ON AND OFF THE TRACK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21183, 2 November 1938, Page 8

ON AND OFF THE TRACK

A Budget of News And Views FIXTURES Racing Nov. 4, s—Whangarei R.C. Nov. s—Napier Park R.C. Nov. 5,7, 9, 12—Canterbury J.C. Nov. 12—Napier Park R.C. Nov. 12, 14—Avondale J.C. Nov. 19—Levin R.C. Nov. 19—Southland R.C. Nov. 19, 21—Waikato R.C. Nov. 26—Ashburton County R.C. Nov. 26, 28—Auckland R.C. Nov. 26, 28—Feilding R.C. Trotting Nov. s—Thames T.C. Nov. 8. 10, 11—N.Z. Metropolitan L.C Nov. 19—Wellington T.C. Nov. 24, 26—Forbury Park T.C. Dec. 3—Waikato T.C. Avenger will be submitted to auction in Melbourne on,Friday. Galleon, one of Southland's best middle-distance horses, has rejoined F. 1 Ellis’s active brigade at Invercargill. To ride Valantua in the Cup, C. T. Wilson may have to declare about 61b overweight. Nominations for the Southland Racing Club’s spring meeting will close to-day at 5 p.m. Twenty-five horses were nominated for the Spring Plate at Riccarton, but Disdain will have only six opponents. Beaulivre appears to have frightened the majority of tire North Island two-year-olds out of the Welcome Stakes, in which the number of acceptors is nine. Last year there were 17 starters in the New Zealand Cup and ten in the Stewards’ Handicap. The acceptors this season number 18 and 19 respectively. • • • • Quadroon was allowed to drop out of the New Zealand Cup because he jarred a leg when winning the Wellington Handicap. He is reported to be making a good recovery, and will be prepared for the Auckland Cup. While everybody appears to regard the Welcome Stakes as a certainty for Beaulivre, and the Derby as an equally good thing for Defaulter, the Oaks is very open. Russian Ballet, Homily, Disdain and Good Passage are all good fillies, and Peerless would add Interest if she recovered form. • • • • The Melbourne Cup winner Wotan, who is engaged in the New Zealand Cup and has 8.5, was responsible for a very attractive trial at Bulls during the week-end. Wotan left on Monday for Christchurch and may be ridden in the Cup by P. Burgess.

Aspirant, the three-year-old halfsister by Llewellyn to Grand Mogul, in W. Cosgrove’s Winton stable, failed to put in an appearance at Gore and her nomination for Invercargill was withdrawn. Aspirant would have probably been sent out a warm favourite had she lined up at Gore. She was a late foal and will not be three years old until late in November. Aspirant may not make an appearance until late in the season.

Eurotas, winner of the Trial at Bulls, is a three-year-old gelding by Pantheon (sire of Peter Pan) out of Minnie, by Magpie-Queen Ingoda, by Comedy King-Ingoda, by Stepniak. His grand-dam is a sister to the Melbourne Cup winner King Ingoda. Ingoda was bred at Elderslie, won the New Zealand Oaks and St. Leger and ran second in the Stead Memorial and the Dunedin Cup. Eurotas was purchased by J. T. Jamieson as a yearling for 130 guineas, but as he showed signs of unsoundness he was sent over to M. Grogan at Westmere, and he is now held on lease with a purchasing clause.

From the time that Eona in 1906 won the Wellesley and Welcome for the Hon. J. D. Ormond, no two-year-old captured the double for fourteen years. Then, Moorfowl, Mermin and Epitaph accomplished the feat in successive seasons, but since then only Commendation, Childsplay, Lack, Red Manfred and Francis Drake have pulled it off. Summed up, the Wellesley winner has accounted for the Welcome only nine times in over thirty years, and while it is not suggested that Beaulivre will be beaten on Saturday, it seems obvious that victory down the five at Trentham does not assure success on the wavy Riccarton straight.

Defaulter will not start in the Riccarton Handicap—he was nominated as a precaution, in case wet tracks idled him and left him in need of a race. Good three-year-olds have a fine record in this race, which has been popular as a Derby trial. Without going too far back, investigation reveals that since 1926 eight three-year-olds have succeeded in twelve years. Commendation won with 9.9, Cylinder and Wild Chase with 9.3, Smoke Screen with 9.2, Sporting Blood with 8.11, while Admiral Drake, Nightly, and King Colossus scored under lighter burdens. Commendation, Cylinder, Nightly, Sporting Blood and Wild Chase went on to win the Derby, and last year Smoke Screen was runner-up to Royal Chief.

Recent racing has brought Sly Fox into the limelight, and this Hunting Song four-year-old, a maiden as late as July, is now one of the favourites for the New Zealand Cup. No horse by Hunting Song has yet won a twomile flat race, but rather strangely none has ever started in a New Zealand Cup. Up to a mile and a half, Hunting Song has sired plenty of good performers. Sly Fox is a full-brother to the Derby winner Sporting Blood, both being out of Gazie. This mare

is not eligible for the Stud Book, the pedigree of her dam Cheddite being a short one. Cheddite is the dam of Natalie, who produced Hunting Cry, a class horse up to perhaps a mile and a half, and White Fang, a smart performer at a mile or ten furlongs. Sly Fox is an improving galloper, but is inclined to pull a bit, and this may prove a handicap in the Cup.

Entries for the Forbury Park meeting (Nov. 24 and 26) will be received until 5 p.m. to-day. Top Row finished sixth in the Highweight sprint won by Manrico at Flemington yesterday.

F. Shean, the ex-Queenslander, who won the Mjlbourne Cup on Catalogue, was on Buzalong in the Caulfield Cup and on King’s Head in the Epsom.

New . Zealand horses—Nightmarch, Phar Lap, Wotan and Catalogue—have won the Melbourne Cup four times in ten years; and their score would have been five had not Concentrate broken down when he had the race won.

The Australian champion Lawn Derby arrived at Addington yesterday morning, in charge of W. J. O'Shea. He is reported to be very fit, and in addition to competing in the Trotting Cup and the Free-For-All, he will attack Indianapolis’s record of 2.0 2-5 if conditions are suitable. Catalogue led into the straight in the Hotham Handicap (1.1 miles) at Flemington on Saturday, but stopped in the run home. It was different in the Melbourne Cup. Moving into third place at the mile post, he raced to the front seven furlongs from home. He led by two lengths with five furlongs to go, and went further ahead as they neared the straight. When Wotan won two years ago he came from the extreme rear and arrived just in time to snatch victory, but Catalogue had the money in his owner’s pocket soon after hitting the straight and won without being challenged. Apparently his victory was received with the same coolness as greeted Wotan, the defeat of the favourites by a no-form visitor being unpalatable to backers. Just as Wotan had done, Catalogue placed the bookmakers in a happy position in regard to doubles and straight-out betting.

The Melbourne Cup winner Catalogue is an eight-year-old gelding by the Lemberg sire Lord Quex from Catalina (Catmint-Symbolism). He was bred by Mr W. G. Stead. Catalogue finished second to Padishah in the last Wellington Cup, but apart from that he had no credentials for a two mile race and had not won over a longer distance than ten furlongs. His best performances had been registered at a mile, Winter Cup (twice) and Jockey Club Handicap (9.0 in 1.37 2-5) last season being the highlights of his career. He won these races In the ownership of Mr E. L. Barnes, of Palmerston North, but later In the season was transferred to Mrs A. Jamieson (Mr Barnes's sister). In New Zealand, Catalogue had been trained by Mrs A. W. McDonald, but went to Australia in charge of Alan McDonald. Women trainers are barred in Victoria, and In addition the trip did not look encouraging enough to induce the lady to leave her big team In the Dominion. Thus the well-known cross-country horseman figures as trainer of a Mel-

bourne Cup winner, a success which has eluded hundreds of men who have been striving for nearly a lifetime to achieve it. The departure of Mrs Jamieson and Mr and Mrs Barnes for Australia to see Catalogue race was delayed through the family being involved in a motor accident.

Bourbon, second in the Melbourne Cup, won the pandwick Plate (2 miles at w.f.a.) two or three weeks ago, and his 7.12 was a luxurious weight for a five-year-old with w.f.a. form. Ortelle’s star, who finished third, carried a penalty of 81b for her success in the Moonee Valley Cup. Royal Chief was fifth, and was not disgraced, considering that he had to shoulder 9.3 on a softish track. sir Regent, another Chief Ruler gelding, on this occasion left the barrier and after being fairly prominent all through was fifth past the judge. Nuffield was never dangerous, and Spear Chief and St. Constant were in the rearguard. Marauder was another fancied candidate who was never in the picture, and I’Aiglon did much better. Queen of Song gave herself prima donna airs at the barrier and was in the van for two or three furlongs, but then drifted to the ruck.