On and Off the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIV, Issue 20931, 10 January 1938, Page 8

On and Off the Track

A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES: Racing Jan. 14, 15—Vincent J.C. Jan. 18, 20, 22 —Wellington R.C. Jan. 22—Ashhurst R.C. Jan. 22—Wairio J.C. Jan. 22, 24—Thames J.C. Jan. 28, 29—Pahiatua R.C. Trotting Jan. 15—Cambridge T.C. Jan. 15—Timaru T.C. Jan. 27, 29—Forbury Park T.C. Jan. 29, 31—Nelsori T.C. Feb. 3, s—Wellington T.C. Feb. 12—Canterbury Park T.C. Feb. 12, 16—Auckland T.C. Feb. 19—New Brighton T.C. Feb. 26—Kaikoura T.C. Feb. 26—Wairarapa T.C. Mar. s—lnvercargill T.C. Mar. s—Wellington T.C.

Acceptances for the Timaru Trotting Club’s meeting are due by 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

A very substantial offer for his three-year-old Elanage was refused recently by Mr Max Steinberg.

Fines aggregating more than £13,000 were collected from starting-price merchants in Western Australia during 1937.

It is iiftendecl to prepare Padishah for hurdle racing, though plans might be revised if Cuddle's half-brother happened to win the Wellington Cup.

Last year 33 horses were nominated for the Wellington Cup, and there were 23 starters. With only 19 entries, there will be a much smaller field this year.

C. S. Donald won only one race at Greymouth, but he is having a good year. Since the beginning of the ■season (August 1) his team has collected over £5OOO in stakes.

The crack juvenile, Te Hero, whose owner has declined to sell to Australian inquirers, has been left in the Wellington Stakes, and will be an attraction if he comes south.

Cerne Abbas is to be nominated for the Sydney Cup, but Royal Chief is not likely to be one of F. D. Jones's team. The colt was very sore at Ellerslie, and hard tracks in Australia would not suit him just now.

Dawning Light (Arausio-Aureate) jarred her heels badly when racing at Awapuni, and is unlikely to race again. Her dam Aureate is a sister to Desert Gold, so that Dawning Light may have a high value at the stud.

Ben Braggie raced only once at Auckland, finishing second to Stretto in the Railway Handicap. He was attempting to give 171 b to the mare, who carried only 7.4 and later in the meeting was second with 9.4 on her back. On that form Ben Braggie will be in big demand at Trentham.

Waitaka, the big Surveyor gelding which came to Riccarton from Auckland last autumn, has been the star lierformer on the Coast circuit. The high scale of weights has been in his favour, but it is rather surprising that such a long-striding galloper should perform so well on the small tracks.

Courtcraft's three wins at Ellerslie made a deep impression, and it is considered that he has made marked Improvement since his return from Australia. The handsome LimondHomage colt is to make another trip across the Tasman to tackle Australia’s best three-year-olds in the autumn.

Lady Lyric, who improved upon her second on the first day of the Wairarapa meeting to win the Juvenile Handicap on Monday, is a daughter of Defoe and the Limond-Anthem mare Lyrical, who was bred by the late Mr V. Riddiford and was a half-sister to Clangor, who won in the Dominion and Australia, and to Viking.

A Sydney paper states that the New Zealand Trainers’ and Owners' Association passed a motion asking for better treatment of Australian trotters. That is a half-truth. It was the Auckland branch, which has always been more or less hostile to the system, that passed the motion referred to.

An improving whiner at the Wairarapa meeting at Tauherenikau was Trebor, in the Pirinoa Stakes. Having run a third at Awapuni and a second on the first day of the meeting, it was not surprising that Trebro was made a warm favourite. Owned in partnership by Mr H. W. Moss and his trainer, T. R. George, Trebor is a four-year-old half-brother, by pear Dance, to Prince Vai.

The Dunedin Jockey Club has decided that in future decisions of the judicial committee shall be put through the loud-speakers. It is strange that the practice has not been adopted earlier on courses where broadcasting apparatus is installed. There are other matters of public interest that could be announced, such as unusual amounts of overweight. At the last meeting at Wingatui two horses carried 151 b extra, and one of them was entrusted with an amount of money that suggested that many backers were unaware of the fast.

Grateful won so well at Te Awamutu that he was expected to reproduce that form at Ellerslie. In the Summer Cup he led all the way to the straight, but failed to go on, his stable companion, Round Up, then taking charge to score decisively from Dark Shadow, who was second to Grateful at Te Awamutu. On the first day in the Grandstand Handicap Grateful and Day Wind were in the van till the home turn, but again Round Up came through to go on and win. The fast times registered by Round Up for a mile and a quarter were due to Grateful, who should be on the winning list again shortly.

The most profitable of the big team taken to Victoria by J. Fryer has been the three-year-old Elanage, who won the £lOOO Bagol Handicap at Fleming-

ton at New Year, after two or three victories in less important races. He ran the mile and a half in the great time of 2.291. Elanage, who cost Mr M. Steinberg 275 guineas as a yearling, is by Posterity from Impetuous (Li-mond-Pennon). Pennon was the first foal of Eulogy, and is a half-sister to Humbug, Epitaph, Homage, Commendation, Eulalle and Praise. Pennon is the dam of Motley and Lysander; and Homage produced Episode, Honour, Heritage and Courtcraft; so that Elanage comes from New Zealand’s most successful racing family.

When Fremont was placed in his first start at the Auckland meeting investors lost on their outlay. Had he won his division he would have paid less than 15/- for each £1 Invested. The price at which Fremont started are believed to be the shortest known.

Limond’s “Classics.” Courtcraft’s win in the Great Northern Derby brought Limond’s total of winners of three-year-old classics up to 34. The full list is as follows: Commendation: New Zealand Derby, Great Northern Derby, New Zealand St. Leger, Great Northern St. Leger, Hawke's Bay Guineas, Avondale Guineas. Agriort: New Zealand Derby. Honour: New Zealand Derby. Cylinder: Wanganui Guineas. Avondale Guineas, New Zealand Derby. Mask: New Zealand St. Leger. Spiral: New Zealand St. Leger. Lady Pam: Hawke’s Bay Guineas. New Zealand St. Leger, Great Northern Oaks. Praise: New Zealand Oaks. Variant: New Zealand Oaks. Ammon Ra: A.J.C. Derby. Theo: A.J.C. Derby, Caulfield Guineas,

Victoria Derby. Waikare: Queensland Derby. Limerick: A.J.C. St. Leger. Veilmond: V.R.C. St. Leger, A.J.C. St.

Leger. Damaris: Wanganui Guineas, Great Northern Oaks. Masquerader: Dunedin Guineas. Limarch: V.R.C. St. Leger (dead-heat), A.J.C. St. Leger. Golden Hair: V.R.C. Oaks, New Zealand Oaks. Courtcraft: Great Northern Derby.