FACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18620, 16 July 1930, Page 3

FACING & TROTTING

On anti Off the Track. \ BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS. FIXTURES. Racing: July 19—Waimate District Hunt Club. July 24, 26—Gisborne R.C. July 26 —South Canterbury Hunt Clud. July 31— Manawatu R.C. Aug. 2—Christchurch Hunt Club. Aug. 2—Manawatu R.C. Aug. 2 —Gisborne Hunt Club. Aug. 12, 14, 16 —Canterbury J.C. (Grand Nationa.l) Trotting: Aug. 9. 13, 15—Metropolitan T.C. Sept. 6—New Brighton T.C. Waimate Hunt meeting on Saturday. The first race at Waimate on Saturday is timed to start at 11.45. Antrim Boy has been turned out for a spell. The dates allotted to the Timaru Trotting Club for next season are January 10 and March 14. Weights for the South Canterbury Hunt meeting are due on Monday. Acceptances will be received until 8 p.m. on Tuesday. , . The South Canterbury Jockey Club has been granted permission to include two trotting events per diem on its programmes, instead of one. F. Shaw is making another endeavour to get Kapuna ready to race, and if all goes well with him £he Aro-whenua-owned ’chaser will be a runner at the National meeting.

W. J. Ryan, who was for some years in the employ of Messrs Stevenson and McMath, the Riversdale breeders, has takefi charge of John Noble and his two-year-old half-brother. Carinthia and Nucleus, the principal winners over hurdles at Trentham, were sold about two years ago by Mr E. Davis, of Auckland, for lOOgns and 175gns, respectively. Magic and Illuminator, both well known here, finished first and second in the Christchurch Hunt point-to-point on Saturday last, a length separating the pair at the finish. Barcarole, the dam of Town Major, is a sister to Cherubini (C.J.C. Derby and Australian Cup), Soldier’s Chorus, Rossini. Tannhauser and other good ones. She" is by Martian from Grand Opera, and was bred at Kinloch.

True Blood, winner of the Parliamentary Handicap, was left at the post on the first day of the meeting. He won the Cornwall Handicap, the principal flat race at the Auckland winter meeting at the beginning of June. Hunting Call, who was a hot winning favourite for the last race at Trentham, got away from his attendant and broke his bridle, and was not back only in time for Gray to get him to the post as the totalisator was closing. The Southland ’chaser Snowfall, who is engaged at the South Canterbury Hunt meeting, had a narrow escape from being burnt to death at his owner’s place at Eastern Bush on Sunday morning. The stables and woolshed were destroyed by fire, and Snowfall was got out just in time. The presence of several southern horses with engagements at forthcoming meetings, has made the Washdyke tracks busier lately. R. E. McLellan has Membo and Memories there; F. Langford has French Fleet and West Dome; and R. Conn has Radiac. Tuna moe is another southerner at Washdyke, but he has been off the tracks owing to his accident. Moss Trooper, who won the biggest steeplechase prize south of the Line at Flemington, is well bred, being by Kenilworth, a son of St. Simon, from a mare by Wallace (Carbine’s best Australian son). Moss Trooper was such a failure on the flat that he was relegated to hack work on a sheep station. Late: he was trted as a jumper, and won both the big doubles over fences at Caullieid and Flemington. Declaration of first forfeits did not reduce the eligibles for ne£t year’s Sapling Stakes very greatly. Mr H. F. Nicoll has ten youngsters still in the list. Among the others are Mr T. Twomey’s Nelson Bingen-Irish Whispers colt; Mr T. M. Brosnan’s filly by Man o’ War from Golden Vale; Mr D. Sugrue’s filly by Rey de Oro-Trix Logan; and Messrs H. and J. McMillan’s br c by Basso Dillon Wilkes-Wild-wood mare.

It is expected that the totalisator will make its first public appearance in Victoria in September. The term public is used because there was an unlicensed totalisator in Collingwood, a Melbourne suburb, which defied the police for many years. It was conducted behind barbed-wire entanglements and an elaborate system of alarms, and was known as “Wren’s tote,” the supposed principal being Mr John Wren, now owner of many racecourses and of the Sydney and Melbourne stadiums. Mr J. R. McKenzie, responding to a toast recently, remarking that from his experience in other countries, he could say that nowhere was trotting run more for the benefit of the public than in New Zealand. That applied also to the racing clubs. The country clubs provided better sport than the big clubs in America, and credit was due to them for the way in which they carried on. despite their many difficulties. The Railway Department will issue excursion tickets from Timaru, Oamaru and intermediate stations, to Waimate, by trains due to arrive Waimate up to 12.26 on Saturday. The morning train for Oamaru and Waimate leaves Timaru 8.0 a.m. The 12.14 p.m. Stud-holme-Waimate train will stop opposite course to set down passengers off express leaving Timaru 11.33 a.m. The 3.23 and 5.25 Waimate-Studholme trains will step at course to pick up passengers.

Town Major proved the surprise packet of the Trentham meeting, with two wins in hack events, and a second in open company. He has done most of his racing in the colours of a Central Otago lady, and was trained in the Central until a few weeks ago, when he was sold and was transferred to P. T. Hogan’s stable. He raced at Washdyke last month, when he failed to show up, but he quickly struck form. W. Hogan, with the benefit of an apprentice allowance in the hack races, steered Town Major each day, and was unlucky in missing a hat trick.

Carinthia cost Messrs W. H. and C. L. Orbell 275gns at the sale of Mr J. M. Samson’s horses at Trentham in January of last year. He was turned out immediately, and was not asked to race until the S.C.J.C, fixture in June. He won a hack hurdle race at the Hunt meeting in July. His next success was gained at Wingatui in October, and he was given another spell during the summer. He was being got ready to race at Washdyke in April, but a poisoned mouth interrupted his preparation, and he did not race again until the Easter meeting at Riccarton. He ran indifferently on the first day, but the race evidently did him good, and with a drop in the weights he struggled home on the second day. Since then Carinthia has never looked back, and has w'on the Otago Hurdles, finished third in the Trentham Hurdles, and won the Winter Hurdles. In all his wins this season he has been steered by F. Thompson. Altogether he has won five times and been placed five times in sixteen starts since he joined the Trilford stable.

The office of the Racing Conference will be shifted to Wellington almost immediately. In the first nine months of the current season, Nightraid’s stock won over £47,000 in Australia.

“A nightmare, not a system,” is the opinion of Mr J. Rowe, concerning the trotting handicapping system. Only two horses from Washdyke went to Wellington last week, and in six starts they registered three wins, a second and a third.

Nominations for the Christchurch Hunt meeting are due by 8 o’clock to- ( night at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s office.

Aurora Borealis and Mangani, the top-weights in the Grand National, are both by Day Comet, sire of last year’s winner, Wiltshire.

A. S. Ellis has been at Washdyke since the Oamaru meeting, assisting in the schooling of jumpers for forthcoming fixtures. H. Gray’s three wins at Trentham on Saturday placed him 4 points ahead of A. E. Ellis, and the veteran northerner now appears to have a secure grip on the jockeys’ premiership. As R. Reed is to go to Sydney again with Nightmarch, he will not hold a retainer this season from Mr A. B. Williams. It is reported that H. Gray will act as first horseman to Jefferd’s stable. Aussie, who developed a persistent habit of running last for his Sydney owner, has been sent back to the Waikato, in the hope that a holiday there may enable him to recover form. The day of the 2.40 pacer has ended. The Trotting Conference decided that no race shall be included in any programme with a limit slower than 2.30 to the mile, or a flat rate equivalent. Tunamoe is making an excellent recovery from the mishap which befel him on the night of the Ashburton meeting, and the Southland ’chaser should resume work shortly.

Inevitable was nominated for the Cantala Stakes, to be run at the Melbourne Cup meeting, and received 8.5, the same weight as Goshawk. On public form that looks severe on the Orari three-year-old. The reverse way of running at Randwick should suit Gay Crest, and even if Limerick does not stand, F. D. Jones has been given fair inducements by the handicappers to take Gay Crest and First Sight to Sydney. There seems to be an idea that True Blood was bred in Australia, where his sire, Archery, is now located. True Blood has raced and won in Sydney, but he was bred and is owned in the Dominion.

The Taranaki trainer R. Johnson has left for Australia with Ridgemount and The Swell. He anticipates being away for some months, and while his first destination is Caulfield, he has ideas of visiting Queensland and even Westralia. The period during which the ninestone minimum shall operatg. was curtailed by the Racing Conference. Formerly it was enforced from 7th June to 31st August, but next season it will cease on 15th August.

Limerick sprinted half a mile at Riccarton yesterday morning in 48 4-5, and Nightmarch dashed over the same ground in 47 3-5. Limerick is due to leave for Sydney at the end of next week, and Nightmarch is to follow shortly.

The Racing Conference has at last adopted the Dunedin remit, to permit a starter to rail off unruly horses, for the protection of the well-behaved horses in a field. The misleading term “rogue’s pen,” applied to the hurdle, was probably one cause why it was not permitted earlier. In the Epsom Handicap (1 mile) to be run at Randwick, Goshawk was allotted 8.12, Amounis being top with 10.2. In the Cantala Handicap, to be run over the same distance at Flemington, Amounis goes up to 10.4, while Goshawk drops to 8.5. If the New Zealander could win at Randwick,, he could afford to put up a 101 b penalty at Flemington. With only two events to complete the trotting season, C. S. Donald has a big lead in the trainers’ section with 45 wins—a New Zealand record. F. G. Holmes 20. R. Berry 20, W. Hughes 18, and F. Holmes 16 are next in order. Donald leads also for the reinsmen’s premiership with 37 points, his nearest competitors being M. Holmes 30 and F. G. Holmes 26.

The complete lists of weights for the big spring handicaps in Australia are available, and they indicate that the handicappers have got the wind up over New Zealand horses. In the Melbourne up, 22 horses have been allotted 8.7 or over, and 12 of them were bred in the Dominion. Of the top nine, six are New Zealanders.

The Canterbury remit proposing to legalise the use of assumed names by owners, was rejected by the Conference. A two-thirds majority was recorded in its favour, but a vote of three-fourths was necessary. There are a number of professional men who would race horses if they could register assumed names, and some of them, it is safe to say, do so now in the names of other people.

Taboo ran badly at Oamaru. but that is not unusual with him on hard going, and he had conditions to his taste when lie won at Trentham on Saturday. The Solferino gelding will rank as nine years old next month, but is a long way from a spent light. He has won the best part of £2OOO this season, and in the last four years has collected round about £5500. Town Major we

unlucky in having to take Taboo on at level weights on Saturday.

Taboo commenced racing as a two-year-old, but failed to get into the money at that age. That was a characteristic of Solferino’s stock, which required about twice as long as the average horse to mature. 'Writing from memory, Mantua was about the only Solferino to win as a two-year-old until Satisfy won the McLean Stakes. When they once struck form, however, their cast-iron legs carried them on almost for ever.

Officers for the year were elected by the Racing Conference as follows: — President, Mr O. S. Watkins, Wellington; vice-president, Mr H. O. Nolan, Auckland; executive committee, president, vice-president, Messrs L. W. Nelson (Auckland), H. A. Knight (Canterbury), A. C. Hariion (Dunedin), T. E. Coates (Greymouth), J. S. McLeod (Hawke’s Bay), W. T. Hazlett (Southland), L. A. Nolan (Taranaki), J. H. Perrett (Wanganui), and D. M. Findley (.Wellington).

Carinthia’s Winter Hurdles win has sent him to the position of third top in the Grand National Hurdles, but 10.8 is not a prohibitive weight, and the South Canterbury representative will be galloping on when most of his opponents have petered out on the long journey. The distance of the race is described as about 21 miles, but in recent years it has been started from the nine furlong barrier, and is only 60 yards short of another furlong.

Australian handicappers vary greatly in their estimates of the ex-New Zealanders Glare and Waterline. In the Metropolitan Handicap (13 furlongs) to be run in Sydney, Glare is asked to concede 81b to Waterline. In the Melbourne Cup (2 miles), Waterline is 31b above Glare. In the Metropolitan, Glare is on the same mark as Pink Coat, who was about a stone better class on this season’s form. In the Caulfield Cup (1J miles), Glare got lib from Pink Coat, and concedes 31b to Waterline. Waterline has been given a reasonable chance in the Metropolitan, but the best handicapped of* the New Zealanders are Pink Coat and Limerick..