missed connecting wish it, while his body is just a conglomeration of ugly angles. He certainly isn’t any oil painting, and is the ugly duckling of the family. Old Races The Grand National Steeplechase was founded in 1876 and, strange to say, that is the only occasion when a gentleman rider won the race. On that occasion Mr. Martelli won on Loyalty. The Great Northern Steeplechase was first run in 1885, and the Wellington Steeplechase in the same year. The Wanganui Steeplechase holds the palm for longevity, as it was started in 1875. The Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase first appeared on the calendar in 1879, and cross-country racing was held in Dunedin as early as in any other place, but wasi allowed to lapse for quite a number of years. The Grand National Hurdles was first run in 1890, and preceded the Great Northern Hurdles by two years. All down through the years since 1876 the Grand National Steeplechase has held and gathered Increasing popularity, and the fact is not surprising, as the race supplies the greatest racing spectacle that can be found on the New Zealand Racing Calendar. Some very notable performances have been achieved by both horses and horsemen in the races. In bygone years some of the winners scored under big weights, but the sounder pace set nowadays makes it a more difficult task for the top-weights, and since 1898 only two winners have carried 12st or over. This year the top-weight was allotted only list, or 211 b below the maximum allowed under the conditions attached to the race. Bred to Win If any student of pedigree had been asked to pick the winner of the Victorian Grand National Steeplechase on breeding alone, he must have chosen Sandhurst. That horse is a. son of Baverstock, one of the few descendants of Panic, now at the stud. All the Panic breed were notorious for their ability to jump and to stay any distance, declares a Sydney critic. Sandhurst’s dam is by Eaton Lad, a horse whose stock have in jumping races—Palbi, Pixi Lad, Grosvenor, and others being examples. If anyone had deliberately set out to breed a jumper he could hardly have done better than combine the blood of Panic and Eaton Lad. This jumping ability of certain breeds is one of the many mysteries of horse-racing, but it is notorious all over the world. In England the stock of Ascetic all took naturally to jumping, and in Ireland, the home of jumpers, there are horses definitely earmarked as sires of steeplechasers. Though our own big jumping meeting was a bit disappointing, we have the consolation of knowing that the winner of the Grand National Steeplechase was bred in New South Wales, as was also the winner of the Grand National Hurdle race.

CONDUCTED BY "EAKLY BL'iD

Total Eclipse When Partial Eclipse spreaaeagled the field in the second division of the Hack Flat at Gisborne on Thursday, it was really a total eclipse so far as the opposition was concerned. The half-sister to Awarere was quietly fancied, and her price, well on the way to double figures, was the real surprise. Partial Eclipse has suffered no ill-effects of her easy race, and it is confidently expected in the right quarter that she will make another bold bid for victory in the last .race at Gisborne this afternoon. She has already made a quick return to ownertrainer S. G. Lindsay, who only secured a lease of the mare last week. A Bit Unlucky From privace advices received in Auckland yesterday, Princess Rain was more than a shade unlucky in her race at Gisborne on Thursday, and that she is expected to do better this afternoon in the Second Hack Flat. It was probably some consolation to the Princess Rain party that although they failed, the stake went to the other Avondale representative. Partial Eclipse. May Be Good A rising three-year-old at Ellerslie who should do good service for his owner-trainer is Tetrarchate, a threequarter brother ((by Tea Tray) to Royal Tea and Pure Tea, two horses that have gained some success on the turf. Tetrarchate is not one who can be recommended for size, though having steadily thickened during the winter, he now bears a very solid appearance.

Dunedin Suggestions A list of special resolutions to be moved at the annual meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club has come to hand. The first is a question of finance, principally concerning owners, and the second relating to the appointment of a track committee concerns both owners and tracks. A proposal to appoint patrol stewards has a lot to recom-

mend it. Patrons of Wingatui recognise that most of the interference in races takes place near the far turn, and from what can be gathered the evidence generally consists of statements made by the riders, comments “Sentinel.” Patrol stewards have long been in evidence in connection with trotting, where they have proved a valuable assistance to clean racing. There is also a proposal to change the conditions attached to the James Hazlett Gold Cup. The idea is no doubt to increase the strength of the fields by allowing two-year-olds to run. Such a change might bring in the winner of the Champagne Stakes, as they are very seldom, indeed, seen out on the second day of the meeting. It Is, however, perhaps a bit too early to run a two-year-old over seven furlongs, and it may be pointed out that the North Island Challenge Stakes, which is run a month or so later, is the first race of the season over seven furlongs for which they usually run. This race was established in 1899 and since then 17 two-year-olds have beaten the older horses in the field. There will, very naturally, be a strong reluctance to alter the conditions attached to the only weight-for-age race at Wingatui, and there is also, of course, the sentimental value attached to the race to be considered. The attractiveness of the race has to be kept, and the individual costs of the sta.ke made a secondary consideration. Anything that could increase the strength of the field is worthy of consideration, but the class must, if possible, be maintained. There are very few weight-for-age horses about in any one season, and hence some of the entries are made more through sentiment than with a hope of winning. Jt might be worth considering the idea adopted in connection with the King’s Plate, which is now a popular race in Australia. This might be termed a high-class handicap with a maximum of 9.7 and a minimum of 7.7. This margin would not crush out a good horse, and it might attract some well-performed handicappers that are not quite up to weight-for-age form. There is, of course, the danger that such a course might tend to weaken the strength of the principal handicap, but on the other hand there is also a chance of obtaining half a dozen good-class horses running at a limited handicap, which would probably achieve better results than one at weight-for-age with small penalties allowing an outstanding horse to farm a race and so kill the interest. One fact should be kept in mind, and that is that the numerical strength of a field does not necessarily mean good racing.