FROM TRACK AND STABLE

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1933, Page 5

FROM TRACK AND STABLE

SPEEDMINT’S PROSPECTS KING MARCH IMPROVING.

TAVERN KNIGHT'S DEFEAT.

(By

“Hurry On.”)

The Bulls trainer A. E. Neale did not wait for the final day of the Trenthani meeting but left on the Friday for Sydney to prepare Fairway for the big spring events at Randwick. Neale had an idea of taking All Humbug across, but on his form last week he would have required. careful placing to have paid his way..

Miss Hastings Retired. After her failure at Trentham Miss Hastings will not be further persevered with as a racing proposition. She did not return to Hawke’s Bay with the other members of V. H. Collelo’s team and is to be sent to her owner’s stud. Though she won two events during the present season she cannot be said to have been a success on a racecourse. Smart Hack.

Dracula, who won two events in a day at Oamaru- recently, will make his next appearance ■at Timaru to-morrow, when he figures in the Levels Hack Handicap With 8.11. Apart from Gold Dress the opposition does not look strong and the Arrowsmith three-year-old will only have to run ■up to his Oamaru form to be prominent. Silver Ring’s Progress.

Silver Ring is bowling along-in good style at Riccarton-and .gives every indication of being:an improved horse next season.. He will in all probability be seen in .action during tho Grand National meeting next month. It was the intention of. his trainer to have given him a run.at Timaru to-monvW, but the handicapper’s assessment did not meet with his approval and the horse was not accepted for.

Did not Lose Caste. . . Though he suffered a narrow defeat by Grand Score in the; Novice Stakes on the final day at Trentham Tavern Knight did not lose caste. . He. displayed all his reputed pace but the going, beat him over. the • last 100. .yards. . The first time he is stepped out over six. furlongs when the conditions ’ are firm underfoot he is going; to lead his opponents a merry dance. .This son of Gay Shield should be good next season.

Doing Good Work. . During the last few ; weeks nothing at Ellerslie .has been getting through better. work- thah : King March. The racing he had at the Great Northern meeting served to sharpen him up very considerably and he /is going to strip a much fitter horse to-morrow, when he will, have the servioes of K. Voitre. In the past; he has. proved ' rather unreliable; and. it remains to b£. seen whether R. S. Bagby.-.has. worked, the needed improvement in him* Thurina’s Chance.

Though beaten into second place on the 1 middle day at Trentham, Thurina’s form at the meeting was very promising, and should he go to the post in the South Canterbury Steeplechase at Timaru tomorrow Ito'will receive a lot of support. The opposition looks weak and with/10.13 he is : not over-weighted. On the ■ same mark is Carinthia, the hero of the Grand National meeting of 1930, when he took top weight to victory in the hurdles.

Figures From Trentham. The track conditions were very bad at Trentham on Saturday, states the Wellington Evening Post', and it was only to be expected that there should be surprises in some of the events. Nevertheless form oh the whole worked out satisfactorily, as the fact that the average place dividend’was less than on either other day will show. The aggregate of win dividends was £lO4 8s giving an average of £l3 Is, compared with £6 15s on the first day and £lO 9s 6d on the second day; the" aggregate of place dividends was £6B, giving an average of £2 19s, compared with £3 5s 6d on the first day and £3 3s on the second day.

About April the Fifth. Last year’s English Derby winner April the Fifth, was kept in training this year with the idea of his running in two or three weight-for-age races. However, he proved difficult to train, and just before the Derby meeting in May Mr, T. Walls, who has a half-share in the horse with Mr. S. M. Macgregor, said he was unlikely to race again. He added that although April the Fifth was not to be sent to auction a private offer for him for stud purposes might be considered.

Big. Offer Made. A report has been circulated that £3OOO was offered and has been refused for the Thespin three-year-old Jonathan. If true it is certainly remarkable as Jonathan has shown'no form to justify a price like that—£looo more than was paid for Silver Scorn. In these days a horse would require to have almost a mortgage bn a race like the Melbourne Cup to be worth the figure quoted. Jonathan is certainly a promising sort but apart from running Silver Scorn to a head in the Leger at Ellerslie, and form 1 in two horse • races is often misleading, he has done nothing to suggest that he is more than a useful handicap performer. Working Well.

Speedmint has recovered from the trouble which necessitated the cancellation of his trip to Trentham and galloped well over seven furlongs at Takanini on Tuesday morning. Like nearly all the stock of her sire Catmint she relishes heavy going and is likely to be one of the favourites for the July Handicap at Ellerslie to-morrow. On her last appearance . she beat all but Seatown in the York Handicap on the concluding day of the Great Northern meeting. Trentham Horses Fail.

Trentham-trained horses did not pay a very prominent part in the meeting on that course last . week. During the three days’ racing they failed to win a single race, though four, Colossical, Lovecourt, Joie de Vai and Tunbridge, returned dividends on the place machine. Pahu, who did so well at the gathering a year ago, had only one start, in the Winter Hurdles, but at no stage of the journey did he threaten danger. Veteran’s Success.

Mosstrooper, the veteran Melbourne steeplechaser who scored in the Godfrey Watson Steeples. under 12.6 at Caulfield last Saturday, was a complete failure on the flat, never winning 1 a race in four and a half seasons, but since going over to the jumping game he has amassed stakes amounting now to £13,641. .This rising twelye-year-old son of Kenilworth has a great record in the big Victorian jumping events. He has won the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles, and he has also won the big Caulfield double—the Australian Steeples and Hurdles—twice, being successful in the Australian Hurdles. Besides his successes he has been second once and third twice in the Grand National Steeples, and third once. in. the Grand National Hurdles. His Grand Nawas

What was the Reason? One will always wonder why it was the public sent out Acervate so much better backed both ways ‘than either Omeo or Makeup, without considering Callamart or Billy Boy, in the July Steeples at Trentham on Saturday. There was nothing out of the ordinary in her two hunters’ wins at Ellerslie or her head Napier Steeples success over Revel. She did not go far, so one will never know more. The stable to which Acervate belongs has on other occasions had the public seriously flunking after big jumping events. Three years ago Mrs. A. McDonald went down to Riccarton with Comeroff, whose only previous claim to fame had been to win a hack steeples at Napier Park, and A. McDonald let the ride on Aurora Borealis go to ride him. He was backed down to third favourite, and was beaten only by Aurora Borealis, so there was good judgment behind it all. WINOOKA’S DOINGS IN U.S.A. SCRATCHING OF PILLOW FIGHT. San Francisco, July 18. The Winooka management has been offered 75 per cent, of the gate receipts and a 2500 dollars purse for a match race in Portland with Quick Away, which is considered one of the smartest horses in the west over five furlongs. The offer is under consideration. Turf followers had their first look at Winooka in a time trial to-day, and the Australian thoroughbred responded with a sprint of three furlongs in 355., and won going away by several yards from Prince Heather and Chazzan, two fairly strong horses. Winooka made considerable impression. The New Zealander Pillow Fight has been withdrawn from the Hawthorne Handicap and Gold Cup during August and will, however, participate in certain special races on the same track. HEAVY GOING AT ELLERSLIE. HURDLE AND STEEPLES WORK. Auckland, July 20. The weather was fine for training at Sllerslie. No. 1 grass was open for fast vork, while hurdles were erected on the >utside of the course proper. The iteeplechase course was also open. The ;oing was very heavy. x

On No. 1 grass, Gay Broney ran five • furlongs in lm. 7 4-55., assisted over the ■_ last half-mile by My .Money in 53 l-ss. : He finished very resolutely. > Lord Vai easily beat United over four ■ furlongs in 50 4-ss. : Irish Song ran half a mile in 53 l-ss. > Valroe beat Catpma over seven fur- ; longs, the last six taking lm. 235. Dark Marble ran half a mile in 53 3-ss. King March beat Sunny Sky over six furlongs in lm. 225., the last three taking 40s. Deputy Ruler ran three furlongs in 395. Manawhenua easily beat Gay Cockade . over a round in lm. 58 l-55., the last ; half-mile in 54 4-ss. Alpinus beat Hushing over half a mile ' in 51s. Landlubber traversed half a mile in 53 4-ss. Caliente pleased better than Love Story over five furlongs in lm. 9 4-ss. Prince of Orange did a round in 2m. 9 3-55., the last half-mile taking 54 3-ss. Kiltowyn was going better than Grand City throughout three furlongs, though the latter finished fast and was almost up with him on the post. High Grader started over four hurdles on the course proper and jumped fast and cleanly till reaching the third, which he hit, and knocked his rider out of file saddle. He was re-mounted and again started over the four, which he jumped in good style. Wee Pat, Patutahi and Mahkill were given a similar task, finishing as named. Mahkill hit the last one hard. Cruachan set out for a schooling task on the course proper, but slipped into the first and dropped his rider. He was re-mounted and jumped two fences safely. Neil and Snow Prince jumped the steeplechase fences on the flat, giving a fast display. Snow Prince twisted at the stone wall, but otherwise it was a good exhibition. Lucess and Valpeen went over a round of the big country. The former, much more experienced, showed to advantage. Valpeen shaped well. Omeo, Acervate and Wiltshire started over the fences on the flat, but after clearing the brush Wiltshire was pulled up. The others continued over the hill, finishing about on terms, though Omeo was going the easier of the pair at the finish.