RACING AND TROTTING On and Off the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIV, Issue 21053, 3 June 1938, Page 7

RACING AND TROTTING

On and Off the Track

A BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS FIXTURES Racine: Jure 6,9, 11-Auckland R.C. Ux.t 4 j—Napiu Park LC une 4. 6—Otaki Maori R.C. •it. 4 6. U Dunedin JC. 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. June 25—Dannevirke Hunt Club Trotting: June 4—Auckland T.C. June 4, 6—Wanganui I.C. Jure 6—Ashburton T C. First race at Dunedin to-morrow at 11.16. Latest reports from the Waikato suggest that all is not well with Tudor. Alma has been scratched for all engagements at Dunedin. Bois Roussel is the first French horse to win The Derby since Gladiateur in 1865. Sunward may be the fittest horse in the field for the Otago Steeplechase to-morrow. Red Fox and Tradesman were scratched for all engagements at the Auckland Racing Clubs meeting at 3.10 p.m. yesterday. F. Trilford has gone south with Lazybones, Sunward, Royal Ransom, Donadea and Scrap. P. T. Hogan took Superex and Sheeny, and T. Silva is in charge of Sunny Comet. Again the favourite has failed in The Derby. Possibly Pasch's defeat was due to the hoodoo on Gordon Richards or to his own white eye, but more probably to the fact that he met better stayers. Araboa has not done much since the spring, but he revels in soft going and as he is low in the weights for the Winter Handicap at Dunedin, the Balboa gelding should be hard to beat if he gets away well. Betting will be on the single pool system at Wanganui. In fields of nine or more, dividends on the ratio of 70, 20 and 10 per cent, will be paid. The win-and-place system of betting will be in operation at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting. Although real wet-winter weather has not yet set in in the north, indications are that the course at Ellerslie will be very heavy for the opening of 1 the Great Northern meeting on Monday. It is too late for the turf to recover from any soakings it may receive. Among the horses booked to make a first appearance for the season this week is Osculate, who is an acceptor for the Winter Handicap at Dunedin. Osculate, a useful galloper in his day, did very little racing last season, and has not won for over two years. One winner of the Sapling Stakes who failed to live up to the promise given was Moana Tama. Among those he defeated were Gamble and Graham Direct, who developed into two of the best four-year-olds produced in the Dominion. Last Refrain will be ridden at Dunedin by C. T. Wilson, who understands him thoroughly. His run was made rather too early at Washdyke, and as he should be improved by his two outings there a concession of 61b should help him to make a better race with Mungatoon. The New Zealand-bred Maia, who was purchased by Mr Alan Cooper for 7000 guineas, is to be sent to Brisbane almost immediately. It is expected he will contest the Doomben Newmarket and Cup. run on June 25 and July 2 respectively. Arrangements have been made for Maia to be trained at Sandgate. Hunting Song is assured of first place in the winning sires list for the sixth year in succession. Three weeks ago he had passed his own previous best of £16,054, and with so many horses to represent him in jumping races he should get close to £20,000 before the season ends. The record is held oy Absurd with over £36,000. Seven of the final acceptors for the Great Northern Hurdles have been left in the Steeplechase also, but it is unlikely that all will run in both races. The double has not been so elusive as the two Nationals, having been accomplished many times. The fences on the Ellerslie steeplechase course are not really formidable, and can be negotiated by most good hurdlers with a reasonable amount of stamina. The big test is the hill which has to be climbed and descended three times during the race. The first horse to win the double was Temuka-bred Liberator, who took the Hurdle Race two years in succession, and had a Grand National Hurdles, Dunedin Cup and Wanganui Cup on his list.

The two successes of Hunting Blood in the hack sprints at the Waikato meeting when he scored by the remarkable distances of twelve lengths on the first day and by eight lengths easing up on the second day, mark this gelding as something out of the ordinary. Hunting Blood is a three-quarter brother in blood to Sporting Blood. He is a bay gelding by Hunting Song out of Multi, who was by the Multifid horse Multione out of the Gazeley mare Gazi, who was dam of Sporting Blood. Neither Gazi nor Multi ever raced; and Multione, who was foaled back in 1910, won only one maiden event at a Gisborne meeting, in the colours of L. A. Mclntosh. Hunting Song has made some of his greatest hits with this family, whose pedigree merges in obscurity a few generations back. Not only Sporting Blood, but Hunting Cry, a Great Northern Derby winner and victor in two Railways, is the result of a similar mating, as he was by Hunting Song out of Natalite, a half-sister by Multifid to Gazi.

Cone Peak’s second on the last day at Riverton has elevated her to topweight in the Trial Handicap at Dunedin, but that form was not so impressive as Sheeny’s third at Washdyke. At his best. Auctor would appeal more than either, D. P. Wilson's three-year-oid having four seconds to his credit this season. A win in the Derby has been signalised by owners of the winners in various ways. In 1834 it is on record that Mr Bateson promised his tenants that if Plenipotentiary won they should hold their farms rent free for a year. Plenipotentiary won. In the next year, when the race wa.j won for the first time by a horse coining from the North, the victory of Mundig was celebrated by Mr Bowes by peals from the church bells and by setting the ridings of York ablaxe with bonfires. The secretary of the South Canterbury Hunt has received a letter from Perth. Scotland, from a former hon. secretary, Mr Melville Gray, offering congratulations on what he describes as the most satisfactory balance sheet since the beginning of the Club. Mr Grey mentions the death in England of Mr Thomas Hamlyn. one of the earliest Masters of the Hunt. On his latest efforts it is difficult to overlooked Good Hunting, if the Gisborne-trained gelding is produced in the Moteo Hack Hurdles at Napier Park. Most of the opposition lack recent racing while Good Hunting at his only three appearances as a jumper has shown distinct promise, improving with each effort to win with 10.0. The steeplechaser Neil had to be destroyed at Ellerslie last week as the result of a broken leg through receiving a kick from another horse. He was owned by his trainer J. Buchanan and recently, following a lengthy spell, showed a return to form by winning the Mangere Steeplechase at the last Auckland meeting.

The field for the Otago Steeplechase is not an impressive one, but the race is not easy to sum up owing to a doubt concerning the fitness of some of the half dozen. Trisox 11.2 has the same weight as he carried to victory on the final day at Riverton. He then gave 71b. to Arctic Star, whose subsequent form enhanced the merit of the winner’s performance. But Trisox had to miss the Southland meeting, and he may be short of a gallop. At his best he would touch a short price. Punchestown went well for two miles at Washdyke, when reappearing after a long spell, but he can hardly be ready, though he is better class than the others. Black Banner has been under a cloud, and has had only one outing since last winter. Signaller is a good weight-carrier, and a year ago won the Otago Hurdles, but he has not raced over big fences and has not been up long. Sunward is probably the most seasoned of the field, but this seems to be his only advantage compared with Trisox. The remaining candidate. Amy Johnson, has had no public experience at flying fences. Trisox will be favourite, and Sunward and Signaller may be fancied.

Mungatoon was going away at the end of the South Canterbury Handicap, and on that showing should again account for Wild Career and Royal Gallant in the Birthday Handicap. Last Refrain is likely to cause him more trouble, and as Studley Royal was broug down oi the second day at Washdyke he is entitled to another ch .nee, especially as at his last start at Wingatui he won the Dunedin Cup. If Wild Career’s form at the South Canterbury meeting could be accepted as correct it would dispose of Amelita and Island Linnet, whom he defeated at Invercargill, but there is a suspicion that Wild Career trained off on the trip to Washdyke, and Amelita is capable of something better than she showed at Invercargill. A 71b allowance and a return to her Riverton standard would make the little mare a possibility. Still, recent racing seems to entitle Mungatoon and Last Refrain to preference over all those named. High Glee is another proposition. At his last start he won the Easter Handicap at Riverton after being unlucky unlucky in the Cup, and cut the track record to 2.61-5. The Paladin gelding is possibly a rather delicate fellow, but he will be racing on his home track, can handle soft going, and is one of the best handicapped in the race. The place-getters may come from High Glee, Mungatoon and Last Refrain.