TURF TOPICS TERSELY TOLD

Taranaki Daily News, 29 January 1931, Page 10

TURF TOPICS TERSELY TOLD

Racing at Takapuna and Pahiatua today’ #

. After all the best stayers at Trentham were the punters. #.* * *

“Easter Tims” promises to arrive earlier than usual this year.

• « * * Grand Jury is due to return a true bill at any moment now. # • # #

s The Taranaki weights are due to riiake their ■ appearance on Monday morning. #*. * *

Nightmarch has been nominated for the Dunedin Cup and the James Hazlett Gold Cup. # * * *

Star God ran unplaced in the Tasmanian Jockey Club Cup, in which he was top-weight. * « * *

(Phar Lap is a hot favourite for the Australian Cup, but it is by no means certain that he will take on that race.

Corinax was second in the Takapuna Cup last year, Prodice beating the Australian-bred gelding by a neck. # » ♦

White Wings, who won a double at the last Takapuna spring meeting, has a double engagement for to-day, a.nd will claim respect in whichever race she takes on. > * * * *

■The last winner of the Taranaki Cup, The Hawk, ran a good race in the sprint oh the concluding day at Trentham, and there may still 'bo,a stake for the gal" lant veteran. *♦. • * Zealanda, by Leighton from Valvate and therefore a full-sister to Painted ■Screfen, the dam of Movie Star, won the Canning Purse at the Canning Park races on January 17. Zealanda was a hot favourite. # # * *

Taneriri is a great ■mud-lark, and if the going is heavy at Takapuna to-day, he will not be far away at the finish of the Zealandia Handicap. Another great mudlark at Takapuna is Maori Boy.

At the Moorefield races on January 17 the Paper Money—Rebekah filly Financial scored a runaway victory in ■ the second division of the Juvenile Handicap. Financial was backed down to a very short price. ♦ # # * The Trial Stakes at Takapuna unearthed a good performer in Honiton last year and the three-year-old Biddy’s Boy, who will be a hot favourite for to-day’s race, may start a winning sequence here. « # * * The yearling filly by Silverado from Limelight, who was passed in at Yho Trentham sale last week, has since been sold by Messrs. J. W. and L. W. Storry, of Christchurch, to Mrs. W. D. Graham.

The consistent Romeo —Agnestes gelding, Lord Romeo, won the Moorefield Mile on January 17. Lord Romeo, who was second favourite, beat Cavedweller and Magnetic in a close finish.

Puff,, by Tractor from Thistledown, was a good winner at the unregistered meetings around Sydney, but has recently raced in registered company with success. She made the pace in the Moorefield Handicap on January 17, to win by a neck at a double-figure price.

Th® world’s richest rape, th® Agua Calient® Handicap, of £28,000, will be run at Agua Caliente, Baja California, Mexico, on March 22. Although it races in Mexico* tHe Agua Caliente J. C. is purely American, This year an automatic clock lias been installed for tim■jug th® races.

It is anticipated Moonee Valley will be the first Melbourne course on which the totalisator will be used. A start has been made with some of the buildings, and unless there is- some hitch the machine will be competing against th® books for custom about the middle of August.

Promising Three-year-old. Minerva!, who was among the winners at Trentham on Saturday, is a three-year-old by Arrowsmith from Lady .Minerva, by Martian from Lady Lillian. He has a good turn of speed, and his Riccarton trainer, F. Christmas, has always had great hopes that he would develop into a useful performer. Minerval gives promise of staying, and further successes, should come his way before the end of this season.

Good For Lightweights. The success of the light-weights at Trentham was remarkable. The actual top-weiglits won only one race and gained only two second placings. True Shaft was the one winner and Hunting Cry and Meadow Lark were the two who ran second. Taking a group of the three horses at the head of the handicap in each, race the result is little improved. True Shaft is still the only winner, -but -the- list of seconds is increased to seven. The light-weights really had the. time of their lives, for there were no fewer than seven winners who were weighted at the minimum., or within five pounds of it. Arrowsmith Dead.

The stallion Arrowsmith contracted an internal complaint and died at the end of last week. Arrowsmith was bred in England in 1915 and was imported by Mr. J. N. Heslop, of Auckland, in--1919. He proved himself a high-class performer while in training, among his successes being the C.J.C. Stewards’ Handicap in 1920 under the record weight of 9.13, the Great Easter of the same year under 8.13, also the 1920 Thompson Handicap under 9.9. At the atud Arrowsmith has left some useful performers. Toxeuma is his best representative, but the majority of his progeny have been winners. His stock won 52 races and almost £9OOO in stakes last season and the tally was practically the same in the 1928-29 season. Trentham Statistics.

Honours amongst the trainers and jockcvs at the Wellington meeting were ’well distributed, the winning lists being as follows: —Trainers —H. and A. putts, J. Sullivan, and J. T. Jamieson, two each; 11. S. Greene, F. Christmas, Mrs. A. McDonald. Mrs. G. E. Bryant, D. P. Wilson, T. ‘Pritchard, J. P- Coyle, P. V. Mason, L. G. Morris, P. T. Hogan, G. Jones. R. R. McDonald, A. McAulay, P. E. Pope, S. G. Ware, L. Newman, L. Knapp, and T. G. Pollock, one each. Jockeys—A. Eastwood, R. Coveny, W. .McEwan, B. H. Morris, R. Recd, K. Voitre, two each; L. Dulieu, J. Pine. B. Brodie, IV. Broughton. It. Miles, T. Green, H. Gray, R. McTavish, L. J. Ellis, A. E. Ellis, S, Gerraiid, and H. Wiggins, one each.

The A. B. Williams string is missing in one Cylinder at present. # * * * Trentham features were soft going for horses and hard going for punters. # # # * Blacksmith is so named because on the first morning he appeared on the tracks he made a bolt. # * * * Royal Ruler has been lame since the Thames meeting and may not race at Takapuna to-day. # # * * H. Gray will ride Orapai and Easter Time in' their engagements at Takapuna. #•# • * Di«rank’s constitution is said to be by no means robust. After Ashhurst lus backers will agree with the “bust’ part of the statement. * * * * L Nominations for the Wanganui/Jockey Club’s meeting, to be held on February 19 and 21, will close to-morrow at 9 p.m. * * * * • They say that “one is horn every minute” and the adage would need to be correct after the bad spin the public have 'had this summer. e # # * At the Roseberry (N.S.W.) meeting on January 19 the New Zealand-bred pony Little Mart ran second in the 14.2 Handicap. * « * * The New Zealand-bred Vallar by Valkyrian (imp.)—-Bellacity, had a winning turn in the Flying Handicap at the Victoria 'Park meeting on January 21. # « # * The New Zealand-bred Mystic Peak, by Romeo (imp.) —Refinement, ran second in the second division of the Tooronga Handicap at Caulfield on January 17. *•* * * Engaged in the Nolan Hack Cup at Hawera is Grand Jury, who ran third in open company each day at Foxton and finished second to The Swell in the Ashhurst Cup. Grand jury has a handy impost of 7.12. # * * * Hector Gray’s win on Dulen at Trentham last week made his 50th ginning mount for the season. The Dominions premier horseman is vCell his confreres, being followed by H. N. Wiggins (28), A. E. Ellis (23), K. Voitre (23), B. H. Morris (122), H. Goldfinch (20), T. Green (19),. L. J. Ellis (19), and C. Goulsbro (15), « # * • At the Geelong Racing Club's meeting on January 21 the New Zealandbred Repast by Tea Tray (imp.)— Bebe, won the Flying Handicap; and another New- Zealand-bred one Donalbam, ran second in the Orphanage Handicap. # e * * The Elderslie-bred John Bradbury, by Paper Money (imp.)—Paphia, won the, Flying Handicap, and the Auckland-? bred Sir Luculius ran second in the Hurdle race at the Canning Park races, on January 17. * * * * Footfall, who won the Waikpuaiti Cup on January 1, has broken down and his case looks so serious, that he may not be raced again. At his best he was a good horse, a solid stayer, and he numbered a Dunedin Cup among his successes- # * ♦ . . A. McAulay returned to Riccarton from Wellington on Saturday with Nightmarch and True Shaft. They may make their next appearance at the Dunedin Cup meeting, where Nightmarch s engagements will include the Hazlett t Cup, a'race h© won last, season.

Mr. J. (Porter has made a valuable addition to the brood mares he has at Kinloch, as he has purchased Star Lady, by Demosthenes from Lady Lucy, by

'Seaton Delaval from Hilda. The mare la in foal to Nightraid. She will be mated next season with to whose sire, Martian, she produced Star Stranger and Star God, two good stayers. Gustavo’s Itinerary.

When Gustavo returned home after competing at the Auckland Racing Club's meeting, it was intended, to race him at the Dunedin Cup meeting next month, states a Christchurch exchange. Unfortunately, the leg which troubled him on the Auckland trip has not yielded to treatment so quickly as was hoped. It has therefore been decided to Mve him a spell, and he. has been sent home to Mr. J. R. McKenzie e stud farm on Yaldhurst Road, where he will be rested for a few weeks. He may then be got ready for autumn engagements, but it looks doubtful if he can be at his best by Easter. The brother to Count Cavour is likely to make a good horse, but it may be next season before he reaches his real form. Still Going Strong. Black Duke, now in his eighth year, must be considered one of the hardiest horses in training in recent years, states the Christchurch 'Press: He has contested races in many parts of the Dominion in all seasons, and on good and bad tracks, and mostly under solid weights. The 7.5 which he carried to victory in the Consolation Handicap at Trentham on Saturday must have appeared strange to him. He drew an outside marble in a, big field, .and .the coiner going out of the straight being oply about a hundred yards from the start his prospects did not look bright. He was squeezed out at the start, and was last to move off, and this was probably to his advantage, as his rider, W. Mc.Ewan, showed marked judgment in going straight for the rails, and so avoiding being carried out wide, which would ha've been inevitable if he had got away in line. At the same time he gave.the leaders an appreciable break going into the back stretch, but he then had a clear run on the outside, and gradually crept up to be in a commanding position turning for home. His finishing run and the manner in which he held off the determined challenge of First Sio-ht gained the admiration of the crowd, in ..spite of the fact that First Sight was a strong public fancy.