TOPICS OF THE TURF

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20340, 25 June 1934, Page 12

TOPICS OF THE TURF

yh/p7£S AND NEWS FROM EVERYWHERE

DOMINATIONS for the New Zealan i Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase. Winter Cup, Sydenham Hurdle. Beaufort and Lincoln Steeplechases close, on Friday at S p.m. * * « * Acceptances for the Oamaru Jockey Club’s meeting close at 8 p.m. to-m*>r- * * * * Nominations for the Brackenfieli Hunt Point-to-point Steeplechase meeting, to be held near Rangiora on Sacurdav, Joine 30, close to-dav at 5 p.m . with'Mr L. W. Harley, P.O. Box 32, Rangiora. * * * * Weights for the Winter Hurdle and for the handicaps on the first day of the Wellington meeting are due on Wednesday. RICCARTOX’S SCORETo date this season horses regularly trained at Riccarton have won 223 races. They have also registered -92 seconds and 172 thirds, and their total earnings in prize money since August 1 last amount to £34,682. WON FIVE OX END. There is not much of Knockfin, but what there is is good. She has now started six times and has won the las. five of her races. Her debut was made in the C.J.C. Randolph Handicap on November 6 last, when she failed to finish in the first nine. Taken to the West Coast at Christmas she won twice at Hokitika, and then obtained two more wins at the Greymouth meeting. She is by Hunting Song from Knocklvn by Solferino from Bella Donna by Vasco from Belle Clair by St Cla-.r from Dione by Traducer. Knocklong and Knockbain are fully related to Knockfin. TRUE SHAFT AS A i i C RPLEK. While trained by A. M’Aulay for Mr A. Louisson, Trut Shaft this season won £720 in stakes. He was sold Wellington in January to Mr L. Wallace for 225 guineas. For his new owner, True Shaft has started half a dozen times, and on Saturday, at the Napier Park meeting, he made his first return to Mr Wallace, and incidentally had his maiden success as a jumper. The win was worth only £55, a poor first prize for a jumping event. If this win means that True Shaft is going to make really good as a jumper, he will soon repay his full cost to Mr \\ allace, as his pace will worry the average jumper now in commission. STABLE DOUBLE. At Washdyke on June 16, J. S- Shaw and H. A. M’Donald managed winning doubles. It was the turn of J. 11. Pros ser at Ashburton on Saturday. lie took Grand Review and Great Star ° the meeting and won with both. GREAT STAR HAS WON £6055. With his win in the Maronan Handicap at Ashburton on Saturday Great Star passed the £6OOO mark as a stakewinner, a big total for a New Zealand performer in these days. He has been a consistent stake earner ever since he began racing as a two-year-old, although his record in the current season has been modest owing to an unlucky sequence of injuries. His successes ha% e included the C.J.C. Lyttelton Plate, Hal swell and Members’ Handicaps, Auckland Easter Handicap and Grandstand Handicap. Dunedin Flying, Brighton and Wai-Ronga Handicaps, while he has also won races at Avondale, Ashburton. Washdyke, Amberley, Rangiora and Motukarara. His minor placings include seconds in the Auckland Cup, Douro Cup, Auckland Railway Handicap (twice), Auckland Newmarket Handicap. C.J.C. Criterion Handicap and Wellington Shorts. He has been twice second and once third in the C.J.C. Great Easter. The record of Great Star season by season is:— Age. Starts. Ist. 2nd. 3rd. K Stakes. £ 2 4 1 0 2 195 3 14 5 3 1 1105 4 16 1 4 2 710 5 14 1 3 4 775 6 20 5 1 2 2000 7 18 4 3 1 1175 8 10 1 1 Totals: 9G starts, IS wins, 15 seconds, 12 thirds, 51 times unplaced. Stakes £6055. SMART GALLOP. Great Star accomplished a smart gallop in winning on Saturday. He ran the seven furlongs in lmin 30sec, which compares very favourably with any time recorded in Canterbury of late. Water Power proved the only real danger to Great Star and this mare ran a . really good race. Martian Chief, though well beaten by Great Star and Water Power, improved on his Washdyke form. Grecian Prince also 'improved on his showing at Washdyke and he should be cherry ripe for National week, possibly before. Gallant Fox was very troublesome at the barrier and indulged in some kicking. Drumfire drew No. 1 at the barrier. It is a position that he does not care for and he showed his resentment by refusing to go away. AT TRENTHAM. The South Island can claim a strong contingent of horses among the nominations for the winter meeting of the Wellington Racing Club. Riccarton Stables are represented by Moonbeam Grecian Prince, Copyist, Scarlet Rambler. Knock Out, Rebel Star, Imperial Spear, Royal Limond, Madam Pompadour, Thurina, Hounslow, Davolo, Verden. Red Dance. Royal Amphora. Grampian and Knowledge; Washdyke claims Brown Pearl, Water Power. Gustavo, Adult. Membo, Rasouli and Nightform, while Otago and Southland have Ventrac, Palantua. Guarantee, Silver Streak, Goid Knight, Gallant Fox, Jacobin. Hula Bell, Quinopal. Palermo, Lady Kate, Cultivator and

WELLINGTON STEEPLECHASE. Luna Lux is not one of the sixteen engaged in the Wellington Steeplechase. Thurina represents Riccarton, Membo Washdyke, and Quinopal Southland. Yalpeen and Tudor are among the Northern entrants. PATTENCE REWARDED. Grand Review has had twenty-two races this season, and has been in the money ten times, her placings being two wins, three seconds and five thirds, worth in all £255. J. 11. Prosser has been very patient with Grand Review, and he is being rewarded by improved form and greater solidity. She manages a mile and a quarter quite well, and that is always a useful quality. Star Raider ran a good race. Nightform took a long time to get going, but he came home strongly and he may make a useful stayer. Cleaner shaped fairly well under her 9.0. Sibella did only moderately. Tout le j Monde showed up at the home turn : but did not carry on with it. Importance seems to have lost all form for the time being. Imperial Spear would J quite likely have won but for his j saddle slipping badly. The Gore Racing Club made a profit on both of its race meetings this season and is now in a good financial position. Horses in commission at Trenthani include Autopav and Cottesmore. The latter has done a lot of work at Pori- | rua recently. HELD UP BY SHIPPING TROUBLE j As the shipping trouble has delayed 1 their departure to Australia, Playground and Saltspray may now race at the Wellington meeting. Talcakua and the Philamor—Rapina yearling, who were also to have been shipped to Melbourne ere this, are quartered at Trent- I ham for the time' being. WEST COAST REPRESENTATIVES I The West Coast was well represented , at the Ashburton meeting on Saturday, j Among those present were Mr C. L. Kettle, honorary treasurer of the Greymouth Jockev Club, Mr P. F. Thorpy, Mr C. S. Neville, of the Westland Trotting Club’s Committee, and Mr W. Jeffries, of Hokitika. MOONBEAM WAS UNLUCKY. It was unfortunate that Top Rank on the day that he showed what he really could do should have earned disqualification by not keeping a straight course in the closing stage. Moonbeam was the worst sufferer and her rider C. E. Eastwood went rather close to being unseated. But for this she would have been third despite the interference and that would have complicated matters still further. Knockfin is scarcely built- for bumping finishes. To have two races in- succession awarded to the second h<3rse past the post may or may not be unique, but it is certainly mighty uncommon. The Wellington Racing Club will have a 7.7 minimum in the flat races at next month’s meeting. This is 71b above the weight provided in the Rules of Racing, and is more evidence that the 7.0 minimum is not popular for winter racing. RACING IMPROYIXGLY. Jacobin, once a member of the team I of the late Richard Longley, followed up his good form at the recent Dunedin meeting, by running a good race in the Moreton Hack Handicap. He was finishing on in third place. S. G. Ware now trains him for Mr G. J Barton. He is a three-year-old colt by Robespierre. PROMISING DEBUT. A promising debut was made by Bella Rosa in the Moreton Hack Handicap. She was last of the field of thirteen to move, but finished seventh, coming home in pleasing style. Bella Rosa, who is trained by F. D. Jones for Mr George Gould, is a three-year-old bay filly by Jericho from Couleur de Rose by Solferino from Elysium by Stepniak from Far Away by Bill of Portland from Happy Land by Musket from Atlantis (imp.) by Thormanby. WANTED: STEEPLECHASERS. A field of four for a steeplechase at this period of the winter is distinctly bad. In the case of Ashburton there can be no suggestion of formidable obstacles frightening horses away. The prize money on offer, generally, for jumping events, is not calculated to tempt many owners to expose useful horses on the flat to the risks of ’chasing and additions to the ranks of ’chasers are few. Membo, however, may prove a find in his new role. It is only a question of his managing the jumping part of the business for him to be a formidable opponent to the ’chasers in commission. lie still possesses his known stamina and powerful finishing run. Punchestown jumped well as long as he had Gallivanter for company. After the latter had fallen, Punchestown slowed up before negotiating each fence. French Fleet completed the course this time but that is about all that could be said for his performance. DEEDS OF VERDEN. On the flat for R. Adamson this season, Verden had five wins, a second, and a third, earning £314. Since being purchased by Mr 11. A. Rhind and joining the team of Mrs J. Campbell, he has had three races over hurdles. He ran unplaced the first time and has won the other two, earning £l5O thereby. Ills win on Saturday was Mrs Campbell’s twenty-second success lor the season. Black Duke is steadily improving as a hurdle racer. Adult finished rather feebly. Don Jose and Tea Garden did not show any improvement on their Washdyke efforts. Fleeting/Glance ran just fairly. RACING FIXTURE?. June 30—Oamaru J.C. July 4—Dannevirke H.C. July 30, 12, 14 Wellington R.C. July 21—Hawke’s Bay H.C. * July 25—Rangitikei H.C. Julv 20—Waimate D.H.C. July 26. 28—Poverty Bay T.C. July 28—South Canterbury H.C. July 28—Rotorua and Bay of Plenty H.C. July 28— Manawatu R.C. July 2S—Franklin R.C. August 4—Christchurch H.C., at Riccarton. August 14, 16. IS—C.J.C. Grand National.