TURF NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1939, Page 9

TURF NEWS AND NOTES

Prawn is a five-year-old horse, by Foxlaw out of Fire Mist, by Sunstar out of Lorgnette, by Isinglass out of Galinne, by Galopin. Frawn is a threequarter brother to the New Zealand horse, Siegfried, sire of the Melbourne Cup winner, Wotan, Essex (G.N. Derby), Brunhild (Oaks), and other winners.

Fire Mist is the dam of seven winners, including Blazonry, Wish Maiden (a sister to Siegfried and dam of the good stayer, Senor), and Corposant, a winner of about £3,000 in U.S.A.

Frawn won by' four lengths. Foxchase (second) is a five-year-old chestnut horse, by Foxlaw out of Nell Star, by Sunstar. Ninas, a four-year-old mare, by Son-in-Law out of Nina, by Prince Galahad, son of Prince Palatine and sire of the dam of the Australian champion, Ajax, was third.

The winner was bred by Lord Howard de Walden and is raced by Mr j. Westoil. He was ridden by E. Smith,* rider of the Derby winner. The French horse, Contrevent, was fourth. HORSE OF CLASS PRAISE FOR SCOTTISH UNION. The London correspondent of “The Blood Horse” (U.S.A.), says the only horse of real class in the Ascot Cup field this year was the St Leger winner, Scottish Union, who seems to have developed into a very fine type. On the record of his family it was certainly atriumph of hope over experience that he should have been made favourite for the great 2£ miles test at w.f.a. This, however, is common on the Turf —few racegoers stop to consider family history. The winner, Flyon, had no trouble in running over Scottish Union at the finish. Scottish Union is by the Derby winner, Cameronian, out of Trustful, by Bachelor’s Double. Flyon has mainly Tracery and Hurry On blood. The correspondent quoted wrote that “It would have been regrettable had Scottish Union been enrolled on the list of Ascot Gold Cup winners. None of his line has ever won the trophy, and Scottish Union is not, on breeding, or by constitution, of the stout fibrethat we associate with Gold Cup winners. But he is a genuine, bonny fighter, a real good four-year-old over any distance up to a mile and a half.” This was merely another exemplification of the fact that class will not enable a horse to run over two miles in the best company unless he has inherited stamina. ABOUT HORSES It is possible that unsoundness has brought about the termination of the racing career of Rey Spec. The ten-year-old Rey de Oro gelding has been in the money 47 times in 143 starts, an average of one in three, and has won approximately £4,780. This sum might have been materially increased if he. had been less erratic at the barrier, as some of his best efforts were produced ■ in hopeless chases of his opponents after he had misbehaved at the start. Recollection was an unlucky horse at the Grand National meeting, as he struck himself while running in the Jumpers’ Flat Handicap, and could not be started? in his hurdle engagements later in the week. He is all right again, and S .Barr hopes to have him ready for the highweight races at Trentham in October. Rey de Oro has been sent to the Mardella Stud Farm. He will be making his second visit to Auckland, as a few season ago he did stud duty at Mardella, where one of his products was the champion pacing mare, Parisiennc. Rey de Oro was for some time leading sire in the Dominion and his total of 105 winners in the 1935-36 season is still a record. The best of his progeny was Roi L’Or, 2.36 3-5 and 4.14 1-5, and last season he was represented by other winners Morello, Blair Athol, Cantata, and Uenuku. SPORT OF KINGS OVERSEAS PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE. It is the ambition of many English amateurs to have a mount in the Liverpool Grand National, and on occasions horses have been bought so that their owners should figure in that race. These inexperienced riders constitute a danger, and it is proposed to take a step that will make things safer for the regular jumping jockeys. A London paper says the idea is. in future, to bar any rider (amateur or professional) who has not ridden five steeplechase winners in any country. Point-to-point and hunt races will not count as qualifying winners. Aintree is difficult enough without the presence of rulers who scarcely know which way they or their mounts are going. The Nippon Derby is Japan's principal classic. As showing the interest owners take in it. there were 20 runners this year, and it was won by a comparative outsider, Kuhomata. lie is by Tournesol (Gainsborough—Soliste, by Prince William) out of an American-bred mare, Fairy Maiden, by Gnome. The value of the race to the owner of the winner was 26.180 yen—approximately £l5OO. The annual race meeting on one night at Longchamp (Paris) must be a wonderful affair. When it was held a few weeks ago 52,000 paid for admission to that part of the course equivalent to the flat at Randwick, and the principal enclosure was packed, the

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE AND COURSE No Dearth of Runners in England THIRTY RUNNERS FACED STARTER IN ASCOT’ STAKES SCOTTISH UNION HAS DEVELOPED INTO VERY FINE TYPE (BY “CARBINE.”) "in the Ascot Stakes this years there were 30 runners, although the race is run over 2J miles. It would not appear that there is any dearth of stayers in England. Among the proved stayers engaged were the French horse, Contrevent, Snake Lightning, Winnebar, and Foxchase. Once again horses of the Son-in-Law tribe had the finish to themselves. The winner was Frawn, who also won last season.

female element putting up a wonderful show in toilets. There were 22 orchestras, the majority on the flat, where there were some 90 attractions, these including boxing, wrestling, and acrobatics. The lighting was wonderful, but the racing interested only a small proportion of the public. On such a big course the colours could not be distinguished until the horses turned into the straight. In his comment on the fixture, “Faraway” (London “Horse and Hound”) said: “This was the sixth meeting of its kind, but there is nothing new under the sun, or, more correctly under the moon, as I understand that in 1779 and 1780 Comte d’Artois, who afterwards became Charles X of France, gave night fetes in the • Bois de Boulogne, when 28,000 candles were lighted among the trees, and all the Paris tradesmen came out to indulge in racing on their light and heavy-weight cart horses.” When members of the London Press arrived at an Alexandra Park meeting last month they found that a woodpigeon had made her nest on the beams of the stands which shelter the glassenclosed box reserved for pressmen. Rather than disturb the sitting bird several writers decided to use the other room situated behind the weighing-room. It is not stated how many mares were sent to Windsor Lad —Derby and St. Leger winner—in 1938, but he proved himself a sure foal-getter, judging by the “Horse and Hound’s” figures. Up to May 4 of this year 31 mares had foaled to him —22 colts and 9 fillies. It is regrettable that brain trouble should have made him unavailable this year. Fairway, sire of Blue Peter, was another who proved good with his mares. Up to April 27 his record was 28 foals. In the case of each sire there may be additions, as the paper quoted said its returns‘were not complete. The Lexington paper, “The BloodHorse,” laughs at the suggestion that, there is a' possibility of a shortage of , racehorses in America. In that paper’s opinion such an idea is put forward by racecourse executives with the idea of producing a glut in the market, so that, with a larger number of horses competing, and owners . puzzled where to place them to most advantage, they (the clubs) will be able to keep down prize-money. There were over 700 yearlings catalogued for this month’s Saratago sales, a number which, it was said, was in all probability a record. In some parts of America a move has been made for night and Sunday racing. Those favouring that idea say if night and Sunday baseball is all right, why not racing? This drew from “The Blood-Horse” the following reply: “The comparison between baseball and racing is a leaky analogy. Baseball is a show, a spectacle, an amusement in which the spectators furnish the gate receipts, the cheers, and the boos. Racing is a game in which the spectators must participate, on the results of which they must speculate with cash. And, collectively, they must lose money. Because they must lose money the effect of a racing meeting extends far beyond the confines of track, persists long after the last winner has been cooled out. Thus racing, if taken at all, must be taken discreetly. In its excesses it is unquestionably an evil.” RACING FIXTURES September 9 —Wanganui Jockey Club. September 16 —Foxton Racing Club. September 16 —Ashburton County Racing Club. September 16, 18 —Avondale Jockey