RACE TRACK EVENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1931, Page 3

RACE TRACK EVENTS

TURF TOPICS.

(By

“Moturoa”)

Town Major did not show his best form in the Teschemaker Handicap at Timaru last Thursday. He v s a long way back in the early stages, with only Black Duke behind him. The pair finished on well, in the bunch behind the placed horses,. blit never threatened, to be in the money. Town Major looks well, and he should pay his way during the winter months.

Perle de Leon, who filled second place in the Tekapo Hurdles at the South Canterbury meeting, is the well-known North Islander by Polydamon from Perle d’Or, a sister to Golden Slipper. Perle de Leon is now trained* by P. T. Hogan at Washdyke, but is still owned in the North Island. It is a long time since he won a race. Last season he ran nine times, -being placed on five occasions. His race last Thursday was his first start of the season, so he should be capable of improvement.

One of the highest priced yearlings sold at the Sydney Easter sales was a bay colt by Silvius from Leading Lady, and. ibs breeding- is particularly interesting to New Zealanders, inasmuch as he is descended from Otterden, the dam of Martian, Boniform, Surigod and Otterform (the grand-dam of Manfred). Leading Lady is by Shepherd King from Foremost, by Multiform from Otterden, and the youngster mentioned was secured by.- Mr. E. F. Walker, of Randwick, for 550gns. Silvius was a highclass performer on the turf and defeated such horses as Amotlnis and Gothic and. ran second in the Melbourne Cup to Trivalve.

It was discovered at Timaru last week that the registered partnership between Messrs. Orbell Bros, in Carinthia, had expired on July 31' last, and had not been renewed. In the interval Carinthia has raced, and has won two very important races, the Grand National Hurdle race and the Sydenham Hurdles. Unless the Canterbury District Committee can find that the failure to continue the registration was not wilful, the owners of Carinthia will be liable for the stakes won by him, which amount to something like £l7OO. Racing. Consistently. Orby’s J Choice has• been racing consistently recently, only being twice out of a .place in 'his last eight starts. He won/the'Maiden'Stakes at Rangitikei, the Railway. Handicap at Opunake, and the Electric Hack at Stratford, while later in the day he was narrowly beaten by Corwen in the Railway Hack Handicap. Orby’s Choice is a three-year-old by Orby’s Pride from Kenilworth Maid. The latter was brought to New Zea'land from Australia by the late Mr. C. F. Mark, and was then in foal to Orby’s Pride, Orby’s Chhice being the 'result. He is now owned and trained by R. Brough at Hawera.

Praise Retired. P. V. Mason’s team of active workers has been reduced to two—Jaloux and Azalea. Praise, who has carried a doubtful leg since she won the Oaks in November, and was lame after racing at Easter, has been thrown out of commission, and will be sent ,to the stud next season. Mason is at present busy breaking in six yearlings'. Of these three were bred by Mr. G. D. Greenwood, namely, Eupator, a gelding by Pombal from Eulalie; Importance, a filly by Agrion from Egotism; and Lycidas, a gelding by Agrion from the Martian mare Lucinda. ■ Two of the remainder were purchased at Trentham, comprising Chile, a colt (brother to Agrion) by Limond from Waterwings (600gns.), and a filly, Pacify, by Limond from Makepeace (l'sogns.) The sixth youngster is a filly by Tea Tray from La Paix, bred at the Elderslie Stud on behalf of Mr. Greenwood; and ■passed in at the salcs l -at loOgns. Nomenclature.

According to the New Zealand. Referee the names of Jalldy Karo and Cyprus (the brother to Cylinder) are wrongly spelt. The former stands in the official records as Jaeldy Karo and the latter as Cypress. Regarding Jaeldy Karo it is stated that it is an Indian word .meaning to go quickly. The proper way to spell it, according to the owner, is Jalldy Karo. In writing out, the name for registration it would be possible for the loop on the first “1” to be smaller than the second, and. so look like and “e”, thus making the-first part of the name Jaeldy. ' Some years ago there was a steeplechaser named Erie, by Nassau from Mountain Dream. The name was spelt with one “e,” in accordance with the way in -which the owner wrote it when he applied for the name. Subsequently, as the result of a discussion, the owner who claimed the name admitted that he. meant to apply for Eerie (meaning weird, or a dread of seeing mountain ghosts) which made it. a very appropriate appellation, seeing the mare /was descended from Mountain Dream. However, it remained Erie, and is so in the Stud Book today. , - 1 ' An Ingenious Totalisator. The straight-out and place totalisator at Randwick which attracted the favourable attention of Mr. O.' S. Watkins, president of the New Zealand Racing Conference, is said to be • the. last word in applied mechanism. The original machine, a Sydney writer explains, provided for 42 starters, and has been divided so that 21 horses may be dealt with, straight-out or for a place. Tickets for either a win or place may be bought at any window,'the “win” pool showing ou the indicator in red, and the place in black. On a win, the pool, less charges, is divided amongst holders of winning tickets. The ! net place pool is divided into three parts if more than eight start, and into two if thfere- are more than four and less . than eight, the amounts being divided amongst backers of the placed horses. It has been felt that a place-tote would add to the interest of backing horses in New Zealand, but the cost of transforming the present machines might stop the majority of racing clubs in these hard times. In a few places its introduction would not be warranted, the size of the average fields being small, but they would not be many, and the increased revenue gained through so much money going repeatedly through the ticket windows would make - an appreciable difference in the total returns for the day and the meeting. Place Betting Advantages. All race-goers have experienced bad luck, wrapped up in all sorts of “parcels,” but the most exasperating experience is to meet with a run of hard luck “thirds.” And this is by no means uncommon. Place betting would, in most cases, give the unfortunate punter some return for “knocking at the door,” and at times his “long shot” chances would pay handsomely. To sec the benefit of a place-tote run under Randwick rules one has not far to turn. Take the Hawke’s Bay benefit .gathering at Trentham. Tunbridge, second favourite in the Hurdles (won by the 9th. favourite, Birkbeck) would have returned a portion of the coin which only went to enhance the rich return of the handful of backers of the actual winner. In the next event, the Pou-

kawa Handicap, the unlucky Lady Ronald would have rewarded her hackers handsomely, and backers of Acis in the Nursery would have had no regrets either. What the dividend. for third place on Lady Quex in the Stakes would have amounted to can well be imagined, but we; all are grateful for small mercies (which' include small dividends). A fifth favourite, The Sun, would have shared in the division of the spoil in the High-Weight, but it would have been only a trifle compared with the number who would, have breasted the third windows after the favourite. Autopay, had run such a gallant race in the open sprint. In conceding 251 b; and 141 b. to Playground and Malayan respectively, Autopay was set a tough proposition, and, as far as backers of the favourite were concerned, he might as well have been last instead of third. Then take the last race.* The public picked them as they finished: Kozan, Tea Queen and Ephialtes, sorting, them out from a field of 17, and while .backers of the first pair went home to cigars -and champagne, Ephialtes’ supporters left the course without a bean. Surely the backers of Ephialtes deserved some return, even if it only ran to a fish supper and a bottle of ale. Another Shining Light.

Followers, of Easter race results in Sydney are novv familiar with' The Dimmer, hero of. the Sydney Cup, and winner of three w.fja. races at the same meeting. George Price trained the horse once, but .unsoundness caused the turning out of what Price assessed as a likely stayer of quality. Tindall, the trainer of Mollison, also had The Dimmer, but when he struck trouble with the stipes The Dimmer had to be sold along with other good ones. I Eventually a Western Australian named Morris gdt the horse; and cup races and other important events came his way in no time. The Dimmer was not properly wound up when beaten in the Australian Cup, and when;sent along to Randwick he ivas openly voted “not much good.” But how he confounded the critics! First in the Autumn Stakes on theSaturday, he followed it up by taking the richly endowed Sydney Cup on the Monday. Then came the Cumberland Stakes and the A.J.C. Plate, beating the best in the Commonwealth, barring Phar Lap, and Morris’ cheque for stakes won during the eight , days, rgn to over £7ooo —a fine return for an 'outlay of 525 guineas. What the stable won in betting can only 'be guessed at.