TURF NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 July 1939, Page 11

TURF NEWS AND NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE AND COURSE \ — Nightly Has Outstanding Breeding and Turf Achievements SHOULD IMPROVE DOMINION’S THOROUGHBRED STAMINA PROSPECTS FOR THE GRAND NATIONALS (BY “CARBINE.”) During the past few years many young horses have been retired to the stud in New Zealand; few were better specimens or better performed than Nightly, who is now standing at Greytown at a ridiculously low fee for a horse of his breeding and Turf achievements. A grand type of thoroughbred, Nightly handled himself splendidly on the racecourse, especially when the sting was out of the ground. In all he won 11 races. No doubt many will remember the Derby of 1933 when in heavy rain, Nightly had a thrilling struggle with the Australian-bred Red Manfred, ultimately getting the better and winning handsomely.

Nightly followed up his Derby success by winning the Canterbury Cup at weight-for-age, and other important races won were the Clifford Plate at Ellerslie and the Hazlett Gold Cup at Wingatui. Both races were weight-for-age.

Nightly campaigned very successfully in Australia, where he won the Moonee Valley Gold Cup (£2,300), the Randwick Plate, two miles at weight-for-age, and the C. B. Fisher Plate, one and a half miles, also at weightier age. Probably his greatest performance was in the A.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick with top-weight of 8.13, when he was beaten by a head and half a head by Waikare and Journal after being badly interfered with and nearly knocked on his knees in the straight. Nightly retired to the stud with all the breeding credentials required for a successful career. He never lacked physique, and was always a horse of distinctive individuality and good appearance. He is a representative of the male line of Bend Or through probably its best staying source, that of Radium; who was an outstanding stayer himself and a much more potent influence for stamina than the Cyllene—Polymelus group of the Bend Or male line. Night Raid, the sire of Nightly, was’ a typical Bend Or type and, being in the second generation in male descent from the great son of Doncaster, was close enough to him to possess much of the greatness of the founder of the most powerful sire line of modern times.

No doubt much of the merit as racers of such horses as Phar Lap. Nightmarch, Nightly, Pillow Fight, Blixten, Wheriko, Nocturnus, Winbyie, Rob Roy, Settlement and many others was due to the influence exerted in thenpedigree by Night Raid, whb drew also on the valued blood of Spearmint, St Simon and Illuminata through his dam, Sentiment.

Nightly is soundly bred and well related also on his female side. His dam, Miss Muriel,, was a well-tried performer, winning the A.R.C. Victoria Handicap, the W.R.C. Winter Oats, and the Allanton and Tradesmen’s Handicaps at Dunedin. She was a half-sister to Lady Merriwee, a good winner.

MiSs Muriel was bred on a cross of St Simon, as her dam, Lady Bobs, was by Boult. Lady Bobs was the winner of eight races. Her half-sister, Miss Annie, was the dam of Cambrian, a high-class horse whose ten wins on the Turf included the Great Northern Champagne Stakes and Guineas, Antoinette (winnerjif the eight races including the Great Northern Oaks, Auckland Handicap, and A.R.C. Easter Handicap), and Lady Annie (winner of. 13 races, including the Auckland and Wellington Railway Handicaps). Behind Lady Bobs is the stout blood of Nordenfeldt, Yattendon, Fisherman and Lancelot. First Love, the dam of Lady Bobs, was a half-sister to Swordfish II (winner of the Wanganui Jubilee Cup), their dam being the Yattendon mare Fishgirl, a member of a fam ■ ily ( of very successful horses. Fishgirl was a half-sister to King Fisher (winner of the Auckland Cup), Lady Emmeline (grandam of Tinopai. Winner of the Avondale Autumn Handicap, and Tinohoi-d, winner of the Auckland Racing Club Handicap and King Edward Memorial Handicap), and Maniapoto (winner of the A.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap). Fishgirl was also from the same mare as Torpedo, Warrior, Hippocampus, Anthony and Piscatorius. It will be noted that the family from which Nightly descends in tail female has been most successful in the production of good racehorses and among them several who succeeded also at the stud.

Nightly’s oldest progeny are two-year-olds this season, and his only runner to date. Grey Night, was the winner of the Rtissley Handicap for two-year-olds at the Canterbury Easter meeting, beating Globe Trotter and Serenata.

Mr J. A. McDougall is making Nightly’s services available to breeders at the moderate fee of 15 guineas, and he should not lack patronage at this figure. ABOUT HORSES Last year in the Grand National Hurdles Padishah 10.5 finished first and Fireguard 9.11 second". Erination 10.13 finished fourth. This year Padishah has been raised 11.7 and Fireguard meets him on 121 b better terms and will require every ounce of it to beat Padishah. Erination has been sent up 61b. Burwood, the winner of the South Canterbury Steeplechase, was bred by Mr W. T. Hazlett, and got by Woodend from Slanthcr, by Thurham—Wild Colleen, by Kilbroney—Sprig of Erin, by Desmond.

Nightcalm and Majority are the ruling favourites for the Winter Cup, with Padishah. Charade and Travenna occupying the same position for the Grand National Hurdles. Power Chief. Survey. and Padishah are favourites for the Grand National Steeplechase.

The Fordell trainer, D. Marks, is hopeful that Smoke Screen will come into his own this spring. He will be a five-year-old in the coming session, and that should be his best year. Already Smoke Screen, as the first New Zealander to break Im in 36sec, has proved himself a great horse up to a mile, but minor accidents have restricted his racing. However, he has come up particularly well from his holiday, and it is probable he will race at Wanganui in September.

Since Waitaka ran second to Catalogue in the Winter Cup last year he has not won a race. His record for the season is second and third in 17 starts.

On the weights carried in the Wellington Steeplechase Survey meets Slayer on 31b better terms in the National Steeplechase. Slayer won twice on the following days of the Wellington meeting and was travelling like a winner when he fell. Power Chief meets Survoy on 91b better terms, and Gold Wren comes in on 121 b better terms than in the Wellington Steeplechase. On the form in the Maitai Steeplechase Pandine, who did not finish, meets Slayer on 281 b better terms. On the July Steeplechase form Slayer meets Manawatu on 21b and Gold Wren on 111 b worse terms at Riccarton.

This year's Grand National Hurdle race will be the fiftieth contest, the race having been established in 1890 when Ixion won. During that long period no mare has ever succeeded in winning. In this year's race Charade, a chestnut mare by Lord Quex from Charlady, heads the handicap, and her record this season stands at four wins, including the Great Northern Hurdles, two seconds, and a third out of eight starts. Charlady was bred by Mr W. G. Stead, and is by Absurd from Lady D.. by St Denis from Lady C„ by Ladas.

Four of the rising two-year-olds in R. S. Bagby's stables at Ellerslie have had the following names registered for them: —Filly by Beau Pere from Drolatique, Beau Peri; colt by Phaleron Bay from Columba. Phaleron: filly by Hunting Song from Wee Agnes, Harmony; and colt by Atitopay from To Money. Irish Money. Whenever a Grand National meeting looms in sight, people revive memories of Temuka-bred Liberator, who probably has never been excelled as an allround performer. He won the Manawatu. Dunedin and Wanganui Cups, the Grand National Hurdles, Great Northern Hurdles, and Great Northern Steeplechase. These performances are well known, but it is not so generally recognised that he nearly won at his first effort in each department. His initial appearance on the flat resulted in a head defeat by Murat in the Geraldine Guineas. He commenced as a hurdler by winning the Maiden Hurdles and Grand National Hurdles, and stepped off as a ’chaser to annex the Great Northern. SPORT OF KINGS OVERSEAS PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE. In 1889 Redleap won the Grand National Hurdle Race, and three years later he carried all before him by winning the Grand National Hurdle Race. Grand National Steeplechase, and what is now known as the Australian Steeplechase, in which he carried 13.12. That probably was the greatest performance ever recorded in a jumping race in Australia, as the distance was then about four miles, and there was plenty of good horses to oppose him in that race.

In the early days of the Victoria Grand National Steeplechase. Sussex Won with 13.1, Ruby with 12.7, Dungan with 12.9, Floater with 12.7, Bribery with 12.11, Mountain God with 12.7, and Redditch with 12.3, they being the only Winners of the race to carry more than 12.0.

Mosstrooper has a unique record in the Nationals, and he was one of the most versatile jumpers ever to grace the Australian turf. The old fellow, who is leading a life of ease at Fern Tree Gully, a few miles out of Melbourne, won the Australian Hurdle Race and Australian Steeplechase double in 1929. and the following year won the Grand National Hurdle Race, Grand National Steeplechase, and Australian Hurdle Race.

The Sydney sportsman, Mr Alan Cooper, is laying down a picturesque and modern private racing track on his Segenhoe property. The track, designed on the American oval shape, will be slightly upwards of a mile in circumference. The entire course will be irrigated, as also will the area inside the track. Mr Cooper has 14 horses in work on another track on the property, and their activities will be transferred to the new course when completed. All appointments essention to an up-to-date racing club will be erected, and meetings may be conducted from which district charitable institutions should benefit appreciably.

Frank Bullock, who recently returned from England, has applied for a trainer's licence, and he intends to take over the training of the imported horses which have been in the charge of his son, Frank, jun., since they arrived in Australia some months ago. The horses are Contact, Silver Collar. Arpina, Old Serpent and Flying Dart.

The Racecourse Betting Control Board in England some time ago inaugurated a daily treble at all important meetings, but it has now decided to discontinue this form of betting because of lack of public support. The daily double, however, is as popular as ever.

Sam Heapy continues to put all the other world's veteran jockeys in the shade. Fifty-seven years of ago. he continues riding in Belgium, and recently increased his total of wins to 3100.

The late Father Farthing, whose death occurred in Sydney recently, was a very keen lover of thoroughbreds, and he bred Michaela. winner of the Stewards' Handicap, in 1918. and from her Nedda. winner of the A.J.C. Breeders’ Plate, in 1928. Under the assumed name of "Mr A. Mantell.” Father Farthing raced a number of useful performers in the early years of the present century. RACING FIXTURES August 8, 10, 12. —Grand National meeting. August 19 —Pakuranga Hunt. August 31 —Egmont-Wanganui Hunt. September 2 —Taranaki Hunt. September 2—Otago Hunt. September 7, 9 —Wanganui Jockey Club. September 16 —Foxton Racing Club. September 16 —Ashburton County Ratting Club.