On and Off the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20762, 24 June 1937, Page 13

On and Off the Track

4 BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racing June 26—Walmate Hunt Polnt-to-Polm Jun< 26—Ashburton County R.O. July 3—Oamaru JC. , July 3—Manawatu R.C. July 6,8, 10—Wellington R.C. July 17—Walmate Hunt. July 24—Rangitikel Hunt. July 24—South Canterbury Hunt. July 31—Christchurch Hunt. Trotting June 23—Auckland T.C. The first race at Ashburton on Saturday will start at 11.45. Handicaps for the Oamaru Meeting are due on Monday.

The first race at the Walmate point-to-point meeting on Saturday will start at 2 o'clock.

Dutch Girl and Miss Lu, “doublefigure” winners at the Opotiki meeting, were making their second appearance during tlie day.

The aggregate number of entries for the three-days Wellington meeting is 682, compared with 752 last year (a record), and 674 in 1935.

Win and place machines will be operated at Ashburton and Waipa on Saturday, and the single pool system will be used at Dannevirke.

The South Canterbury entry for the Wellington winter meeting is much smaller than usual, comprising Santoft, Rebel Mate, Double Gift, Made Money and Snowy Dawn.

Happy Knight is an acceptor for the Malden Stakes at Ashburton, and the long straight should give this unlucky two-year-old a chance to compensate for past disappointments.

The suspension of W. Bowden, rider of Riotous in the Grandstand Steeplechase at Wanganui on June 5, has been increased by the Wanganui District Committee from one month to three months.

Epris will miss the Wellington meeting next month, although he usually raced well at Trentham. The Orari gelding has been a disappointment this season, his only placing in more than twenty starts being a second at Orari in the spring.

Bonnie Rollox has been allotted 131 b less in the Awapunl Steeplechase than he was given at Wanganui, but Riotous is down 41b after having won one race and been placed in others, so that the Australian’s concession is not so liberal as it might appear.

Sky Pilot, who was nominated for the Dromore Steeplechase at Ashburton, was not eligible for that race. His two wins at Auckland were worth £4OO, and put the Day Comet gelding out of the hack class. Sky Pilot's name appears in the lists for the hack steeplechases at Trentham also.

Several of the horses nominated for the steeplechase at Oamaru are engaged at Trentham three days later, and are unlikely to run at both meetings. There will probably be a thinning out at Oamaru, but even so the field is certain to be larger than last year, when only five went to the post. Elanage, who has joined J. Fryer’s stable with a view to a trip to Melbourne, is not engaged in the Derbies. He is by Posterity from Impetuous (Llmond-Pennon), a half-sister to Lysander and Motley, but so far he has not done much to uphold the prestige of the Eulogy family.

In the event of the starters in the maiden race at Ashburton on Saturday exceeding 16, the race will be run in two divisions. The following will comprise the second division: Almira, Prince Flaneur, Combat, Banker’s Choice, Pol Roger, Doctor Duthie, Last Post, Solpit, Happy Knight.

Mr A. E. Commons, Stipendiary Steward, has lodged an objection to the stake being paid to Charteris Bay, the winner of the Mangere Handicap, a he was allegedly wrongly handicapped, having won off 3.40 when his assessment was 3.39 for a mile and a half. The Auckland Committee has forward the protest to the Trotting Association.

Compass, who got back on the winning list at Epsom yesterday, has not fulfilled his early promise. Five years ago he figured in a sensational race at Washdyke, where Village Guy, Compass and Guy Junior, all two-year-olds, finished in the places all breaking 3.24. Now an aged pacer the Man-o'-War gelding apparently has very little more speed than in his juvenile days. The programme framed for the Oamaru Jockey Club’s winter meeting differs considerably from that Issued a year ago. The distance of the Grange Handicap, the principal flat race, has been extended from a mile to a mile and a quarter; and that of the Farewell Handicap from six to seven furlongs. The Novice Handicap has been replaced by a seven furlongs open event; and the Winter Hack, formerly the longest race on the card, has been dropped in favour of a hack sprint.

Several jumpers with engagements at Ashburton were schooled at Riccarton yesterday. Streamline (G. Ridgway) and Polydora <R. Beale) were companions over the steeplechase fences. They travelled at a solid pace all t’ way, giving an exhibition of fast, clean jumping. Arctic Star

Stove) and Spearmarch (R. K. Smith) also went over eight fences. Travelling with plenty of pace, both horses jumped well. Spearmach lost a couple of lengths at the third last fence but was soon on terms again with his mate. Cottingham (H. Turner) jumped a round of the hurdles, taking each of the obstacles in free style. The Grasper (R. K. Smith) went once round the hurdles, giving an attractive display.