On And Off The Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20095, 30 April 1935, Page 8

On And Off The Track

A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racing: May I—Reefton J.C. May 4, 6—Hawke’s Bay J.C. May 4, 6—Westland R.C. May 4, 6—Egmont J.C. May 6 —Dunedin J.C. May 11—Amberley R.C. May 11, 13—Nelson J.C. May 16, 18—Wanganui J.C. May 17. 18 —Marlborough R.C. May 17, 18 —Southland R.C. May 18—Ashburton County R.C. May 23, 25—Te Kuiti R.C. May 25—South Canterbury J.C. Trotting: May 2, 4—Forbury Park T.C. May 4, 6 —Cambridge T.C. May 11 —Oamaru T.C. May 11, 13—Waikato T.C. May 16—Marlborough T.C. June 1, 3—Canterbury Park T.C. The Forbury Park meeting will be held on Thursday and Saturday. Entries for the Southland meeting are due by 5 p.m. to-day. Racing fixtures for the balance of this week are—Reefton on Wednesday, and Westland and Hawke's Bay on Saturday. Fairform, dam of Tauramai, Charmaine and Rin Tin Tin, will be mated with Pink Coat next season. Tonnerre, who got the decision in a close finish at Avondale on Saturday, stumbled and threw his rider just after passing the post. * t The Two Thousand Guineas will be run in England on Wednesday, and the One Thousand Guineas (for fillies) on Friday. Bazaine put up 131 b overweight in the final event at Marton. He won, but the victory will be an expensive one, as it will send him up a stone and a half in the weights.

J. Ellis rode his 500th winner during the course of the Greymouth meeting. His best season’s total is 83, reached last season, but with 78 to his credit and three months yet to run he seems certain to do better this year.

Betting is an issue in the New South Wales State election campaign now in progress. The Premier, Mr Stevens, has announced that if his Government is re-elected legislation will be passed to put the professional tipsters out of business. Mr Lang, promises that if Labour gets into office it will legalise betting shops, and also raise the limit of prizes for lotteries to £25,000.

When Vintage, with a big advantage in weight, failed at Flemington, some Australian critics loftily announced that New Zealand form was a stone inferior to that of Australia. It will be diverting to read how they explain the two weight-for-age wins at Randwick of Master Brierly, whose New Zealand form was not so good as that of Vintage. Apart from Peter Pan, it seems that Australia has no really great horses just now.

What amounts to an appeal by the stipendiary steward (Mr B. N. Sandilands) is to be heard by the Wellington District Committee. At the Pahiatua meeting an allegation of interference was made by the stipendiary against W. J. Broughton, but the judicial committee took no action. Mr Sandilands has reported to the Conference that he considers the verdict unsatisfactory, and the case will be reviewed by the District Committee.

The stock of the Hurry On horse Hunting Song won twelve races at Riccarton this season, while no other sire was credited with more than five. That is a pleasing result for South Canterbury breeders who have been making free use of sires with Hurry On blood. Lord Warden is by Hurry On, while Pink Coat is by Hunting Song. Hurry On has sired three Derby winners in England, and on this side both Lord Warden and Piing Coat have everything to recommend them. Miss Hythe, dam of Lord Warden, traces back to St. Simon and Carbine; and Red Edna, dam of Pink Coat, goes back to StSimon, Musket and Fisherman, so that neither Lord Warden nor Pink Coat is deficient on the maternal side either.

Apart from Bimilla, who won the Maribyrnong Plate, the two-year-olds which gained distinction in Australia in the spring have faded out. Bimilla is still the best of fillies, and is very little inferior to Young Idea, the star performer among the colts. At Flemington in March Bimilla won the Ascot Vale Stakes, defeating Young Idea, and she won the Easter Stakes at Randwick in 1.255. In the Champagne Stakes she was only a neck behind Young Idea, and has proved a bargain at the 300gns. she brought as a yearling. Young Idea first achieved real distinction by winning the Sires’ Produce Stakes at Flemington, and the Sires Produce Stakes and Champagne at Randwick, and at 500gns. he was another of the lucky purchases at the yearling sales.

There is no outstanding two-year-old in New Zealand this season. Galilee, Legatee, and Gay Sheik appeared to be in the front row before Easter. Legatee did his holiday racing at Randwick, where he finished third in the Sires’ Produce Stakes, but Gay Sheik until he won at Avondale had been beaten at each start since he w f on the North Island Challenge Stakes and had a price of 5000gns. put on him, while Galilee was defeated at Ellerslie by Du Barry. Severe (whose form has been consistent), Symcony, Haut Monde, Heritage, Kinnoull appear to be in the second line, and the two colts last mentioned may make more improvement than any of the others named. Big things are predicted for Plato and Wotan, but the last-named has won only a small trial plate, and will require to do something more impressive before he can be accepted as a champion. If there were a market, it would be something of a puzzle to find a Derby favourite.

The reduction of the members’ subscription from £5/5/0 to £3/3/0 did not prove a financial success for the Canterbury Jockey Club. Nearly 200 new members have been enrolled since the cut was made, but these were not sufficient to keep the receipts up to the former level. At present, for 6/3 per day, a member receives tickets for himself and three ladies, with free parking for his car, privileges which cost non-members 25/10. It is proposed to raise the fee to £4 4s per annum, and even at that Riccarton will offer members cheaper racing than is given by any other metropolitan club. The committee is unanimous in recommending members to agree to the new rate, and it appears that the leaders of the reform party have been convinced that they made a mistake in forcing the reduction on the committee.