CAP AND JACKET

Observer, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2, 21 September 1912, Page 15

CAP AND JACKET

[By the Early Bird.]

RACING FIXTURES

September 21, 25 and 28 — Avondale J.C. Spring. ~,,/■, September 26 and 27—Geraldme R.C. Spring. .T^ September 26 and 28— Wanganui J.C. Spring.

AVONDALE J.C. SPRING MEETING

THE 1912-13 racing season in Auckland will be inaugurated on Wednesday next, when the Avondale Jockey Club will hold the first day s with fine weather

The opening event is the Maiden Handicap, and a big field will go to £epost. Potoa showed V 1?™*?! form as a two-year-old. Of the EllersTie trained horses Manurewa, Prince King and Spalfish are gallopping well. The Henderson Handicap, a four furlong flutter, also has a large number engaged, and in a race ot this desSion much will depend upon the start Good beginners" like Waiowera, Soiitudo and Monorail must be entitled to respect. Considerable interest is being taken in the Avondale Stakes, in which Seal two-year-olds will make their first appearance under silk. Of .the El-lerslie-trained contingent, Rosea and the Soult-Erry Roe filly please greatly, and the first-named may be the best of the lot. It is stated that Mr T. H. Lowry, the Hawke's Bay sportsman, is sending The Hague up to contest the event. Eosea ran half a mile on the sand one morning in 51sec, and this will take some beating.

Class is not well represented in the First Hurdles, and outside of Lloyds and Sphinx they are a poor lot. bphinx has nothing to her credit, but her track work suggests that she has improved considerably. The Avondale Cup promises to provide a good contest. Sedition may not be ready, and rumour has it that Gloy will not run. Judging by their eiforts on the track, Goldsize, La Reina and Sea Elf will be the hardest to beat. Goldsize is doing particularly well.

Hautere is a class above the others engaged. Armagh in the same stable will not be a starter.

A number of those engaged in the Islington Handicap are in other events, and it is difficult to estimate the field. Watchchain, Manurewa and Kuatangata are working well at Ellerslie.

In the Flying Handicap, Waiowera, Tact and Eoyal Soult have been shaping splendidly. Tact will be worth going to see.

J. Buchanan will have the mount on Rosea in the Avondale Stakes, in winch she may be the best of the Ellerslietrained'juveniles.

Hautere (McFlynn was schooled over the double and sod wall at Ellerslie on Saturday morning, jumping in his usual bold style.

Sphinx, whose track work suggests that she will be worth watching in early hurdle events, is to be ridden at Avondale by J. Deerey.

The Whip, one of R. Hannon's team at Cambridge, is said to be more than useful, and she will be a runner in the New Lynn Handicap on the second day of the Avondale meeting.

Admiral Soult is showing up well m his track efforts and twice recently he administered defeat to Prince Soult. He has a decided dislike to the barrier and but for this would be dangerous in his Avondale engagements.

Sir Geo. Clifford will be present ,at Raridwick to witness the racing at the A.J.C. Spring Meeting.

Antoinette and Tact ran half a mile on the sand on Saturday in-50sec.— the best gallop so far this season.

C. Brown will ride Prince Soult and Tact in their engagements at Avondale. Tact is going great guns on the track.

C. Emerson will not return to the Dominion at once, but will remain at Randwiek to ride Ermengarde in the Epsom Handicap.

B. Oliver, who has been riding Lord Renown in the South, will be seen in the saddle at Avondale, where he has a number of engagements.

A horse who shows a lot of improvement in his training work is Prince King, and he may be a good " rough 'un" in the Maiden Handicap next Wednesday.

Horses who have been showing up well in their training work at Ellerslie are Monorail, Tact, Sphinx, Goldsize, Hautere, Waiowera, and Spalfish.

Sea Elf is doing all that is asked of her on tracks and she may run well in the Avondale Cup, although on the weights La Reina and Goldsize should finish in front of her.

Pea Rifle, iv the Henderson Handicap on Wednesday, is the gelding formerly known as Ngaruawahia Pat. He can go at a great bat for a couple of furlongs, but soon tires.

Tui Cakobau (Rae) was schooled over the double and stone wall at Ellerslie on Saturday but hit the first fence and got rid of his pilot. He was afterwards remounted and fenced well.

The Cup candidate, Master Wairiki, is not doing well on the tracks, and in each of his gallops he has been beaten by Sea Pink and Watchchain. Master Wairiki has not been up long and may show up better at Ellerslie.

The jumper Sir Lethe and the three-year-old Lady Georgia were shipped to Sydney from Wellington last Friday. Sir Lethe is to contest the steeplechases at Randwick next month, but Lady Georgia will race in Melbourne.

Marshal McDonald and Soltykoff ran 3fur. on Saturday morning on terms. Of the pair, the first-named, who is the best beginner, made most friends. Soltykoff appeared to be staying on well.

Maud Nina, the hero Ha.c Northern meeting, returned to the Mlerslie tracks last week. Judged by appearances it looks as though, his trainer had been easy with the gelding and he may not be ready to run a fast mile and a quarter next week.

Of the seven starters in the Ashburton County Handicap, four—Martine, Tannhauser, Bellah, and Mumura —are engaged in the New Zealand Cup, and they finished in that order. Martine, is the first Cup candidate to win a race since the declaration of the wights, but her victory does not entail a penalty for the big handicap at Eiccarton.

Duke Foote, who won the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick on Saturday, is favourite for the Metropolitan Hdcp., and has been coupled with Sunlike, the stable candidate for the Epsom Handicap, to win a very large sum. Up till the end of last season, Duke Foote had only won two races; the Williamstown Cup being his most important victory. On August 24 last he struck winning form at Warwick Farm, Eric acting as runner up.

Bobrikoff is now paddock-trained day and night. The black champion, so his trainer says, is as sound as ever he has been. Sometimes he pulls up a little lame, but after half an hour's walking exercise he is right again. If forward enough he will be, taken to Trentham to run in the Champion Plate, and then on to Riccarton to compete in the races there. At Christmas Tie will race at Auckland in the same class of races, and then if all goes well he will be taken to Australia in the autumn.

The following, from a London paper, is rather severe on prominent jockeys in England : "It is the greatest trouble to get a jockeyto come tip to the course in the early morning to ride a canter, even if it affords hima first chance of getting acquainted with a horse he is going to ride in a race. No ; he has probably been sitting up till about four playing cards or drinking, and he must lie in bed till the last possible moment, when he jumps into his 60-horse-power motor-car, and arrives on the course just in time to dash into his breeches and boots ana weigh out for the first race.