Racing and Trotting

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16907, 5 December 1922, Page 2

Racing and Trotting

Notes by

“Argus,"

FIX TtJUKS. December 9. 11—Woodville Distiict Jockev Club. December D—Waikato Trotting Club. December 14. Id—New Rnghioc Trotting Club. December 26—Ashburton Trc-tting Club. December 26—Gore Trottinc Club. December 26. 27—Wear port Trotting: Club. December 26, 37-- Taran-iki Jockey Club. December 26. 27—Dunedin .Jockey Club December 28. 27—Went! «nd Racing Club. December 26, 27. 39 Ifanawatu Racine Club. December 26. :6. January 1. 2—Auckland Racing: Club. December 3ft. January 2—Grey mouth Trottint? Club. January 1. 2—Canterbury Park Trotting Club. January 1, 2—Marlon Jockey Club. January 1. • 9—Stratford Jockey Club. January l, 2- Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club January 13—Wellington Trotting Club. NOMINATIONS. P?eenib>r 4 Taranaki Jockey Club. December s —Grey mouth Trotting Club. December B—Westland Racine Club. December B —Gore Trotting Club. December P —Hawke'? Bay Jockey Club. December B—Dunedin Jockey Club. December 9—Stratford Racing Club. December 11—Martan Jockey ClubDecember IJ—Canterbury Park Trotting Club December 20— Wellington Trotting Club. HANDICAPS. December 6—New Brighton Trotting Clur>. * December 9 Manawatu Racing Club. I December tl—Taranaki Jockey Club. j Decejnbf— 11—Westport Trotting Club. December 12 —Westland Racing Club. December 12—Gore Trotting Club December 13 —Dunedin Jockey Club. December 13—Greymouth Trotting Club. ! Deeemljer 15—Hawke’s Ray Jockey Club I December ;r—Marton Jockey Club. December 18—Cauterhurv Park Trotting i Club. December IS—Stratford Racing Club. January 3—Wellington Trotting Club. ACCEPTANCES. Deoember 11—New Brightou Trotting Club. December li--Manawatu Racing Club. December 18—Gore Trotting Club. December 18- Westport Trotting Club. December is—Taranaki Jockey Club. December 18—Dunedin Jockey Clut> Deoember I:k Greyipoutb Trotting Club. December 20—Westland Racing Club. December 20 Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. December 23—lIarton Jockey Club. December 27—Canterbury Park Trotting Club December 27—Stratford Racing Club. January 9—Wellington Trotting Club FORFEITS AND PAYMENTS. Deoember I—Manawatu Rating Club (Palmerston North Stakes). December I—Auckland Trotting Cluu (Great Northern Derby;. December 15— Manawatu Racing Club iPalmeraton North Stakes). CLASS RACING,

The Metropolitan Trottmg Club ia not at all generous in the matter or class racing, as it only provides two such events during the season. At the November Carnival, which is recognised to be the best meeting in Australasia, is a Free-for-AU event, now raced over a mile, and at the Easter meeting the Champion Stakes for three-year-olds, is run over a mil-2 and five furlongs course. The club is ac a disadvantage in that the size ot its track necessitates the starting of the. mile event on a had bend and gives the horse fortunate enough to get the inaide position a decided advantage. Tha premier club shoul 1 cater for the best horses and a race like the Free-for-AlI, raced over such a popular distance, brings out the best sprinters in com mission. Bud owing to the formation of; the track it is not always a fair test of merit and ~he club should sori ously consider making an alteration in tho distance or so arranging the* course that all will start on equal term. The latter would be preferable and it does not appear to be a difficult matter to continue the bottom of the straight far enough back to enable the horse® to get a straight rua at the commencement of the race. Alterations at the spot arc about to be carried out, to enable an entrance to be made to the track for trainin'.* purposes, and it is., therefore, an opportune time to consider the question of the starting point for the Free-for-all. The smarting point for mile races at Addington has always been unsatisfactory, aa in the handicap events, i. many horses are on the same mark, the inside horse has a big advantage, but this is taken as the luck of the game. In the Free-for-AU, which L> a race only for the,, best horses, no such advantage should be possible, and the club should provide a remedy. The other class event is run over a distance -which is rarely recognised outside the Dominion and this was probably done to give competitors a chance of a straight run, which would not obtain if the event was run over a mile and a half on a pix furlong track For tho same reason there are now no mile and a half races at Addington But the Champion Stakes is started under different conditions than other races on the course', and as the horses are well into their gaits when the mil a and a half post is reached there is no reason why the Champion Stakes .-hould not be contested over a. recognised distance. It is not a good policy to shorten the distance erf raced but a® there are so few class races in the Dominion they should be over distances which are known and popular. The whole question of races could with protit be reviewed by the big dubs and the leading club in Australasia would gain further kudos if it ha l some more events of this nature on its programme.

urinations for the Ashburton Trotting Club s meeting will close at five o'clock to-morrow evening. The pro gramme is easily the best the club has ever provided on Boxing Day, and some exceptional racing should be witnessed. «. • Nominations for the Grey mouth Trotting Club’s meeting aro due at cine o’clock to-morrow night. The New Brighton Trotting Club’s > ours© proper will be open to morrow and on Saturday for horses engaged at text, week's meeting. Matty Kittle, Deucalion and Pilliuintte hare been nominated for the • ranawatu Racing Club’s meeting. a c it is not yet certain whether they will race there or m Dunedin and Jn'. 'errargill < w h* re Red Gown will he nominated.

i Training operations at Rieearton this morning were conducted in very pleas I ant conditions, there being an absence :oi wind, while the suu was shining i brightly. A good deal of the work done [ 011 the inside of the trial grass track. ; the plough being very heavy. U. J. Mason’s team worked the re verse way. Pluto aud Tressayr strode along ireely in company over about six furlongs on the ernes, while Cupidon, V cspucci and Veil got through useful tasks on the plough, but none of them seemed out. for serious business. Outts Brothers sent five of their lot the reverse wav on the grass. Top Score accompanied 'VVJiarfedale ov^ r bait - a mile in 40seo, while Wild Hind, with a light weight, rattled 'over fivo furlongs in lmin 2 3-osec. Winning Hit with Angelo as a mate over the last five, covered nine furlongs in lmin 57 ; sec, a useful effort. Mustard Pot and Oricot were the only members of V. D. Jones’s team to work the reverse way. They were to have gone on the grass, but their riders went on to the plough, where they sprinted half a mile in 52sec. Later, the ordin arv wav of the track. Gleijtrum reefed off half a mile in 48sec. while Murihaupo and Economy occupied 48 3-ssee over the same ground.

Palestrina. Koval Star and Foo Chow were associated over a mile on the grass. Palestrina jumped off in front, but Foo Chow soou joined her. and they turned for home together. Halfway down the straight Foo Chow looked a winner, but Palestrina llni-.hed on well anil beat Foo Chow by half a length, with Royal Star two lengths away, the time being lmin 41 l-osec. Palestrina accomplished her task in good stylo. Limelight had Tiff as a mate ove r the last part of a mile, which *>he covered in her usual free stylo.

Distant Shot sprinted half a mile up the back and Counterstroke ran a fai-z mile. Many Kittle did an easy half mile and Deucalion ran over the same ground under a strong pull. Tatau Tatau and Gay Life ran down smartly from tho half-mile post, and several others also got through useful tasks, mostly over short courses. Most of the horses who raced at Methven last week were restricted to easy work. Tho four-yenr-old gelding Prohlin.an, by Probable from Lilimani, has joined Tv. Macdonald's stable at Riocarton. He showed a lot of pace tor nearly half a mile in the Trial Plate at Methven and ho may pick up a stake later in the season. Koval Mac has turned out for a spell and he will not be raced again tor a few months. He has done pretty well this season, having won £llBO since August, as a result of five firsts and two seconds. It is far from certain that Glentruin will make the trip to Auckland. The present intention of her owner, who resides in Southland, is to have her withdrawn from her j.citheru engagement®. but F. D Jones is waiitng for more definite in. formation. Madam Chiron fell on the road while, on her way to the Ricc-arton track this morning. She rolled on her rider, K. Covency, who was rather badly knocked about. S. Trilford brought Mythology and Agnola back Methven, while tho three-year-old gelding Swallow* flight, by Autumnus—Flitaway, is another recent addition to his team The yearling colt by Solterino from Bon Bord, the dam of King’s Trumpeter, has been purchased by Mr J. S. Barrett, the owner of Foo Chow. Macduff was left behind after break ing down at the South Canterbury meeting, and it is doubtful if he will stand another preparation. The Otago crack. Bonnie Winkle. at present having a spell. Ho jarred a joint before coming to Rioctfirton last month and he was very sore after bis two races at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting. According to j.iesent intentions, it is unlikely that he will be taken in hand again for a feu months.

A returned visitor to Melbourne who witnessed the race for the Cup, and whose opinion is of some real value, holds the opinion that The Cypher was unlucky to lose the Melbourne Cup.

The Sunny Lake—Marta mare Matata has joined the Longheaoh stud. She did not achieve any great distinction on the turf, but on breeding should produce something able to gallop. Marta was got by Martagon from Ronnetta. by Bay Ronald Frusquinetta, by St Frusquin.

A yearling colt purchased in England some few months ago by Mr Victor Cafeey reached Auckland last week. The colt vras got by Desmand, a sou of Des mond (sire of Demosthenes).

Mr P. Bolger, one of the most prominent racing men in Western Australia, died suddenly last month. 'Hie deceased imported many good thoroughbreds and built up a tine stud farm.

Everything by The Tetrarch continues in strong demand in England. Just before the latest mail to hand left- the Old Country a grey filly by him from I retty Dart- ws- sold for 4000 gs.

Ahuriri, Marble Hall and Oakhampion, who are to represent J. Bryce s stable at the Waikato Trotting Club’s meeting, are on their way north. They are accompanied on the trip by Great Hope, who is to take part in the lead ing events at the Auckland Trotting Club's fixture.

J. J. Kennerley will have a strong team racing at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting. It will include Australian-bred trio,. Pedro Pronto, First Fashion and Homefeicrli Dick, ui addition to the tbree-yefl/.sHdS, Acron and Gre*t Bingeu. Willie Lincoln is back at New Brighton, under tk<; care of J. N. Clarke, who was wonderfully successful with the big pacer a couple of seasons ago.

} F. E. Jones is now in charge of the Southland pacers Downcast and Cottage > Girl, whose trainer, A. M’Delian, was : ltt6t week suspended for three months I by the stewards of the Forbury Park j Trotting Club. I E. C. M’Dermott has sent Guynemeri home to his owner, and he will be treat j ad to a spell.

Yilo was given a short rest when she returned to M’aimate after the hi;j meeting at Addington last month. She is again in work, with a view to engagements at the Ashburton aud Canterbury Park meetings.

| A very promising three-year-old trot • ter. who will probably race well in the j classic event at the next meeting of the I Forbury Park Club, is Avalanche, a l brother to Clonmel, by Marvin Wilkes | fiom Snowdrift. He raced very green j ic the Spring Handicap on the first day of the Forburv Park meeting last week, but ho showed plentv ot speed. ; He is trained at Oamaru by J. Honder- | son. who altso has a brother* a 3*ear ’ older. Both horses are owned by Dun- | edin sportsmen. j The pacer Albert Cling was none tho worse for his racing at the November meeting at Addington, and after a short spell he is now an active member of J. Henderson’s team at Oamaru. A! bert Cling will he raced in twomil? events later in the season. The anti-betting laws in some of the States played havoc with thoroughbred breeding in America n few years ago. but horses were never more valuable than at present. At the recent yearling sales at Saratoga (New York), 455 were sold at an average of 2377d0l (approximately £530 per bead. This is very different from 1011. when 300 were die posed of at an average of about £47 per head At this year’s sales fifty-two yearlings each mad© £IOOO or over. When the last mail left England Lord Woolavington. with £31.070 to his credit appeared safe to head the li*t of winning owners for the yea.r. This will he the first occasion he has: clone so, although he has. been keeping horses, and spending a great deal of money on bloodstock, ever since lie won his first, race in England with Little Red Rat, who secured an Allaged Selling Plate at Newmarket in October, 1899. The next six in the winning owners’ list were Lord Derby, £17,892; Sir, George Bullough. £!<•>.• 413; Lord Lonsdale, £15.934; Lord Jstor. £14.025; Mr Somerville Tatterrail. £13>74 ; and Lord Queenborough, £13.010 10s. Lord Lonsdale, says the ,f Horse r.ncl Hound,” who so unexpectedly won the Doncaster St. Leger with Royal Lancer and the. Irish St Leger. which is worth £2310, also with the son of Spearmint, has never been so high up before, but it. should ho l< membeied that a third of the winnings of his horse, and also those of Diligence,* go to the National Stud, from which they are leased. Among the jockeys Donogbue still remained ahead, but Elliott was not very many behind him. Added to this Donoghue wn,s dead out of luck, and was not getting his usual number of, mounts.

hen the Derby winner. Captain Cuttle was scratched for the Doncaster St fjcgci'. Lord IVoolavingtou wrote to the English Press saying the horse was affected, in the near foreleg. He added that after Captain Cuttle had been given a month’s rest, he would decide whether he was to be trained again, or sent to the stud. It is probable the latter course has been decided on, as Lord Woolavington stressed the fact that the leg which was giving trouble would not stand severe work. If Captain Cuttle had kept sound his ownier would have had a great year in respect of prize-money. Up to August 20, Lord Woolavington’s horses had won" £29*191 raCCS ° f t *’ c total value of ENGLISH NOTES. (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON. October 12. The most amazing Cesarewitch seen for years has just concluded with the victory off the outsider. .Light Dragoon, and with the immortal Tishy strolline in by herself some time after the other thirty runners had passed the post, exactly as she did a. year ago, when her then owner, Sir Abe Bailey, was cast down as he had never been before and when her backers and, ardent sup porters were horrible humiliated also. A great crowd was left dazed by Light Dragoon’-. vir>ry, at odds which have never been known for a Oesarewitcli ■winner. Every single fancied horseexcept perhaps Ceylonese, who finished third—had been engulfed in the awful debacle, when suddenly there was a remarkable anti-climax.' Tishy it was that relieved a very tense situation. She was sighted lobbing quietly ajong by herself with her pretty ears corked and apparently enjoying the park-like canter in which she was indulging Instantly—as soon as the crowd identified her—there arose, a tremendous burst of cheering and laughter. Shrt was welcomed homo as the greatest of equine heroines might have been. His tory had repeated itself down to the last detail. East year she convinced her trainer that she was good enough to win by a hundred yards, and she tripped in with an entire lack of con com a quarter of a mile or so behind th® winner,Tutor 1 She passed from Sir Abe Bailey's ownership to that ot Mr -Jimmy de Rothschild, and only on the morning of the rare I was credibly informed that she had been galloped to be 2 stone better than Baton Rouge who a fortnight previously hod finished second for the Jockey Club Stakes. So once more did she east her evil spe'i over owner and trainer, and a fail-1 r considerablc portion of the racing world m gen-ral. The betting market revealed the position of affairs, for it is certain the bookmakers themselves did not take the initiative and make tier such a comparatively short-priced candidate. Money in plentv .rolled ,'p. , for her - a nd the rest was up to fishy. Incorrigible jade that she is. er memory will ever remain greeu. for gratitude is due to one that gave us one big) laugh when laughs were at a very high premium. ere ' as 1 have said. over thirty runners for the big handicapfar too many, one would think—but who can argue that any florae can lie superfluous when it is possible for the 100 to 1 outsider to gain the day? Horses and public swarmed in the pad dock before the race, and some vague impression from a hurried inspection that the former'- wore ;i ragged and motley collection. Ballyhei%n was sweating rather too much for the satisfaction of his admirers, hut among the fittest and hardest looking were such as Arravale. Vaddy, Flint Jack Ceylonese and Backwood. I recall glancing at Light j . k^iii

j Dragoon, who is rather ragged-bipped. | hut otherwise he looked well. On?, i remembered that he had never given any idea in his races that he would i stay such a long course as t-liat of the • Cesarewitcli. Indeed, it is a fact that lie always seemed to collapse afte** j going a mile and a. half or so. arid ■ especially do I recollect, such an occa I s ion when Viluo heat him at San down ; Park. He had, however, two pre •! vious wins to his credit this season the first being when under r light weight He won the Salisbury Cup last • •May. That, was over a mile and a ‘ half. The other victory was at j Wolverhampton, where he was success - ! ful over a. mile and three furlongs. : How then could lie be taken seriously I f° r a Cesarewitcli on that showing? | The icondei* is that he came to ho j started at- all. The price is some in j dication ot that, and indeed it yiight : have been thought that Contain Forester was more interested "in Oharlehelle. though of course she is in on tirely different ownership. But there was a day when Captain Forester and Mr A. P. Cuuliffe. the owner of the marc, who. by tho way, started actual favourite after all—she was reported 10 bare been suffering from a had cough and all sorts of ailments for fuilv a week before the race—were cloeolv ! anointed in connection with 'the | famous Druid’s Lodge Stable. Amid such a mass of galloping horses, with the sun setting behind them, it was not easy to make out colours as thev come charging onward, hut at the famous Bushqs landmark 1 thought that . Ceylonese was goiny to win Coming down Bushes Hill, however, iie was readily passed by Light Dragoon, and though Ceylonese hung on under pressure it was the ligjttly weighted The Villager, belonging to Mr Anthony de Rothschild, who hunted th* leader home, and, indeed, was over hauling him at the finish. Jt was only by a neck that Light Dragoon scored; had there been another fiftv yards to go he would not have won the Cesarewitcli. There was never any doubt about Ceylonese getting tho -remaining place, and then 1 noticed Hunt Law and Flint Jack, with the lest in a very 'ragged formation - horses for the most part sobbing and sighing, as after a long hunt. s&y there is nothing like a lean hound for a long hunt, aud this is not a had description of the winner, who is a lightly fleshed gelding with a real turn of speed. At the time of writing I had not heard of any excuses on behalf of tho fancied horses, but 1 daresay “ bad luck ” stories will filter through shortly. Bookmakers mav at once set about making their plans for the winter \acation—they are indeed in a position now to he able to thoroughly enjoy it. Favourites have once again i»: a. big race proved a mockery and defied all human calculations to get on terms of understanding with them. But, thank heaven, Tishy is herseif again ! Just- a word about the Duke of York Handicap, which was won at Kemp ton ■Park hy Soubriquet, in the colours of Sir Edward Hulton, the newspaper magnate, hy a length and a. half from Poisoned Arrow, the heavily hacked Tetrabbazia being third, and the favourite. Sicyon. nowhere. The winner, who may he recalled as having run to Pogrom in the Oaks, carried a 71b penalty, hut she could have succeeded with another similar amount added to her burden, so easily was she superior to the i-est. Soubriquet led from the very start; she was never headed, just as Paragon wasn’t a. year ago. She was fortunate, at the same time, in being able to steer clear of all trouble. Quite different from the experience of Sicyon, who was hopelessly knocked out and unbalanced when making the bend. The one ’o inflict this damage was Tetrabbazia. Herbert Jones, the rider of the latter, told me afterwards that tlie incident was caused through Smirke on White Satin swinging out from the rails, and in order not to miss a good place he had to swing out too. Hence, the hump and collision, which put Sicyon quite out of it. Soon afterwards Donoghue' was easing him because ail chance had gone. Thus did Tetrabhazia. extricate, herself and for a fe.v strides it looked as though she lvould overhaul Soubriquet, hut the danger of her doing so, or shall 1 say the prospect, was only slender. Poisoned Arrow* was last of all coming to the bend and how he came to finish a good second,making up a rare lot of ground and rapidly closing the gap between himself and the leader in the last furlong, was really astonishing. Naturally on that showing he was immediately hacked for the Cambridgeshire. for ■which it is said Soubriquet will not carry her penalty.

ACCEPTANCES. WOODVILLE DISTRICT JOCKEY CLUB. (Per Press Association.) WOODVILLE. December 4 Th© following acceptances have been received ; MANGATUA HURDLE HANDICAP, of 130 sovs; one mile and three-quarters—Malin-gerer lost. 111 b. Woden lost 6lb, Ethiopian 9et 81b, Noble Ost 61b, Eldenholm 9st 4lb. Savory Ost 3lb, Silk Kein Ost *2l b, Adrienne Ost. Punishment 9st, Lead On Ost. Ranui Ost. TRIAL HANDICAP, of 120 sovs; six furlongs ‘.weight Set 71b;—Conflict, Waimahoe. Wheatfield, Venetian, Halgina. Deroulede, Frau, Five-Eighths, Red Cherry. Crown Star, Hokoia t’ongatoto. Fleeting. Proclamation, Prudent Lad. Merrimais. OET.E HANDICAP, of 200 sovs; six furlongs—Statuette 9st 41b. Chimera S*t 111 b, Royal Box —Bst 6lb, Ambitious 7st 30lb, Astinomo 7st 61 b. Morose 7st 31b, Crown Gem 6st 121 b, Jaeaaroo 6st 71b, Auto moan 6st Tib. NURSERY HANDICAP, of 130 sovs; five furlongs—Caress Bst lib, ileremoana 7f?t. 121 b, Bonlita 7st 121 b, Frilford 7st 221 b, Simonetto 7st fllb. Enthuse 7st 71b, Soiiforin 7st 71b,* Blonde 7st 2ib, sli?govern Tst 21b, Ransack 7st 21b, Civility 7st 2lb. WOODVILLE HANDICAP, of 300 sovs; one mile and a quarter- -Scion Ust. Maioha Bst 91b, Sunart 8»t 91b, Merry Day Bet 31b. Admiral Codrington 6st 2ib, Bitters Tst 91b. Paoanui 7st 81b, Bumptious Tst slb, Kilgour 7st 31b. Esperanee 7st 21b, Dissertation 7st lib, Beloved 6st illb. Soldier's Love 3st 101 b, Kah.iks.tea 6st 71b. FLYING HANDICAP, of 130 sovs; s ; x furlongs—Gazeworthy Ost 4lb, L’Amour Bst 131 b, Viyella Sst 111 b. Miss Rene Bet 61b, Communicate 861, 4lb Comio Sst 31b, Good Sport 3st 31b, Suspicion Set 3lb, Pillage 7st 121 b. Atapo 7st 71b. Kilbird Tst 2lb. Karutahi 7st 31b, Hytiuus 7st lib. Fleeting 7st, Native Queen 6st l-3lb, Waetea 6st 121 b, Noroko Sst lllb. Lady Waimangu .681 71b, Bonomel 3st 71b. BOROUGH WELTER HANDICAP, of 50 sove; seven furlongs—Little River Ost illb Princess Pat 9st. 41b The Speaker ost 3ib, Battle Rcight Bst lllb, Cleasahta Bst lllb. Nursing Sister #efc lllb. Sunny Jim Sst olb. Mosthenee Sst 81b, American Beauty 8?r. bib. Toa Taua Bet 71b. Mountain Lion Bat 51b, Black Art Bst, Yankee Dan Sst, Island Bst. WELTER HACK HANDICAP, of 130 eov*; one mile and 170 yards—Viyella Bat lib, Tnasore Bet 13lb, First Born Bst 121 b, Kaotarie Bst lllb. Fera Set 101 b. Pantler Sat101b, Slave Mart Bst 9lb, Sweet- Song Bst 51b, Wapping 89t 4lb, Happy Days Bst 3lb, Zero Hour Sst, Bonifant Bst, Deborah Sot.