On and Off the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIV, Issue 21051, 1 June 1938, Page 10

On and Off the Track

A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Raring: June 6,9, 11—Auckland R.C. June 4, j —Napiti Park R.C. June 4, 6—Otaki Maori R.C. Jun* 4. 6. 11—Duned'n J.C. June 11—Hawkes Bay J. C. June 18—Hawkes Bay J.C. June 18—Bay of Plenty J.C June 18—Greymouth J.C. June 25—Ashburton R.C. Trotting: June 4. 6—Wanganui T.C. June 6—Ashburton T.C. The English Derby will be run today. The big Lord Warden gelding Jack Ahoy had to be destroyed recently owing to head trouble. There will be racing on Saturday at Wingatui, Otaki, and Napier Park; and trotting at Wanganui. Mrs A. W. McDonald returned to Awapuni last week after a health trip to Australia, and has taken Royal Limond and Power Chief to Ellerslie. Foxlove is an acceptor for the mile hack race at Dunedin, but is suffering from a badly bruised foot, and is a doubtful starter. ♦ • • . Signaller has been paid up for in two races at Dunedin on Saturday, but will probably run in the Otago Steeplechase, leaving Burwood to represent the stable in the hack event. One hundred and seventy-five galloping and trotting meetings have been held in New Zealand this season. The 75-25 system has been used at 88 and win and place at 87. Owing to his leg injury, All Irish has been allowed to forego his engagements in the Great Northern Hurdles and the Great Northern Steeplechase at Ellerslie. However, he may be given a race over hurdles on one of the later days of the meeting. M. B. Edwards has supplied the winner of the Sapling Stakes three times in the last five years, but his prospects this season do not look bright. The Yaldhurst trainer’s representative will be Zlngarrie, w'ho is unreliable at the barrier and so far has displayed no great speed. F. J. Smith has three representatives —Crocus, Ironside and Nervle’s Last—in the Adams Memorial, the big race at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting next week. If the two lastnamed reproduce their Addington form the Takanini stable should be in the money, and Crocus (with a 3.17 3-5 record) also has a chance oil 3.23. A winner at his only two starts, including the Two Thousand Guineas, Pasch is considered almost unbeatable in the Derby by many English critics. Gordon Richards has yet to win the great classic, but on this occasion is confident that he will score. Blandford, sire of Pasch, has already been represented by four Derby winners. Royal Gallant has two wins in the Birthday Handicap to his credit, but he will need to improve on recent form to have any chance with Mungatoon or Last Refrain. He is asked to meet Mungatoon 71b better and Last Refrain on the same terms as at Washdyke, his only advantage being that he can claim an apprentice allowance at Dunedin. The Waikato Trotting Club has emerged from debt, and at the last meeting it was decided to advise the bank to release the club’s guarantors and the secretary was instructed to write Messrs H. W. Burch and J. Fraser Smith expressing the club’s sincere appreciation of the valued assistance they had rendered the club over a period of years. Nell Grattan has been transferred to S. A. Edwards’s stable, and she is engaged at coming meetings in Canterbury. The Grattan Loyal mare has done all her racing from E. Todd’s Wyndham stable, but only this season has she lived up to the early promise she exhibited. Nell Grattan is a halfsister to Rocks Ahead, Oasis an.. Aqua Bond, and may develop into quite a useful stayer, although her form so far has not been outstanding. The hog-fat condition of the yearlings submitted at the Sydney Easter sales last month struck the Awapuni trainer, Mrs A. W. McDonald, as an unusual procedure when compared with the National yearling sales lots at Trentham. In her opinion it would take nearly 12 months before many of the youngsters could be sufficiently muscled up for racing purposes and that possibly explained why Dominionbred two-year-olds were such good propositions for spring meetings at Randwick and Flemington. Five of the nine acceptors for the Birthday Handicap ran in the South Canterbury Handicap. The weights for the two races are:— S.C. Birth. Up Mungatoon .. 8.0 8.13 131 b Last Refrain .. 7.12 8.5 71b Studley Royal .. 7.13 8.4 51b Wild Career .. 7.12 8.3 51b Royal Gallant .. 7.0 7.7 71b On Washdyke form Mungatoon should win again, and Last Refrain should account for the others, but a different track might produce a different result. The weights for the Victorian Grand National Hurdles and Steeplechase, to be run on July 2 and July 9, are to hand. Top position in both races has been awarded to Pooley Bridge, who has 12.1 in the Hurdles and 12.7 in the cross-country event. Pooley Bridge, who succeeded Mosstrooper as the champion jumper of Australia, won the Grand National Hurdles in 1936. Last year, when he carried* 12.8, he fell, and he did not contest the steeple-

chase. As he was second recently in the Australian Cup, Pooley Bridge is not harshly treated. This story comes fram Mackay (Q): Speculators gathered round an amplifier to hear the description of a race in Melbourne. The faraway announcer told them that the horses were at the barrier and that the starter was calling them in. Then came a burst of static like machine-gun fire. “Must have tuned in the war in China,” remarked one listener. “War in China be Mowed,” retorted his mate. “That’s the jockeys charging their batteries before the starter says go.” Ninety-one owners participated in the £10,312 distributed by trotting and racing clubs in the Southland district this season, and while half of them won less than £lOO, 40 of them failed to win more than £5O. The list of winners is headed by Mr W. D. McLeod, of Mandeville, with £895. Last year Mr A. Robertson occupied this position with £390. Four horses— Voloma £425, Aqua Bond £385, Waitemata £360, Donald Dhu £32s—won more than £3OO. Last season only Coherto £390 and Sun Worshipper succeeded in winning over that amount. The following riding engagements have been made for the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting:—G. H. Humphries, Mungatoon, Silver Slipper; A. Messervy, Astaire, Sheeny; H. W. Hibberd, Palmyra, Gillie, Wild Career, Rodeur; J. W. Jennings, Greek Gold. Monipere, Second Innings, Lord Hawke; C. T. Wilson, Settlement, Last Refrain, Mount Vai; A. G. Parsons, Flame Queen, Golden Chest, Volo Dale; M. Caddy, Donadea, Royal Ransom, Scrap; L. J. Ellis, Foxlove, Amelita, Thermidor, Linguist; A. E. Ellis, Balmenter, Lord Nuffield; W. Jenkins, Night Wings, Alby; R. Register, Punchestown. When the Sapling Stakes was instituted objection was made that it would have a detrimental effect on young horses. That this view was based on ignorance has been demonstrated beyond argument. Among the near-three-year-olds that have contested the Ashburton classic have been Ahuriri. Kohara, Taraire, Nelson Derby, Taurekareka, Wrackler, John Jinks, Red Shadow, Silver de Oro, Arethusa, War Buoy, Frisco Lady, Frisco Boy, Pot Luck, Tempest, Parisienne, and a long list of others which have gone on to win Derbies and Cups in profusion. Many of them raced for long periods and very few place-getters in the race have failed to train on. The Sport of Kings: King's Day (which is a more appropriate name for June 6 than King's Birthday), is one of the racing festivals in New Zealand. This is quite appropriate, as Royalty played a considerable part in laying the foundations of the sport in England. James 1., first of the Stuarts, acted as clerk of the course at Lincoln in 1607, and was responsible for the straight being "raled and corded with ropes and hoopes” In order that the “horses that ronned were seen fayre.” He is gener* ally credited with having had much to do with the establishment of Newmarket as a racecourse. Charles I. carried on and imported The Helmsley Turk, one of the taproots of English horse breeding. Cromwell attempted to squelch racing, but the sport flourished after the Restoration under Charles 11. William 111. was a keen racing man, and Queen Anne founded Royal Ascot, the great pageant of the sport. None of the first three Georges displayed much interest in racing, but the Jockey Club was founded (in 1750) during the reign of George 11., whose son William was a noted breeder. George IV., however, was, prior to his accession, one of the greatest gamblers of his time. He was practically warned off the turf, following a reversal of form by one of his horses. The stewards of the Jockey Club advised the Prince that if he allowed his jockey Chifney to ride any of his horses no gentleman would race against him. Queen Victoria did not patronise race meetings after the death of her Consort, but she maintained the Hampton Court Stud, and bred la Flec'ie (which realised 5500gns as a yearling and won £34,000), and Sainforn. Edward VII. was one of the most successful owners in history. He bought Perdita 11. for £lOO, and her descendants won for him stakes totalling £72,000. Three of her sons earned for him £150,000 in stud fees, and Diamond Jubilee was sold to an Argentinian for 30,000 gns. As Prince of Wales, Edward won two Derbies (with Persimmon and Diamond Jubilee) and a Grand National (with Ambush II.), and in the last year of his reign he won another Derby with Minoru. A few hours before his death he received news that Witch of Air had won for him at Kempton Park. King George V. was a keen breeder, but unfortunately did not meet with the success he deserved. The present King has several horses in training, and there would be a remarkable scene on Epsom Downs if the royal colours were carried to victory in to-day’s Derby. SUSPENSION CONFIRMED By Telegraph—Press AUCKLAND, May 31. The appeal of the jockey J. Mclnally against his suspension for two months by the Judicial Committee of the Franklin Racing Club on May 7, which was referred back by the Auckland District Committee, was confirmed when the Franklin body reviewed the case to-night. An inquiry was instituted after the running of the Harrisville Handicap at Pukekohe. On the evidence tendered and from its own observation, the committee found Mclnally guilty of careless riding in that he crossed Gay Streak on Vaalso, who ran second to Barrister, with Gay Streak third. The committee also reversed the judge’s placings of Vaalso and Gay Streak.