ON AND OFF THE TRACK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21323, 18 April 1939, Page 12

ON AND OFF THE TRACK

A Budget of News And Views FIXTURES Racing April 19, 20— Manawatu R.C. April 21. 22—Whangarei R.C. April 22—Reefton J.C. April 22—Waverley R.C. April 28, 29—Dannevirke R.C. April 27, 29—South Canterbury J.C. April 29, May I—Nelson J.C. Trotting April 19— Manawatu T.C. April 22—Wairarapa T.C. April 29—Auckland T.C. Morello, winner of this season's Trotting Cup, is to go out for a spell. Black Banner’s wins at Riverton raised his total earnings to over £2OOO. In five seasons he has won ten races, four of them in the last few weeks.

The Tasmanian pacer Van Derby, who has been in F. J. Smith’s stable, is to be trained at Addington by J. Fraser junr,

The values of the Great Northern Hurdles and Great Northern Steeplechase this year will be respectively £l5OO and £1750, an increase in each case of £250 on last year’s stakes.

The Surgeon, who has been nominated for hurdle races at Washdyke, has not raced over obstacles since the Grand National meeting, when he won the Spreydon Hurdles with 10.11.

W. Hancock has been waiting for softer tracks to school Travenna over hurdles, and it was on account of lack of schooling that he did not nominate him for the Timaru meeting this month.

Among the entrants for the Kerrytown Handicap at the South Canterbury meeting is Sir Hugh, who has been in retirement since he won highweight handicaps at Ashburton, Waikouaiti and Oamaru in the summer of 1937-8.

H. Gray, with his team from Taranaki, is expected to return to Auckland about the middle of next month. At the moment Grey’s stables at Takanini are occupied by D. J. Burgess, who no doubt will be forced to make other arrangements.

M. McCarten seldom enters a protest, and the connections of Spear Chief were confident that they would get the decision after the Chipping Norton Stakes win by Defaulter. The bookmakers obviously had other views as they offered 7 to 1 against Spear Chief in the usual betting on the protest.

After racing successfully in Australia for three months, Stretto returned to Auckland last week. The Hunting Song mare developed respiratory trouble, and she failed to show her true form. Stretto is to be retired to the stud, and her first mating will be with Bulandshar.

Malagigi’s trip to Australia has proved surprisingly profitable. He won the Warwick Farm Cup, was third in the Sydney Cup, and won the Final Handicap with top-weight 9.3. That was streets ahead of his New Zealand form, although he won the Mitchelson Cup in the spring.

E. Stewart, an Australian rider, has joined T. Wilson’s staff at Awapuni. Stewart was in New Zealand about 18 months ago, and during his short stay piloted Mittie to victory, and was also successful on Flying Acre at the Marton and Manawatu meetings, besides riding minor placings. Stewart can go to the scales at 7.5.

Not much has been heard of Logan Derby since he returned to Tasmania in the spring, but he has resumed racing and won a two-mile race at Elswick recently. He established a new record for Tasmania but was required to do only 4.26 3-5, slow compared with his Addington record of 4.14 4-5. To date Logan Derby has won 45 races and £7OOO in urize money.

"I was uneasy as soon as the field started to line up at the barrier. High Caste seemed like a gawky, uneducated youngster and the strangeness of the conditions upset him so much that it was not surprising he lost.” That was how Jockey Bartie explained the defeat in the Fairfield Handicap at Warwick Farm. High Caste has been green at the barrier in all his races in Sydney.

Black Banner’s treble at Riverton has attracted widespread notice, but it is not unique. Graball won three open steeplechases at Wingatui not long ago. French Fleet, another Southland horse, won the three hack steeplechases at the Dunedin meeting of 1932. The fields were small and French Fleet’s reward was a mere £225. Black Banner’s three wins netted £905. Plenty of other such cases could be unearthed, no doubt, if the records were searched.

Night Dress has raced very consistently lately. Following a third in the Waimate Cup and fourth in the Oamaru Cup, he won the Gardiner Memorial at Oamaru. Third again in the Riverton Cup, he was second in the Easter Handicap, which he would almost certainly have won had his run been delayed slightly longer. He was raced into the lead over two furlongs from home and was caught in the last stride by Milford.

Survey’s win in the Champion Hack Handicap at Riverton was his first since he was successful in the Otautau Steeplechase a year ago, but he did no racing for about nine months owing to an injury sustained at Ashburton. Prior to being put to jumping last season the little Surveyor gelding had some useful form on the fiat which had been forgotten by backers. . He has been entered for the hurdle races as well as flat races at Washdyke.

Setgmund’s Great Autumn success raised his earnings to £3960, it being

his thirteenth win. On the Monday afternoon he was still in his box at Trentham. The stable apprentice. A. Sagar, returned after riding in the first three races at Tauherenikau to take charge of him and see him on the boat. His trainer joined them before the vessel sailed, and on their arrival at Lyttelton he was put on a float at the wharf and taken over to Riccarton. where he was plated, given his breakfast, and then allowed an easy time till the afternoon.

A Victorian who races as “Mr Melton’’ three years ago asked Mr W. R. Kemball to lease him a young horse, and picked two from a bunch. They were Sunnymorn (Siegfried—Enmity) and Amiable (Lord Quex— Agreeable). He was allowed to lease the Ally for two years. Amiable soon displayed speed, but went lame, and a vet. prescribed a long spell. “Mr Melton” then returned her to her owner. Almost immediately the lameness disappeared, and for Mr Kemball Amiable has won over £4OOO. Sunnymorn, after winning a couple of races, was sold at a high price to go to India.

In his last eleven starts at Addington, Marsceres has never been out of the money. After a win there in June, he recorded four wins and a second at the August meeting. After finishing third on the opening day of the Cup Carnival, the Kerrytown pacer won on the second day, and then was given a spell until the autumn. He was in a minor place at the Canterbury Park meeting, and was twice third on earlier days of the Metropolitan Easter fixture. On the final day he was runner-up to Fine Art over two miles, and completed the meeting with a victory in saddle. Along with Cello Sdney Wilkes, Red Shadow and Fine Art, Marsceres shares the distinction of being the only pacer to win four times at an Addington meeting.

Beaulivre tops the score among the season's two-year-olds in New Zealand with £2315, but High Caste has won over £7OOO in Australia in addition to his Dominion total: —

Beaulivre •*5 re OT 11 V3 c g 6 w 0) O re £ 5 £ 2315 Beau Vite 11 3 4 1310 Submission 10 5 2 1295 High Caste (in N.Z.) . 4 3 1 1180 Nora Gregor 13 5 9 915 Konneta 8 2 4 880 Winning Rival .. .. 4 2 765 Beau Repalre 7 2 2 730 Anopheles 4 2 1 710 Globe Trotter 11 4 1 680 Baran 9 2 1 665 Master Hotspur .. .. 9 2 2 575