FROM TRACK AND STABLE

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1931, Page 11

FROM TRACK AND STABLE

BRONZE EAGLE GOES WELL KEW PLYMOUTH’S FINE PROSPECT STRATFORD ACCEPTORS TO-NIGHT.

(By

“Hurry On.")

Ownar* and trainers are reminded tat acceptances for all events for the first day of the Stratford. Racing Clubs New Year meeting close with the secretary, Mr W. Power, at 9 o clock to-night. The Stratford telegraph office closes at S p.xn., but the telephone exchange is s on both the New Plymouth and Hawera tracks yesterday morning Indicated in no uncertain manner that SL Taranaki trainers ha?e their charges In pood form and that there is going to he some very interesting racing in New Plymouth on Saturday and Monday The class of horse racing is better’than it has been at this meeting for some years past, and everything ' noinU to some very interesting sport Seine witnessed dumng the holidays. Mot ere has come in for some solid ante-post support in the Auckland Cup, and the chestnut son of Lord Quex and Lovamatch is reported to be very fit and to b® * much improved horse this rear. Seeing that he won last year with. TA he should certainly be capable of being in the firing line on Boxing Mantle has not been giving Gold Dawn a great deal of fast work since W&verley, and the mare has thrived on this treatment and is looking big and muscular. However, she demonstrated yesterday morning that she retains all her pace by reeling off a_ fast six furlongsand doing her task m an attractive style. She has been in both the open handicaps, but will nrobably take on the Flying. Little Doubt’* recent track . e«aya dhow that the Avondale Cup winner is back in his best form. His mile on Saturday was particularly impressive and his seven furlongs ye sterday was equally so. He is engaged in the Grandstand Handicap the first day at Awapuni, and if he makes the trip is sure to ffive the opposition a whole lot of ■troimle. This son of Antagonist is a pretty good sort when he is informP Avro should play a prominent part in hurdle races at the Auckland meeting, if he is sent to Ellerslie. He is a Jod jumper, who demonstrated that he Ss back to hie best form by winning at Feildnng a few weeks ago. Azalea/who figures in the Robinson Handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday with the handy impost of 8.3, is a year-old filly by Chief Ruler from Baylock and carries the colours of Mr. G. D. Greenwood. At the recent New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton she won the Apprentices’ Handicap on the first day in easy style. She was unplaced •nthe second and third days, but on the fourth beat everything but Palace in the Stonyhurat Handicap and was considered unlucky to suffer defeat by > Sin'c© then, she has aoxie well *nd is’fully expected to pay her expenses' on the trip to ' The Hawera-trained Richfield has accepted for both the Christmas Handi- . cap and the Flying at New Plymouth ■> bn Saturday. Though his connections have not as yet given any definite indications, there seems to be a general 1 impression that the Flying is to be ■- the chestnut’s mission. ; Though nothing very serious has been ■ asked of Playground, the son of Acre is looking a very much improved horse and is getting through the tasks that iR. Johnson is giving him in a manner which suggests that his turn w not • very far away. He is engaged in the Flyinr on Saturday, and a race will do him a power of good. However, Stratford will probably see him at his best.

Bronze Eagle continues to . do. great stork at Takanini, and his mile in 142 yesterday morning shows that J. Grays charge .ia going the right way. If he ‘ ean improve as much between the Canterbury meeting and the Ellerslie one aa he did; between Wellington and Canterbury, he would be no mean opponent for Phmr Lap and should be in great form on New Year’s Day, when the Great Northern Dertiy comes up for decision. However, it is possible that he wjll have a race in the King’s Plate, one mile, on the second day of the meeting, when he will probably be opposed by Karapoti, Golden Wings and perhaps Lady Quex. If any of these three were to score a decisive win in the Railway, this mile would be full of interest. 1 Sunstar mares have done well in England this season as producers of.winners. Thirty-two have been represented by 33 winners of 47 races of the total value of £20,348. In stakee, however, first place is taken by Gainsborough mares. Five had one winner “each up to October-23, and the value of the nine races they won was £30,988. The success of the Gainsborough mares affords still another example of the value of the Hampton blood, Gainsborough being by Baynardo, by Bay Ronald, by Hampton. It is greatly to ■' -be regretted that there are so few mares I fin the Dominion- with this strain in their veins.

J Ut Majeur, winner of the Caesarewitch. last year, and the fancy of the Aga Khan when his other representative, Blenheim, won the 1930 Derby, is to go to the stud in England next year at a fee of 48gns. He is a Frenchbred horse by Ksar from Uganda, and that he should commence at such a low fee, comments “Pilot/' is proof that in England some owners of stallions recognise that owners of mares should receive consideration.

By the death in England last month of Mr. David Faber the turf lost a staunch supporter who had been connected with racing, as owner, for nearly thirty years. During recent years Mr. Faber’s interests have been mainly in racing under National Hunt rules, but there was a time when his “black jacket pink cap” was familiar to followers of the sport on the flat. His colours might well, indeed, have become truly famous on the turf, for he was at one time the owner of Polymelus, one of . the hnest racehorses and sires of all time. Mr. Faber bought polymelus for 4500 guineas from Lord Crewe, who was then a steward of the Jockey Club. Mr. Faber had Polymelus and several other of his horses sent up for sale at the Newmarket First October meeting in 1906, '4OOO guineas reserve being placed on the horse. Polymelus had not accomplished much that season, and it was not expected he would reach the reserve. The lata Mr. Sol Joel, however, was determined to buy the horse, and thereby gained a : fortune. For his new owner Polymelus won a number of good races, landing a big sum in bets for Mr. Joel and his friends when he succeeded in the Cambridgeshire. Later, he became a great success at the stud. He headed the list of winning sires in 1914, 1915, 1916, 1920 and 1921. He sired three Derby winners, Pommern, Fifinella and Humorist. Pommern also won the Two Thousand Guineas and St. Leger and Eifinella the Oaks. Another classic winner sired by him was Cinna, who w< ai the One Thousand Guineas, __