RACING AND TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20513, 3 September 1936, Page 10

RACING AND TROTTING

On and Off the Track A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racing Sept. 3—Egmont-Wanganui Hunt Club Sept. s—Taranaki Hunt Club. Sept, s—Otago5—Otago Hunt Club Sept. 10, 12—Wanganui J.C. Sept. 19 —Ashburton County R.C. Sept. 19 —Foxton R.C. Sept. 19, 21 —Avondale J.C. Sept. 24, 26—Geraldine R.C. Sept. 26—Marton J.C. Sept. 26—Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Hunt Club. Sept. 26—Napier Park R.C. Oct. 3—Kurow J.C. Trotting Sept. s—New Brighton T.C. Sept 12—Wellington T.C. Oct. 3—Methven T.C. Oct. 10—New Brighton T.C. Oct. 17—Waikato T.C. Oct. 17, 19—Westport T.C. Oct. 24, 26—Auckland T.C. Oct. 24, 26—Greymouth T.C. Oct. 26— Manawatu T.C. Oct. 26—Oamaru T.C. Hunt meeting at New Plymouth today. Nominations for the New Zealand Cup are due to-morrow at 8. Entries for the Geraldine meeting will close at 8 p.m. on Monday. The imported Sunstar stallion British Empire, previously at the stud in Southland, is now located in the Fairlie district. During P. T. Hogan’s absence with Queen of Song, the remaining members of the Racecourse team will be in charge of W. P. Hogan, who has made application for a trainer’s license.

When Cuddle ran third in the Warwick Stakes on Saturday, it was the first time that she had finished in front of Kinnoull. Among the horses that will travel to Sydney on the same boat as Queen of Song are One Whetu and Oratory, and the thousand-guinea colt Will Shakespeare. Candico, the half-sister, by Nigger Minstrel, to Silver Jubilee, displayed speed as a two-year-old last season and she is one who should go well on the turning course at Wanganui. The stallion Berestoi, who died in New South Wales a few days ago on the eve of his stud career, was insured for £3750. That was probably his full value. H. Gray, who is now established as a trainer at New Plymouth, applied recently to the Racing Conference for a jockey’s licence, so as to enable him to ride horses from his own stable, but the Conference executive refused it. There are several speedy hacks which can run a slick five furlongs engaged in the President’s Handicap at the Otago Hunt meeting. The Wingatui "five” is not an easy one, however, as there is a rise to be breasted after passing the half-mile disc and the straight is a fairly long one. J. M. Cameron, who had made all arrangements to leave for Sydney, has decided to cancel the trip. Inheritance contracted a slight cold, and Happy Landing was not impressive in his final gallop. Moreover, the two-year-old Only One, by Limond from My Own, was not very forward, and II Duce had a doubtful leg, hence the cancellation. Pladie was to have been taken to Australia by Cameron on account of the serious illness of his trainer, R. Alexander, but it is now unlikely that he will make the trip.

Mr W. F. Young has been appointed judge to the Gore Racing Club. The continued wet weather has completely upset the training schedule at Trentham, practically no work of any consequence being attempted on account of heavy tracks. Owing to the conditions it is probable that T. George will leave in a few days for Wanganui, where rain does not affect the going to any extent, and get in some muchneeded fast work. There is a mild epidemic of laryngitis in the Randwick district, and a number of stables have been affected. Veterinary surgeons have been busy, but so far only a few cases of strangles have come under notice. The epidemic, coming at a time when so many high-class gallopers are in quarters, is disturbing, but, according to veterinary advice, there is no reason at present for undue alarm. Negotiations are still in the air for Lawn Derby to visit New Zealand, but readers can take it for granted that there is very little prospect of his leaving Australia at the present time, (says a Sydney paper). Lawn Derby is to do a short season at the stu< before being prepared for the Interdominion championships in Adelaide next January. When he returned to the stalls after a gallop at Invercargill on Tuesday, it was noticed that Double Shot had injured the joint of one of his forelegs, which swelled rapidly, and he can be considered a very doubtful starter in the Tally Ho Handicap at Wingatui on Saturday. The “Star” says that Mt. Maungatua was on Tuesday morning carrying a very heavy coating of snow, showing how severe the weather had been at Wingatui during the past three days. The new drainage system of the Wingatui course was again well tested, and the absence of surface water on the tracks proved its efficiency. Pooley Bridge, winner of the V.R.C. Grand National, Doutta Galla, and Australian Hurdles during the winter, may be set on a preparation for the Australian Cup in February. More than one horse which has won a Grand National Hurdles has followed with a victory in the Australian Cup, which extends over 2J miles. The following comes from Christchurch:—“lt is mentioned in racing circles here that supporters of a leading succesful double combination at the recent National meeting have been left lamenting, unable to collect the lengthy odds on offer. This is only another argument in favour of the double machine being legalised on New Zealand racecourses.” « • • • Referring to the attendance at the last Easter Meeting, Mr D. M. Tweedie (president of the Riverton Racing Club) said: “Members would appreciate the action of the committee in doing away with the outside enclosure. Admission charges had been reduced from 7s 6d to 6s, and the public appreciation could be seen from the fact that 1000 extra patrons had been present on the first day.” There was more than a spot of bother when the Metropolitan Trotting Club abandoned the pretence of conforming to the rules and timetabled its third day’s programme with intervals of 40 minutes instead of 35. Apparently officialdom puts the telescop? to its blind eye so long as the letter of the law is complied with, as nothing is said if a club maps out # a 35 minute schedule and deliberately runs to 40 minutes on the totalisator clock. • • • • Many of his friends and acquaintances gathered at Hororata recently to wish good luck to T. Logan, trainer of De Soto, and now past his seventieth birthday. Mr C. Johnston, in proposing the toast of the guest of the evening, said everything was due to the painstaking care and expert knowledge of a man who had been long connected with trotting and who was a true lover of the light-harness horse. He wished the trainer many long years of success, and said he hoped that he would have more chances with a horse of De Soto’s class. Queen of Song Queen of Song, in charge of ownertrainer P. T. Hogan, left yesterday on the first stage of the trip to Sydney, and with Cuddle already at Randwick the Dominion is temporarily without the services of its two best mares. Queen of Song was in excellent condition when she departed from Washdyke, and will not require a great deal of work to top her off for Australian engagements. The Songbird mare was the most discussed horse in New Zealand last season. She was fourth on the list of stake-winners with a total of £2145, and among her captures were the Wellington Cup, Invercargill Cup. Riverton Cup, and Great Autumn. After her first appearance for the term in moderate company in a high-weight handicap at the cup meeting at Riccarton, her development was so rapid that five months later she was winning the Great Autumn with top-weight. Apart from her exploits on the tracks, Queen of Song was the central figure in one of the biggest law-suits in the his-

tory of the sport in New Zealand. By Songbird from Differential, she was bred at Burleigh Grange farm, Seadown, by Mr T. E. Hide, and was leased as a two-year-old to Mr H. V. Smith, of Dunedin. The lease was transferred in turn to Mr G. R. Hunter of Oamaru and to Mrs Beale of Green Island. After Queen of Song’s return to her owner she w r as sold to P. T. Hogan, and w r on all her races last season in the colours of the Washdyke trainer. J. W. Jennings, who was on her in most of her starts (including s e Invercargill and Wellington Cups and the Great Autumn) will accompany her to Sydney.