RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, Issue 17693, 6 July 1927, Page 6

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track.

FIXTURES.

Racing. July 12, 14 16'—Wellington R.C. July 21—Waimate District Hun

Club. July 23—South Canterbury Hun

Club. July 28, 30 —Gisborne R.C. July 30—Christchurch Hunt Club. Aug. 9, 11, 13—■ C.J.C. (Grand National).

Trotting. Aug. 6, 10, 12 —Metropolitan T.C

No racing in New Zealand thi: week.

The rising two-year-old Ally by Paper Money—Epitap,h, is to race as Endorse.

Handicaps for the South Canterbury Hunt meeting are due on or about Wednesday, July 13. Sunny Loch is credited with showing great promise as a hurdler, and there may be a rush to be on him if he starts at Waimate.

Arrowmir, owned by Dr. Harrison, of Otago Central, is the latest recruit to S. Trilford’s team, and is to be prepared for the Winter Cup. With only two more trotting events on the calendar, D. Withers leads M. B. Edwards for the reinsmen’s premiership by 1£ points. 1 Margaret Birney does not look up to weight, and her running at Ashburton suggested that she is’ not benefited by the winter scale and its 9.0 minimum.

In the -Otago Steeplechase Pamplona carried 12.0 and Cartoon (the winner) 10.8. In the Wellington Steeplechase Pamplona was weighted at 9.5 and Cartoon 9.4, a difference of 19Jbs in favour of Pamplona. C. Emerson did the riding for H. Nurse’s candidates at Ashburton. For two or three years past J. Beale was associated with most of the stable horses when the weights suited. Th<j Babe, a half-brother to Mainspring and Nightraid, was threatening danger to Radiac when he turned over at the last fence at Ashburton. A win in the hunters’ class should come his way within the next few weeks.

Beauty Light is not able to command much support nowadays, but a couple of seasons back the Otago Central-owned gelding won a whole string of races, and was considered class enough to start in a Birthday Handicap. Peho jumped out smartly in the Moreton Handicap at Ashburton, but was lost in the shuffle at the first turn. She was running on strongly under her 10.11 at the end, and the Winkie mare should be a good stakeearner next season.

Gaslight, like many other West Coast horses which come through the tunnel, was troublesome at the post at Ashburton. Apparently Coast horses are not trained to the flatfooted start, and their behaviour suggests that starters allow a good deal of latitude in the West.

Happy Days is now trained at New Brighton by the trotting mentor N. C. Price. At Ashburton many trotting men supported the chestnut on the strength of information, but probably after the race they realised that Happy Days is a deeper thinker than any average trainer. A northern writer is responsible for the statement that Commendation’s owner turned down an offer of 10,000 guineas for the Limond crack in the spring. The boot was on the other foot. Ten thousand guineas were asked, but the prospective buyer did not continue regotiations.

Engagement was the chief South Canterbury winner on trotting tracks this season, the Winchester mare crediting Mr J. C. South with £9OO. Author Jinks £720, Blue Thorpe £419, Menember £3BO, and Bonny Spec £3 60 were the other principal earners trained in this territory.

Logan Pointer’s memory is kept green by his progeny, who credited the defunct American sire with £23,917/10/-. Nelson Bingen is again second with £21,965/10/-, Great Audubon £15,872, and Brent Loeanda £11,571 are next oh the sires’ list for the current season. 1 Fair Exchange, who appears in the nominations for the Waimate Hunt meeting, is a mare by Cronstadt— Lady Fair. Another name will have to be found for her for racing purposes, as the name of Fair Exchange belongs officially to a rising three-year-old owned by Mr G. Gerard.

Radiac is a great jumper, but two miles is probably as far as he can go with comfort. Under a lightweight the black gelding may see out two and a half, but anything further is pretty certain to get to the bottom of his resources. He appeared to win rather comfortably at Ashburton, but he might have been pinched had The Babe been given a little more time coming to the last obstacle.

Mrs G. D. Greenwood, who has made copy for newspaper men on several occasions, told a Sydney interviewer the other day that she thought Gloaming might stand training again, and that the champion would beat a lot of horses. It is, however, R. J. Mason’s opinion that counts, and he is too shrewd a trainer to put a twelve-year-old horse into work on doubtful legs. Mrs Greenwood threatens to write a book on Gloaming.

Bad weather In Christchurch on Saturday morning kept a lot of northern people away from the Ashburton meeting, and the menacing aspect of the skies and the mud underfoot did not encourage local people to attend, but the crowd was up to the average in numbers, and the totaiisator put through £9112 for seven races, which is a long way ahead of the £10,708 handled at a two-day autumn meeting, also a wet one, in 1926. At the 1925 one-day winter meeting, the turnover was well under £IO,OOO for eight races. Considerable interest was evinced at Ashburton in the doings of D. Withers and M. B. Edwards in the harness events. Withers was leading Edwards for /the reinsmen’s premiership by lh points, and with only four events remaining on the season’s calendar, the rival drivers were naturally keen to salute the judge. Withers piloted Mavis Wood into second place in the Lyndhurst Trot, but apart from this neither he nor Edwards was in the money during the day. With only two races to go it is unlikely that Withers’s lead will be disturbed, while Edwards’ place at the head of the trainers’ competition is assured.

Twenty-seven horses won £IOOO or over on Dominion trotting courses during the season. The principal stake-earners were— Talaro £3455, Sea Pearl £3030, Great Bingen £2775, Peter Bingen £2450, and Cardinal Logan £2161. Of the twentyseven referred to, six were unhoppled trotters, who won the following amounts: — Peterwah £1640, Escapade £1540, Waikaha £1470, Money Spider £1370, Elzear £ll6O, Charles Dixie £IOBS, and Betty Moko £lOlO. Southland has made a big contribution to the entries for the South Canterbury Steeplechase, with Frenchman, Scamp, Maungamoe, Vice-Grand, Kipling, Isla Bank, Osterman and Cashman,

R. Reed states that he will be back from Australia to ride J. H. Jefferd’s horßes at Marton at the beginning of September. _ _ , The pacer Pedro Pronto left Lyt" telton on Friday last by the Moeraki on his way back to the land of his birth, via the Bluff. Piuthair is under offer to an Australian stock agency. The price, needless to state, is a good round one. It is said that H. McSweeney will steer Comical.in forthcoming events. In his recent essays the Merry Moment gelding was ridden by a novice. On Ashburton form, Ortego can be written off as a likely member of F. B. Jones’s team for Sydney. She was a bad last all the way. It is stated that at the next meeting of the New Brighton Trotting Club Great Bingen will attempt, to lower the record of 3.13 for a mile and a half, at present held by Onyx. Dick, who has never managed to get round the Riecarton fences, is not engaged in ).e Grand National Steeplechase, but the little fellow lias been nominated for the Grand. National Hurdle Race. Eight Grand National candidates —Frenchman, Charlatan, Ranui, Scamp, Vice-Grand, Cartoon, Kipling, and Radiac —figure in the entries for the South Canterbury Steeplechase at the Hunt meeting. There have been a lot of deadheats hoisted in the Dominion lately, but a decision given at a Victorian meeting must be almost unique. Four horses started in a race, and the judge declared a dead-heat between three. Viewpoint seemed to be out of lim class in the Mayfield Handicap at Ashburton on recent public form, but he looked well, and had been galloping freely, and there would have been fair support for him had he not met a mishap in his preliminary. There will be another clash this year between “the annual sessions of the Racing and Trotting Conferences, which are Convened - for Wednesday next at Wellington. It has been urged in many quarters that the Trotting Conference should alter its date, but this is unlikely to happen, as the delegates are keen to see the racing at Trentham. Charlatan and Radiac are the only < Riccarton-trained horses nominated for the Grand National Steeplechases, and it is very unlikely that the lastnamed will see the post. If the Absurd gelding can win at 31 miles over the National course there is nothing in pedigree or performance. Riccarton is not represented in the Grand National Hurdles.

G. Price left Wellington yesterday for Sydney by the Tahiti. Price stated that he still had an option on Footfall, but business was doubtful. He had nothing but praise for the condition of Limerick. “I have never seen a horse winter so well, or rna'ke such great improvement, since I saw him last,” he said. It is Price’s opinion that Limerick will be the big prize winner in'Australia next spring. Dillon Gold was educated by R. Townley, but later was given to A. Ilendriksen to train. Recently he returned to Townley’s stable, and in the hands of the Winchester mentor, showed speed and gameness in his two races at Ashburton. He looked like landing the double when he turned for home in the second trot, but had made up his ground rather hurriedly, and just failed to see the journey out.

A visitor to Sydney last month was Mr G. M. Currie, one of the most successful New Zealand has known. It was he who imported the brood mare Eulogy, who gave to the turf Pennon, Yarraldool, Humbug, Epitaph, Homage and Commendation. Mr Currie’s reply to a question was that Commendation is likely to beat Limerick when they meet fit and well over all distances. G. Price, trainer of Windbag, is of exactly the opposite opinion, and his view, is shared by practically all the racing experts in Australia. They have not seen Commendation in action, but they refuse to believe that thei’e is a better, galloper on. deck just now than Limerick. A northern writer states that the horses which C. Morse had at the Hawke’s Bay meetings, made the trip from Gisborne by motor conveyance. The practice of transporting racehorses by such means is uncommon in the Dominion, but in Sydney speci-ally-equipped motor vehicles are freely used for their conveyance. Many of the horses that go from the Dominion to Sydney are saved the walk through the busy city streets by being conveyed by these vehicles from the wharf to their quarters. It is probable that the first owner _or trainer to adopt motor conveyance in New Zealand for a racehorse was Mr Theo. Russell, who took Leaping Burn to the Grand National meeting on a motor lorry, a box being constructed to shelter the Winter Cup candidate. This action was prompted by the railway, authorities refusing to carry racehorses during a wartime “cut.” Most of the southern horses made the trip to Christchurch on foot, but the Oamaru horse was rushed up on the day nrior to the race, and his progress created a simmer of interest all along the route. Backers of the place-getters on the tote in one race at the Gosford (N.S.W.) meeting, received a shock when the dividends were posted, as each horse returned only 5/- for 5/invested. This was brought about by the large investments on the oddson favourite, Breezy, who ran third and under the new rules had to return her backers at least the amount of their investment. After this had been deducted, there was no profit for first and second. Backers of the winner voiced their opinion of the new rules in no uncertain terms. Breezy is a half-sister to Stormy, but she failed to live up to her renutation. A further tote sensation* caused over the Nui-sery Handicap. The sum of £132 was invested on the machine, and after Government ajid other percentages had been deducted £lls/10/- was left for distribution, whereas £ll6 was needed to pay each investor his 5/- back. After a long delay it was decided to pay 50 per cent., 30 per cent., and 20 per cent, respectively to the place-getters, and the dividends returned wei’e 14/-, 4/-, and 2/-.