RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 2 December 1925, Page 6

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track. A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS. FIXTURES. I Racing. Dec. s—Methven R.C. Doc. 6—Taumarunui R.C. Dec. 9, 10—Woodvillo District J.C. Dec 12—Waipa R.C. Dec. 17, 19 —Dargavillo R.C. Dec. 19—Banks Peninsula R.C. Dee. 26—Waipukurau J.C. Dec. 20, 2S—Westland R.C. Dec. 26, 28—Taranaki J.C. Dec. 26, 28—Dunedin J.C. Dec. 26, 28, 29—Manawatu R.C. Dec. 26, 29, Jan, 1, 2—Auckland R.C. Dec. 31, Jan. I—Greymoutli J.C. Jan. I—Waikouaiti R.C. Jan. I—Wyhdhaml—Wyhdham R.C. Jan. 1, 2—Hawke’s Bay J.C. Jan. 1, 2—Stratford R.C. Jan. 1, 2—Marton J.C. Jan. 1, 2~-Wah-arapa R.C. Jan. 2, 4—Southland R.C. Trotting. Dec. 3, s—Forburys—Forbury Park T.C. 1 Dec. s—Waikato T.C. Dec. 12, 16—New Brighton T.C; Dec. 26 —Gore T.C.. Dec. 26 —Ashburton T.C. Dec. 26, 28—Westport T.C. Dec. 26, 28 —South Wairarapa T.C. Dec. 28, 30, 81—Auckland T.C. Dec 30—Inangaliua T.C. Deo. 30—Wmlon T.C. Jan. 1, 2—Canterbury Park T.C. Methven races at Riccarton on Saturday. Forbury Park trots to-moiTow and Saturday. Waikato Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday. A special train passed through Timaru yesterday with about 50 horses, for the Forbury Park meeting. About half a dozen more joined: the train here. •

Coch-y-bondhu had 9.7 in the Kingsdown Welter on Saturday, yet the Orari. mare set out to force the pace from the moment the starter pressed the button. '''■ .•

The Methven mooting may not be tho last to be held at Riccarton' before the New Year. There is said to be a possibility of another country club making application for permission to use the C.J.C. course.

O. E. Hooper, says an' Auckland Sr, was so disgusted with the perances of the St. Kelvin gelding, Harris, on the opening day of tlie> Otahuhu meeting, that ho gave the pacer away after the race. Advices from Woodville state that Nigger Minstrel is in work a,gairt.' Niggor Minstrel figures among / the entrants for the King’s Plate and Clifford Plate, to be run at the' Auckland Summer meeting. .. . . .

Wharncliffe shaped rather promisingly at the hurdle business last week. This is not altogether surprising, when it is remembered that he is a son of Thurnliam. ■

Eyed Ova, who ran on both days of the S.C.J.C. meeting, is a two-year-old half-brother to To Anau Dad, but at present does not possess ' the speed of liis relative.- ' He was reported to be smart, but could not foot it. with liis competitors in the Juvenile-. Handicap. Volant acquitted himself with distinct credit on his only start; at Washdyke last week. Tho best he could do was to finish third in tlj.©-. Juvenile Handicap, but ho was less -thain half a length away from the winner in the smart time of 60 4-5 —and he carried 9.13. . ;

It is usually possible to record a full share of success for South Canterbury trainers at all meetings in '. this half of the province, but at. the Timaru races last week, the home contingent lufd no luck. Four thirds—secured by Moratorium, Moorland, Blazes and’Volant—represented the placings credited to Washdyko and Orari. At tlio conclusion of the South Canterbury meeting, C. Gieseler, with 18 wins, had a big lead over , his nearest competitor in the Dominion. Many of tho races annexed by the Wingatui mentor, however, havo been of minor importance, and .measured by the amount of stakes won, several other trainers have bettor records.

Half the “rougli” riding, which caused adverse comment at AVaslidyke last, week, was due not so much to design, as to the manifest inability of the majority of the riders to'exorcise proper control of their mounts when drawing tho stick. Looking up the straight fit tho fields as they commenced tho serious business of tho last furlong, it was instructive to observe how frequently a horse becamo unbalanced as tho boy on top applied t}ie flail. Gay Queen, who wem a double at the South Canterbury .meeting, traces her descent back to tliat good mare Lady Lillian,-and through.the last-named, to one of the queens of the turf —Lady Zetland. Gay Queen nftiy never emulate the deeds of her illustrious forebears,- but she seems to have inherited some of the stoutness of fibre, and should more than pay her way. When Ma Mie —a, two-year-old filly by Martian, from Songbird’s sister Kildcc —took part in the Juveniio Handicap, at the S.C.J.O. fixture, a new racing livery was introduced to New Zealand courses. Tho colours (heliotrope and royal blue), which were recently registered by, Miss Hartley, of Albui-y, have been carried on English courses, and tho last previous wearer of tho jacket is said to have been Stephen Donoghue, the crack Old Country horseman. Zaragoza ran an excellent race in the Claremont Handicap, but she gave the impression that she is likely to do even better on a softish tra. k. If this supposition is correct, the Nassau mare should be worth keeping in mind if slie is saddled up in tho near future to race on heavy going. .Bred as she is. there is no reason, apart from possible unsoundness, why she should not be seen to advantage later on over middlo distances.

Miss Winkie was very obviously unlucky to lose on tho first day of tho Timaru meeting, and her rider came in for vigorous criticism for encountering most of tho trouble that was going in a rather rough race. Possibly it was a determination ’to avoid a similar experience on Saturday that prompted tho lad to make so much use of the mare at her second appearance. More experienced riders, however, made the same error, and two of the oldest jockeys at the meeting ruined tho chances of their mounts by mistaking the homo turn for the winning post. Some horses, like Winkic’s Best, must win all the way or not at all, but the averuga galloper cannot stand being ridden into the ground. - -

Tho expatriation of the New Zealand .’Derby winner, Runnymedo, will detract' consitjcrnbly from the Great Northern Derby and the w.f.a. events to bo decided at Ellers’ie in a few weeks’ time. Tho King John gelding defeated his throe-year-old rivals decisively enough in the Riccarton classic, but many people expected Star Stranger and Mundane to improve considerably ami to set Runnymede a much stiffor contract- in the Auckland event. It is probable that the time registered in the Derby combined with the'defeat of Rapine in the Stead Cup, prompted the high bid for ißunnymnde. It is possible that Australians will ho disappointed in Ilunnvmoilo’s appearance, fee, in spite of a lot of nice thlnevi nahl about hi in after his Derby win, be is a plainlooking, medlum-i-v."' 1 customer, hut it is galloping ability on! 'formation that makes ft goldiiui vain:,; : if ho wins riwuH no otto will worn- murk bout Jiis lack of beauty find substance.

Naughty Peter carriod lOlbs overwoight in tho Trial Handicap on Saturday.

The most promising of the green hurdlers seen out at Washdyko last week, was WharnclifTo. Pooplo whose opinion in tho matter is to be respected, incline to the view that Gloaming has run his last race. It would be difticu’t to decide which was tho unluckiest performer at Washdyke last week —Miss Winkic, Royal Despatch, or Ronald. It is imported that J. McCombe intends to retire from training, and will oiler all his horses for sale at tho end of tliis month. • It is his present intention to settle in Melbourno. Giantkilldr was never near the front in tho President’s Welter, and it looks as if the big son of San Francisco has soon his best day. Mr D. H. Roberts has purchased Jubilant from Mr G. Gould, and the handsome maro has joined F. Christmas’s stable at Riccarton.

- Red Heather was prominent until the straight was reached on the second day of tho S.C.J.C. fixture, and looks like paying his way. Chickwhcat faded out at tho finish of both his races at Washdyke. The Australian gelding has run nearly all his best races on soft going, and probably tho track was not to his liking last week.

Waikaia was one of the disappointments. of the Timaru meeting. Evidently the,horse was off colour, and lie. should not be long in demonstrating that his form was too bad to be correct.

Kapuna, tho half-brother to Reval and Jack Symons, made a fairly creditable debut at Washdyke last week, and should pick up a stake during the holiday round. : Of the five thrcc-year-olds that are still left in tho Great Northern Derby, two belong to Mr H. F. Nicoll. They are Ayr and Nantwich. The others ure William the GroiLt, Charming Pronto, and Una Dillon.

F. P. .Claridgc had two representatives at Timaru. One, Gay Queen, landed a double; tlie other, Royal Despatch, ' was credited witli a second and a third. Had Royal Despatch had the services of the same rider as liis stablemate, liis record might have been just as good.' Mr W. Baxter has purchased from Mr G! D. Greenwood, the Paper Money gelding Coupon, a half-brother to Los Ambus. Coupon will be trained by F. Claridge,- who will- also take over Kilris, formerly a member of A. Woral a Id’s team.

The New Zealand Stakes, a free-for-all event, worth 1000 so vs, to be decided over a mile at ' tho Auckland Club’s summer fixture, has attracted the entries of Machine Brick, Great Bingen/ Jack Potts, Prince Pointer, Logan Chief, Minton Derby, Onyx and Acron. •

Kitbirnie displayed considerable promise at the back end of last season, but he appears to have lost his punch. 'lt is possible that the Kilbroney gelding has 'become sick of racing, as he lias turned rather nasty at the barrier. The Auckland Trotting Cup, of 200 U sovs, lias attracted 23 entries —Great Bingen, Dean Dillon, • Jack : Potts, Prince Pointer, Logan Chief, Minton Derby, Nelson Derby, Billy Sea, Onyx, Oakhampton, Oruarangi, Don Wild, Acroii, Lady Joan, Goldman, First Carbine,,'’.Moneymaker, Gland ore. Audacious, Linden, Talaro, Blue Mountain King,. Ahurivi. The track at Washdyke provided excellent; going last week, and if any horse suffered ill effects from galloping ou it, mißoundness must have been the c'aiiSe. ' The' only possible fault that could be found with the course, was that the turn out of the straight was a bit difficult to negotiate,, owing to the ground sloping away from the rails. Possibly 'some of tho bustling which now takes place there in mile and aquarter -races, would be avoided if the distance-of the chief event was extended by half a furlong, thus giving tho field a. longer run to the turn. C. Emerson steered five winners and a second, in eleven attempts at Washdyke last week, but the numerous company of small, bettors whose slogan is back Emerson, would not haye sbowii a great profit on tho meeting. A fiat rate investment of £1 per race on tho first .day, wheri iiis biggest dividend was £2.Bs, would have returned a surplus; of £T. Four shots on, the second day would have resulted in a deficit of £1 16s, so that a flat rate backer would have been only £1 4s ahead of it on the two sessions. Backing, a jockey usually is an unprofitable pastime, but Emerson's percentage of wins is so liiglr at provincial fixtures that many people who are not armed ivith special knowledge of the game find'it an enjoyable and comparatively inexpensive way if lhdulging in a'day’s sport. There was a pretty unanimous Verdict {hat one horse was beaten at Washdyke on Thursday, owing to the — to put it mildly—inexperience of the rider. The good thing was beaten again on the concluding day, though on that occasion defeat was partly due to lack of judgment, or a mistaken sense of loyalty, on the part of the trainer. The owner of. another candidate had retained tho best jockey at the meeting to steer his horse, but, arriving at the conclusion that he had no chance of .beating the prospective favourite, volunteered to release the much-sought rider if tho other trainer eared to avail himself of the opportunity. Tlic offer was declined, possibly owing to a fear that the. fact that the star jockey was on top, would cramp the dividend. As it was the horse was backed down to "odds on —and was beaten again. There was an eruption of hot air after tho Flying Handicap on Thursday last, most of it being emitted by backers of Eaton Bells. Assertions that the Dunedin mare would have won but for interference were very wide of the mark, as Bliss Minerva was never in danger of defeat over the last furlong and a-balf. That Eaton Bells was carried towards the fence was evident, but there was always room for two or three horses inside Bliss Minerva. There wero two cases on the second day, which, while they seemed to escape general notice, probably aflectcd the placings more than the Eaton Bells incident. His Btajesty was crossed, quite innocently, but still serious'y, near the top of the straight in the Welter, and in the Farewell, another horse settled any chance —possibly only a remote one—held by Orchid, by edging in just as tlio topweight was commencing an effort to get to the front. ltunnvjncde claims engagements m the V.It.C. and A.J.C. >St. Lepers, and this may have influenced the desire of his now owner to buy him. It seems to be a popular belief that tho King John gelding will have no chance of extending Manfred in these events, but it remains to be soon whether the champion thrce-year-old of tho Commonwealth is. as good as his fervent admirers suppose. It is not so long ago that Heroic was dubbed the horse of the century; now liis boosters have little to say in his favour. Blanfrcd is described in some quarters as tho greatest three-year-old Australia has seen but he failed to win the Blelbourno Cup, a feat which was achieved runaway fashion by Ai tilloi i man. The excuse lias been offered on behalf of Manfred that his conqueror in tho Cup, AVindbag, is the greatest since Carb imo. Tins theory is discounted by the fact that AVindbag was beaten fairly and squarely on two occasions by Pi'liewinkie. At Mooneo Valley, also, Manfred was worsted by The Night Patrol, so that ho is by no means invincible, even when ho consents to leave tho mark. Naughty Peter, one of the maidens which faced the barrier for the first time last week, looks tho sort that nr'ght do well.at the jumping business. His sire, St. Petersburg, is responsib’o for Blaster Peter, and Ills dam Fanfaronade. produced among others. Ib.mbproof and Pomposo, both proficient fencer*.

P, Biddle, when ho returns to Sydney utter Easter, it: to train gallopers for Mr B, Miller, owner of AVindbag, and somo writers Imvo usHumod that this moans that tho Sydney champion will Jeavo G, Price's stable, Such n transfer, however, in highly improbable. Mr Milliti’ is omi of the biggest brooders in the State, and already bus homos with (]. I*l*loo Mill AV, Kelso, Prohiib’y Biddle will make a start on a batch of the almort innumerable youngsters Mr Millar and Ida brother broad, The price paid for Eunnyinoue, whoso future homo will bo Melbourne, was £•10(10 and a contingency running up to another thousand, The price sooinu a. good one, but the Auoklsi'ul Dolby is worth £2OOO, and it would have boon possible for ihe che.stnut to win fiSOOO at EllersJio during the next few weeks, and many owners would have been content to take a chance of winning' further honours with a horse which hc/l "! seady £-1200 to his credit, in Makes.