RACING AND TROTTING On and Oft the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20850, 5 October 1937, Page 5

RACING AND TROTTING

On and Oft the Track

A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racing Oct. 4—Taumarunui R.C. Oct. 7, 9—Dunedin J.C. Oct. 9—Hawke’s Bay J.C. Oct. 9. 11—Auckland R.C. Oct. 14, 16—South Canterbury J.C. Oct. 14, 16—Masterton R.C. Oct. 16, 18— Avondale J.C. Oct. 21, 23. 25—Wellington R.C. Oct. 23. 25—Gore R.C. Oct. 25—North Canterbury R.C. Oct. 25—Waverley R.C. Oct. 25—Walpawa County R.C. Oct. 25—Waikato Hunt Club. Oct. 29, 30—Poverty Bay Turf Ch \ Oct. 30—Banks Peninsula R.C. Oct. 30—Rangitikel R.C. Trotting October 9—New Brighton T.C. October 16—Waikato T.C. October 16, 18—Westport T.C. October 23, 25—Auckland T.f. October 23. 25—Greymouth T.C. October 25—Oamaru T.C. October 30—Wellington T.C . October 30—Invercargill T.C. October 30—Thames T.C. Nightdress will not be a starter at the Dunedin meeting. L. G. Morris transferred his horses from Marton to new stables at Awapuna during the week-end. Janet Gaynor, as a result of her win at Kurow, is ineligible for the Trial Stakes at Wlngatui. Boloyna. who is an acceptor for the McLean Stakes, Is a brother to Alma, and half-brother to Ventrac, Travenna and Amy Johnson. The record broken by Greyhound when he trotted a mile in America in 1.56 was 1.561, made fifteen years ago by Peter Manning. Tlie Surgeon has been paid up for in two races at Dunedin on Thursday, but it is understood that he will run in the October Handicap. L. J. Ellis will ride Queen Dorothy, Thermidor, The Surgeon and Ardchoille at Wingatui on Thursday, and then will travel by air to steer Protector at Ellerslie on Saturday. The Surgeon’s last win was secured a year ago in the Mosgiel Handicap, when he established a record for the 10j furlongs distance at Wlngatui. He displayed a flash of form at Kurow, and might do better before long. The Riccarton contingent at the Dunedin meeting will be the smallest for years. It will comprise Haughty Winner. Lazybones, Great Memory. Invoice. Great Babjt, Redolent and Happy Night. • • • • The Riccarton apprentice E. A. Jones is apparently putting on weight rapidly, as he. scaled 7.124 in the last race at Kurow on Saturday. ' The Wlngatui boy P. Spratt, who was in the six stone class a year ago, was 7.44 at Kurow.

Although he was not accepted for the Taumarunui meeting, Gallio Is still doing well at Te Awamutu and is expected to make his next appearance at thq, Auckland meeting opening on Saturday. G. McKenclry still has Kibo, Belle Grattan, Ace Pot. and Purveyor under his care, but it is possible that each of them will be taken ove/ by different trainers, allowing McKendry to devote his attention to free-lance driving. • • v • At a matinee meeting at Auckland on Saturday, the unhoppled pacer Nervie’s Last .stepped a mile from a flying start on 2.4 2-5, displacing the grass track record of 2.4 3-5 made by Happy Voyage at New Brighton. Lady Links has produced a colt foal to Pink Coat, the youngster being a full-brother to Kinnoull. Keel Row (dam of Rebel I/td),,. who had slipped her foal for three seasons, also has a colt to Pink Coat. The owner of the trotter Mataunga was considering retiring him from racing but decided to give him another opportunity under a different trainer, with the result that he has left J. J. Kennerley’s stable to be taken over by M. Holmes. Silver Streak has not been entered for the Stewards’ Handicap, the intention being to start him in the New Zealand Cup, but he has been nominated for the Members’ Handicap (six furlongs) as well as for the Metropolitan on the final day of the Cup meeting. The conditions of the Malden Plate at Otakl stated that the weights were 7.7 for two-year-olds and 8.5 for older horses. But as the distance was six furlongs, two-year-olds were not eligible to run, for the Rules of Racing state that no two-year-old may race over five furlongs till December 1. This was overlooked by the club, and by the Wellington district committee. Kinnoull has been left in the New Zealand Cup, but Is unlikely to start if Rebel Lad’s form Justifies continuance of his engagement. Kinnoull Is standing up to his work at Riccarton, and Is becoming more tractable with age. He will probably run in the Harcourt Cup and the Canterbury Cup, races he won two years ago, and most likely in the Metropolitan. Tire entries for the Kurow meeting were so nieagre that there was considerable doubt whether it would be proceeded with. Fortunately for the club only two horses nominated were not accepted for, and only three more failed to race at the meeting. The result was that the number of starters was up to the average, and the class was better than usual. • • • e Three of the six final acceptors— Nightdress, Haughty Winner, and Lazybones—for the Dunedin Guineas are trained from Chokebore Lodge, and they look like filling the places. The position is reversed In connection with the McLean Stakes, in which the stable will not be represented this year, the primary season for this unusual state of affairs being Ortyx.

Taitoru has not won over a distance longer than a mile and a quarter, and some people seem to doubt his ability to run out two extra furlongs in the Mitchelson Cup. It seems reasonable to suppose that he will master the distance if given the opportunity. He ran Martara to half a head over eleven furlongs in the Taranaki Cup, and he looks one of the picks of the Auckland handicap. • • • • Kiltowyn’s form on the second day of the Avondale meeting drew attention to his improving condition. Since that outing he has been demonstrating on the tracks that he is better for the run and it will be interesting to note how he shapes when next he is produced. Two years ago Klltowyn was one of the best middle-distance performers in the north, but now he has drifted to near the minimum. Surmount, following two-year-old engagements at Trentham, will be taken to Auckland to contest the Great Northern Foal Stakes at the Christmas meeting. A patient policy is to be pursued with Surmount, who has made splendid progress since his success at Wanganui. His meeting with Protector will be awaited with interest. He easily defeated the Riccarton youngster at Wanganui, but it is obvious, that Protector has Improved greatly since then. Although it was announced that the Sumner Handicap, a race for three-year-olds on the New Brighton Trotting Club’s programme was to be 3min 2sec class, this event was meant to be, and is, a 3min class. The result is that most of the horses entered are giving away 60 yards, and Twos Loose is the only one who will start off his proper assessment. Obviously somebody blundered in fixing the class for the race. • • • • Tauramai, who has been left in the New Zealand Cop, has raced only foor times in New Zealand since he won the Great Autumn two and a half years ago. He ras taken to Australia soon after that success with the idea of contesting the Melbourne Cup, but went amiss, and has never since regained his three-year-old form. In addition to the Great Autumn. Tauramai won the Dunedin Guineas, the Otago Handicap and the Dunedin Cup. but he was not a consistent performer even in that season.

Australian backers have made a better start this year in connection with the big betting handicaps. Last season horses declared to hold mortgages on important events were bowled over with monotonous regularity, but gold Rod, after a rocky passage before the race, duly won the Epsom. Certainly he was not better backed than Talking, and it may transpire that the ring did not lose a great deal. They had two horses joint favourites at 4 to 1 weeks before the race, and the position was the same in regard to The Metropolitan.