On and Off the Track

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21091, 18 July 1938, Page 4

On and Off the Track

1 BUDGET OF NEWS AND VIEWS I FIXTURES Racing: July 23—Rangitikei Hunt Club July 23—South Canterbury Hunt Club July 23 -Mata mat a RC. July 28. 30 - Poverty Bav Turf Club July 30- Christchurch Hunt Club. July 30—Taranaki JC August 6—Poverty Bay Hunt Club. August 9, 11, 13—Canterbury J.C. Trotting August 6. 10. 12—New Zealand Metropolitan T.C. August 27—Auckland T.C. September 3—New Brighton T.C. Defaulter has been withdrawn from the Wanganui Guineas, and his first race of the new season will be in the Avondale Guineas, to be followed by the Great Northern Guineas. Burwood’s trainer is undecided about bringing Burwood north for the jumping events in Canterbury. The Woodend gelding has had a strenuous season for a first-year jumper. Since Windward came to Washdyke an endeavour was made to introduce him to hurdling, but the West Coaster indicated very plainly that he is not interested in the business. The 1936-37 season in Southland was I one of the wettest on record. The one i now closing was just the reverse, and i the Southland Racing Club was compelled to provide a motor water cart to ; keep its tracks in usable condition. ‘ Since arriving back from the Wellington meeting the hurdler Silk Sox has been present on New Plymouth tracks, but his injured tendon has not responded to treatment and the last has been seen of him until next winter. Paladino and Milford are back in R. E. McLellan’s stable at Invercargill after a holiday extending over nearly three months. Paladino, a big-framed gelding, is carrying more condition than ever before, and if he keeps sound should be all the better for it. Maori Maid, who won the Novice Plate at Waimate, is owned by Mr G. R. Hunter, of Oamaru, who has no connection with the Hon. G. R. Hunter, of Christchurch, owner of Nocturnus, and partner with the Hon. P. C. Webb in several well-known gallopers. Several minutes were lost prior to the start of the Hunt Cup at Waimate. A cloud of smoke blew across the course, and the starter failed to observe that the balloon had been hoisted and then dropped when the machine had been balanced. In connection with Valarth it is feared that he has fractured a bone in his pelvis, nad if this is so it will put gn encl to his racing career. He first sustained an injury as the result of schooling when he was last over in Australia and did not recover until early this year. Hunting Song’s progeny have won nearly £19,000 in New Zealand this season, and as he is more than £6OOO ahead of Lord Quex, next on the list, the Hurry On horse is certain to top the score for the racing year. The Dominion record is £36,498, established by Absurd in 1921-22. Last Post, who won the Amateur Cup at Waimate for Mr A. C. Mills, is by Shambles from Sopra. He is a halfbrother to Royal Saxon, and also to Reonui, a good performer on the fiat taken to Sydney by F. D. Jones and sold there to a patron of G. Price’s stable. Tautau Maid was making her first appearance as a hurdler when she won at Waimate. The Balboa mare carries weight well and is partial to soft ground, and with more experience she may continue to pay her way as a jumper. She ran down the second last jump at Waimate, and appeared to be responsible for Chaste losing her rider. “The action of the club in holding two single-day meetings in place of a two-day winter meeting was again justified by results,” states the annual report of the Southland Racing Club The last two-day winter meeting (in 1935) showed a profit of £145; two single days this season resulted in a surplus of £llOO. The profit on the four I days' racing during the season was £2917. Mr W. Scholium had a stroke of bad I luck recently when he lost a yearling filly by Hunting Song from White Wings. The yearling was running in a paddock when a man who was out shooting discharged a gun. The youngster became startled and attempted to jump a fence, with the result that she fell and broke her neck. The filly was a valuable one, as White Wings was a sister to Agrion, Waikare and other good winners. It is reported that Full o’ Scotch is an unlikely visitor to Riccarton next month. Five weeks ago Full o’ Scotch was a maiden hurdler—in fact he had not won a race of any description; now he is third top-weight in the Grand National Hurdles with 11.0. His win in the Trentham Hurdles with 10.2 and a second in the Winter Hurdles with 10.12, ensured that he would not receive much less at Riccarton, but Full o’ Scotch runs his best races in front, and it takes a good one to lead all the way over two miles and five furlongs with 11.0. Courtyard will probably outstay him again. There is only one more race meeting to be held in the Auckland province before the present season concludes—that is the Matamata fixture next Saturday. During the present term the sum of £1,423,847/10/- has been wagered in the Auckland province on racecourses, an increase of £382,279, compared with last season. Flat racing was responsible for £951,465/10/-, compared with £668,512/10/-, a rise of £282/953, while at trotting fixtures the sum of £472,382 was speculated, against £373,056, an increase of £99,326. The

largest amount invested was at meetings of the Auckland Racing Club, when £679,898 was put through, an increase of £90,768. 10. -, but this pales against the amount put through at meetings at Ellerslie in the 1920-21 season, when £1,146.510 was invested, the sum of £511,455/10/- going through the machine at the four days of the summer meeting. McHeath was unhappy in the bad going at Waimate. He slipped into the hurdle opposite the stand, and the uncertain foothold caused him to hit the one at the far turn. Royal Gallant has struck one of his periodical spasms of form, and while the going continues boggy he has to be given a chance in any race in which the company is not select. It took H. d’Eganneh years to win a race with Locust, but he was luckier with Macgregor, who succeeded at his first attempt. Macgregor is by Jack Potts from Lady Wildwood, so that his pedigree is no bar to further success. 1 Silver Sail’s owner was confident that she would run well in the Morven Handicap at Waimate, but the Oamaru • marc was overlooked at the start, and I was left standing with her head the wrong way. When the hunters were credited with 4.36 for "about” 2.1 miles at Waimate. it seemed that the track might be better than it looked, but 1.57 1-5 for a mile, 1.43 2-5 for seven furlongs, and 1.26 1-5 lor six later on indicated the real state of the going. Quinopal went for four years without winning a race and he was almost generally regarded as a back number. During the last few weeks the Quin Abbey gelding has won two hunters events, and although it was not a strong field that he beat at Waimate, he displayed some of his old dash, and with , the going to suit him he must be respected for other races of this class. Southland horses won three races at Waimate, and some people were inclined to attribute this to their being accustomed to soft tracks. Just the reverse has been the case this season. The year has been one of the driest on record in the south and for once in a way the advantage of the visitors lay in the fact that they had been working while Canterbury horses had been idle. The distance for the Amateur Cup Steeplechase at Waimate was described as about 24 miles, but the time indicated that it was much less. The horses were started rather too close to the first jump, and Golden Glow’s fall appeared to be due to being unsighted. ' It robbed the race of a lot ’of interest, as Tomcat collided with Golden Glow , on landing, and Red Sceptre blundered over the other two.