ON AND OFF THE TRACK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21959, 10 May 1941, Page 8

ON AND OFF THE TRACK

A Budget Of News And Views Racing May 8, 10—Egmont R.C. May 10—Ashburton County R.C. May 10, 12—Poverty Bay Turf Club May 10, 12—Marlborough R.C. May 15, 17—South Canterbury J.C. May 17, 19 —Otaki Maori R.C. May 17, 19—Waikato R.C. May 24—Foxton R.C. May 31, June 2 —Napier Park R.C. May 31, June 2—Wanganui J.C. May 31, June 2—Dunedin J.C. June 2,4, 7—Auckand R.C. June 7—Dunedin J.C. June 7—Hawke’s Bay J.C. Trotting May 3—Oamaru T.C. May 10—Waikato T.C. May 10, 12—Forbury Park T.C. May 24 —Ashburton T.C. First race at Ashburton at 12 o’clock. Acceptances for the first day of the South Canterbury meeting will close at 9 p.m. on Monday. More than 60 hacks have been wSjghted for the Otorohanga Handicap (six furlongs) Waikato meeting. There will be racing to-day at Ashburton, Hawera, Blenheim and Gisborne, and trotting at Forbury and Hamilton. Gold Salute is a pronounced favourite for the Moreton Handicap (15 miles) to be run at Brisbane this afternoon. Betting systems to-day: Win and place, Ashburton, Forbury, Waikato, Egmont; single pool, Marlborough, Poverty Bay. Clarion Call received 12.12 in the Waikato Steeplechase, relatively a much stiffer burden than his 13.2 at Waverley. The Duke of Gloucester Cup and the miniatures for the successful' owner and rider, are now being displayed in a window in central Stafford Street. Pleasant Guy with £470 and Turco £420 were the principal winners of namess events in Southland this season. * ♦ « • Racing and trotting clubs in Southland put £400,644 through the totalisa:or this season, an increase of £33,601 over last year’s total of £367,043. Trotting clubs in Southland paid out £6950 In stakes this season. This was supplemented by £4193 given by racing clubs for harness events at their meetings. . , „ . When Parrish Gipsy almost overhauled Jock McGrath at Oamaru she trotted right away from the rest of the field. The Riversdale mare should be particularly prominent at Forbury to-day. The Auckland Racing Club decided to postpone the declaration of weights tor the Great Northern Hurdles and Steeplechase and Cornwall Handicap until Monday, after the conclusion of the Egmont Proud Fox, who dead-heated with Chatoona in the City Tattersail’s Cup, was under orders to return home as his form was bad, but no shipping space was available and he was allowed to take his placejn the field. Astaire won the Farewell Handicap at Oamaru two years ago with topweight, 9.0, and looked like developing into a good sprinter. Since then he has started 20 times without running into a place, and is down to 7.11 in the Claremont Handcap at Washdyke. The Egmont Steeplechase winner Riotous is one of the veterans of the business, being in his thirteenth year. Not a real stayer, his fine jumping in the past had won him three Wanganui Steeplechases and a Te Rapa Steeplechase. • • ♦ • The death occurred at Auckland of Mr Robert Louis Cleland, for many years a well-known figure in sporting and theatrical circles. He was aged 80. Mr Cleland won the Melbourne Cup in 1907 with the Phoebus-Apollo horse, Apologue.

The distance in the Rakaia Trot today may be a trifle short for Loyal Friend, but with no Ronald Logan in his path the Methven pacer is entitled to support in the Rakaia Trot at Ashburton. If he is beaten it may be by Recluse. Both registered 3.20 1-5 at Washdyke a fortnight ago.

In the Gladstone Trot at Washdyke, Spencer Volo defeated all his opponents except Recluse decisively, and although the American horse will not have the assistance of M. Holmes he looks the logical favourite for the Selma Trot at Ashburton. Catalpa and Swagger Jack read next best. Clarion Call is one of the Hunting Songs who is partial to a firm track, and the fact that he was not asked to carry 13.2 at Waverley in soft going caused no surprise. Unfortunately there was more in it than that. Reports from Awapuni state that he is lame, and his prcspects for winter racing are dubious.

Pay Rolls £1595, which is the top score for two-year olds this season, is higher than Nightbeam’s £1290 last season, but is a long way below Queen March’s record figure of £4700. In 1937-38 Defaulter was on top with £2510, and in 1938-39 Beaullvre collected £2315. • « • • Survey will be No. 1 on the card if he is taken north in time for the Te Rapa' Steeplechase at the Waikato meeting. He has been allotted 11.1, next to plarion Call, 12.12, who will not be paid up for. In the Waikato Hurdles, Streamline has 11.1 and Survey 10.4, Jewelled Girdle being topweight at 11.8.

Following are the entries for the All Aged Stakes to be run at the Ashburton Trotting Club’s winter meeting on May 24: Dusky Sound. Shadow Maid, Huguenot, Springfield Globe, Sandusky, Pot Luck, Special Force, Rollalong, Fine Art, Gold Bank, Horsepower, Zincali, Peter Smith, Walter Moore, Gold Bar, Ronald Logan, Gold Chief, Lightning Lady, Plutus, All Gallant, Statuette. The distance is one mile and a half. Weight conditions for the Trial Plate at Ashburton differ from those in the Electric Stakes at Washdyke, and Hurry Girl, who was half a length behind Princess Myosotis last month, will meet the Oamaru two-year-old on 51b better terms. This advantage mav enable Hurry Girl to register her first win. Donroy, who was close up at Washdyke, also benefits to the extent of 51b and may run into a place.

The veteran Mungatoon, now 11, has not won a race for two years, but he did not start in New Zealand last season. Washdyke has been his favourite track. Three years ago he won the Timaru Cup with 7.5 and the South Canterbury Handicap with 8.0 in soft going, and 12 months later returned to win the same double with 7.0 and 7.11 on a firm strack against a stronger field.

Six gold cups won by horses raced by the chairman of the W.A.T.C., Mr Ernest Lee Steere, were smelted at the Australian Royal Mint and gold worth about £lOOO will be sold and the proceeds put free of interest into the Commonwealth war loan. Mr Lee Steere has had replicas made of the gold cups. They are Sydney and Caulfield Cups

won by Eurythmic, two Williamstown Cups and a King’s Cup won by Second Wind, and a Caulfield Cup won by Maple.

The programme for the winter fixture at Washdyke is the best of the South Canterbury season. On each day there is a steeplechase and a hurdle race; flat races over 11 miles, a mile and six furlongs; and two harness races. This year there is an added attraction in the race for the Duke of Gloucester Cup. This race is run alternatively in the North and South Islands, with gentlemen riders. The Gloucester Cup, which was donated by the Duke after he had competed in an amateur race in Taranaki, is a. challenge trophy, held for one year only, but there are miniatures for the owner of the winner and for the successful rider.

“The overthrow of Beau Vite and High Caste by Tranquil Star in the Chipping Norton Plate . . . the collapse of Tranquil Star in the St. Leger Gold Salute’s strikingly easy win over Beau Vite and High Caste in the All Aged Plate . . . the drubbing that Tranquil Star gave Lucrative in the Cumberland Plate, following Lucrative’s brilliant victory in the Sydney Cup . the extraordinarily weak effort of Mildura in the Cropper Plate . . Tranquil Star’s failure in the A.J.C. Plate . . . these were performances that baffled not only those who were at Randwick, but the many hundreds of thousands who followed the course of events through press and radio reports,” says an Australian commentator after the A.J.C. autumn meeting.