RACING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14453, 27 May 1911, Page 4 (Supplement)

RACING.

FIXTURES, 1911. *.' ■ New Zealand. JuU'3,'s, r—Auckland Racing Club. Juno 2, 3—Dunedin Jockey Club. Juno zl, 22—Hawke's Bay Jockey •June 28, 29—Napier ParkßacingClub. Jnfc> 6, 7—Gisborne Racing Club. ■ ", , .■ ' New Zealand. '* Juua 2—Otago Steeplechase. Juno Northern Hurdle Race. Jane Northern Steeplechase. Jtjne 21—Hawke's Bay Steeplechase. - Juie 28—'Napier Steeplechase. ■ • -, ..-- Australia. • j;%;i Grand National Hurdle .'.'-sßttcej ' JWji>B—V.R.C. Grand National .',,,- Steeplechase. ■'.v. - . England. ~-Jtmo 2—3Jh© Oaka. »>;..."£"■; ..'"notes. . "' ■ '■' (By "Achilles.") ' j " THE OAMARTJ MEETING. meeting passed off very '.•Tally biife.the pleasure of the outing *Wa -soniewhat marred by a cold wind itjiich' inadc things rather chilly. The '• Jpoit was; keen and exciting, and - the fi(di must have been an easy record Wrra/ North Otago Winter meeting. TKs officials carried out their duties in fifstrate style, and Mr G. M. Proctor PjWfofiqied the secretarial duties in his -. "able and courteous manner. Mr HSriry, was very successful in concealing - jfe. Vainers, with the results that the v dividendsiwere large in.most cases. j V'Muimiira."won the Cup race quite Jhiwstjinely, in fact he seemed to be J. »ta.yirig; on better at the finish than | «nything else in the race. I .My Lawyer looked in fine fettle, and • MS.ia:: got away well, his form was . difficult to understand. lam ' 'inclined ..to tho belief that his rider riding his mount to keep M position at the four furlong post, ~ *iere.,,hfi got chopped out badly. • was one of the unWckiest contestants in the race, and jE" °adly pocketed three, furlongs frpm noine, but when she got clear she pnt inSsdme telling -work which landed : Iffir tn-thifd place. IThistTedowh ran a. sterling race, «nd amply verified my contention in fcsfc K«eks notes. He was always in ; » Bood position, bat Mumura carried to6 : many euns for him. -.Sombrero come from tho south with » food reputation, and although he was PjOininent_.in the early stages he faded nMit-birt m the last furlong. " .j'Otakelo broke Iris maiden status in *j*'rearfurlone hack flutter on the " ST 5 * ,'day, .and AlcCombe just landed ,l S n^. a after riding one of his .-; Tigorons races. ; Seaside was well siipported bv Ti-maru;-sportsmen, but he was "never / prominent,, and as he had executed a . 52°?', gallop before leaving headquar.tera .to trainer was puzried at his . Showing '\' , s.sl"MJK»>cfc''<ras rather unlnckv, otherWise he-might have changed places with " 1 n Ge »rge Gliffoi-d's celt is .rather hne. in appearance but there * powers." . or- <= "--'l*^™ 61 *'" ran "two excellent races, •ad he was turned out in fine muscular condition by W. Pine. Local sports- - niep benefited materially bv his winH's last four starts havo resmted in ihree wins and one second. .i?Wbt>y has built up wonderfullv .UW^'-.tf 8 * season, and he won the first sf.^-s.l'urSle»5 f .^- s .l' ur Sle» very.comfortably. -."=P* v r?- nt ? < > not started on the • : 2f?' s 'i?Sv : but he mad e short work of fte,field,on.t ( he second day. Mr BUcktey..secured a rare bargain when ' iifie, ?ee«red this jumper, and hois sure .?gL'-P e , iffeatly fancied for his .Bißeplechase engagement. , kT" 6O n showed greatly improved • fprm.- t second ..day, and he should .... Mvog; well by the- time the Dunediu i|»eeipe comes round. i ;?~ nlo *! ;o "- ran two good races for a ~ igyjce.at.the hurdle game, and as he • ;s«s az-aood- welter horse u'n to a mile oil ftp, flat, Ins is sure to pay his way .in,-.his ..heir, role. "... Ixe did not show up ■>%».ffl.tisfiurtorily' in the five furlong rape -on the first day. As she. did not get,too well away that mav havo been the cause of her not being closer to the - winner at the finish. genates was very sore after com-■PWSS-ip *"'» Shorte Handican, and it JS.yery, doubtful' if he will stand another preparation. '.. ;*T°.bn Runyan ran well for six fur- - be amongst -bhe winners. ',JUr_,,J Gngg's two-year-olds Amal- , ©m -and Mere, ran well in the Hack bcurnes ..and they should be useful . three^year-olds. #_. a .P riz e had been given for the Oldest horse competing at the meeting, would,, not. Kingman have been well in the running? , Coin ran two consistent races : and when he defeated Mv '- S D the nd da ? he showed jus best form -to date. As he seems to he should be t : eked off •»» possibility for coming events. . . iV GENERAL NOTES. w2i?& R a lin ? tm "ough Stepmster's • J^- m « what a e°°d horse Crosbie " -ji*- H -_s ;il *ta left Oamaru for Duu■T^J?^fc rday J Countermine. •-.-WMrhpofc and Muircoek, to fuKil ' -Glengarifii and Strayfox, tho two ■ ffi^ 1 ? 3 tie W6et - Both gave t^Sll*' a S* W - - GlsaaliS Particularly • ? uig is »nywav heavy ' Si;]?^^ 1 te « sure to run" prominently in the steeplechase P ' ;E1 Dorado showed well also, and Icrers of a. good chaser will be pleassd to see hihi showing a glimpse of his 1909 form. As he is a, splendid iuuiper he should be kept in view for this season's big cross country events. iTJie local tracks are. in remarkably ; good order for this season of the j;4ar, and on© of the contestant* at . -pa-mafa pnt- up the fastest plough . galrtp cri Tecorcl at Tiinaru before ' leaving fc*. the scene of action. ' J. Lindsay has Santa very well. This gelding is an ideal «Sit for a Hurdler, and with his pace the writer would'not be at all surprised to see him turn out more than if tried at the timber topping * business. i;ln .last week's notes I referred to tin. saying "Horses for Courses," and I -Was naturally pleased to see Obsono, Mumura and Staybov, in winning view o»"the first day at Oamaru, and Merrionia and Fauhus at AVanganui. Dotaino, who was mentioned as likelv fee run well in the Empire Handicap

successfully landed that event last Saturday from a good field. Klcctrakoff ran two oonsioteut races, and he mjist bo a factor to bo reckoned I with in tho flat events- at the Great .Northern meeting. Fort- William won the Hawke's Bay Cup very bodily at the finish, and th.e..Soult horso fairly revelled in the heavy going. If I remember right, Riitguuui won event iu good time in 1908. Master Sylvia, Expansion and The Cornet, tho trio of West Const horses competing at the recent meeting, ran very prominently, and tiheir owners havo co doubt had sufficient encouragement to warrant them coming back again next year. ■ Seven out of the fifteen horses nominated for the Steeplechase aro trained at Riverton. Good reports reach me of Honest I Tom. who ran very consistently at last National meeting. Liberty -has quite recovered from his lameness as the result of striking a fence at Riverton, and his jumping powers-should give him an excellent chaaee in the big 0tn;;o Sto2pkcha?o. Appin. who won the Century Hurdles, waj; well supported by his owner iu the last Grand National Hurdles. He must now be reproducing some of his good track work. Whakaweira is reckoned in the first flight by keen judges of hurdle racing. Torbelle. 'who was well backed,- and f»ilod_ at Wanganui, has the reputation of being a juniper above the ordinary, so we .mav reasonably look for a better performance from hhn when ho is more seasoned. C.J.C MEETING. , A SUGGESTION. Sir Bedivere, the well-known sporting writer, has the following in the Wellington "Evening Post." : The oouditions of tho text New Zealand Cup have already been advertised, and it sooms probaule, therefore, thiat the committee of tho Cautorbury Jockey Club has also decided upon the amount of added money attachable to other important events to bo run at Riccarton next November. One of these is the Welcome Stakes, tho value of which was of course determined upon nearly twelve months ago, as nominations therefor were made last September. It is again ond->.ved to the extent of 1000 sovs, and' is the mest valuable stake for which two-year-olds are eligible in tliis country. Entr.es haviag been made, the conditions of the race must, eo far as next season goes, remain unaltered. In a few months' time, however, nominations will be called for the Welcome Stakes of 1912,- and I feel that 1 am not alone in thinking the committee of our premier club might in the interim advisedly review the situation. To offer such- a'big prize for the youngest of our racehorses at such an early period in their career seenis to ho against tho best interests of racing. It may, 1 think v bo taken as an axiom that the most valuable w.f.a. ahd special weight events ought rightly to be won by the best horses. On this principle the largest stakes should surely "be competed for at such a timo as horses jf the .highest -class are meat likely to be seen at their best That time "is indubitably the autumn. By Uie first week in November when the Welcome Stakes is usually decided the best of the two-year-olds, i.e., the well-".-own ' on;s which aro likely to develop into desirale Derby and Oaks candidates, are quite immature, and in inauy instances it is treating then unjustly to call upon them to race at all. The prospect of winning a big stake induces owners to accept all risks, however, and having -had their youngsters strung up so early in the season, they continue l'« race them at Awapiihi, Feilding, Ellewlio. and other centres where g<>od prizes are to be won during the summer months, with the consequence that they retire into their winter quarters irreparably injured. But i,he natter may be regarded from another standpoint. Arnce over the Welcome Stakes course (four furlongs) does not constitute a fair test of a two-vear-okl's ability. The result may prove pn session of extreme speed and o? the knack to commence quickly. It does not, however, show. that the w : nner has stamina, and in this connection it mav he remarked that during the iiast twenty years no Welcome "Stakes winner has won the Oaks, onlv five of them have won the Canterbury Derbv, and only of them, namely. 'Danube,' i} ie Great Northern Dc-rby and St. Lege~ _ In dealing with this question, the interests of breeders have always to be considered, for unless buyers ii vearbnzs have a chance to fecoun their mitliif reasonably scon, thev may iiv: be prepared to pay big prices, and without obtaining big prices, Sieeders will not import high-class s'to-\ Bv lessoning the value of '.he AVjic.me btaies, and increasing that of th" Champagne Stakes and Ch-ihcnpe Stakes, tie Canterbury Jockev Club would not, however be likely 'to pre-" jndic-a these interests. Owners van 'd still have the opportunity to inn civic nice stoikes with "prematurely-dev sloped young thoroughbreds, and they w.-iuld .merely be placed in a similar "position to their English contempor-irics. It is, in fact, in recognition of what -apperi tains in regard to two-year-old races m Engiand -that I have so confidently made my ae-rertion. The EngVsh, racing season commences at Lincoln about, tno 14th of March, and not until tho very end of May is a single race for two-year-olds endowed with more than 200 sovs. Then comes t,.» Woodcoto Stakes of 1000 sovs, whilst : n June other thousand pounders, ic the Great Surrey Foal Stakes. Acorn Stakes, Whitsuntide Plnfc, Summer Breeders' Foal Stakes, New Stakes, and. Berkshire Foal Stakes, are annu'aiiv decided. Towards the end of June -a "still mere valuable event, in the Se.t'on Delaval Plato of 1256 sovs, is run for, but it is not until July that the biggest niums are hung up for competirii m. In the middle of July the National Breeders' Produce Stakes of 6000 sovs is decided at Sa-ndown Park. Still later in the season come- other events of 'nigh im- | rjortanco in the Irnicasliire Breeders' Prodv.ce Stakes of 2000 soy.=, the Hurst Park Foal"Plate of 150(1 soys the Prince of Waks Stakes of 200 wfs each for starters, -the Choinni-m Breeders' "Foal Plate of 12-50 sovs "at Derby, the Champagne Stakes of 30 sovs each and 1000 sovs added, at Doncister, and, finally, the Imperial Prcd.ire Plate of 3000 sovs at Hamilton Park in October and the Middle Park Plate -f SO rovs each and 1000 sovs add«l at New market. The policy of the Canterbury Jockey Club in enriching the first Swo-vcar-nld event- annually compsted for at HiVcartoh beyond those tliat come up for decision later in th-:> season, aml Avliioh are riin over lengthier d.'stiinc'es, is thus without precedent, ft has, s.) tar n= I am able to detcrmi'ie. nothing to recommend it. and .m 'iteration therein would make both :'o~ the heiifit of the turf and the best interests of owners themselves.