RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19836, 27 June 1934, Page 11

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track A BUDGET OP NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racing: June 28—Waimate Hunt Point-to-Point. June 30—Oamaru J.C. July 4—Dannevirke Hunt. July 10, 12, 14 —Wellington R.C. July 21—Hawke’s Bay Hunt. July 26—Waimate Hunt. July 26, 28—Poverty Bay T.C. July 28—South Canterbury Hunt. July 28— Manawatu R.C. Trotting: June 27 —Auckland T.C. July 7—Marlborough T.C. (at New Brighton). July 26, 28—Greymoutl) T.C. Trotting at Auckland to-day. Waimate point-to-point meeting tomorrow. Oamaru races on Saturday. Repudiation would have a great chance at Oamaru if she could be persuaded to honour her obligations. Great Star’s success at Ashburton was his first this season, but it brought his total winnings to just over £6,000. Impromptu, since he returned to the winning list at Ashburton in April, has scored four wins, a second and a third. At one time it was supposed by those who knew him best that he was a bad actor in soft going, but this winter he has completely expioded this theory and has revelled in heavy tracks. Luna Lux was entered for the Winter Hurdles at Wellington, but is not in any of the steeplechases. He is very unsound, and perhaps it is intended to stake everything on one throw in the Grand National. Thurina has been entered for the Wellington Steeplechase, but he is suffering from lameness .as well as an abscess on the jaw, and he can be regarded as a doubtful starter.

After the blue-grey mare Heliotype won the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase, columns were written in the north concerning her prospects. In the Napier Park Steeplechase, against slightly better company, she plodded home third, over a funong behind the winner, and it appears that she is nothing better than an average hunter. Owing to being a few minutes late in making his acceptances F. J. Smith will be unable to start any of his horses at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting to-day. He intended to accept with six horses, the only ones entered that would not have had their engagements continued being Chancello and Nell Volo, The Nelson Trotting Club’s permits have been handed over to the Greymouth Club once more, and will be utilised at the end of July. The Greymouth Club has been reputed to be in financial difficulties for some time, but it is always on the look-out for lapsed permits. A. Russell, the Australian apprentice in F. D. Jones’s stable, appears to be growing into weight, and at Ashburton he was unable to scale less than 7.12. His mate, H. McKinnon, is more fortunate, and can still make 7.0.

In being placed within 21b. of Hall Mark, Nightly appears to have caught it hot in the Melbourne Cup. In a weight-for-age event he would receive 31b. from Hall Mark, and on that basis has been rated as lib. superior to the Melbourne Cup winner. We have heard a lot lately concerning the lack of class in New Zealand, but Australian handicappers do not appear to believe it.

Lord Ranald has not been entered for Wellington, and apparently is to concentrate on the Grand National. Two years ago he finished fourth in this race, though very lame, and as he seems so much sounder now he promises to be a very live candidate. When he race<» at Washdyke he had done no track work and had not been schooled.

Stipendiary stewards cost the Racing Conference £3,230 last year, but of this amount £560 went in travelling expenses and £340 was charged against the account as its proportion of office salaries. Racecourse inspectors were responsible for an outlay of £3,315. of which £495 was for travelling and £260 for office salaries. The Trotting Conference paid £BOO towards the cost of inspectors.

Cleaner and Grand Review provide a striking instance of the difference an apprentice allowance may make to weights under certain conditions. In the Prince Edward Handicap at Washdyke, Cleaner 7.2 (A. Eastwood) won from Grand Review 7.1 (H. McKinnon). In this race the apprentice could not take his allowance, and actually carried lib. over. In a higher scale at Ashburton Cleaner (A. E. Ellis) had 9.0 and Grand Review, (handicapped at 8.7) was ridden by E. Leckie at 8.2, the scale providing scope for the allowance. Thus Grand Review was able to meet Cleaner on 111 b. better terms than at Washdyke, and it was natural that she avenged her defeat there.

Peter Pan’s 9.10, topweight in the Melbourne Cup, is 31b. more than he received last year, but it is a long way from a record weight for the race. Two years ago Nightmarch was allotted 9.10, and a year earlier Phar Lap actually carried 10.10 —and broke his heart in the process. Carbine received 10.0 in 1899, 10.5 (and won) in 1890, and 10.12 in 1891. Sons of Carbine who were given top weights were Wallace 10.0 and 9.13, and Amberite 9.11. In ten of the first eleven Melbourne Cups the topweights had 9.10 or over. Archer getting 11.4 and The Barb 11.7, but it is unlikely that horses of this class would receive anything like those weights nowadays. Commencing with Carbine in 1890, twenty-seven Cup topweights have been asked to carry more than Peter Pan’s 9.10. The stiffest task ever set a three-year-old was that of Alawa 8.6, and for a mare Wakeful 10.5. History is against the top-weights, as since Carbine defeated a field of 35, only Poitrel and Phar Lap have won with No. 1 saddlecloth

• Colombo did not win like a superlatively brilliant horse.” writes ‘ one English critic on the day following the Two Thousand Guineas. “Several times in recent years the Two Thousand Guineas has been won more easily. Orwell’s victory two years ago was a much smoother and more spectacular effort. Orwell was a brilliantly speedy horse and he failed to stay the mile and a half in the Derby. Is Colombo of the same type? Has he the stamina necessary to win the Derby? That was the question which his performance yesterday raised widely and seriously for the first time. There must now be another doubt about his Derby prospects. How long will his highlystrung temperament stand the strain of these racecourse appearances, and how will he react to the crowd and the noise of the bands, the bagpipes, and the shouting on Epsom Downs?”