RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18497, 19 February 1930, Page 13

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track. A BUDGET OP NEWS AND VIEWS. FIXTURES. Racing: 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—Dargaville R.C. Feb. 26, 27—Gore R.C. Feb. 26, 27—Dannevirke R.C. Feb. 27—Waiapu R.C. Feb. 23, Mar. I—Marlboroughl—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—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—Whangarei R.C. April 3, s—South Canterbury J.C. April 4, s—Masterton R.C. Trotting: Feb. 22—Kaikoura T.C. Feb. 22, 24—Otahuhn T.C. Mar. 5, 6 —lnvercargill T.C. Mar. B—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.

Woodville races to-day and to-mor-row.

C.J.C. summer fixture on Saturday. The Otahuhu Trotting Club’s meeting is listed fo open on Saturday. Nominations for the Timaru Trotting Club's autumn meeting are due at 9 p.m. to-day. Rin Tin Tin, Waving Corn, Celerity 11. and Compensation may be mentioned as horses which reserve their best form for Wingatui.

Hoylake changed his mind very suddenly in the Dunedin Cup. The erratic Englishman was going in great style half a mile from home when he decided that he had had enough. Mr A. C. Mills, who was credited with three races at Dunedin, has not many horses, but he patronises three trainers—one at Washdyke and two in Southland.

J. Barry, who was injured in the smash-up on the first day of the Taranaki meeting, cracked two ribs, and was very badly bruised. He expects to be fit enough to resume riding at the Rangitikei meeting. Southland stables came into their own at Dunedin last week. In addition to winning the Cup with Queen Balboa, they scored on the second day with Rin Tin Tin, Gayoma, Full Fling and Charmaine.

Mr C. G. Dalgety has decided to dispose of all his horses, and retire from racing after Easter. The brood mares to be offered include Stardancer, Warstep, Limelight, Warlove and Paperchase.

Rosy Morn acquitted herself handsomely in a gallop on the eve of the Dunedin meeting, but went amiss just afterwards and was not able to start on either day. There would have been solid support for her.

Waving Corn raced badly at Waikouaiti, but she had been galloping in great style just prior to the Dunedin meeting, and her connections were surprised at the magnitude of the price she returned.

It was stated that Kapuna broke a bone in his shoulder when he fell in the second hurdle race at Dunedin. This will be unfortunate if it proves to be correct, as the Arowhenua-owned jumper would have been good property when the steeplechase season rolls round.

The death last week of Mr J. Farrell removes one of the most enthusiastic trotting men in a trotting province. His interest in the sport commenced in Geraldine, where he and his brother were prominent in the sport. He achieved greatest success with the descendants of the mare Ruahine.

T. Green’s profitable ride on Queen Balboa in the Dunedin Cup was obtained as a result of a combination of circumstances. Had Pride been a starter, Green would have been required for the Riccarton mare; and had L. J. Ellis not injured a foot at Tapa* nui, there would have been no demand for Green.

The Riccarton jockey, C. Eastwood, who was thrown from his horse during a preliminary at the Takapuna races on Anniversary Day, is now reported by the Auckland Hospijal authorities to be making slight but steady improvement. He received severe injuries to the head and was unconscious fpr a long period. The mount on Waving Corn in the Publicans’ Handicap was offered to the northern jockey E. Manson, who did not feel inclined to waste to make the required weight. The Orari featherweight apprentice L. Woolford was put up, and emerged with distinct credit. Waving Corn gave less trouble than usual at the barrier, got away well, and won after a fine contest.

The accident which kept L. J. Ellis out of the saddle at Dunedin looked as if it might prove awkward for his brothers, who had horses engaged at the meeting. It was fortunate for the trainers in the family that the North Island riders R. Reed and T. Green were available. Green secured a chance ride on the winner of the Dunedin Cup and Reed obtained a winning mount on Quinopal. When Meadow Lark started in the Flying Handicap on the second day at Dunedin, there is no doubt that a good many pounds were invested on him by people who look for omens, and back horses which are left off the card or out of the papers. The crack sprinter’s name was missing from the list of handicaps published in the Dunedin morning paper. This left Royal Saxon 8.9 apparently at the top of the weights, which would have been a transgression of the Rules of Racing, which enact that all handicaps except for two-year-olds must commence at not lower than 9.0. Meadow Lark did not win, but he returned a dividend. Pangolin left a host of backers lamenting at Dunedin on Cup day. The Panmure gelding has been boomed as a coming champion since he won three races in the spring, but his claim to fame rests on a rather flimsy foundation. He won at his first attempt over hurdles at Geraldine, and went on to win twice at Riccarton. On the last day of the New Zealand Cup meeting he was credited with establishing a world’s time record, and it is probably on this account that he has been rated so highly. It has perhaps been overlooked that in this race Carinthia was conceding 41b to Pangolin, and was only a neck behind him at the finish. Nobody has attempted to boost Carinthia into the select class, and on spring form there was very little between the pair. Pangolin is a better hurdler than his Dunedin running might suggest, but at present he is a long way removed from top class.

Nightmarch is booked to leave for Sydney next week. Disorder is suffering with a poisoned leg, and is not likely to run again this season. The Christchurch-owned rpare Native Queen is now in D. Taehen’s stable at Pleasant Point. The Seadown-owned gelding Toheroa is another addition to his team. Mr Harry James, ex-secretary of the Dunedin Jockey Club. whose death was reported last night, was present at the races at Wingatui on Saturday. He was appointed secretary to the Club on the death of his father, who held the position for many years. Nightmarch has no engagement at Riccarton on Saturday, but he is to be given a gallop between races with the colours up. The veteran starter Mr C. O’Connor, who has been suffering from eye trouble, was operated on last week, and hopes to be back at the barrier before the end of next month. There are extremely few hurdlers in commission just now. The races over the battens at Gore have attracted only seven entrants, three of whom are on the “sore” list. If there was justification for the support accorded Pride before acceptances were taken for the Dunedin Cup, the Greenwood mare should play a prominent part in the Midsummer Handicap. Dunraven disappointed at Trentham, and he ran no better in the Champagne Stakes at Wingatui. So far his public form gives no promise that he will ever approach the class of his brother Limerick.

Topere’s name was omitted from the acceptances published in the North Island for the President’s Handicap at Dunedin, so it is fair to assume the s.p. layers in the north had nothing to pay out on that race.

It was stated that pre-post backers of the winning double—Cup and Publicans’ —at Wingatui, would have had to accept about 50 to 1. A pound invested on Waving Corn, and played up on Queen Balboa, would have given a return of about £240.

It is unusual for nine-year-old horses, particularly mares, to win big long-distance handicaps, • but Queen Balboa did the trick at Dunedin. It is not intended to race her much longer, and this will probably be her last season on the tracks.

The refusal of Praise to leave the post in the Champagne Stakes at Dunedin brought back memories of a similar incident w r hen her full brother Commendation turned the wrong way in the Great Northern Foal Stakes at Ellerslie.

Oriflamb has been troubled with soreness since his West Coast trip, and there was some doubt about starting him at Dunedin. Fortunately his owner did not accept the advice offered to him, as the stake he won was more than half the amount he paid for the horse.

Red Heather jumped well and led for a good part of the trip in the Autumn Hurdles at Dunedin. The distance w'as too lengthy for the St. Petersburg gelding, but he did better on the second day. He appears to be keeping sound, and will be unlucky if he does not pick up a stake soon.

Charmaine. who collected second money in the Dunedin Champagne Stakes and won on the second day, is a sister to Rin Tin Tin, and like her relative can muster up a good turn of speed. A break at the start helped her considerably when she led Winsome Hind home.

Compensation appears to be one of the many horses which invariably race well at Wingatui, and with much less success when campaigned on other courses. It is a matter for regret that he is tapped in the wind, as he can gallop fast and should not be troubled by a few pounds on his back.

It w r as understood that, had one of her legs not filled slightly, Ball Dress would have been the Chokebore two-year-old representative at Dunedin. The “emergency,” Winsome Hind, ran well enough to suggest that Ball Dress will be dangerous on the minimum if she is able to start at Riccarton this week.

Jockeys occasionally assert that they have won when a judge has placed them second or third. There was another case at Dunedin. A rider whose honesty is beyond question, was very positive that his mount, which finished wide out, had won. Actually it was a length and a quarter behind the winner, which finished near the rails.

Wingatui has been an unlucky course for backers of favourites during the last couple of years. About 20 per cent, of the races on the Dunedin track are classic, set weight, or two-year-old events, which backers generally expect to pick successfully, but with these included, No. 1 selections have not averaged one win in four. In handicaps their record has been considerably worse.

: Quinopal’s trainer w T as not sanguine about the chestnut’s ability to run out seven furlongs just yet, but the field in the Trial Stakes at Wingatui was so weak that the Washdyke candidate was not allowed out unsupported. E. J. Ellis picked Quinopal up in Auckland province at the beginning of the season. The Quin Abbey gelding is not a beauty in appearance, but he has plenty of substance and might be a good prospect for jumping later on.

The win of Queen Balboa in the Dunedin Cup gave renewed prominence to the Fairy Benzie family, which has had such durable representatives as Golden King, Queen Balboa, King Balboa, Mythology and others. None of the tribe has been actually high-class, but all have been hardy and game, and if Queen Balboa’s vitality is not sapped by too much racing, she might easily carry on the line of winners after she goes to the stud. Whatever may be said concerning Lucky Light’s behaviour, no brickbats can be thrown at Latin Quarter since the New Year opened. He ran two sound races at Invercargill, was a model of consistency at Trentham, and put up a great fight in the Dunedin Cup. A good many people expressed the opinion that had Latin Quarter had the services of the jockey who bestrode him at Trentham, he and not Queen Balboa would have taken the Cup to Invercargill. F. J. McKay does not ride his horses so well as he trains them.

Not a single favourite returned a dividend on the first day of the Dunedin meeting, and two thirds was the best that horses elected to No. 1 position on the machine could achieve. Second favourites did slightly better, their score being a win and two thirds. The winning dividends returned on that day included the following:— £lB/13/-, £l2/4/-, £lO/6/-, £lO. £7/2/-, £6, £5/11/-, £5 '3/-. The winning dividends averaged well over £9, and the second dividends over £3. Favourites did much better on the second day, when the average dividends were £4/17/6 and £l/3/6.

If Paquito at Dunedin was as good as when he carried 8.5 into second place in the Melbourne Cup, Australian form must be very moderate. The minimum weight in Australia is 71b lower than in New Zealand, and on that basis there was not much difference between Paquito’s Melbourne Cup and Dunedin Cup imposts. In the Dunedin Cup he finished sixth. Certainly he was less than a couple of lengths behind the winner, but his effort was scarcely such as might be expected from a Melbourne Cup placegetter. Australian form is probably moderate just now, but it is fairly obvious that Paquito has gone a bit stale as a result of his strenuous campaign in the spring.

The pool on the Abbotsford Handicap at Dunedin was the biggest put in on the course for a long time, and totalled 12,555 ten-shilling units. The amounts on the first nine of the ten runners read: 2267, 2036, 1729, 1330, 1285, 1330, 1113, 1009, 1006—a pretty safe indication that there were no nontriers. Topere has made remarkable improvement during the last three months. At the Banks Peninsula meeting in November the Arrowsmith gelding could not secure a place in a hack race with 41b above the minimum; today he looks a useful candidate for open company. Nearly all Arrowsmith’s stock have run to speed, but Topere has shown ability to run out a fast mile and a quarter. Most of those who saw Waterline win at Trentham reckoned that a rise 201 b above the minimum would not stop him in the hack race at Dunedin, and they were frankly disappointed at his failure to get closer than third. It was obvious that Waterline met with a lot of bad luck, and he demonstrated this by a handsome win in open company on the concluding day. One or two big bettors went for a recovery from a bad meeting, and the black gelding pulled them through. It was this that caused him to start favourite, one backer alone putting £3OO into the machine.