Racing and Trotting

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17572, 24 June 1925, Page 2

Racing and Trotting

NOTES BY

ARGUS

FIXTURES. J June r i'—Hawkfi's Bn;.- Jockey Clu >. 1 Jun<> 26, 27—Ashburton Counts' Racing ! | June 27—Hawke'? I3ay Hunt. Ju!’,' 7, f- ; 11 —Wellington Racing Club, i July ;S—South Canterbury Hunt. j July - 3—AVainxate Hunt. July I'3, 25—Gisborne Racing- Club. August I —Christchurch Hunt. August I—Poverty Ha:,- Hunt. August 11. IS, 15—Canterbury Jockey Club. August 8, 12, 14—Metropolitan Trotting: NOMINATIONS. June 26—Canterbury Jockey Club. Juno SO—Watmate Hunt. July I —Wellington Racing- Club. July I—South Canterbury Hunt. July 3—Gisborne Racing Club. July 10—Poverty Bay Hunt. July 17—Cnristchurch Hunt. HANDICAPS. June 25—Hawke’s Bay Hunt June 26—Wellington Racing- Club. July 7—Waimute I-lunt. July I)—South Canterbury Hunt. July 10—Gisborne Racing: Club. July 27—Christchurch Hunt. July 27—Poverty Bay Hunt. ACCEPTANCES. June 26—Hawke's Bay Hunt. July I—Wellington Racing Club. July 13—South Canterbury Hunt. July 14—Wairnate Hunt. July 17—Gisborne Racing Club. July 2S—Poverty Bay Hunt. July 22 —Christchurch Hunt. The winter meeting; of the Ashburton Oounty Racing Club, to be held ; on Friday and Saturday, should pro- : vide some interesting sport. A convenient train service has been arranged from Christchurch, a train being timed to leave the city each day at 9.20 a.m., returning after the last raoe and arriving in Christchurch about six o’clock. An election will be necessary this year for the New Zealand Trotting Association. For two North Island vacancies, Messrs C. F. Mark, J. R. M’Kienzie and It. AY. Short have been nominated, while for three South Island seats the nominations are Messrs AV. Hayward, J. Hole, H. AY. Kitchingham, T. T. Ritchie, and J M. Samson. It. Alexander has the two-year-old Philanderer bowling along in strong work at present. The son of cray Lad and Love-a-Duck showed promise as a stayer when raced this season, and his trainer has hopes that ho will develop into a good Derby candidate Ho claims an engagement in the Australian Jockey Club’s Derby, but bis connections will want to know a little more about his prospects befero deciding on a trip to Sydney. In the meantime, however, lie is going on well in his preparation. The yearlings in Cutts Brothers’ stable have all been broken in and some of them are already well advanced in their education, being regular attendants at the tracks. They include one or two youngsters who show considerable promise. G. M. Aynsley has his team doing useful pace work at present and though they will not be required to do much of a serious nature for some timo yet, they are all in good health and are gradually getting into condition for the fast work that will be required later. They include Tiff, Footfall, Starmist, Sparklight, Goldstep and a couple of yearlings. Bonoinel has been on the easy list since his return from the Dunedin meeting, where he met with some injuries when he fell, but It. Longley hopes to have him in work again soon. There ane oofc many tivp-year-okls in work at Trentham, but among the youngsters pottering about on the track are three from S. J. Reid’s stable. One of them, by Paper Money from Ellaine, will race as Note The progeny of Tea Tray and Bxclusivo will be known as Spode, and < 'li max is the name of til© Solferino—. Nada youngster. AH are coming along well and they have b-?en sprint, ed. J. Ayres has a two-year-old by Royal Stag, from Snooze in his stable T. Young’s Arrow Boy (by Arrowsmith) and the Absurd votings ter in the same stable were recently galloped half a mile, which they covered in COsec. Both went nicely. J. M’Laughlin has just started on the Kilbroney two-year-old purchased by Mr AY., j. Jorgenson at the timo of tho Waikanao sale m January. It. O’Donnell has Bonny Dawn and Joy Bound looking well. r Jhe former is a filly by Greenback from Lupercalia, and the latter is by Argosy, from Almond. The Otago marc Ravenna has been one of the unlucky performers of the present season. She has only won two races, while she has been seven times second and three times third, earning £999 in stakes. The Southland gelding Soltoe, by Soldier’s Chorus, has been ten times in the money this season (seven seconds and three thirds), without scorY - stake earnings total , .1- • h ,s most profitable appearance b f m e when lie got £35 for a second ax, the Southland Racing Club’s autumn meeting. I hero is wonderful unanimity conI cerning . the North Island hurdler, Xukumni, who is marked off for an early win. The one thing certain is that n he does land a stake he will have plenty of backers, as hlard-headed i ollowers of tho sport are waiting for Avonlea, a four-year-old mare by Ab surd—Holyrood, lias bee n sold hv Air A\. R. Jvemball and .she will go into G. Price’s stable at Randwick. Her elcer brother, Absurdum, is racing i>» Sydney, where he has done well as a sprinter. It is reported that the Wirigaiui trainer, S. G. Ware, contemplates a racing campaign in Australia, with Roseday included in his team. In the meantime, however, Roseday is a disqualified horse, whose term will no* expire until October, and it comes'as a surprise, under the circumstances, to read that lie lias gone into Ware’s stable. Probably this statement is not quite accurate. " r ‘ e Hawke's Bay two-year-old. Run. nymede is going aiong well in his work, and bo should be in good order ir it is decided to send him to Bydney lor tlic Australian Jockev Club’s I>crby.

j Nominations for the principal events at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Grand | National meeting will close at eight i Alaster Peter is a notable absentee 1 from the cross country events at the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting. This confirms the news from Wanganui that all is not w-ell with liim. Sir Roseberry will not be seen at Trentham next month. It is to be hoped this does not mean the well performed jumper is amiss. Boomerda vis booked for a trip to Riccarton in August. He failed at the business end of the Grand National Hurdle Handicap last year but he is a more experienced jumper now. Mr A. E. Whyte, the secretary of the Wellington Racing Club, is making a good recovery from his recent operation, but he will not be at the Trenthem meeting next month. The Victoria Racing Club’s Grand National Hurdle Handicap will be decided on Saturday of next week. The favourite, Rahda, is trained by L>. J. Price, who hopes to make up for last year’s bad luck, when his horse ran , second to Jackstaff. In this country a postponement of a football match so that it will not clash . with races is never heard of, but the . ! Rugby authorities in Sydney decided to ’ i put the third Test forward a dav so as ; j n °t to clash with the pony races. J At Napier last week V. Colello stated | that Landbix'd was now quite himself • | again, but no further attempt would be j made to race him this season. What [ happened to him at Wanganui is still I a mystery, but his trainer is confident i j l ie inet with no injury in the race. , I Colello is very confident that Landbird , I will be in the front rank of steeple- | chasers. Ij£riQ registered a very game performance in the Napier Steeplechase. Sho banged tho sod wall very hard the last \ time, and both her knees showed signs * contact when she returned to scale. , She was a little lame on cooling out, r and it is to he hoped that there is nothing seriously amiss with her. She is so full of promise as a ’chaser that she can ill be spared. , Manutai and Kilmer© raced very 1 consistently at Napier, dead-heating j on the first day and finishing first and ' second divided by half a length on Saturday. Five furlongs would suit Manutai better than Kilmere. Manu- , tai is by the San Francisco—lFleetfoot j horse Flying Start, who carried the colours of Sir George Clifford. Kil- * mere is a good-looking filly by Kil- ' broney from Blue Lake, the dam of \ Little River and Peiieus. Birkenelia, tho winner of tho Hunt Club Steeplechase at Napier on SatF urdav. was purchased bv Mr F. Jeu- * sen from Air AY. R. Keiuball when the * latter was disposing of some of his team a short time ago. Birkenelia was running an excellent race at Napier | on Friday when ho was carried off at 1 the second fence of the stand double ’ by Undo Dave. Birkenelia has been qualified with tho Dannevirke Hunt, writes “Vedette,” and ho should win a hunters’ race or two before going ' on to hold his own in more preten--1 tious company. There are possibilities ‘ about Birkenelia, and apparently there are others who think so, for Air Jensen could have turned him over at a good, profit just alter completing ’ tho purchase. , A remit from the Auckland Racing . Club to bo considered at the conference next month which will meet with tho hearty support of tho public who i ! back horses has for its object the refunding to backers of all money invested upon horses which may be vith- ' drawn from a race for any reason , whatever prior to tho closing of the iotalisator. At present the rule den’;,I mg with the question sets out that . no refund shall be made to backers t of any horse which has weighed out. j The Vaikanae-bred Absurd—Marga- . retta colt, for which Colonel J. A. Mur- . doclx gave 1750g5, has been named Jack 3 Point. He is being trained by G. Price, s who is now at the head of the list of l winning trainers at Randwick, with . eleven wins for the season, r The Caulfield owner-trainer E. A. Connolly soon tired of England, and lie j has written his friends that he will be i home again in time for the Caulfield j Cup in October. Connolly has bought j 1 six horses. His purchases comprise f Karagan (Stedfast—Karelian), Quirk (Torloisk—Quire), Balios (Hapsburg Bay Girl), Attraction (Ba3 r d’Or—Capr tivation), Aiiss Meadows (Black Jester 3 —Gaba Tepe) and Faircroft. It is cabled that the last-mentioned five have been shipped to Australia, but, as no 1 mention is made of Karagen, perhaps a he was sent earlier or has been resold. 1 s Some of the outside public at the Sydney meetings are bad losers, and they express their feelings forcibly .. when a favourite fails. Invariably the > jockey is blamed, and little notice is 1 taken of the attendant circumstances s of the case. When the hot order Min- } terne got rid of his rider in the Austra--1 , lian Jockey Club Steeplechase, one of v the outside public said to J. Sing. “ I wish you had broken your neck.” VvTien a certain New Zealand rider had a similar experience, he was insulted on v all sides, and for a time he thought y the crowd would attack him. Eventur ally he was escorted back to the bird- > j cage by an ambulance man and a i j mounted policeman. On another occaI sion a well-known Auckland rider who | went across with J. AY. Lowe to ride i ! Gold Lace got beaten on Ptah, and as a he ran the gauntlet back to weigh in lie a [ had a most uncomfortable experience. :> I *«** - } Accamar and Alars, who figure in t j tho Melbourne Cup in the nomination a j of Air S. Green, are a brace of desj < cendants of Alartian that were sold s l under the hammer in New Zealand s when yearlings, and they were each j bought on account of the Alelbourne j Sportsman for SOOOgns. When next - I season’s racing oomes round both 5 horses will rank as four-year-olds, and ’ the character of their form will be awaited with not a little interest. Aci i carnai* is by Alartian—Polymuia, and | Alars is by Martian—Bronze.

The Absurd—Oratress two-year-old f filly, Windbag, arrived back from Syd- | i\ey this week. She was sent to G. Price some time ago in mistake for a I pony. The filly will probably come to Riccarton to await the time when she can go into F. D. Jones's stable. Amongst the winners a 1 tin Victoria Racing < Hub’s m< e-t ing - arly this month was tho Auckland-bred Arolia Nui (LucuHus— -Alaheno>, who got home first in tb© CorjiwaU Welter Handicap, one mile. Aroha Nui was purchased cheaply by tho Caulfield trainer, AY. Murray, when on a visit i to tho north so mo four years ago. Iho Auckland gelding Boomerday. ' who shows some aptitude for hurdle ! racing, after a successful career on the flat, is now included among tho horses who have contested over a hun dred races. He made his debut in tho Now Lynn Hack Handicap, run. at Avon dal© in the spring of 1920, when he unplaced. Though. IJoomerdny Air 11. Hannon, sent him up to auction at Ellers]ie on January 4, 1921, a reserve of oOOgns was “placed on him. Ihe bidding that ensued for the. possession of tlie bay gelding only reached 400gns, and ho was mccordinglv passed in. Subsequently Air AV. H. AA'ackrow bought Boomerday at the reserve price, and a totalling of the gelding’s -earnings in tho interval amount *to £76«>6. Boomerday has started I(>2 times, for fourteen wins, thirteen seconds and ten thirds, while ho has been unplaced sixty-fire times. Heroic, Nigger Minstrel and Spearieti, who finished within heads of each other in the decision of the Australian Jockey Club's Derby, run at Randwick in October last, figure among the entrants for the Melbourne Gup, the much curiosity will be centred in the manner in which the Victoria Racing Club’s handicapper will range them up when lie conies to adjust the weights for the bi£ event of the coming spring. Another rising i out -year-old in whose future a lot of interest is centred, and who also figures in the Melbourne Cup, is Windbag, for ho defeated Spearfelt in the Australian Jockey Club’s St Leger, and he has proved himself to be a true stayer.

HAWKE’S BAY NOTES.

(Special to the “ Star.") NAPIER, June 23. Black Art and his owner, Air D. Donohan, arrived back from Sydney today. It was decided that Black Art’s form at Randwick was not good enough to warrant taking him to Melbourne. Black Art has been nominated for Trentham. j It is understood that 450 gs was the purchase price of Jovial, who should be hard to beat in some of the short distance steeplechases in the South IsKenyon has changed hands, and is now an inmate of H. S. Greene’s stable. Tiega and Runnymede were given a gallop between races at Napier Park on Friday. Both horses look bright and : well, Runnymede especially so. ! Among the horses who galloped at Napier Park on Friday were several youngsters belonging to Mr AY. G. Stead and the Limond—Eulogy gelding owned by Mr AV. IT. Gaisford. The last-named is a nice mover, while cf Air Stead’s lot the Sarchedon—Shrill youngster pleased most. Jt is said that the Comedy King two-year-old, Mimetic, is filling out into a nice colt. j Mahia’s win in the principal steeple- ' chase at Napier Park on Saturday, after an inglorious third in hack company on the previous day, came as a surprise. The difference in the riding , and the drier condition of the track j are said to have been responsible for the altered performance. ( The amateur who rode General Carrington in the Ladies’ Necklace on Friday at Napier Park is not entitled to be classed as one of the Dominion’s best amateur riders. The General got no assistance from the man in the saddle, or he might have won.

! WAIRARAPA NOTES.

(Special to the “Star.") MASTERTON, June 22. Bonecto ran exceptionally well in the Motea Hurdle Handicap at Napier Park. He jumped much better than any of the other horses in the race and that accounted for him downing Alany Colours at the business end of the race. Bonecto and Many Colours were the best supported pair in the field, and early in the journey they left the rest behind. At the last fence Bonecto was slightly in the lead, but jumping in great style he cleared w T ell and came right away to win by three lengths. Bonecto was heavily backed in Masterton, being sent through as a certainty early in the day. The horse's connections are reported to have had a, royal win. Several hundred pounds found their way to backers in Masterton. Bonecto was well backed locally on the second day in the Waiohiki Hurdle Handicap, tie went out second favourite, but was never in the picture, finishing fifth. Birkenelia made hacks of the rest of the field in the Hunt Club Steeplechase at Napier Park. Three-quarters of a mile from home he went to the front. Silta and Birkenelia were on level terms at the last fence, where Silta came to grief. Birkenelia then went on to win, in a canter by twelve lengths. Kovno, the favourite, fell when about a third of the journey had been completed. Trespass was made favourite for the Waiohiki Hurdle Handicap at Napier Park, but ran a shockingly bad race, being among the rearguard all the Form would suggest keeping an eye on Bonecto for one day at Trentham. Sir AVai is doing very well on the track, and may be worth watching at Hawke’s Bay. Black Rock is reported to be strid ing along nicely in his work. Something should be heard from the Mountain Knight gelding before long. Peggy Ford is not doing as satisfactorily as might be the case, though her work during the past few days has shown improvement. She will probably sport silk at Trentham. Tinohari is shaping well in his work on the track, and the Masterton horse is expected to show up well at Trentham. Little River ran badly at the Napier Park meeeing, but he may be in a. 1 better humour at Ilawkes Bay.

ENGLISH NOTES.

(Special lo tho 14 Star.’’) LONDON, April 30. 1 In tho twinkling of an eye, so to speak, and on tho eve of the first classic race, the Two Thousand Guineas, the whole Derby situation underwent a complete ehango consen the (Irave’n Stakes at Newrnaid iti .smashing style, and everything pointed t<> his becoming a hot favouriio for tho Derby. Cnhappily, less than week later Ibo colt contract d a pai t.:c ulaidy severe and virulent attack «»1 lymphangitis, which leads to lho formation of an abscess just above tho fetlock. When this hursts tho tumour or pus finds an outlet from iln- spot where it has accumulated. In ihc circumstances, there does not seem the iaintest possibility of Picaroon get- [ tif »K better in time for the J>e r by, though, at tho time of writing, the stable have not given up all hope. AY hen the news leaked out a new favourite naturally had to be found and tho Aga Khan’s Zionist had that »li tinction thrust upon him, but he was md. to maintain it long, for Mr Jeff G»hn, the owner of tho French randidate Ptolemy 11., let it known through tho columns of an English newspaper that ho very greatly fancied h:s horse and that be had engaged Donoghue to ride. Since Donogbua has won the Derby at Epsom- three times, not to mention two substitute Derbys at Newmarket during the war, what, more natural than that- the prospective invader should be installed the premier position in the market 9 AS hatever Zionist’s fate in the '[’wo 1 housand Guineas had been—-he started a hot favourite and failed to justify this optimism—it is very doubtful if he will again be at the head of tho Derby quotations, while Ptolemy remains sound. Reverting to Picaroon, the Craven Stakes seems to be an ill-fated race so far as tho winner’s Derby prospects are concerned It is nearly thirty years since a winner of tho Craven went on to capture honours Epsom, and that was tho outside?* Jeddah. Two years ago, as with Picaroon, Alec Taylor won the Craven for Lord As tor with a horse called Light Hand, and the great Manton trainer became extremely confident about tho colt’s chance for the subsequent Derby. However, Light Hand almost immediately went lame, so lame m fact that his racing career came to an abrupt termination. It was not, of course, the fact that Picaroon won the Craven Stakes that brought about his misfortune, but the superstitious will not be prevented from linking up the two things. Those who saw a horse called Greek Bachelor win a selling race at Lincoln in the opening week of the season, afterwards to be bought in for 420 guineas, little thought they were looking at the coming City and Suburban winner. Yet this strange thing happened surely enough. Greek Bachelor won the important Epsom Handicap at 25 to I in the name and colours of tho successful local trainer, Stanley AYootton. My mind goes further back than Lincoln and recalls Greek Bachelor as a chestnut colt by Bachelor’s Double going into the sale ring a Doncaster in 1921 and making *2IOO guineas. The buyer then was Air P. P. Gilpin, the trainer, and ho was acting on behalf of Lord Queenborough. The colt showed fair promise a three-year-old, but it was not until a year later that ho won his first racethe Tudor Stakes at Sandown. When Lord Queenborough’s horses vora transferred from Gilpin to Boyd-Roch-iort last season Creek Bachelor was among them and he I'un a moderate third in the City and Suburban of 1924. It is probable that be afterwards gave trouble in training, for he was later on sent io the Doncaster sales and allowed to bo knocked down to Stanley Wootton for 2SO guineas

Such in brief is the story of the 1 chequered career of tho most recent | winner of the City and Suburban. | The feature of nil that preceded this ) race was the heavy financial support accorded Tapm, tho Lincoln winner, who was excused his lapse in the Newbury Cup on l lie ground that ho did not" get off until the rest of the field bad gone sonic- lengths. So over-; whelming was the demand for Tap in that it became a case of 10 to ] bar i Only D'Orsay. too. figured at j that, pri'-o end t,lic*n came Cockpit and i A erfii- b each at TOO to 9. Evander, I Mr Bliss and Condovcr had a few friends, hut there was no indication that Sansovino was expected to win i on tho, scene of liis brilliant Derby I triumph of a year ago, or that Paxth ! was fancied much. It was natural that the movements of Tapin at the s’ urt.ing post should be brought under the closest scrutiny. For some while, tho h>>rsc hung bade either because lie would not move up into line or for the reason that Donoghue did not wish him to join ihe others until the start should he imminent. "When Captain Allison let tin- field go, Tapin was by no means in the position one would exI‘ect and wish a favourite to bo in. IF- was standing well behind the Him and the result was that Donoghue had at once to sic down and ride liim through a number of horses in order to make sure of a place at the top of the hill before reaching the turn to the descent. That- movement, necessary as it- was, must have taken a lot out of the horse. Into the straight an unconsidercd outsider, the

j 50 to 1 Alademoiselle AT. led by a J length or t-wc. and so well did she | hang on to her advantage that her » success began to be accepted as an * assured thing—when she edged away from her place on the rails. It was then that Greek Bachelor had the speed to take advantage of the fortunate opening and go on to win r.» half a length. Meanwhile, Donoghu* 3 ! hod not been well placed cn the raiL with I a pin. His horse was held there j by Greek Bachelor and there was no j chance of pulling round to the otnI side, even if Japiu bad been capable I or" such an effort. D'Orsay an ! Mademoiselle ?>I bo.rrod the r.av on that side. Indeed, a hundre 1.. . | away from home D’Orsay looked very j much like sustaining a fine run and ' But he could not maintain the effort and finished a respectable third. In tho circumstances, thcr-> was justification for assuming that had r l apin got off on equal terms with the leaders he would probably have wen. Not one of the other too weightsI ar.h. Sansovino and Yerdiefc—showed up with the faintest chance of winning, and indeed they may bo said ro have run badly, considering their records.