RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18491, 5 February 1930, Page 6

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track. A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS. FIXTURES. Racing: Feb. s—Tapanui R.C. Feb. 6, B—Gisborne R.C.. Feb. 6, B—Taranaki8 —Taranaki J.C. Feb. B—Matamata R.C. Feb. 13, 15—Dunedin J.C. Feb. 13, 15—Poverty Bay Turf Club. Feb. 13, 15—Wanganui J.C. Feb. 15, 17—Rotorua R.C. Feb. 19—Clifden R.C. Feb. 19, 20—Woodville District J.C. Feb. 20—Tologa Bay J.C. Feb. 22—Canterbury J.C. Feb. 22, 24 —Dargavifie R.C. Feb. 26, 27—Gore R.C. Feb. 26, 27—Dannevirke R.C. Feb. 27—Waiapu R.C. Feb. 28, Mar. I—Marlborough R.C. Mar. I—Banks Peninsula R.C. Mar. 1, 3—Te Aroha J.C. Mar. 5, 6 —Rangitikei R.C. Mar. 7, B—Napierß—Napier Park R.C. Mar. 7, B—Cromwell J.C. Mar. B—Franklin R.C. Mar. 15, 17—Wellington R.C. Mar. 15, 17 —Ohinemuri J.C. Mar. 17 —Opunake R.C. Mar. 20—Waimate R.C. Mar. 22—Bay of Plenty J.C. Mar. 22, 24—Oamaru J.C. Mar. 26—Opotiki J.C. Mar. 26, 27 Manawatu R.C. April 3, s—Whangareis—Whangarei R.C. April 3, s—South Canterbury J.C. April 4, s—Masterton R.C. Trotting: - Feb. B —N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. Feb. 15—Wellington T.C. Feb. 22—Kaikoura T.C. Feb. 22, 24—Otahuhu T.C. Mar. 5, 6—lnvercargill T.C. Mar. B—Timaru8 —Timaru T.C. Mar. 12— Manawatu T.C. Mar. 15—New Brighton T.C. Mar. 15, 17—Hawke’s Bay T.C. Mar. 17, 18—Nelson T.C. Mar. 19—Wyndham T.C. Mar. 22—Wellington T.C. Mar. 24—South Otago T.C'. Mar. 29—Thames T.C. Mar. 29 —Cheviot T.C. Tapanui races to-day. Metropolitan Trotting Club meeting on Saturday. Mr G. McMillan has disposed of Dundas Boy. Gay Ballerina’s winnings for her Australian owner now total nearly £6OOO. Master Clarence is still suffering from a burst foot, and is not likely to race at Dunedin. H. Goldfinch has steered 36 winners since August Ist, and leads H. Gray by 8 points. H. Gray is next with 26. Nominations for the Timaru Trotting Club’s autumn meeting (March 8), are due by 9 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19. Paquito is not engaged in any handicap events on the second day at Dunedin. This that he is a possible runner in the Hazlett Cup. Marjoram, who won the Pahiatua Gold Cup, raced in Otago and Southland last spring and summer, being for a time in D. P. Wilson’s stable. The accident to C. Eastwood will probably necessitate the engagement of a new rider for Count Cavour in the Dunedin Cup. A. E. Ellis is to steer Paquito in the Dunedin Cup. ,C. Emerson has agreed to ride Glare, and E. Man6on will be on Hoylake.

Silver Paper has done little since he returned from Trentham, and it is stated that he will not go to Dunedin. His trainer, however, is always apt to change his plans. Count Cavour has started in five New Zealand Cups, and in five Auckland Cups, and his owner is said to be keen to round it off by starting the veteran in a fifth Dunedin Cup.

It is feared that E. Shaw, who is in Auckland hospital as a result of a fall from Pangolin in a hurdle race at New Year, is not likely to ride again. He has had breaks of his collarbones times almost out of number, and a fractured hip is his latest misfortune. Southern lightweights appear to be in keen demand in the North Island this season. L. J. Ellis, the Eastwood brothers, and R. Coveney all have steered a good share of winners on the other side of the Strait during recent months.

A North Island apprentice was recently engaged to ride a horse at Ashhurst, but his employer arranged for him to take the mount on another runner. The boy was fined £5 for breaking an engagement. It is not generally known that trainers can control engagements for their apprentices. In its issue, of April Bth, 1872, the “Timaru Herald” records that entries for the races closed on Saturday evening. “The course has been cleared of tussocks, etc., and men are employed in enclosing the saddling paddock, the ‘run in,’ etc.” Another paragraph stated that C. A. Haines had arrived, and had books open in the forthcoming events. Odds laid from £2O to £3.

Roi l’Or’s trip to Perth is not likely to eventuate now that the Australian championship meeting has been abandoned. The Waimate pacer showed his best speed in the opening day at Forbury, and is at the peak of his form just .now. A. Smith gets on well with the ReV de Oro gelding, who is much more reliable at the barrier than he wrg last season.

The track record of 3.21 4-5 credited to Wrackeen at Forbury is one only in name, and is not by any means the fastest time registered on the track. It is a record merely because the best heroes do not race over that distance. It is reasonable to suppose that any horse which registers 4.28 in a two-mile race does a mile and a half in 3.21 at some part of the trip. R. Alexander, who had a great success with J. J. Corry’s horses, has been appointed private trainer to Mr T. H. Lowry, and probably will train at Greenmeadows, Napier. Alexander will take over the first four two-year-olds, including Honour’s sister and the Legionnaire colt, while J. M. Cameron, under an early temporary arrangement will probably take Great Charter and Chrysology to New Plymouth next week.

Some trainers of Dunedin Cup candidates no doubt would have been pleased to see Rapier or some horse of his class nominated. This would have kept the scale of weights lower for the majority of the entrants. The handicap had to be started at 9.0, and in the absence of the cracks several horses had perforce to go up. On the other hand, owners with horse 3 near the mihimum will welcome the fact that the field has been stretched out a bit on paper.

The “Southland Times” says: “It is understood that during the recent visit to Wellington it was obvious that there was something wrong with Lucky Light. Mr Hazlett therefore had her examined by the Auckland veterinary surgeon, Dr. W. C. Ring, who found that she was suffering from a bad splint. In answer to a query as to how it would affect her, he stated that she would suffer just as does a person with neuralgia, periods of intense pain with quieter intervals and that this would make her erratic both in her behaviour and in her running. Dr. Ring supplied a prescription for a liniment, and the mare is now undergoing three weeks’ treatment for her trouble.’*

The outside of the course proper at Washdyke will be opened on Thursday and Friday mornings for the benefit of horses with engagements at Dunedin. It is expected that Roy Reed, who is to ride Nightmarch again in his Australian engagements, will steer the reigning champion in the Hazlett Cup. G. Murray Aynsley will have no horses racing at the Dunedin meeting ,next week. He has not often missed this fixture during the last thirty years.

It could not have been lack of New Zealand support that caused the Australian pacing championship in Perth to be abandoned. Peter Bingen, Jewel Pointer, Roi l’Or, and Logan Chief are understood to have been nominated. Roi l’Or was not disgraced in being beaten into fifth place at Forbury on Saturday. He was conceding Sunshowei’ 6sec., and would have had to register 4.22 to win, time which has never been approached at Forbury. T. Webster is back to the pigskin again after a lengthy enforced absence. It will be remembered t.hat he suffered serious injury when he fell on the opening day of the C.J.C. meeting at Riccarton in November. On Thursday he was riding at the Pahiatua meeting.

Mr C. O’Connor’s health so far has not permitted the operation for relief of eye trouble, but it is to be undertaken as soon as possible. This means that many clubs for whom Mr O’Connor acted as starter will have to make fresh arrangements in the meantime, possibly permanently.

The fine of £5 inflicted on John Noble’s driver for flourishing his whip was probably inflicted on principle. A photograph of the finish shows very plainly that the whip was in the air, but there was no horse near enough to be interfered with. If Praise was at her best, the Dunedin Champagne Stakes would look easy money for her, but she was decidedly off colour at Auckland, and a 101 b. penalty will give additional en-

couragement to owners of other two-year-olds to take her on. Jean McElwyn is consistent and consistently unlucky. She was second in the big race on each day at Forbury, and always seems to meet something

just “too good at the weights.” There w-as some consolation on the second day, when she was coupled with the winner.

A northern paper says: “Sub-Editor, %ith H. Gray up and 71b overweight, was expected to show up at Takapuna on Wednesday. He broke down on his job, however, and was always well in the rear of Hardwords. Probably few outside the Press gallery appreciated the result to the full. It is seldom that hard words get by the sub-editor.” An Australian owner was recently inquiring the price of Mrs Perry’s two-year-old Outward Bound, by Cape Horn (imp.)—Gold, Bound, and the price asked was 2,000 guineas. This did not lead to business. Outward Bound is a half-brother to a good one in Duo; to Ilka, another winner on the other side, and to Demagogue, who won several races.

King Ingoda, who won the Melbourne Cup in 1922, and, as a four-year old captured the Williamstown and Adelaide Cups, is to be given another trial on the turf, after a few seasons at the stud. The Comedy King horse

was one of the best stayers in Australia when in his prime, but it will be a miracle if he “comes back” at his advanced age. He is rising 12 years. Paquito, who is top-weight in the Dunedin Cup, had not won a race a year ago—it is less than 13 months, in fact, since he first appeared in public. He won the Trial Plate at Dunedin, however, and at Easter won two £IOOO handicaps at Randwick. He was second in the Epsom Handicap, second in the Metropolitan, and second in the Melbourne Cup with 8.5, giving 131 b. and a beating to Pharlap. Prickles was taken to the Wellington sales by R. W. King with the idea of selling her for breeding purposes, but no business was done under the hammer. An arrangement was, however,

made after the sale to hand her over to Mr Gaine Carrington, to be mated with Hunting Song, with a proviso that her owner, Mr W. J. Blake, is to receive the first colt foal from her by the English horse. The weights (with penalties incurred to date) for the James Hazlett Gold Cup, are: Count Cavour 9:11, Nightmarch 9.10, Glare 9.7, Latin Quarter 9.6, Royal Saxon 9.6, Meadow Lark 9.6, Taboo 9.6, Circulation 9.3, Paquito 9.1, Amor 9.1, Pink Note 9.1, Silver Paper 9.0, Wingatui 8.12, Pride 8.11, Lucky Light 8.11, Greenaway 8.7, Night Lad 8.5, Stealth 8.5, Sailing Home 8.5, Leader 8.5, Disorder 8.2, Aspiring 8.2. The presence of Nightmarch will cause a big shrinkage in the list when

acceptances are made. Silver Paper, if at the top of his form, might cause mc*st trouble to the favourite, but the Paper Money crack has not done well lately. The field may include Nightmarch, Paquito, Meadow Lark, and one or two others. When Lachham downed Silver Fern in the Tararua Hack Handicap at Pahiatua he returned his few supporters a substantial dividend, well over half a hundred, for there were only 19 tickets invested on him. A writer who penned the following after Lackham’s display at Ashhurst must have been surprised:—“When Lackham’s name appeared among the acceptors for the Siberia Hack Handicap at Ashhurst most sports imagined that an error had been made, and expected to see one of the progeny of the imported horse,” said the writer. “But Lackham, who has been doing stud duties for several seasons, was actually produced, though for what reason cannot be imagined. As might have been expected, the stallion absolutely refused to gallop, and only made himself look ridiculous.”

A writer in the Perth “Call” had the following to say about the ex-Riccar-ton horse Agrion:—“One of the bestlooking horses seen on Perth tracks for a considerable period was given an outing in the All-Aged Stakes at Ascot on New Year’s Day. Although considerably above himself in condition, the New Zealand-bred stallion, despite the fact that he had not raced for a couple of years, showed that he still knows how to use his legs by finishing fourth to Pure Blend, Prince Paladin, and Keenedge. Not only did Agrion attract by his forward running, but the manner in which he closed on the field up the straight caused keen judges to mark the son of Limond off as an early winner.” If Agrion can be got into condition, he will prove himself a cut above the majority of horses racing in the West.

Mr G. D. Greenwood’s team for the Dunedin meeting will consist of Pride, Greenaway, and Praise. P. V. Mason expects to go south with them early next week. T. H. Gillett will leave for Wingatui on Sunday night. He has Count Cavour, Amor, Leader and The Viscount engaged at the meeting, and it is probable that the quartet will make the trip. Sir George Clifford will have Disorder, Hurly Burly, Straightcourse, Waterline and Ball Dress to represent him. H. Cutts will take them south by Sunday night’s train. F. D. Jones will leave on Sunday night for Wingatui, with Paquito, Marsham, Gay Crest, Dunraven, and Coroner. G. J. Pine will take Silver Coot, Don Jose, and Noteworthy south on Monday night to represent Mr G. Gerard. A. E. Wormald has Pangolin and Ranelagh engaged, and it is probable he will take the pair to Wingatui early next week. T. Lloyd will go south early next week with Hoylake and Phastar, who will carry Dr. M. G. Louisson’s colours. F. P. Claridge will have only Troilus to represent his stable.