FACING ON AND OFF THE TRACK

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23114, 31 January 1945, Page 2

FACING ON AND OFF THE TRACK

The profit on the Wellington patriotic meeting will be approximately £lO,OOO. Te Hinemoa’s Takapuna Cup win with 9.9 establishes her as the best handicap mare in commission in the Dominion.

An inquiry into the falls of Night Robe and Don Quex in the Wellington Cup resulted in a finding that the mishap was purely accidental. The falls of Broiefield, Merry May and Flahuluk in the Patriotic Handicap at Trentham were ascribed to Palfrey rolling about. Broiefield got on to Palfrey’s heels and fell, bringing down the other two. No blame was attached to any of the riders. The Winton Juvenile Stakes winner Mandrake met with a slight injury, but he is expected to race again at Gore. Mandrake is regarded as a promising three-year-old. A half-brother by Phaleron Bay to Pensacola failed to elicit a bid at the yearling sales, and was being taken out of the ring when an offer of lOOgns. was made. The colt was brought back, and sold for 370gns. to the Trentham trainer, W. Hawthorne, who made the initial offer.

When Flying Ace won the Thompson Handicap last autumn in 1.38, then a mile record for Trentham, it was predicted that he w’ould go on to better things, but he has not made the improvement expected. His third to Beau Cheval and Gamble at the patriotic meeting may be a prelude to something good. A comparison has been made between the odds on double charts and the totalisator on the Cup-Telegraph races. Chart odds are stated to have ranged from 400 to 1000 to 1, and the machine odds at 7000 to 1. That is not correct. Lambourn’s dividend multiplied by that of Alright worked out at more than 7000, but if a backer who collected on the Cup winner played it up on Alright he would have reduced the Telegraph dividend appreciably, and his return would have been nearer £4OOO than £7OOO.

Compris 2.29 for a mile and a half was not the only time expunged from the record book when a survey in 1937 revealed that the Trentham track measurements were short. Gloaming’s 45 for half a mile, Paganelli’s 58 for five furlongs. Glare’s 2.16 3-5 for 11 furlongs, Compris 2.29 for It miles, and La Moderne’s 2.56 2-5 for IS miles were all deleted. Records were then credited to Surveyor 46 2-5, Master Brierly 2.17 2-5, Argentic 2.30, Greek Shepherd, Ngata and Dusky Eve 2.59. Machine Gun and Amigo 58sec were left in possession of‘the five furlongs record instead of sharing it with Paganelli. The trouble arose through an alteration being made in the Trentham track without the barriers being adjusted.. During demolition work at a Timaru hotel, a programme was rescued of a Timaru Racing Club meeting' held in 1885. This body was formed in opposition to the South Canterbury Jockey Club, but aftei- two or three years amalgamated with the senior body. The programme included a Hurdle Race £3O, Selling Race £25, Squatters’ Stakes £6O, Hunters’ Steeplechase £3O, Agricultural Plate £35, Hurdle Race £2O, and Consolation £l5, a total of £215. To ensure a wide distribution of this amount, penalties of 141 b were prescribed for winners. The officials included—R. Rutherford (president); W. S. Armitage (vicepresident) ; T. R. Jones (judge); Ebenezer Smith, J. Melton. W. G. Drummond, J. Hardcastle (Geraldine), J. Howey, J. Mathews, B. E. Hibbard, M. Sherwin (Waimate), M. Gentlemun, J. Meikle, D. Mahoney, G. Newey, John Smith, H. Struthers, C. Wederell (St. Andrews), J. Douglas (stewards); W. Gunn (scales). H. Gardner (starter); Jahez Lukey (clerk of course); R. Ferguson (timekeeper). Seven of the officials were connected with the licensed victuallers’ business. Only about three of the long list are believed to be alive.