RACING AND TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21308, 30 March 1939, Page 8

RACING AND TROTTING

ON AND OFF THE TRACK A Budget of News And Views FIXTURES Racing March 30. April I—Hawke’s Bay J.C. Trotting April I—Taranaki T.C. April I—Ashburton T.C. April 8, 10—Hawera T.C. April 8, 12. 13—Metropolitan T.C.

The Hawke's Bay Cup will be run to-day.

The scratching of Peerless leaves Mishna the only North Islander in the Great Easter Handicap.

The first race at the Ashburton Club's meeting at Addington on Saturday will start at 12.8.

T. R. George now has a lead of seven on the training honours list for the current season.

To “Argument”: Gloaming did not race at Dunedin, though he was taken there at the end of his career to give an exhibition.

Dungarvan has been blistered and turned out for a short spell. He will probably resume racing towards the end of the winter.

Made Money, who has been doing well since joining A. H. McDonald’s stable a few weeks ago, has again gone amiss, and it will not be possible to race him at Easter.

Baran was a disappointment at Manawatu on Saturday, but he may be accorded a chance to make atonement in the Great Northern Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie, on the bigger track.

Although he was a good performer on the fiat, Royal Dance was neglected by backers when making his first appearance as a hurdler at Tauranga. Weighted at 9.0, he led all the way and had the field strung out.

Although Lord Nuffield is not eligible for hack races at Riccarton, he can, if his owner desires, compete in this class at Riverton. Entries for the last-named meeting were taken before he won at Oamaru.

Twenty-two horses have been paid up for in the Hawke’s Bay Cup. Galteemore will not start, but the field promises to be the largest in the race for a very long time, and possibly a record one.

The Crooner, who ran Royal Chief to a neck in last year’s New Zealand St. Leger, is in the Hawke’s Bay Cup with 7.12. He has not done much racing since then, and has started only once this season.

It will go down on the records that, despite his unique chain of victories, ■with only one break in his last seven races among the hacks, Trebor was able to start in his last race in the grade without being the topweight.

Cheval de Volee, who is given pride of place in the handicap for the Hawke’s Bay Cup, has been a good winner in the last 12 months, including in his victories the Cornwall Handicap, the Auckland Cup, the Ralph Handicap and the Taranaki Cup.

In view of his consistent form, it was a most unhappy circumstance that an inquiry should have been called into Trebor’s alleged “improved form” on the final day at Manawatu (says the “Post”). Because a horse fails once in seven successive races it is astonishing that doubt should be cast on his honesty on that occasion. Next thing we may now hear is an inquiry into Ajax’s running should he come out and win next Saturday.

Undoubtedly the best horse to win a Hawke's Bay Cup was Rapine, who carried 10.7 and recorded 2.33 2-5, only a fifth outside Maioha’s record for the distance. Los Angeles won with 9.10 and Star Stranger (a three-year-old) with 9.4 in 2.33 4-5. Star Stranger later won the Metropolitan at Randwick, and it is interesting to note that two other Hawke’s Bay Cup winners, Maniopoto and Solution, accounted for the big spring handicap of the A.J.C.

A £5O trophy raises the value of the Hawke’s Bay Cup to £550, the highest for many years. The race was in the £5OO class forty years ago when prizes of that magnitude were rarer than they are to-day, and during the boom it touched the £l5OO mark. During the depression it fell to £l5O, and the total amount of stakes for a day’s racing slumped to less than £6OO, compared with £3850 on Cup Day in 1921. As a result of the earthquake and the slump racing received almost knock-out blows in the Bay, but there has been a revival lately and the province is regaining its old eminence as one of the leading breeding districts of the Dominion.

Since his conquest of Ajax, Spear Chief is being selected as Defaulter’s toughest opponent at Warwick Farm on Saturday. Spear Chief was outstanding in his own State as a three-year-old last season, winning among other races the Queensland Guineas, Queensland Derby, Queensland St. Leger, and Brisbane Cup. In the Brisbane Cup 2 miles, he carried 8.3 and beat a fairly strong field rather comfortably. This season he was transferred by his now owners, Messrs J. B. Charlton and J. Harris, the latter buying out a previous partner at a high price, to Sydney, where he was linked up with G. Price’s team. Early last month he was stepped out among the sprinters to win the Flying Handicap at Rosehill, and then was sent to Melbourne, where he brought off a coup in the Woodcliff Handicap, 11 furlongs, on Futurity Stakes day. Spear Chief has 9.3 in the Sydney Cup.

Mr W. Stone, formerly of Invercargill, well-known as owner of Elcus and Silver Peak, and later as a trainer, died in Christchurch Hospital during the week. For Mr J. Faulks he trained another very good horse in Silver Paper.

Siegmund returned to form last month to win the Wanganui Cup and he ran a great race on Friday to finish second to Galteemore at Awapuni after being badly placed in the run home. He is fancied for the Hawke’s Bay Cup, and if in the mood would be hard to beat, but he is just as likely to run badly.

Tiger Gain, winner of two Manawatu Cups, is the veteran of the Hawke's Bay Cup field. He can never be left out, but he will find it hard to give weight to such a promising young horse as Ivar, winner of the Napier Park Cup a month ago in time that equalled the course record.

Defaulter has come on well during the past week, and many eyes were on him as he strode along at three-quarter pace (says a Sydney paper of March 25). There is no doubt about his commanding appearance, and now that his coat carries the satin polish indicating fitness, it can easily be imagined what a great colt he has proved himself to be in the Dominion. In stature he towers over any of the Australian three-year-olds, and has a middlepiece equal to any weight.

The fields at the Hawke’s Bay meeting at Hastings to-day will be the best for several seasons. The single pool system is to be used. The following are mentioned as likely to race well:— Riverslea Hurdles— Hanover, Small Boy.

Maiden— Kalika, Hunting Squire. Autumn Handicap— Sudan, Halley, Blonde Princess.

Hawke’s Bay Cup— lvar, The Crooner, Dainty Sue.

Nursery Handicap— Fils de Vaals, Lutanist, Dainty Dell. Heretaunga Hack— Red Witch, Tom Tom, Mataroa.

Havelock Handicap Rakahanga, Kathbella, Brunhild.

Mr Donald Grant has purchased the English mare Stourbridge Fair, for his Elloughton Grange stud. Stourbridge Fair is by the Two Thousand Guineas winner, Ellangowan, from the Chaucer mare Silver How, and her next dam is by Carbine’s son, Spearmint, who is so prominent in the pedigrees of the dams of Nearco (the best three-year-old in Europe last year). Bois Rousell (English Derby) and Flares (Ascot Gold Cup). Spearmint appears on the dam’s side of the pedigree of all of these horses, and the great filly Rockfel descends from him through her sire, Felsted. In addition to such famous brood mare sires in her pedigree as Chaucer (son of St. Simon) and Spearmint, Stourbridge Fair is from the same maternal line as Ajax. She is in foal to the French sire Lang Bian, who is now at the Karamu Stud.

The following is the record of Ajax since he was defeated in the V.R.C. Derby:— 2—V.R.C. Derby, IS miles, 8.10. I—V.R.C. Linlithgow Stakes, 1 mile,

8.0. Imin 35isec. I—V.A.T.C. Futurity Stakes, 7 furlongs, 9.6, Imin 25sec. I—V.R.C. Newmarket Handicap, 6 furlongs. 9.0. Imin lllsec. I—V.R.C. Lloyd Stakes, 1 mile, 8.6,

Imin 35Ssec. I—A.J.C. All-Aged Stakes, 1 mile, 8.8,

Imin 351 sec. I—A.J.C. Cropper Plate, 6 furlongs,

9.2, imin 13Jsec. I—Williamstown Underwood Stakes, 1 mile and 55 yards, 9.0, Imin 42sec.

I—V.A.T.C. Memsie Stakes, 9 furlongs, 9.7, Imin 52Jsec. I—V.R.C. Melbourne Stakes, 1 mile, 9.5, Imin 35ilsec. I—V.A.T.C. Caulfield Stakes, 9 furlongs, 9.0, Imin 50.1 sec. I—Moonee1 —Moonee Valley Cox Plate, 94 furlongs, 9.0. Imin 563 sec. I—V.R.C. Mackinnon Stakes, 11 miles, 9.0, 2min 51sec. I—V.R.C.1 —V.R.C. Linlithgow Stakes, 1 mile,

9.0, Imin 37:lsec. I—V.R.C. Fisher Plate, 14 miles, 9.0,

2min 31sec. I—V.A.T.C. St. George Stakes, 9 furlongs, 9.0, Imin 511 sec. I—V.A.T.C. Futurity Stakes, 7 furlongs, 10.6, Imin 281 sec.

I—V.R.C. King’s Plate, 14. miles, 9.0. 2min 35Jsec.

I—C. M. Lloyd Stakes, 1 mile, Imin 40Jsec.

2—Rosehill Rawson Stakes, 9 furlongs, 9.0, Imin 524 sec.

WESTPORT J.C.

ACCEPTANCES FOR SATURDAY The following are the acceptances for the first day of the Westport Jockey Club’s meeting on Saturday:— TRIAL HACII HANDICAP, of £75; 6 furlongs.—Bonnie Agnes 9.0, Aggravate 8.8, La Plata 8.1, Comus 7.12, Real Lady 7.9, Gay Spear 7.7, Middle Watch 7.7, Lord Hawk 7.7. BULLER TROT, of £B5 (2.27); 1 mile. —Baron Sill: scr, Great Ayora scr, Red Worthy Worthy Scot scr, John Worthy i_.,ds bhd, Silk Attire 12, Balaclava 24. High Noon 24, Tarn 36, Atarau Queen 48. MORLEY HANDICAP, of £140; 1 mile.—Mishna 8.12, Pladie 8.7, Golden Dart 8.3, Rebel Queen 7.5, Windward 7.0. ELECTRIC HANDICAP, of £B5; 5 furlongs.—Arrowrose 9.2, Bon Tray 8.0, Capital 7.12, Real Lady 7.7, Lisnacree 7.7, Passenger 7.7, Rebel Rank 7.7, Gemara 7.7.

GRANITY TROT, of £B5 (3.40); 11 miles. —Balaclava scr, Baron Silk scr, High Noon scr, Red Worthy scr, Worthy Scot scr, Tarn 24yds bhd, Atarau Queen 36, Janet Gaynor 60, Red Glow 60.

SCANLON HANDICAP, of £100; 7 furlongs.—Golden Dart 8.5, Palmyra 8.4, Potent 8.1, Bonnie Agnes 7.6. ADAMSON MEMORIAL HANDICAP, of £B5; 1 mile.—Rebel Queen 9.0, Comus 7.10, Shangri La 7.9, Gay Spear 7.7, Pol Roger 7.7, Amoretto 7.7, Lord Hawk 7.7. KARAMEA HANDICAP, of £B5; 6 furlongs.—Pladie 9.5, Potent 8.13, Nolana 8.5, Capital 7.10, Windward 7.7, Skyrcna 7.7, Passenger 7.7, Gemara 7.7.