FROM TRACK AND STABLE

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1934, Page 4

FROM TRACK AND STABLE

ELLIS GOES TO DANNEVIRKE VANESTEP’S PROMISING FORM. ) — ■ WATERLINE FAILS IN AUSTRALIA. L. J. Ellis will be riding the first day of the Dannevirke meeting to-morrow and will then go on to Hamilton for the Waikato meeting. His mounts to-morrow include Spiral and Rust. Cottesmore in Work Again. Cottesmore, who was turned out for a spell after his return from Australia in the spring, is back in work again. His trainer (J. T. Young) has him and the two-year-old Ayresleigh on the beach at Porirua at present, but they will probably be, taken back to Trentham shortly to resume fast work. Travelling by Plane. Flying starter is rather an ambiguous term for the man who officiates at the barrier, but Mr. R. H. Skipwith, who is to start at the first day of the Dannevirke meeting at Woodville to-morrow, proposes to fulfil his engagement by aeroplane, so that he can be ■ back at Hamilton on the following day for the Waikato Racing Club’s meeting, at Te Rapa. Mr. W. C. Price, Wanganui, will dispatch the fields at Woodville on the second day. Daughter of Warstep. Vanestep, who won the principal event both days at Napier Rank, is a four-year-old mare by Weathervane from that great performer Warstep, who won among other races an Auckland Cup. Vanestep has started 14 times for eight wins and three minor placings. Most of her racing has been done in the Gisborne district. She is on the small side and may never shine under heavy imposts.

Artful. Dodger’s Handicap. After the easy manner in which Artful Dodger accounted for All Spirit, Land Tax and company in the Petre Hack Handicap on the, opening day at Wanganui he appears well placed with 8.5 in the Patiki Hack Handicap at Opunake. This son of Danilof is a much improved' hack and his form on the second day at Wanganui can be completely overlooked, as he was sideways on when the tapes went up and was hopelessly placed before the field had raced a furlong.

Failure of Waterline. For a short time after Waterline’s arrival in Australia he showed winning form, and gave indications of developing into one of the Commonwealth’s highest class handicap horses, but he suddenly lost form and met with many defeats, even in comparatively weak company. The reason' is explained by the wellknown rider W. Duncan, whose life story is being published in the Melbourne Sporting Globe. Duncan states in one of his articles: “I had a curious experience at The Dimmer’s Cup meeting in Sydney. I was riding Waterline in the Doncaster, and he was a hot favourite,. Going to- the post, however, I thought there was something wrong with him. He didn’t seem to have any life in him at all. When I kicked him along he wouldn’t seem to wake up at all. Before that I’d thought he was a good thing. He went very badly in the race, and when they took him home that night he had a temperature of 104. He had pleurisy. That, I think, is why Waterline never turned out any good afterwards. That seemed to crack him up. Of course if they’d known before what was wrong with him he would never have started. It was on Waterline that I beat Phar Lap in the C. M. Lloyd Stakes at the Australian Cup meeting of 1931. But Phar Lap was not at his best that day.” Grand National Prospects.

Writing on January 25 the News’ London correspondent had the following to say regarding the prospects for the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase:— “There has been no real pointer yet to the Aintree jumping classic. There is no competitor who stands out in any way or one that one is justified in supporting. The impression is even stronger than a year ago that Golden Miller is a “park” horse, and it may even be that he has deteriorated. The previous winner Grakle has not yet revealed his best form. Then there is Heartbreak Hill, but she cannot be judged until she reappears. She has not been on a racecourse since last April. Again, Really True, who finished second to Kellsboro’ Jack last season, has been similarly absent. He fell lame a few days before the National of 1932, and although he was got right again, one suspects that he has not been easy to train.

“I think Delaneige will prove a better horse on this occasion. He made a fine effort to take the lead in the last half mile last March, but he had not the necessary stamina, and finished fourth. It is reasonable to expect, however, that he has developed in the meantime. In a three miles race at Sandown Park a short time ago he led all the way and won in convincing style. Indeed, the form was so good that he was at once marked as a horse to remember at Aintree. Another candidate who will come into the reckoning is Alpine Hut. He

has not been able to run lately owing to a bruised leg, but . not only did he finish fifth last year, but he has since won the Valentine ’Chase over two and three-quarter miles of the Liverpool course. It is unfortunate that neither Kellsboro’ Jack nor Drintyre has been entered for the National. The former would have been sure to have commanded a deal of support.” Over a Distance.

As Arvada has been nominated for only one event, the Cup, at Opunake it would appear as though her connections are going to try-the. chestnut mare over the mile and a-quarter journey. She has won over seven furlongs three times and ran a respectable race over a mile on the opening day at Te Aroha. The difficulty will be to obtain the services of a strong rider at the weight.

Rogilla’s Good Form. . It is often erroneous to consider that because a horse can win over two miles he cannot sprint. • A good horse is good over any distance. Rogilla demonstrated this in the Denham Stakes at Randwick on Saturday when he dead-heated for first with Frimsel over six furlongs in the fast time of Im. 10s.' Rogilla failed in the last Melbourne Cup, but his latest showings indicate that he will have to be reckoned with in the Sydney and King’s Cups next month. ’ Horses for Courses.

Whakapara appears to like the Pukekohe course. The Bay of Islands meeting was held there in January and Whakapara annexed the Cup in good fashion. Since then he has raced considerably without success, but back on the Pukekohe course on Saturday he won the Franklin Cup in convincing fashion from Mungatoon and Baroscope.

Good Beginning. Chatham opened his autumn campaign on Saturday by winning the Randwick Stakes at the City Tattersall’s meeting. Despite the fact that he was having his first race since November he scored an end-to-end win, cutting out the mile in effortless fashion in Im. 365. His efforts during the autumn are likely to be confined to weight-for-age events, and provided he keeps right it is hard to see anything beating him up to a mile. Hard to Win.

Golden Hair’s great gallop over five furlongs at Hawera on Saturday morning shows that O. Cox will have the chestnut filly in good order for her Trentham engagements. It is said that her connections are contemplating starting her in the Thompon Handicap, but this would not seem likely. It would be asking a big thing of her to tackle a hard mile on her first start for nearly three months. What is more, records show that miles are very hard events for three-year-olds weighted above 7.10 or 7.11 to win. Nominated for Riccarton.

That good hack Lone Raider, who won two races in brilliant fashion at Trentham in January, has been entered for the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps at Riccarton. Though so far he has not raced beyond a mile, his connections must have had the idea that he will stay before nominating him for the mile and a-half Great Autumn. Possibly he will tackle the double. Grand Knight achieved this feat some years ago, and Rebel Song only just failed last year.