RICCARTON NOTES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21575, 10 February 1940, Page 11

RICCARTON NOTES

EASTER HURDLE RACES

Special to “ The Timaru Herald: 1 CHRISTCHURCH, February 9.

For some time past, with the ground very hard, very little has been seen of the jumpers, but with the news that the Canterbury Jockey Club will include two hurdle races in the Easter programme, the trainers are getting ready to school some of their horses. T. H. Gillett has Dividend as the only experienced hurdler in sight but there are a few novices. P. McGrath has already made a start with Good Health, as has A. S. Ellis with Patuma. A. J. Martin will be busy soon with the schooling of Waka, and S. Barr with Silver River, while A. McMullan has Studley Royal and Jed Forest as a likely pair. M. Conza expects to leave this month for the West Coast with a team of horses. Philburn, Jocanta, Land Raid, Royal Rank, Clubman and Lady Magellan will be raced on the two days of the Westland Racing Club’s meeting. This will be only the start of a long tour, with Roy Bun, Skyrena and Rebel Rose to swell the team at later meetings, made up of Greymouth, Westport, Kumara, Reefton, Nelson and Marlborough, a total of twelve days’ racing. Conza did well on this circuit last autumn and he should again gather in his share of races this year. F. A. Nelson has started work with the six-year-old mare, Gwilder, by Paper Money-Dutch Courage. When trained by J. B. Nelson, she suffered injuries when she fell in a hack hurdle race at the Grand National meeting last August and since then she has been spelling.

Sky Pilot has been doing good work for some time and G. Ridgway may take him to Riverton at Easter to contest the Great Western Steeplechase.

The Defoe-Aurora Borealis two-year-old is going on well in his training. He is a well grown colt, who may have his first race at Easter and he looks as if he might reach good class next season.

The three-year-old . inning Rival, is having a rest and she will not rejoin the team of H. and A. Coutts for a few months. Wild Fox, a two-year-old in the same stable, will have a good spell at Stonyhurst before she resumes work.