RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 17 March 1926, Page 7

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track. ' A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS. | Racing. | March 17 —Ohinemuri J.C. 'March 17: —Opunake 11. C. March 18 —M'ainmte 11. C. March 20—Bay of Plenty J.C. March 2U—Masterton R.C. March 20, 22—Westport J.C. March 23, 24—Oamaru J.C. March 21, 25—llangitikei lI.C. March 27—Hororata R.C. March 27 —Franklin R.C. . April 3 —Tuapeka County J.C. j April 3, s—Wairarapas—Wairarapa R.C. | April 3, s—Auckland R.C. , April 3, s—Feildings—Feilding J.C. ! April 3, s—Riverton5 —Riverton R.C. j April s—Beaumont R.C. | April s—Waipukuraus—Waipukurau J.C. I April s—lCumara5 —ICumara 'R.C. I April 5, —Canterbury J.C. I April 29, May I—S.C.1 —S.C. J.C. Trotting. ' Mwcli 17 —Wyndham T.C. March 18, 20—New Brighton T.C. ; March 27—Wellington T.C. ! April 3. 7—Metropo.itan T.C. April 24—Ashburton T.C. May G, B—Forbury Park T.C. May 22 —Oamaru T.C. ! Waimate meeting to-morrow. New Brighton trots Thursday and Saturday.. Gamecock, who won the Nelson Cup last week, is eleven years o’d. Lava ran much below form at Invercargill, and possibly requires a let up. Listening Post and Set Sail are booked to race at Riecarton at Easter. Star Stranger is very well at present, and should add th his winnings in the Great Northern St. Leger. Warhaven raced well at the Southland meeting on a short preparation, and is worth keeping in mind for future engagements. • Ravenna’s saddle split in the Southland Cup, otherwise the Dunedin mare Might have acted as runner-up to Mountain Lion.

Battle Flag, the Martian —Kinlock two-year-old who won a handicap at Wingatui, has been purchased by J. A. Hvmers, the Southland trainer, for £600.'

Three crack riders are having a great battle for the lead in the jockey’s premiership. To date C. Emerson has steered 524 winners, J. Barry 50 and R. Reed 50.

Dalmeny has been purchased by a patron of M. B. Edwards’ stable, and a two-year-old by Author Dillon from Queen’s Drive also has been transferred from B. Jarden’s stable. Kilfane was produced on the second day of the Southland meeting, but was not nearly ready and was beaten ofi. If the Sunny Lake gelding stands up to his work, hi is so low in the weights in the south, that a couple of wins folium will be easy. • Deputy stipendiary stewards have boon allotted to West Coast meetings for some time, but one of the regular officials of the Racing Conference will bo despatched to the Coast for the Easter campaign. It was not solely on the strength ot his Futurity Stakes win that the English horse Topgallant was regarded by hio connections as unbeatable, even with 10.2, in the Newmarket Handicap. On his home track at Mordialloc he ran two great trials —a half mile and five furlongs in oOlsoc. Gold Light is reported to be going well in her training tasks, and there seems to be a fair prospect that the champion mare will be sudd'ed up at some of the late autumn meetings. Listening Post was adjudged to be on the big side when lie ran at Invercargill, and some critics claimed that he was made too much use of with his big weights. The Southland champion should be in good order for his Easter campaign. Greenstone, the jumper who was trimmed into shape by P. T. Hogan at Washdyke, is showing some promise in steeplechase events in the south, and is oxpected to run prominently in forthcoming races down there. Pamplona is striding along well in work, and it is to bo hoped that this great ’chaser remains sound until the Grand Nat’onal season rolls round. T.outdirea, the flat race champion of E. ,T. Ellis’s stable, is to be put into commission again after Easter. S. August, who met with a. lot or success as a trotting trainer in 'Wellington, some months ago decided to transfer his team to Auckland, where the stakes were more attractive. The change seemed to prove fatal to a continuance of his run of good fortune., as August has failed to win a race since he moved north.

Both the races for unboppled trotters at the Timaru Trotting Club’s meeting were won by horses trained in this district. R. Townley, the Winchester mentor, accounted'for the saddle event with Engagement, and T. Wallis snatched victory in the harness race wirii Freeman. Townley has Mono well this year with free-legged horses, Bonny Spec and Kelman being other winners turned out by- him, and lie is scon to advantage in the saddle when on a rougli-ga.ited performer. Wallis has had a profitable time with Lazarus, Burii'.e, B'ue Thorpe and Freeman, and seems to have the knack of winning races with other people’s cast-offs.

Rory O’Morc, a now aspirant for distinction- at the hurdling business, is a pupil of R. C. Keeper, at Orari. Mountain Lion’s pona’ty in the AVaimatc Cup brings his weight up to 9.2, the same poundage as ho carried to victory in the raco a year ugo.

Gold Brick is reported to be shaping attractively in his work, and should prove a winner when the tracks soften up. ft. B. Berry did not pilot a winner at Washdyke last week, but his horses looked particularly well, and it will be surprising if some stake money does not. come their way before long. The injury which prevented Rosenor from racing at Invercargill apparently is not serious, as it is stated that an effort has been made to secure a rider for him inMlie Great Easter Handicap.

Nightraid is being taken up again by R. C. Keeper with a view to taking part in cross-country races later on. Another addition to the Orari trainer’s string is Exidc, a five-year-old mare by Clarence ux.

Audalion presented a bold front in the Trial Handicap at Washdyke on Salturday for a mile and a quarter. He was not showing up at the end, but lie can safely be ticked off as a probable winner in the near future.

A special passenger train is timed to leave Timaru for Waimate to-morrow at 9.40 a.m., arriving at Waimate at 10.55. The return journey will commence at 5.30, and the train is due at Timaru at 7 o’clock.

Oreum followed up her runaway victory at Woodville by collecting the chief prize at Napier Bark, and her stable mate, Phoenix Park, annexed, the main event on the second day. Mr T. H. Lowry lias no Desert Golds or Bobrikoffs to amass stage money just now, but his co'ours are at least having a winning turn again. The imported mare Ballymoy 11., who had been either very unlucky or more than a little disappointing, broko her duck bv winning a maiden scurry at Napier Park. Ballymoy 11., however, bad been flying high in Auckland, where she raced in the open sprint division, and it was not surprising that she was a raging favourite at the Park. If the " conditions are favourable. Onyx is to have a tilt at the mile and a quarter record at New Brighton on Saturday. The present record is 2.41 standing to the joint credit of Author DillcA and Our Thorpe. Both those horses ltgistercd their time under race conditions, and with a pacer and a flying start, Onyx should have no difficulty in hoisting better figures.

The 10.5 allotted to Commendation at Rangitikei has been referred to as an invitation to lr.s owner to keep him at home. This view is discounted by the fact that Joy King won last week at Napier with 10.0. In past seasons on ck two-year-olds, Rational and Mermin for .example, often succeeded under such.weights in juvenile handicaps. Last year the C.J.C. ran the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps on the same day, but this season the old custom will be reverted to, and the Easter will be run on the Monday and the Autumn on the second day. Die Sockburn Handicap has been put hack in the Monday programme, but the winner this year wilt not be liable to ai penalty in the Great Autumn. It is not uncommon to hear of trotters putting up times in trials very much better than they are handicapped on in races. There is, however, a vast difference between a run against tlie watch and the conditions encountered in races, and a striking instance of this is reported from Auckland. Ben Lomond was driven a mile in 2.10 _2-5. but could not gain a place off 2.17 in his next effort with tlie colours up.

E. W. Ellis’s stable provided the winner and runner-up in two important events in Southland lately, and on each occasion the winner was least fancied of the pair. In tlie Otautau Cup Geranial was the elect, but was beaten on the post by the little, fancied Tommy Dodd. In the Awarua Handicap at Invercargill Listening Post was well backed, but was defeated bv Geranial, who was allowed to pay a fairly lpng price. Manfred is reported to have behaved in incorrigible fashion when treated to barrier practice subsequent to his inglorious displays at Elpmington. The brown colt is now described as an “outlaw,” and it is coming home to. Australians that Rimnymedc is engaged in the A.J.C. St. Loger. One Sydney chronicler lias noted that although the Now Zealander is not a handsome horse, ho is a beautiful mover when going fast. Becky Logan’s failure in the Timaru Cu±> cost her army of backers all over Canterbury a lot of money. The favourite got a bad passage, and the pace was made such a cracker that her driver got no real opportunity to extricate the mare. To have' defeated Waitaki Girl, Becky Logan would have had to fracture 4.31 (oft a 4.35 mark), and on some occasion in the near future her supporters may be ab’e to recoup their losses without such fast time having to bo registered. It is amazing how long it takes to complete the toilet of some trotting horses. There was some excuse for the late arrival in the birdcage of some of the contestants for the opening event at Washdyke last week, as some trainers were on the special from Christchurch, which was behind time in reaching the course, but several times during the afternoon Clerk of the Course Freeman had to hustle horses out of the boxes to get them on to the track. . . Just how much more difficult it is for a horse to register say 2.15 to the mile from a hack mark than to do the same time from the front in a higher class, is evidenced by tlie computation that a horse travelling a mile and keeping 5 yards out from the rails has to cover 20 yards more than the actual distance. A horse running 10 yards out would cover 1 mile 42 yards. There is not much that the Timaru Trotting Club can do to provide better sport for its patrons, but the desirability of constructing a smaller track for trotting is emphasised at each meeting at which the big course is used. The average racegoer who is not equipped with high-grade binoculars, finds it difficult to follow the fortunes of horses in big fields, particularly at periods when the visibility is low, as it happened to be when the first race was being run on Saturday. Again m the last race a puzzle was provided for tlie minority of the onlookers. In a field of 22, no fewer than eight horses carried colours which, although variously described, were mainly combinations of different shades of rod and vcl'ow. When the field was running in a bunch round the top bend, half a dozen of these wore in the picture, though places were frequently changing in-the ruck, and it was not ■ir.til'the horses were well into the straight that tlieir positions could be distinguished by the great majority. The Washdyke track was not quite in such lightning order last Saturday as it proved to be for tlie October meeting. Probably it was a couple of seconds to the mile slower than at the spring fixture, and an overnight shower and a lighter atmosphere were required to put in in the same electric condition, but it was still unusually fast. The times registered by the winners were consistently good, and provided striking testimony to the efficacy of the methods adopted to keep the racing track in order. In the Timaru Trotting Cup Waitaki Girl clipped four st/onds off her handicap and established a record for the track, easily qualifying for the New Zealand Cup. In the Seadown Handicap Rota stopped 3.28 off a 3.33 mark; Freeman trotted in^ in 4.50 against a handicap rating of 4.53; in the Fail-lie Handicap Succession, handicapped on 4.41, arrived home in 4.33 4-5:- and Homer recorded 2.16 2-5 off 2.20 in tho mile. These horses all credited tlieir owners with wins, and first dividends. The owners of some second and third horses, however, were less fortunate, several of them reducing tlieir records by seconds without notching a win. There cannot be many faster grass tracks —or dirt tracks either —than has been available at Washdyko this season; and its condition must be accepted as a tribute to *4ie caretaker’s industry

Oreum’s win in the Napier Cup may infuse more interest into tho Great Northern Oaks, which previously luid tlie appearance of being merely a matter of health for Mandanc.

In looking for winners at Waimate to-morrow, speculators should place their reliance on smart beginners, and horses handy at the turns. A good lioiseman also counts for a good deal on this track.

The Victorian ringmen are alleged to have paid out over £60,000 as a result of tho Newmurkct-Australiun Cup double —Heroic and Filliewinkie. lliev got some of it back later in the meeting when Heroic was sent cut an odds on favourite for the Lloyd Stakes and was beaten pointless by-The Night Patrol. The triple dcad-hcat posted at Napier between Crown Gem, lioga and Tuahine was the first of the kind recorded in New Zealand for some years. A similar happening was noted a few seasons back at Trentham, the horses concerned being Borealis, Hepta and Nursing Sister. Filliewinkie is not crushed in the Sydney Cup even with 9.13. The opposition will be very much stronger in tho rich race at Randwiek than was encountered in the Australian Cup, but a horse with throe w.f.a. .successes to bis credit at F'omington in addition to an Australasian record with 9.6 up, could hardly have been allotted less than 9.12 or so. Had Piliiewinkie won the Melbourne Cup, it was understood that G. Young would have received ar bonus of £SOOO. The New Zealander mifeed that reward, but it is stated that lie was presented with £4OOO by an ' appreciative owner for his victory on Piliiewinkie in the Australian Cup. If his receipts for riding fcos and bonuses have not been overestimated, Young must have collected an amount running well into five figures in Australia this season. 'Waitaki Girl apparently lias a partiality for the S.C.J.C. course. Two years ago she won tho Timaru Handicap, and on the same day was just beaten in the mile saddle after registering 2.13 1-5 on the smaller track. The Merit of this latter performance can be gauged by the fact that the track on that particular day was not fast, tlie big two-mile race taking 4.44 to run. Apart from the great time the Harold Dillon mare was credited with, the most surprising feature of last Saturday’s race was the magnitude of the winning dividend. At her last previous start at Addington in February, she lost about 4sec at the start of a mile and a quarter race- —not altogether through her own fault —and then finished a dose fourth. On that form, allowing for lier waywardness at the barrier, she shtiukl not have been the outsider of the field in the Timaru Cup.

An incident which had some regrettable results, occurred at the Southland meeting. It is alleged that the stipendiary steward thought Los Ambus would have done better on the first day had his rider used his whip, and on the second day an official was despatched to the post to convey this intimation to the jockey. Voiglit claims that the. Solferino gelding is inclined to be faint-hearted, and goes better without the stick, and lie took his mount back to tho birdcage to consult the owner. It is stated that ho was ordered back to the post by the president of the club, :lio upshot being that Mr Cambridge announced his intention of retiring from racing and of disposing of all his horses.

The failure of Great Bingen to qualify for the final of the second distance "of the trotting championship at Perth, seems unexplainable unless the Dominion champion suffered at the start; or had become sore. The mi’e and a quarter distance, which Great Bingen won easily, seemed the one in which he was' most likely to encounter defeat. One consoling feature about the business is that the probable winner of the championship is Taraire, another Now Zealand-bred 1 horse. Points are allotted on a 42 —1 basis, and at. present Tara ire has scored 6, Great Bingen 4, and Yin Direct 2. If Great Bingen succeeds in the final test, over two miles, Tara-.i-c will only have t-0 run second to make a tie. Die Wainvite races, which now are held on the Thursday nearest to St. Patrick’s Day. 50 or 60 years ago, were a New Year fixture. The meeting is one of the oldest-established in New Zealand, and still retains something of the p-'enic air, v hieh was associated with all meetings in earlier times. Diero ip an air of freedom about the crowds at AVaimate which is not. now distinguishable at the bigger courses. but it must not be assumed that there is anything of the “bush” meeting about the gathering. The club is' one of the most progressive of its kind in the country, and almost invariably provides a pleasant day’s outing for its patrons. The meeting to bo held to-morrow promises to maintain the standard set by its predecessors. The field in the hurdle race at WaiTnat-‘. is not a strong one, and it will not be surprising to find Red Admiral and Coastguard carrying most of the money. Reonui and Moratorium are a likely-looking pair in the Trial, though Red Heather has some speed. Sun Up will probably retire from tho Cup m favour of Tarleton, who leads well, but may be bothered by the bends. Overdrawn will he one of the popular fancies, and Mountain Lion, who is at homo on tlie course, has every chance of repeating- his last year’s victory. Fresco must be given a chance on lus Peninsula Cup form, and Roman Archer is bred to go the distance. Sun Up, Dancing Days and Corn Money will set a merrv pace in the President’s, and 1 tho best of them may prove Volant’s most dangerous opponent. Frivolous is certain to be solidly supported in the Waitangi Hack, and Zaragoza has excellent prospects in the Stewards Welter. , , ' Die slick times posted at the two trotting meetings he’d at Washdy_ke this season have apparently given rise to rumours that the track may be short. There is absolutely no ground for suspicion in this respect. When 1 the big course was remodelled some years ago, it was remeasured, and the starting posts were adjusted, and times for galloping meetings have never been called into question. A year ago a hurried decision was made by the Trotting Club to race on the big course, and at- that particular meeting it might have happened that some of tlie marks were a yard or two out. Before the spring meeting, however, a resurvey was made, and the marks laid out by Mr G. A. Bridges, who gave. a. certificate that the course was correct. It can be, taken ns certain that the races were run over tlie full distance, in addition to which it may be stated that expert private timekeepers agreed with the official watchholders that Waitaki Gill went 4.27. Die increase in the totalisator turnover at tho Timaru Trotting Club’s meeting was rather unexpected. Announcements of : shrinkages in the volume of business transacted through the legal channels ■ had been so general that most people were- prepared to see a drop recorded at AVashdyke, but the total investments were over £SOO greater than at the spring meeting in October, and £I2OO in excess of tlm sum handled on the Saturday of last year’s autumn fixture, which extended over two days. These increases were registered' in spite of the tact that several large dividends were responsible for a lot of money being from general circulation, and .that the late arrival of the special train from Christchurch affected speculation oil the first race. On ail ordinary day it is probable that the grand total .w o,l ' c ‘ have exceeded £20,000. I his will be accepted as a. good sign by those who regarded the totalisator as a barometer of flic financial condition of the country.