THE TURF

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19920, 16 August 1927, Page 4

THE TURF

FIXTURES. August 20—Pakuranga Hunt Club. August 27—North Taranaki Hunt. September 2 and 3—Marton J.C. September 8 and 10—Wanganui J.C. September 9—Egmont-Wanganui Hunt. September 10—Otago Hunt Club. September 14—Dannevirke R-C. September 15—Dannevirke Hunt Clu v September 24—Ashburton County R-G. September 24. 26—Napier Park R.Q Scptenj*—~ 24. 26—Avondale J.C. September 29. 30 —Geraldine R.C. October I—Hawke's Bay J.C. October s—Manawatu Hunt Club. October 6—Ku row J.C. October 7. B—Otaki-Maori R.C. October 8. 1 ft—Auckland R.C. October 8. 10—Oamaru J.C. NOTES AND COMMENTS By 1 1 Kestrel. ’ 1 The Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting will be held at Ellerslie next Saturdav and is sure to b<* a big draw in the Auckland province. Marton Handicaps. The handicaps for the opening dav of the Marten Jockey Club’s Spring fixture are cue on Thursday next. Future Meetings. There will be two fixtures on this coast before the close of the month. Ou Friday of next week the Dannevirke Hunt Club’s meeting will be held and on the following day there will be a gathering of Taranaki sports at the New Plymouth for the North Taranaki Hunt Club’s fixture. Acceptances close for the latter meeting on Friday next. Hunt Clubs and the “Tote.” It is now some years since a wellmeaning Government granted totalisator permits to a number of Hunt Clubs in New Zealand and it is interesting to note how much money is invested ’it some of the fixtures. At the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s meeting at Ellerslie in August, 1925, the sum of £56.106 was -mt through the machine. In the same M-ason the following were the amounts handled by some of the other Hunt « lubs: North Taranaki, £17.557; Otago. £12.6691; Dannevirke, £9531; Birch v. ood, £4887|; Egmont - Wanganui, tSB93; Waikato £46,763£. The comparison is illuminating. Wanganui Nominations. On Monday next nominations are due _or the Wanganui Jockey Club’s spring meeting, to be held on September 8 and 20. and for the Egmont-Wanganui Hunt • iub fixture, which is sandwiched in be .ween the Wanganui dates and will be j.eld on the Wanganui course. .Eclipse Stakes. On the second day of the Wanganui ring meeting the weight-forage ent, the N.Z. Eclipse Stakes, will af■rd owners and trainers a chance of -.ring a run to three-year-olds who in* n fortunate enough to be missing fro-: \e Wanganui Guineas field. As thevent will be run over a distance jus: under a mile—the programme places it at 44 about seven furlongs”—there .nnld be a satisfactory response when n ruinations close. If Paleta. LysanGrand Knight. Civility and Here .. ana go to the post it should be an ’her Gold Light-Nigger Minstrel finish. Dominion Sires’ Success. In the list of winning sires in Ausralia for last season the following ;<aro the amounts credited to the New Zealand - owned division: Martian, x 12,863: Limond, £11,952; Absurd, 13,673; Kilbroney, £4,378; Paper Money 13,027; Sutala, £2,0o0: Day Comet. 1,615; Tea Tray, £1,375; Leighton, £1362; Solferino, £991.

Juveniles at Pakuranga. . The following is a list of the entries ade for the two-year-old parade which kes place at Ellerslie next .Saturday: laaneriri, Sir Russell, Dumblane, Ar’enia, King Vai, Aggressive, Prvsump on, Principal. Envoy. Camp Prince, xtify, Attaiad. Red Lion, Duke Hum:rey colt, Leighton filly, Valkyriau y, Avon Court, Nankin Blue. Rack to the Tracks. J. Fryer has brought Lady Anstruer and Eka into commission again, ales 4 ‘Limited” in the Hawera Star. Ika, it may be remembered, after showing exceptional form, got mixed up in . wire fence and was cut about rather badly. She was tried again, but was found to be suffering from thf effects of her accident. Her trainer has be?n to a lot of trouble in blistering ami attending to her injured hock, and it is confidently hoped that his efforts will prove successful, as Eka gave promise of developing into a very useful performer. Royal Lineage. Royal Lineage, the thr.c r old son of Limond and Royal Exchange, who opened his three year ol<l career at Riccarton last Tuesday by registering an easy victory in the Cashmere Plate, formed one of the collection of yearlings sent upto auction by Mr. G. M. Currie in the autumn of 1926 and he fell to the bid of Mr. J. Low, studgroQm at Koatanui, for 210gns. The colt ran his first race at two years old in the nomination of the successful bidder, but he subsequently figured in the nomination of Mr. F. C. Bee, and he is now owned by Mr. P. P. Neagle. Royal Lineage is regarded as a horse likely to improve as age comes to him, Hawera Track Work.

Mr. J. W. Frederic, of Stratford, owner of the two-year-old Seabridge, was, with Mr. S. Pitt and Mr. G. McBain, an interested spectator at the Hawera course yesterday morning, states the Hawera Star. J. Fryer was first to gallop, sending Bevis and Bright Glow four furlongs. The pair finished together in 54 J. M. Conway sent his pair, Gasnapper and War’Flame, half a mile in 56sec. Partaga and Bevis ran their half-mile in 53 3-ssec. The two-year-olds Silver Rule and Seabridge were sprinted down the back of the course proper. They ran the two furlongs in 27sec, finishing together. The barrier is be erected at the six furlong post for the use of the juveniles this morning. Rayo and Pink Rose were schooled a round of the hurdles both jumping well. Taitaiata and Killoch also went a round together, both performing well.

| Dam of Winners | Royal Fashion, the winner of the : Hunt Club Cup at Riccarton has an in i teresting pedigree. His sire Royal i Mac. by Mountain King from the Boniform mare, Flora Macdonald*, was a good galloper, but a difficult horse i to tram and his career on the turf was brief but brilliant. Fairy Fashion, the I dam of Royal Fashion, is by Sarto ' from Fairy Benzie who does not ap- '■ pear in the Stud Book, but who 'has • produced a number of exceptionally • fine performers. The first of these was Golden King, who, a few years ago. was one of the best performers in Southland- Fairy Herald-and Fairy Tilings arc two others of her progeny, while Osterman, who filled second place behind Royal Fashion in the Hunt Cup, is another son of this pro- | Jific dam of winners. | A Southern Flavour

The three places in the Grand Na ticnal Hurdle Handicap were filled by horses owned and trained in Canter bury. The winner, Wharncliffe, is trained by his owner, J. J. Lewis, at Ashburton; Kaikahu comes from the stable of A. and F. Trilford, at Washdyke; and Dubious is prepared at Orari by J. Thistleton. It was quite an unusual occurrence to find southern horses dominating the position so completely in an important jumping event. ■ PASSIN’ THROUGH VETERAN STEEPLECHASER. TEN YEARS ON THE TURF. Though there is good reason to believe that Passin’ Through has long since seen his best day, the veteran had the record of winning his opening engagement at 11 years when he led the field home in the decision of the Beaufort Steeplechase at Riccarton on Thursday, and he is evidently not yet to be counted out even at a metropolitan meeting. In a jjgnisal of the records bearing" on Passin’ Through’s career, writes “Phaeton,” in the New Zealand Herald, I find that he has contested no less than 139 races, and, as he was raced at two years old, he can be regarded as a bit of a wonder. The following is a statement of Passin’ Through's performances at the \urious ages:—•

Passin' Through made his debut un•s Ik in the season of 1918-19 and up :: :e he has won stakes to the value LCGSI. l :i»in Through has a fine record ■ liu’ k.ccarion fences. He paid his ■ :>t ’ three years ago, when he won Jb;:s"by, Beaufort and Lincoln ••. i *»;eiliases, these being his only Mans, as he was not nominated for t.ie Grand National, the journey being considered too far for him. He returned the following year, running second to Eerie in the Homeby and Beaufort Steeplechases, while he was unplaced, in the Grand National and the Linco’n. Last year he made another appearance, running third in the Homeby in a great finish, bat failing to gain a place on any day of the Grand National meet- • ng. Since then he has deteriorated, and some of his earlier efforts this winter suggested that he had entirely lost form. He disproved this on Thursday, however, and though he may have slipped back in the matter of stamina, his jumping is as brilliant as ever, a fact that was made quite evident by his fine Performance in the Beaufort Steeplechase. He was ridden by A. H. Burt, who has piloted him in all his races at Riccarton. His success was very popular, as he has been rather out of luck lately.

The bad luck came back again on Saturday when the old veteran lost his rider at the last fence in the Lincoln Steeples when rhe race looked all over “bar shouting.” What Harry Burt sa ; d couldn’t be printed!

STRIKING DIFFERENCES •'AS OTHERS SEE US” AMERICAN ON RICCARTON I am an American journalist visiting New Zealand, writes Hill Tolerton in the Christchurch Star, andi I noted some very striking differences in the way racing is conducted in New Zealand and in the United States of America on my visit to the Riccarton race trsyjk, when the Grand National was run. Riccarton is certainly a great place, I and let it be understood that my re- • marks are not to be construed as I criticism- The first thing'that caught my attention was the skill wi£h which the railway and tramcar people handleii the enormous crowds. This was efficiency—plus. But then it must be remarked that it was a very sedate and good-natured crowd, seriously intent on taking their pleasure sadly in the time-honoured English way. This is an old gibe but there is a basis of solid truth in it. In America there would have been »nore sparkle, vivacity, and general excitement especially at the time of the actual racing when we are apt to get a bit hysterical. Certainly a most efficient machinery was behind the racing itself. Every race started promptly on scheduled; time, and the whole business was beautifully managed. And to see actual green grass on the track itself was something new to me. In America a ticket to the grandstand entitled- the holder to a specified numbered seat that is easy to find, as the aisles are plainly lettered. This seat belongs to the holder of the ticket as long as he or she remains on the track that day. He can leave it to saunter on the lawn, and* it will be

waiting for him on his return. But this is not so at Riccarton, where a ticket to the grandstand is merely equivalent to. what we in America would call general admission. In fact, the arrangement now is such that I could not see the races to any advantage at all until I obtained by good fortune a place in the grandstand*. I arrived at the track at 1.30 p.m., but every available seat in the grandstand had already been taken. Have I not as good a right to a seat, in case I tire of parading the lawn, as the early comer? I should imagine the conditions might bo rather unpleasant in case of inclement weather. It seems to me that there is room for another up-to-date stand that would take care of everybody in addition to the present arrangements. And it could- be built without spoiling the present lawnThe New Zealand and American points of view toward racing differ. In this country the horses and the race itself are everything, whereas in America we go to the races primarily to enjoy ourselves, and that includes the important matter of being perfectly comfortable while we are looking at horses running. It might be kangaroos, wild pigs running a race, or any other spectacle. We regard it as merely a spectacle and nothing more. Possibly we are wrong, and the race, like the play, is the thing.

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