ON AND OFF THE TRACK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21558, 22 January 1940, Page 9

ON AND OFF THE TRACK

A Budget of News And Views FIXTURES Racing: Jan. 22—Wellington R.C. Jan. 22—Thames J C. Jan. 22—Ashhurst-Pohangina R.C. Jan. 26, 27—Pahiatua J.C. Jan. 27, 29—Auckland R.C. Feb. 1, 3—Wairoa. Feb. 1, 3—Wanganui. Feb. 3—Canterbury Feb. 3—Tapanui Feb. 3—Matamata. Feb. 8, 10—Egmont. Feb. 10, 12—Poverty Bay. Feb. 10, 12—Gore. Feb. 10, 12—Rotorua. Feb. 16, 17—Winton. Feb. 17—Tolaga Bay. Feb. 17—Opunake. Feb. 17. 19—Waikato. Feb. 22, 24—Dunedin. Trotting: Jan. 22—Wanganui T.C. Jan. 25, 27—Forbury Park T.C. Jan. 27—Marlborough T.C. Jan. 31, Feb. 3—Wellington T.C. Feb. 10—Canterbury Park T.C. Feb. 10, 14—Auckland T.C. Feb. 17, 19— Manawatu T.C. •Feb. 17—New Brighton T.C. The Wellington meeting will be concluded to-day ; * • • A good, many of the horses which raced at Trentham last week have engagements -at Ashhurst this afternoon. The pool on the Wellington Cup totalled £17,027. The previous highest figures for a Cup race at Trentham were £12,759 in 1929, when betting was transacted on the 75-25 system.

Although Mr A. R. Kay, of Te Awamutu, bought Te Hero for stud purposes, it is possible that he will give hfm another chance on the race track when the Heroic horse returns to New Zealand.

Three-year-olds have had a wonderful run of success in open handicaps this season, and although they failed to win the Wellington Cup they filled second, third, fourth and sixth positions.

The Taranaki three-year-old Saxon Tor has lost more than one race this season as a result of his tendency to hang out. This week he is to race at Ellerslie, and on the right-handed course his disability should be overcome.

Sir Crusoe probably inherits his weight-carrying ability from his dam Hine Wehl, who is a half-sister to Toxeuma. winner of a Winter Cup with 11.5. Although he just failed in the r uro Cup, he embellished his record with a fine performance.

Lord Puck's unexpected win in the Douro Cup recalled the success of another outsider to score in the Samson colours. This was Wayward (trained at Orari by R. C. Keeper), who was fifteenth favourite in a field of 16 and returned a great dividend.

Guste, who pulled El Caballo’s admirers through in the steeplechase at Wairio, was making her first appearance as a jumper. She is a fiveyear mare by Gustavo, and her only previous success was gained in a maiden race last season.

It was a steep decline from 26 starters in the Wellington Cup to nine in the Racing Club Handicap, but a much better race resulted. Fewer than half the contestants in the big race got a decent run, and the field was badly strung out at the finish.

Millament, who outstayed the opposition in the Trial Plate at Trentham on Saturday, is a three-year-old filly by Beau Pere from Drama (ThespianDrax, by Spearmint). She topped the market at the 1938 yearling sales, Mr T. H. Lowry going to 1150 gns to become her owner. Lest season Millament failed to win a race, nut she prefaced her Trentham success by a victory in a minor event at Woodville.

Many people scoff at the horses for courses idea, but there Is no evading the fact that Haughty Winner is a ten pounds better horse at Trentham than on any other track. It is not mefely a trip across the Strait that makes him excel his South Island form, as other northern courses do not suit him. The Winning Hit horse seems able to begin faster at Trentham, and he won the January Handicap on Saturday very attractively.

Beau Repaire, who won the Wellington Racing Club Handicap for Mr R. T. Reid, of Hamilton, is by Beau Pere from Modiste 11., and is a half-brother to the runner-up Royal Chief. Mr Reid wbn the Wellington Cup a few years ago with Royal Artist, and has been a prominent owner in the trotting world. Beau Repaire was an unsuccessful member of F. D. Jones’s team for Randwick In the spring, but his regular trainer is A. J. (Tartar) Julian, a one-time crack steeplechase jockey and more recently a successful educator and driver of trotters.

Sir Beau climbed another rung on the two-year-old ladder by carrying 9.6 to decisive victory in the juvenile handicap at Trentham on Saturday. It was not a top-class field that he defeated, but it is .ertaln that the Waverley-owned colt is good, and quite possibly the best of his age seen out this Season. Sir Beau is eligible to run in the principal Juvenile races at Rlccarton, Ellerslie and Trentham later in the season, so there should be plenty of opportunities of appraising his actual merits.

Arvakur (Beau Pere-The Begum), half-brother to Btrctto and High Caste, favourite for the Telegraph Handicap on Thursday, failed to overcome the disability of an outside position at the barrier, and backers deserted him on Saturday, when he contested the Metropolitan Handicap. Arvakur began badly, and was last for half the journey, but he finished with a dazzling run to win from Spanish Lad, another who was not sighted until the last furlong was commenced. Arvakur, who won twice at the Auckland Cup meeting, is owned by Mr T. linpey, and comes from the powerful Takanini stable of F. Smith.

L. J. Ellis appeared to lost touch as a result of his lay-off in the spring, and for a time he appeared to lack confidence. A hat trick at Trentham on Haughty Winner, Not Out and Beau Repaire will work wonders, and

the clever lightweight can be expected to continue in his old vein. All good jockeys, from Gordon Richards down, encounter their dull periods, but the fire is there and a spark is all that is required to set it off. Lord Puck, who beat the topwelght favourite, Sir Crusoe, in the Douro Cup, is a four-year-old gelding by Iliad from Anne Shakespeare. In about 17 starts last season his only placing was a win In a trial handicap at Beaumont, and he was generally regarded as of little account. He first achieved notoriety by paying a place dividend in the neighbourhood of half a century when he finished third in a hack race at Wingatui on Boxing Day, but this made so little impression that Lord Puck returned over a score when he won later in the meeting. His only other start prior to his trip to Trentham was at Wyndham, where he let his backers down in a highweight handicap. He is trained by D. P. Wilson for his breeder, Mr J. M. Samson, who has not experienced overmuch luck lately. Seventy-two trotting events have been run in Auckland province this season, and of this number 33 have been annexed by horses trained'in the Waikato. Sixteen of the Waikato winners have been turned out by M. Stewart, formerly attached to M. B. Edwards’s stable, but now training a big team at Te Rapa. Stewart’s winners have been Fortex (3), Belfast Jack. Red Flush and Revision (2). and Young Parry, Wishful, Worthy Merit, Albertlni, Molly Direct, Tsana and Chili Bean. Stewart drove 14 of his 16 winners, and he also won a double behind Our Peggy, who is trained by F. Smith.