AWAPUNI NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 842, 10 December 1929, Page 12

AWAPUNI NOTES

LIKELY CANDIDATES FOR WOODVILLE DOINGS ON THE TRACKS Special to THE SUX PALMERSTON X.. Monday. Less than a fortnight ago trainers at Awapuni were being confronted vdth difficulties owing to the hardness of the tracks. However, the rain of the past week has relieved the situation, although there is now a danger of n being all too plentiful. Conditions were fair on Saturday morning for the early workers, the grass proper, which was open to fast workers. being slow without being t DO soft, but a heavy fall later left the tracks flooded for those who mad* their appearance after breakfast AH the fast work was carried out on the extreme outside of the course proper Awapuni’s quota for the opening dav at Woodville was reduced to a bare dozen on acceptance night, but there is every possibility that quite a few of those who will not figure on Wednesday coming in on the second day. Jumped Well This centre supplies three candidates for the hurdles at Woodvilli in Air Force, Aurora Borealis and Vinella. Of the trio, Aurora Borealis was the only one asked to jump on Saturday morning. M. H. Xiccol, who will be on top on the day, sending her over a round of the battens. The Dav Comet mare, who has done the major portion of her work on the roads of late, gave a clean exhibition. She might, however, require a race or two Vinella (T. Green) had Democratic (R. Reed) as a companion in a task over seven furlongs on the flat, the pair running the distance attractively in 1.35, after leaving the first threefurlongs behind in 39. Democratic, who nearly brought off a coup at Feilding —the Thurnham gelding running third in the mile and a distance event when paying over a half-century, heads only separating the trio—is down to compete over the battens on the second day of the Woodville meeting prior to going on to Hawera for the Nolan Cup. Air Force (A. McDonald) and Streamer (Bromley) were among the after-breakfast string, and they took 1.30 to negotiate the six furlongs after leaving the first three behind in 43. Streamer had the better of the argument, and should prove more than useful over the battens later on. With the departure of Blimp, who is to be trained in future at Woodville, Awapuni will now supply but the one candidate in the Bolton Handicap in Imperial Spark, and although the Crown Imperial 11. gelding has reached the veteran stage, ho is not altogether a past number. In company with Otaix-I (Reed), Imperial Spark (K. Voitre) ran a mile on the outside of the grass proper in 1.52 3-5, the former, however, appearing to hold the advantage at the finishing post, but the chestnut, who has not been up long, cried enough before the straight was reached. Otairi may figure in the Gothard Memorial on the second day. Blue Paper (A. McDonald) and Warzone (Te Thamera), two Mangarawa Handicap candidates from Mrs. McDonald’s stable, who galloped when the tracks were at their worst, ran six furlongs in 1.27 2-5. Blue Paper is rapidly coming back to proper concert pitch, and Christmas time should find the Paper Money filly giving of her best. Warzone, while she looks well, has proved a little tricky of late, and she may be accorded a spell in the near future. Improving Novices Good Acre (Reed), who made a very fair showing at his first essay with the colours up at Levin, will contest the Mangarawa Hack Handicap at Woodville. In company with the Trial Plate candidate Callamart (T. Taylor), Good Acre ran six furlongs in 1.24 2-5 when the going was comparatively good. The outingrs should do both good. A. Quinlivan’s pair, The Masher (Reed) and Pari (Eager) were accompanied by Keddar (Green) in a sevenfurlong gallop, in which The Masher and Keddar w ere together at the finish in 1.39 2-5. The trio were on terms at the end of the first half-mile, which was left behind in 56 3-5, but thereafter Pari commenced to drift, the Leighton representative not finding the going tc his liking. The Masher figures in the Whariti Handicap on Wednesday, while Pari is down to contest the Mangarawa Hack Handicap. Princess Betty and Nimble will represent the local stables in the Nursery Handicap on the opening day, Gesture, a stable companion of the latter, having been withdrawn, although the Chief Ruler—Nottava filly will come in on the second day. Her owner, Mr. A. Symes, will have Salon to carry his colours in addition to* Nimble, the former being, however, from E. Cox’s Hawera stable. After breakfast on Saturday morning Gesture, who had the worst of the weights, led Nimble at the end of three furlongs run in 41. The Lord Quex — Chancery filly is, nevertheless, showing steady improvement. Princess Betty has been doing all that has been asked of her of late. Like her companion, Tigrano, she was worked very early.

Picking Up The Pieces “Pin Picker" forwards the following story of one of his experiences on a racecourse, and it is a luck story far from being uncommon: —“I was very interested in your sporting notes on the subject of luck in yesterday’s issue, and thought it might interest yon to know that I had a similar experience as the backer of Amounis. My experience occurred at Hastings racecourse. I had backed a horse named Fera (No. 6) and stood at the rails of the outside enclosure to see the finish. It was my last £1 and I was that disappointed at what I thought was Fera’s running, that I tore my ticket into four pieces and threw them down. I was broke, and was not feeling too cheerful, when, on my way to see what the dividends were, I heard someone say No. 6 was second. My ears went up and, of course, I looked at the board, and sure eEOUgh No. 6 had been placed second. I was with a couple of friends at that moment. I told them what I had done and, of course, I was called all sorts of mugs. However, we went back to where I had torn up my ticket and found the four pieces. I handed them into the totalisator and received over a £.2 dividend. I invested the £2 on the winner of the next race (which was the last) and drew somt> . where about £ls. Jet or some suca J name, I think, it was, at least the horse belonged to Sir G. Hunter, and J. D Jnn I was the jockey."