Radnor and Trotting.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17863, 3 June 1926, Page 2

Radnor and Trotting.

RACING FIXTURES. June 3. s.—Dunedin Jockev Club. •Tune 3. s—Otaki Maori Racine: Club. June 3. 5, 7.—Auckland Racing Club. June 18 19—Napier Park Racing Club, r no —Havko's Bay Hunt. . June 20, 26—Hawke's Bay Jockey Club July 31.—Christchurch Hunt. ! NOMINATIONS. June 4.—Nanfcr Park Racing ClubTune 11.—Canterbury Jockey Club (clar i Tune 11.—Hawke’s Bay Hunt. • une 11.—Hawke’s Bay Joel ey CluLJuly 16.—Christchurch Hunt. HANDICAPS. Tune 11.— Pa Hi Racing Club. Tune 21.—Hawke's Bay Hunt. [una 21.—Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, uly 26.—Christchurch Hunt. ACCF.PTANCFS 'une 15. Napier Park Racing Club. I,jn © 22.—Hawke’s Bay Hunt. J-.iue 24.—Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. - ui y 28. Christchurch nunt TROTTING FIXTURES. June^S. s s.—Canterbury Park Trotting June 12.—Ashburton Trotting Club. June 19, 23.—Auckland Trotting Club. NOMINATIONS. June 7.—Auckland Trotting Club. June 7.—A1l kland Trotting Club (Derby 1927). HANDICAPS. June 7.- —Ashburton Trotting Club. June B.—Auckland Trotting Club. ACCEPTANCES Tviy 28.—-Hawke's Bay Trotting Club • uno li.—.v. cJand Trotting Uub. RACING NOTES. R. J. Mason will leave to-night for Sydney, taking two of Mr G. D. Greenwood’s yearlings, the colt by Limond from Waterwings, and the filly by Absurd from Eulogy. .Both these youngsters have done a lot of useful work on the local tracks and they have shown a fair turn of speed for a few furlongs. * * * * J. M’Combe will leave to-night for Sydney, w'ith Forgery, his intention being to race the Paper Money—Counterfeit three-year-old at the pony meetings. Forgery has no special form to recommned him, his only success being In a maiden race last season.

J. W. Jennings, who has been identified chiefly with West Coast racing for some years, has secured stables at Riccarton. His present team is head ed by the improving Booster, while he also has Prince Ferouz and North Inch under his charge.

It appears to have escaped general notice that the Christchurch Hunt is holding two race meetings this season Last year’s meeting took place on August 1, while this year’s is scheduled for July 31.

The Wellington Racing Club has appointed Mr W. P. Russell as judge for the winter meeting, to be held at Trentham next month, in succession to Captain J. Gage Williams, who resigned his judging positions recently, in order to become private trainer to Mr E. L. Riddiford. Mr Russell is widely known in North Island racing circles He is handicapper to a number of clubs and he has also had considerable ex perience in the judge’s box, in which department he has made a reputation as a very capable official. His Trentham appointment was freely antici pated and it will be very popular.

*** * . . General Advance has been stopped in his work, but it is hoped that the Wingatui-trained jumper will soon be in commission again. He would be a good Grand National Steeplechase candidate if he w-as at his best.

Bonn e Winkie is being ridden again as a preliminary to an attempt to give him ant 'ci p. up: m ien. It is generr.ly a w o rime a:k ng old and 1 ; ken-do-, n hors, to ‘come back,’ as th y ciT-t j: up a o nas pressure is app.icd in their work. * * * *

The Fir land horse Kuhio, who is now rac ng on pc ny courses in Sydney, has been expensive lately. At a recent meeting, when start ng favourite, he was lelt at the post, while a few days later, again backed tc a short price, he was beaten into record place.

The New Souih Waits s.udmaster. Mr Percy M.ller has made another important purchase in England for the Kia Ora stud This is Leg o iaire, by Phalaris frem Sp~ar Bri ige, by Spearmint from Santa Brigida, by St Simon from Bridget, a sister to Melton. Legionaire w’as a gcod-class two-year-old last season, and he will be a valuable addition to thr. K:a Ora sires.

The death is announced from Sydney of Jo.-ph Burton, at the age of seventysix years. lie was one of the most popular tra ners of his time, and throughout his career he enjoyed the reputation of being a straight goer. He scored his first important success as a trainer when he won the A.J.C. Derby in IS7I with Javelin. Other Derby winners he handled later were Beelah, Lady Wallace and Mountain King, while his o.her big w.nners included West Count <Melbourne Cup), Murillo (Maribyrno-g Plate), Air Motor (Epsom Hand.cap). Tartan (Australian Cup and Sydney Cup), Cremona (Metropolitan Handicap) and Maltine (Metropolitan Handicap). * * * *

As the close of another season’s racing in Australia is approached, pointed reference .s once again made to the pronounced manner in which the sprinters’ division is catered for, and clubs are be ng urged to build up the distances and so bring about a better class of horse. In the course of an article on the much disctissed question.

“ Stayer v. Sprinter,” the Melbourne “Leader” remarks: ‘‘lt is a generally accepted fact among turf author.ties competent to express an opinion that the majority of race clubs in Australia are not encouraging the stayer as he deserves to be encouraged. It would be sheer fallacy to assert that the

j smaller clubs are alone to blame for • any decline that may be taking place in long-distance horses. The lead ng clubs are. perhaps, equally as culpable. If they do not bestir themselves, the country will shortly be overrun with sprinters--good, bad and indifferent—and our principal long-d stance events will develop into very commonplace af . fairs, in which the genuine stayer will be greatly in the minority.”

The large number of important successes registered by descendants of Valais this season had long since made it quite certain that he would again head the list of winning s.res. Up to the end of April, the progeny of Valais had won stakes to the value of £52,908, Magpie being in second place with £32,755, and Comedy King third with £22,035. As indicating the value of Valais’s great j record, it is worth noting that the largest total prev.ously credited to a i sire in Australia for a full season was Ccmedy King's £43,114, in 1922-23. Since 1922, when his stock first appeared, descendants of Valais have won stakes to the value of £124,115, which must be regarded as a wonderful record, and, as he is only in his thirteenth year, he may, in the event of completing the average length of equine life, create a fresh stud record for this quarter of the globe. Valais was bought pr.vately in England during the pr gress of the war. The sum involved in his purchase has never been made public, but this much can be concluded, that he was one of the greatest prizes secured in the Old Country over a long stretch of years. When Valais was sold for 14,400 gs at the dispersal sale of the i Arrowfield stud in New South Wales , in the autumn of 1924, some inclined to the view that the price was too high There is now no such opinion; indeed, h s purchase at the sum named must be regarded as a lucky bargain. The Messrs Thompson, who were the successful bidders for Valais, are likely to find the son of Cicero something in the shape of a gold mine, for his list at a fee of 500 gs is declared full for some time ahead.

Any horse of high breeding with de cent perf rmances to his credit and of masculine physique commands a b g figure in England at the present time A case in point is Obliterate, a five-year-old horse by Tracery, sold recently by Sir Robert Jardine to an American breeder for £30,000. Obliterate won the Northumberland Plate last year, which stamped him as a stayer. Obliterate’s dam. Damage, is by Desmond, son of St Simon.

Dr A. H. Bennett, who has for many years carried on a breeding establ.shment at his property at Manningham. some miles from Adelaide, has decided to retire from that branch of the sport, and on May 11 he disposed of his thoroughbred stock. It is his intention to give the whole of the property, which comprises many valuable acres, to children’s playgrounds, a section for adult recreat.onal purposes, and another portion for the erection of houses for members of certain learned professions and their female dependants who may experience hardship. The whole of the proceeds of the sale, 3600g5, have been given by Dr Bennett as the nucleus of an endowment fund to assist in the work he has undertaken.

The three-year-old filly, Silvretta, who cost Lord Dewar 13,000 gs at the dispersal sale of the late Sir Edward Hulton’s stud, made a successful debut at Kemp- * ton a few weeks ago. Writing of the subject, “ The Special Commissioner ” had the following to say in the London “Sporting Life and Sportsman”: “ Theories concerning breeding and the theorists that write thereon received a nasty koock when Silvretta won the Easter Plate at Kempton, and added another to the long list of winning produce that have emanated from Silver Fowl. Here is a mare that has nothing in her pedigree to suggest a winnerproducing dam. She was by Wildfowler (by Gallinule. out of a Ben Battle mare) out of L’Argent, by Jacobite (b-y Rosicrucian) out of Aura, by Umpire out of Somnambula, by Saunterer out of Lady Rockley, which is all very genuine blood, but without anything in it to catch hold of, and yet her produce to date have been Silver Coin. Silverique (£324 in stakes), Silver Tag \ (£7288 in stakes), Fifinella (£5897 in | stakes), Silver Wand (£519 in stakes), i Silvanite, Sabian, Silvern (£SBOB in stakes), Sirrah, Scrumptious, Soubri- | quet (£5171 in stakes), Silvretta and 1 Sample. Without adding the value of the Easter Plate, this gives her a total j of £26,704 to the credit of her offspring, and makes one realise that she must be i ranked with other great mares like Pil'■r'mage, Lily Agnes, Hamoaze, Galicia, Perdita 11. ard Paraffin. Silvretta won her race at Kempton 1 ke a good one, ' and it is a thousand pities that, owing | to the death of her nominator, she is not eligible for her classic engagements, but it is to be hoped that an opportunity will occur that will give one a chance of seeing her against the best of the others.” * * * * Grcenrborcugh, who is considered to be one of the best two-year-olds of the season in Australia, cost only 85 guineas as a yearling. He is by that speedy horse Greenstead, a son of The Welkin, and a good advertisement for his v-oung sire. Greensborough won the South Australian Stakes, and ac- , cording to all accounts battled out the 1 seven furlongs in great style. Subsequent to the Adelaide meeting he was sold for a big figure.

At Randwick less than five months ago the chestnut gelding Mendit made a world’s record of 3min 3Sisec for two miles over hurdles. After a recent steeplechase at Warwick Farm, J. W. Cook was so disgusted with him that he made him a present to Leo Payten, who will use him as a hack, with occasional variety in the way of picnic racing.

Concerning betting in general and totaiisator betting in particular, “ Cardigan, of the ” Australasian,” writes as follows after witnessing the first day of the Adelaide Cup meeting:— The half-crown totalisators in the three reserves have been made automatic, and the investments pooled with the face of the machine on the flat. Unfortunately the machines in the grand stand and Derby enclosures broke down, and the ciub not only had to instal the old system, but probably lost money owing to the delay. Nevertheless, the investments during the day were heavy, and those people who argue that the machine does not provide facilities for women to bet should have watched the huge crowds of women who waited patiently in the queues after every race to collect their modest investments. So much has been written for and against the totaiisator that little more can be said, but it seems to me that the South Austra.ian Jockey Caub would be well advised to support the licensing of book makers in bouth Australia. I believe events are leading that way, as everybody knows la.a. bo kmakers liounsh on iDouth Au. ti alian racecourses, and would it not be a wise plan for the ciub to receive some revenue from those men who now bet on the course without paying a single penny?

TROTTING NOTES. Acceptances for the second day of the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting will close at noon to-morrow. 4: * Nominations for the Auckland Trotting Club’s winter meetiing will close on Monday. * * * * Nominations of yearlings are due on Monday for the Great Northern Trotting Derby, to be decided at the Auckland Trotting Club’s spring meeting in 1927. * * * * Minton Derby has finished his racing career in the Dominion, and he left this week on his return to Australia. He showed brilliant form during the short time he was in W. J. Tomk nson’s stable, winding up with two miles in 4min 22 2-ssec, and a mile and a qtiarter in the record time of 2min 40 l-osec, established when he filled third place at Addington at Easter. * * * * J. J. Ker.nerley has recommissioned Pedro Pronto. Another of his team, Dixie’s Pride, is booked for an early return to Australia, and his place will be taken by Burnie Alto, a four-year-old half-brother to Chid. * * * »?* When night trotting was introduced in Perth, the success of the sport was

assured, write a correspondent of the Sydney “ Referee.” The glamour appealed to a large section of the community, and particularly to people who were free in the evenings and could not spare the time to attend the galloping meetings on Saturday afternoons. From a small beginning trotting has grown to great proportions, and Mr James Brennan and his colleagues may be pardoned for taking considerable pride in what they have accomplished. The best horses in the Commonwealth and New Zealand have been seen in competition on the course at the foot of Hay Street, and excellent times have been recorded. Year after year it has been necessary to tighten the classes owing to the rapid improvement of the performers, and enuring the last two seasons the crowning effort of the committee of the association was the inauguration of the Australasian championships. The governing body has not spared expense in order to attract to Perth the fastest pacers in the Southern Hemisphere and Western Australia has thereby gained a fine advertisement The season which is now drawing to a close has been most successful, and bigger things may be looked forward to. In some quarters it is felt that an undue amount of attention is being paid to the best horses at the expense of the struggling owner, and that too

much money is being taken out of the State by visitors, but it is only by encouraging men with good horses to come to the State that the sport can be properh advanced.