TAHLI WINS HIS WAY INTO OPEN COMPANY

Wanganui Chronicle, 3 October 1947, Page 2

TAHLI WINS HIS WAY INTO OPEN COMPANY

St Boswells Gelding Impressed In Hack Success at Otaki

Winner of the Katihiku Hack Handicap at Otaki last Saturday, Tahli will have to do his future racing in open company, though he will be able to run out his nomination in the Pukekaraka Hack Handicap to-morrow at Otaki. Tahli is now a six-year-old and has ad three seasons on the turf prior to the current one, as well as being through the hands of three trainers, earning in all £lOOO in stake-money, of which his winnings account for £535, just £35 above the hack limit.

Tahli was got by the Solario horse St. Boswells from the Gascony mare Aureas, a daughter of Aureate, full-sister to Desert Gold. He was purchased for lliOgns at the 1943 yearling sales for Mr. M. Millar, of Palmerston North, for whom he was trained by C. J. Thomson at Awapuni. Last spring Mr. Millar sold the gelding to Mr. P. Bennett, of Kai Iwi, and he was trained by A. Neale at Bulls till the autumn, being later placed in the Aramoho stable of G. Pratt. This young trainer appears to have effected considerable improvement in Tahli.

As a three-year-old Tahli had live starts without making any contribution toward the exchequer, and it was not till having his tnird start in his four-year-old season that he made the grade, winning the second division of the Imperial Plate at the spring meeting of the Hawke’s , Bay Jockey Club just two years ago. That win was worth £lO5 to his owner. At his next start Tahli scored a three-lengths victory in the Pahiko Hack Handicap at Otaki, scene of last Saturday’s success. That race was worth £lB5 to the winner. Two months later, on the same course, the St. Boswells gelding finished third to Peter Robinson and Cooraclare in the Waitohu Hack Handicap. In his seven subsequent starts that season he was three times fourth and also earned £7O when he finished second to Persuade in the Electric Hack at Awapuni in July. Last season, after being unplaced at Wanganui, Tahli finished second to Furioso in the Spring Hack at Marton, and followed that up by finishing fourth and third on the respective days at Otaki, in nine-fur-long events. It was just after this that Mr. Miliar disposed of him, and in his new owner's colours he finished second to High Assay in the Otaki Hack Handicap, second to Emerge in the Wairoma Hack at Marton, and third in the Apprentices’ Hack at the same meeting. His next placings came when he finished third in each of the highweight events at. tne Pahiatua meeting, after which he went to Hawera to finish third in the highweight and second in the Meremere Hack. In nine stars in Mr. Bennett’s colours he had been in the money seven times without winning. Commencing the current season from Pratt's stable, Tahli was unplaced in the Seafield and Spring Hack Handicap, though he was fifth in the former event. His success at Otaki came at his third start of the season, and earned his owner £245 to bring the gelding’s total winnings to £535. Of the total stake-money fie had won £505 was earned after he had been purchased by Mr. Bennett. In Saturday’s race at Otaki Tahli jumped out smartly from No. 5 position at the barrier, soon took the lead, resisted all attempts by Tortago to head him off, and eventually held on to win by a head and give G. R. Tattersail a winning ride and his connections a double-figure dividend. Nothing else was given a chance of getting near the pacemakers over the middle stages, and at the finish the well-backed Erin’s Pal was still two lengths behind the major place-get - ters. On this display Tahli would have been given an excellent chance of adding to his record in similar company, but there are some newcomers in the six-furlong Pukekaraka Hack Handicap tomorrow and his task may be much harder, especially as he shares topweight with Concrete and Brio-- Fair. Much of the credit for Tahli’s success must go to his young trainer, who had the St. Boswells geldin ~ in splendid condition. Pratt has won a couple of hurdle races with Bay Robe, who was decidedly unlucky to lose the Juno Hurdles at Wanganui through his rider being unable to make the weight. If Tahli is able to

make good in open company Pratt should have no difficulty in filling any vacancies that occur in the already fair-sized string now under his care. RED HERRING IMPRESSES Apart from Tahli’s win, the most impressive hack winner at Otaki last Saturday was Red Herring, who beat a useful field of hack sprinters in the Pahiko Hack Handicap. By Te Hero (son of Heroic) from Princess Pal, Red Herring is stoutly bred, his dam being by Man’s Pal from Princess Pat, by All Black from Martian Princess, by Martian from Two Step, by Stepfeldt. Red Herring has earned stake-money at each of his four starts this season. He started off by finishing third to Sweet Nymph and Winter Sweet in the Second Okawa Maiden at the Hawke’s Bay Hunt meeting, and the following Saturday he improved to beat all but Theiolex in the First Takapau Novice Stakes on the same course. A fortnight later he was at Foxton to win the first division of the Trial Stakes No. 1, leading all the way. He did not take Jong to adopt the role of pacemaker in the Pahiko Hack Handicap, and Broughton was never uneasy on the three-year-old, who was allowed to pay a generous price because of the heavy support which came for Horouta. The latter was never in the picture and it was left to the little-fancied Bronstar and an even bigger outsider in Grey Plume to chase Red Herring home.