RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 17945, 2 May 1928, Page 17

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track.

A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS.

FIXTURES. Racing: May 4, s—Nelson J.C. May 10, 12—Egmont R.C. May 12—Ashburton County R.C. May 17, 19—Wanganui. J.C. May 26—Amberley R.C. June 2, 4—Otaki-Maori R.C. June 2,4, 6 —Dunedin J.C. June 2,4, 6; —Auckland R.C. June 16 —Napier Park R.C.' June 20—Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club. June 22, 23 —Hawke’s Bay JE. July 7—Ashburton County R.C. July 10, 12, 14—Wellington R.C. July 19—-Waimate Hunt Club. July 21—S. Canterbury Hunt Club. July 28—Christchurch Hunt Club. July 26, 28 —Gisborne R.C. Trotting: May 3, s—Forbury Park T.C. May s—Cambridge T.C. May 19 —Oamaru T.C. June 2, 4—Canterbury Park T.C. June 9—Ashburton T.C. June 23, 27 —Auckland T.C.

Nelson meeting Friday and Saturday. Forbui’y trots on Thursday and Saturday. It is reported that the Invercargill trainer J. W. Pankhurst may remove to Orari, where he will have a team of Mr G. A. Kain’s horses in his charge.

Baldowa was very tottery when saddled up for the Autumn Handicap. The Southlander has frequently displayed wonderful powers of recuperation, but it will be remarkable if his racing career can be prolonged. Practically all Thorndale’s good races have been run on hard tracks, but there was a lot of support for him in the Autumn Handicap on Saturday. He performed in the mud just as his previous record suggested he would—rather badly. Heather Doon, a four-year-old gelding out of Heather Dew, consequently closely related to Carmine, Red Gown, Heather Lad and other useful performers, may be tried out over hurdles. He is by defunct Saxby, and is trained by R. C. Keeper at Orari, for Mr J. M. Samson. King Balboa failed to win a race at Washdyke, but he did not lose any admirers. AVith Battle Colours out of the way, the Southlander -would have'- been returned an easy winner on each day, and as he showed ability to handle heavy going, he should race weir during, the winter. Fair Exchange came from a long way back to collect second money in the April Stakes, and nearly lost it after it was apparently safely in his possession. His rider eased up a trifle too soon, and F. E. Jones, on The Bailiff, sizing up the situation, was just a stride too late to regain second place. Colours which had not been out for some years were brought to light at Washdyke on Saturday, when Mainspring started in the steeplechase with black jacket and red crossed sashes. Formerly these were Mr A. G. Macdonald’s regular colours, but a few years ago he registered a purple and pink jacket and kept the red and black as second colours. King Balboa has put up a fine record since he struck form at the beginning of January. .His placings since then have been as follows: — 2,1, 3,. 1,0, 1,1, 1,1, 3,1, 0, 9,2, 2,2 i or seven wins, 4 seconds, ■wo thirds, and three times unplaced n 16 starts. He has won over dis--.ances from six furlongs to a mile md a quarter, and looks capable of Aoing further. Aberfeidy ran a patchy race in the Tekapo Hurdles, but finished so well n fourth place that backers sent him >ut at a much shorter price on the .econd day. The Quin Abbey geldng pulled them through, but his appearance after the race indicated hat his condition can be consider- i tbly improved. Aberfeidy promises :o prove a tough proposition in important jumping events later on.. Red Heather sprawled so badly in he Tekapo Hurdles on Friday that here was no reason to expect him to ■o better on Saturday. The St. 'etersburg gelding was all over the rack in the run home in his second ace, but he struggled on with treater courage than most people ■redited him with, and had Aberfeidy loing his best to win. Evidently Red leather is developing stamina, and ’0 is such a fine jumper that his respects look vastly better than hey did a few months ago. Bonatic won a double on the flat at he Marlborough meeting in March, nd just afterwards was installed avourite for the hurdle race at AVainate. He fell early in the contest, md as a result was neglected when ’.e made his next appearance—at Washdyke last week. On Saturday he looked like repeating his first day victory, but his saddle slipped at the last fence and his rider had to ease up. Bonatic is trained by E. Redmond, at one time well-known here as a rider over fences, who now dabbles in training both pacers and gallopers. Limerick was given a run in the paddock on his return from Sydney, but was so fresh that his trainer feared he might injure himself, and the champion is to be stabled and kept in gentle exercise until it is time to prepare him for another onslaught on the rich prize money at Tandwick. Limerick should be at lis best next season, and there is aothing on the Australian horizon .ikely to give him trouble. It looks o be merely a matter of health for urn to top the £40,000 mark before .e is a year older. Sir Roy must be handed a firstlass diploma for inconsistency. He von in good style at Riccarton in No-v-ember, then ran very badly at AVaslilyke a few weeks later. He did no better at Wingatui, but at AVaikouaiti scored a double success like a good horse. He followed this up with a smart win at Ashburton, but finished last at Trentham, and put his connections on the mat. He failed at Hororata, and on the first day of the Easter meeting at Riccarton, but won decisively on the following day. Coming to AVashdyke last week he was last all the way in the Timaru Cup. It is all duck or no dinner for backers of Sir Roy. Black Duke won a double at AVingatui in the spring, but his subsequent efforts were unprofitable, not to say expensive, to his connections, until he scored again at the Dunedin autumn meeting. Coming to Waimate, he landed a double, since which he has practically carried all before him. His last nine starts have resulted in eight wins and a second, his only defeat—a narrow one—-being sustained when he endeavoured to concede considerable weight to Celerity 11. Since the beginning of February, the Duke’s figures look,this way: 1,3, 1,1, 1,1, 1,2, 1,1, 1. His win at AVashdyke was his eleventh this season, putting him one up on Thorndale wljose score is 10.

It is reported that Black Duke s owner is considering a trip to Auckland with the Balboa gelding. One well-known jockey, who usually secures a lot of riding in South Canterbury, was not seen in the saddle at Washdyke last week. King Craft, who won the Palmer Handicap at Wellington in 4.44, is a three-year-old son of Colene Pointer, who is expected to be one of Author Jinks’s most formidable opponents at Forbury to-morrow. Royal Fashion won the ' Otipua Steeplechase very easily, and she was travelling nicely when she ran into bother and lost her pilot early in the Wai-iti Steeplechase. Had she been kept out of trouble she would again have made things interesting. The two big dividends at the South Canterbury meeting were returned by ex-Auckland hacks —Carinthia and Antrim Boy—now owned in Dunedin. Both had won races previously in the South Island, but they were at minor fixtures in inland Otago. Silver Coot was brought to Washdyke, but was not started owing to the state of the track. Some of the horses which did race went so badly in the heavy going that it would have been cheaper to have kept them in their boxes. Aberfeldy has been nominated for the two Great Northerns. There is a vast difference between winning the Pukaki Hurdles and the big Auckland events, but the Quin Abbey gelding is such a promising sort that it would not be safe to pronounce any race beyond him. Scion, who won the New Zealand and Auckland Cups in 1922, has not scored for a long time. He should succeed over hurdles soon, however, as he finished second on the first day of the S.C.J.C. meeting, and was going well on Saturday when he was checked by a tiring horse going back on him at a critical stage. The connections of Carnot were fined £1 on each day of the S.C.J.C. meeting for using, wrong colours. The correct jacket was not returned by a rider-who steered Carnot at West Coast meetings, and in-cases of this kind it seems that ...there should be some penalty inflicted on the jockey rather than the owner. Pluto is coming into favour for the chief event at Forbury. The Tinwald pacer registered 4.30 3-5 on a very fast track at Ashburton, arid is ham dicapped on 4.30. Author Jinks, on 4.28, stepped 4.27 at Addington after losing a couple of seconds at the start, and if he leaves the mark promptly, he should hold Pluto safe. Limerick had not much, to spare

when he won the King’s Plate at Randwick, and McCarten was adversely criticised for keeping the champion so far back in the early and middle stages of the race. It transpires, however, that the Limond gelding, got his tongue over the bit early in the race, and this did not assist his rider.

The remodelling of the Oamaru ■ racecourse is well under way; and it is intended to commence the transfer ' of buildings from the Trotting Club’s property immediately after the winter meeting this month.. The new tracks and appointments will 'be brought into use at the October fixtures of the Jockey Club and Trotting Club. The Timaru Cup journey was too lengthy for Gay Sonnet, but the Washdyke mare can run a merry mile, and is still better at seven furlongs. About the middle of the summer she gave the impression that a spell would benefit her, but at present she is in great buckle, and as she is equally at home on hard or heavy tracks, she may add to her winnings before the season ends. It is reported that the case presented by the Trotting Association against F. G. Holmes, was based largely on generalities, and that this was the reason for the driver’s appeal being sustained. Three specific cases of breaches of the rules were mentioned, but on each of these, it is stated, Holmes had been exonerated by the stewards, and the findings had been endorsed by the Association. Battle Colours was the star performer at Washdyke last week, annexing the chief stake on each day in very decisive fashion. He made short work of the opposition in the Timaru Cup, and although it took him rather longer to dispose of King Balboa in the Autumn Handicap, he eventually won with a good deal in reserve. Battle Colours comes from a strain which improves with age, . and he might go a long way-next season. He can sprint and stay, and all tracks seem to come alike to him.

It is not often that a horse makes such a noise as did Scoff when parading in the birdcage prior to the Electric Stakes. It was not a good day for a broken-winded horse, but Scoff roared in unmistakable fashion even when walking, and it will be surprising if he meets with much success during the next few months. It was, perhaps, just as well Scoff developed staggers and was withdrawn, as many people who had seen him race under fine weather conditions, would have wasted their money on him.

Some Sydney doctors have advanced an explanation—or theory—to account for Trivalve’s downfall at Randwick. They claim that he has contracted the mysterious disease known as acromelogy, which settled Artilleryman, and that he will be dead within a year. This disease causes physical development in an abnormal degree, but saps vitality, both physical and mental. One of the medicos claims to have backed Yalamita heavily when the latter defeated Trivalve in the Cumberland Stakes as a result of his diagnosis of the Derby winner’s ailment. Charmilla, the dam of Malmsey, at one time held the six furlongs record for New Zealand. Her daughter can go fast, but is not such a slick beginner as Charmilla, and usually has a good deal of ground to make up from the home turn. Malmsey was travelling fast in third place at the end of five furlongs in the Electric Stakes, and with another furlong to go justified backers’ estimate by winning the April Stakes. C. Emerson steered her when she won, and had he been available in the Temuka Handicap, instead of an apprentice, Malmsey would probably hdve reversed places with Puff. On paper, Loiterer looked a certainty for the trial race at the Wellington Trotting Club’s meeting. When lie ran Delightful to a neck at Ashburton, O. E. Hooper’s gelding broke 3.30, and at. Wellington he was handicapped on 3.2 for a mile and a quarter, giving him nine or ten sceonds the best of it so far as the limit was concerned. Loiterer duly won. Another horse which had something up his sleeve, was Binscartli, who bettered 4.3 4 when he finished fourth at Addington, and was on 4.42 at Wellington. Binscarth did not start, but ran unplaced in a shorter race earlier in the day. Considerable interest attached to the debut of Wharncliffe as a ’chaser. The Grand National Hurdles winner is such a fine jumper over the battens that it seemed certain he would acquit himself satisfactorily over country if schooled for the task. In the Wai-iti Steeplechase on Saturday he was not allowed to go with the field in the early stages, his rider apparently having instructions to give him plenty of time to settle down. Wharncliffe jumped very big over the first few fences, and was a

long way from the leaders at the end of a mile. With six furlongs to go he was sent along, and was overhauling the dividend-payers very fast at the end. It will be surprising if he fails ,to earn distinction as a steeplechaser. He should have been a winner on Saturday after Royal Fashion had come to grief.