CAP & JACKET

Observer, Volume XL, Issue 17, 27 December 1919, Page 18

CAP & JACKET

[By the Early Bibd.]

RACING FIXTURES

December 26, 29, January 1, 2— Auckland Racing Club. December 26, 27, 29—Manawatu Racing Club. December 27, 30, 31—Auckland Trotting Club.

The Taumarun-ui Racing Club Annual Race Meeting took place last week, and was the most successful yet held to date. The totalisator was well patronised, and with the help of the new machine this progressive club handled £13,820 v. £7,900, last year's turnover. The Ellerslie trained horses brought home grist to their several mills. R. E. Brown's pair, Escaped and General Stephen, Cup and Owhango handicaps. Mrs. Coffe's little mare Gacium won the Rangaroa Handicap, and was third in th<; Tatimarunui Cup. Explode, the Waikato gelding, accounted for the Matapuna Hack Handicap, and fell when he looked liko having a chance in the Taringamotu Handicap. Te Ore captured the double. Novice Plate and Mateere Handicaps. Romance, one of E. J. Rae's team, paid a good second dividend in this event. Independence, Geo. Irwin's cast off, ran second in the Matapuna Handicap. Monocrat was the run-ner-up. Independence was third in the last race. Metchikoff, one of the fancies in the Cup, was unplaced, and had to be content with third place in fche Mammui Welter Handicap. Jack O'Sliea, who has recently retsrned from the Australian States, caught a couple of heats at tho T.R.C. fixture on Escaped and General Stephen. Everything is shaping well for a successful meeting on the opening day of the A.R.C. Summer fixture on Friday. The racing track i> splendid order. One hundred and five horses have paid up on the opening day of the Auckland Racing Club Summer Meeting. Some spirited finishes should take place. Dusky Eve, since coming to Ellerslie, has put in some nice striding gallops both on the tan and course f>roper, always finishing up soundy. Two of the Shortland Plate candidates, which have been noticed doing useful work recently, are Canowindra and Phillona. Nothing has pleased the early course watchers better among the Great Northern * Foal Stakes candidates than Humbug, Lucullan, and Moorfowl. The two kings, Persian King and Arab King, have been keeping their ends up on the tracks at Ellerslie, and may keep their opponents buskin the Robinson Handicap. The Graf ton has seven acceptors. Movement 11.4 and Step 10.10 are a. speedy pair of customers that may hang out the two miles. Weldone 8.5 heads the list in tho Nursery Handicap. The race 100-- ,- ---fairly open. Heather Spray is looked as being in the danger zone with 7.0 opposite her name,

The second leg of the double, tb» Railway Handicap, looks open with the sixteen engaged. Hymestra.B.ll>Orowhurst 7.7, and No Mistake 6.7. have don* well on tho tracks. On Saturday morning there was some nice striding gallops at headquarters. All Talk left the last seven furlongs of a milo behind in 1.34— a sound gallop. The champion, Gloaming (Deeley) showed a dislike to making a start, but registered 1.19 4-ss. over tho six furlongs—ono of the best gallops of the morning. Red Ribbon finished in front of Dusky Eve, Mascot, and Vagabond over 1£ miles, but struck a couple of trestles, and seemed sore. The accident will not do the mare any good. Snub looks well, but his exhibition on the tracks can easily be discounted. On Saturday morning ho took 2.9 to leave a circuit behind with the. assistance of Scornful. On Saturday, Weldone "was no use to Humbug at the end of a halfflutter in 515.. the former taking 52 l-ss. During the past week Hymestra has been responsible for some brilliant sprints, always cleaning up his sparring partners. R, Hall had Marble Top at Ellerslie. The big brown gelding has improved very much in appearance, and seems well. The sensational dividend producer at the, A.J.C. Meeting, Some Boy 11., who has done very little galloping at headquarters, left four furlongs behind in 53 3-ss. Blue Cross and Canowindra were track mates during the former's Auckland Cup preparation, and on Saturday morning Blue Cross seemed the most improved of the pair in their usual try-out. Among the hurdlers during the past fortnight Step and Rathlin showed the most attractive form over the battens. Pendoon has also run very much in the limelight. R. J. Mason and R. C. Donnell have arrived with their respective teams from the South, all looking in first-class fighting form. Mr. Harry Tinker has arrived in Auckland from the South for his usual midsummer visit of business and pleasure. The Rotorua Jockey Club nominations tot up to the goodly number of 145 for the eight events carded. The old-time pleasure is. always patronised. The training at Alexandra Park is getting very busy once more perfecting the trotters and pacers for the Auckland Trotting Club Summer Carnival. The Southerners, H. F. Nichols, A. C. Watson, Jas. Bryce, E. L. Barnes, and Edwards and Clark, have put in an appearance at Epsom with their respective teams, and taken as a whole are in prime racing condition. During the past week the trotters, Blackthorn, Peter McMillan, Wonderland, Rio Grande, and Hint have all been putting in sound trotting stunts. For the Cup (trotting), Hal Juuior, Nora Creina, Lord Rose have been pleasing the course watchers at the track side. At the present time J. W. Paull (Onehunga) is converting tho straight-out trotter God Rod into a pacer. Paddy Dillon, a brother to Harold Devon t has just started his education with the hopples, and has taken kindly to the innovation. Air Raid, the little Brent Locan-da-Lady Zeppelin filly, is a sweet mover, and should be at her best at the end of the season. The two local Great Northern Derby candidates, Whakatane (Wa-veriey-Hena) and Wildwood Direct (Wildwood Jun.-Annoyed), have been doing nicely on the tracks, but are hardly forward enough for the visiting division,

Queen Pirate and Coal Light have resumed work again in company under J. Lynch'e care. Both fillies have grown and thickened since last seen out in public. The evergreen horse Prince Childe is going great guns on the tracks, and will probably pay his way at the Auckland Trotting Club Summer Meeting. On Saturday afternoon Lady Burlington was noticed moving along in the straps very attractively handled by the trainer* J. Fisher. Two of J. Lynch's charges, Manuka Park and Agnes Chief,also pleased the onlookers by their clean style of getting over the ground. The grey mare has made improvement of late. Twenty-five Southern visiting horses are now at Epsom, which will br assisting at the Auckland Tvott:. Summer Meeting. Bon Bon, the trotter, was putting in useful work on Saturday afternoon. Mr. Gieson's mare Lady Lonsdale was showing plenty of pace but .loaves hor feet. Mr. Harry Canham is keeping the filly by Golconda-Kotiri in work. She put in a lot of work on Saturday, ridden by the owner, and is a raking big animal.