RACING AND TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21361, 2 June 1939, Page 6

RACING AND TROTTING

ON AND OFF THE TRACK A Budget of News And Views FIXTURES Racing June 3, s—Napier Park R.C. June 3, s—Wanganui J.C. June 3,5, 7—Auckland R.C. June 3,5, 10—Dunedin J.C. June 10—Hawke’s Bay J.C. June 17—Bay of Plenty R.C. June 17—Greymouth J.C. June 17—Hawke’s Bay J.C. June 24—Waipa R.C. June 24—Otaki-Maori R.C. June 24—Ashburton County R.C. July I—Dannevirke Hunt C. July I—Oamaru J.C. July 4. 6. B—Wellington R.C. Trotting June 3—Methven T.C. lune s—Ashburton I.C. Great Northern Hurdles to-morrow. There will be racing to-morrow at Ellerslie. Wanganui. Wingatui, and Napier Park; and trotting at Methven. Betting systems to-morrow:—Win and place. Ellerslie, Wingatui, Methven; single pool, Wanganui, Napier Park. No first favourite has succeeded in the Great Northern Steeplechase since Sir Roseberry won fourteen years ago. W. E. Pine has been engaged to ride Power Chief at Ellerslie, in place of A. McDonald. A hurdle race and a hack steeplechase are included in the programme of the Ashburton Racing Club’s winter meetirfg. to be run on June 24. S. Wilson, who has been incapacitated for some time by a fall (his second this season) is to resume riding at Napier to-morrow. Sydney reports state that the Heroic colt Te Hero is to be trained there in future, joining the stable of Dr. Lewis. Owing to the regrettable circumstances which necessitated the return of E. J. Ellis from Auckland, Survoy will be in charge of J. F. Fergus during the Great Northern meeting. Five horses—Levanter, Kiatere, El Gallo. Sir Roseberry and Valpeen—have won the Great Northern Steeplechase twice, but El Gallo is the only dual winner of the Great Northern Hurdle Race.

Lady Furst, in spite of her weight, will contest the Connolly Handicap at Wanganui. She has been working in approved style at Napier Park, and an effort is being made to secure the services of W. J. Broughton for her.

An alteration has been decided on in the order of events at the Oamaru winter meeting next month. The Winter Handicap (seven furlongs) will now be the third race and the Burnside Hack Handicap fourth on the card.

Loyal Rey has been paid up for in the All Aged Stakes at Ashburton. If 'the Methven gelding is to be regarded as a serious contestant in that race, he should win off 3.33 on her home track to-morrow.

A. McDonald, who was injured when Power Chief fell with him in a schooling bout prior to the Manawatu meeting. is reported to be making satisfactory progress. It is-hoped that he will be ble to leave hospital before the end of the week.

J. T. Jamieson, who is holiday-mak-ing in New Zealand, has purchased Malagigi for Mr G. Tancred, and the gelding went into his stables at Randwick this week. Malagigi was submitted to auction at Randwick a few weeks ago, but just failed to reach the reserve of 1500 gns.

The danger of “giving away time" is illustrated by the case of the Auckland trotter Great Surprise. He started in and won a race with a 3.45 limit, although assessed some seconds slower, and automatically went back to 3.41. He won again from that line, and is now on 3.47, the two wins having cost him about 12 seconds.

It is not unusual for a horse to be remounted after a fall and to qualify for place money in a steeplechase, but it is uncommon for a, horse to fall and then win a big event. This feat was accomplished in a Great Northern Steeplechase by Despised, who made a mistake at the top of the hill the second time round.

Red Flush, a winner at Auckland, is trained by M. Stewart. It was two years since his last success, but when Stewart was employed by M. B. Edwards he drove Red Flush to victory in live two mile races—Nelson Trotting Cup and President’s Handicap and later at Wanganui in the Trotting Club Handicap, at Hawera in the Trotting Cup and Waimate Plains Handicap.

The weights were declared last week for the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles and Grand National Steeplechase. In the hurdles, Pooley Bridge is top weight with 11.10, while Erination is next with 11.6. Celtic Lad has 9.4, and Irish Comet and Smiling Thru each 9.0. Pooley Bridge is also at the head of the steeplechase field with 12.7, while Erination is next with 12.2. Irish Comet has 9.7, and Smiling Thru 9.0.

It is a long while since a more impressive first win in hack company has ben scored than that by Kahui at AWapuni on Saturday. This handsome Colossus three-year-old was having only his second start, but he spreadeagled the really smart field opposing him. Kahui who is trained by L. Knapp, is a horse with a future. A much-discussed two-year-old in Hawkes Bay is Indian Sun (Bulandshar —Sunbar), trained by J. H. Jefferd for Mr A. B. Williams. He ran greenly at Trentham in January, since when he has been gelded, but he is likely to

be a staunch favourite at his next appearance—probably at the Napier Park meeting on Monday. Early in the week Charade and Survoy were the northern favourites for the Grand Northern double. Sporting Song will not be taken to Ellerslie and has gone to Wanganui with the rest of H. Dulieu’s team. El Meynell’s trip north also has been cancelled. The All-Aged Stakes at Ashburton has not attracted any of the pacers on the top end of the assessment table, but there is plenty of class in the race. The form horse appears to be the three-year-old Special Edition. * » • • Lord Hereford scored his first crosscountry victory in rather easy fashion when he took the Awapuni Steeplechase, and, as he leaves the impression that he is improving, his claims in the Grandstand Steeplechase at Wanganui on Saturday are regarded as strong. Kikiroki drew marked attention to his immediate prospects by giving a faultless exhibition over eight steeplechase fences with Padichah at Hastings. They did not have a great deal of pace on over the double the first time, but warmed up from that stage and took the round at a good bat, Padishah's jumping improving all the time. However, Kikiroki had an advantage over his companion at every jump and was looking for more. Charade, since her win in the Rangitera Hurdles at the Manawatu meeting, has ruled favourite for the Great Northern Hurdles, and indications are that the track conditions will remain in her favour —hard and fast. Her stablemate, John Charles, also remains in the Hurdles, but he will not start unless the going becomes too soft for Charade. His real mission is the Great Northern Steeplechase and. as winner of the Manawatu Steeplechase in very easy fashion with 10.9, he is entitled to respect with 91b less at Ellerslie. Allegretto came through his racing at Te Rapa in great heart and the big fellow is hitting out smoothly in the tasks allotted him. The performance of Allegretto in running Riotous to a short head in the big steeplechase on the first day was a meritorious one. However, on the Monday, he hit the post and rails leading into the back stretch and screwed his rider out of the saddle. Allegretto should not be lightly passed over on account of that mishap, and his connections expect him to make a bold showing in the Great Northern Steeplechase.

Liberator may not have been the best winner of the Great Northern Hurdles, but his claim to be reckoned the best all-rounder among them all has never been disputed. Tire Temukabred gelding won the Great Northern double carrying 12.9 in the Hurdles and 11.12 in the Steeplechase, and two Grand National Hurdle Races, the second with 12.6. He won at Dunedin with 12.12, 12.13, 13.0 and 13.5, and was second in the Great Northern Steeplechase under 12.9, and third in the Grand National Hurdles with the same impost. He was placed in races all over the Dominion with weights verging on 13.0, and at twelve years of age was capable of winning at Wellington with 11.0 and 11.13. But that is only half the story of his excellence. The son of Betrayer won a Dunedin Cup, Wanganui Cup, Manawatu Cup, Timaru Cup, and a host of other flat races, and was third in a New Zealand Cup and second in the Metropolitan. He is credited with travelling a greater distance and carrying more aggregate weights than any other good performer in the Dominion.

When the New Zealand Sapling Stakes was instituted, in 1919, in the face of much opposition, the stake was £375. So great has been the popularity of the race in recent years, that payments by owners have justified the Ashburton Trotting club in increasing the prize to £l2OO. The main ground of opposition to the race was the fear that it would have a detrimental effect on two-year-olds. Actually the youngsters Were officially two years and ten months old at the time the race was run, and results have proved that few horses have been prejudicially affected by being prepared for it. Among the pacers which have figured in the Sapling Stakes have been Ahuriri (two Trotting Cups and an Auckland Cup), Kohara (N.Z. Cup), Taraire (N.Z. Cup), Nelson Derby (Auckland Cup), Taurekareka (two Derbies), Wrackler (N.Z. Cup), Red Shadow (N.Z. Cup), Silver De Oro, Tempest, Indianopolis (three Trotting Cups), War Buoy, Pot Luck, Parlsienne, and a host of others.