ON THE TURF

Wanganui Chronicle, 30 January 1948, Page 2

ON THE TURF

BY

"KESTREL"

M H—HACK RACES AT WANGANUI HAVE STRONG FIELDS ENGAGED Quality As Well As Quantity Is Evident On Both Days

Strong huck fields, ifi quality as well as in numbers, are engaged at the Wanganui Jockey Club’s Centennial Cup meeting, which opens on Saturday of next week and will be concluded on February 14. In addition to the maiden race, for non-winners, an the opening day, hack events on Cup Day will be over one mile and also over a distance of about six and a-half furlongs. On the second day the Landguard Hack Handicap is restricted to horses ’hat have not won a race worth more than £2BO to the winner, and the distance is about six and a-half furlongs. On the second day the Landguard Hack Handicap is restricted to horses that have not won a race worth more than £2BO to the winner, and the distance'is about 61 furlongs, as is that for the Matarawa Hack. The Harrison Hack Handicap is run over a mile and a-quarter.

Whether any of the events will have to be run in divisions will depend on acceptances next Monday night, but judging by the number of entries: it will be difficult to avoid divisions. In the Kai Iwi Maiden there are 45 entries, in the Victory Hack 48 and in the Petre Hack 46. On the second day, however, there arc 61 entered for the Landguard Hack Handicap, 51 for the Harris son Hack and 50 for the Matarawa Hack. Even allowing for dual engagements, of which there are many, they are strong hack fields.

Topweight in both hack events on Saturday week is Calm Courage, raced by Mr. W. J. Crawford and trained at Marton by W. J. McDowell. Calm Courage is a five-year-old bay horse by Foxbridge from the Day Comet mpre Eagei Rose, and he was not tested as a two-year-old, being given time to develop. At three years he started in eight races and only once failed to gain a place, that being at his first start. He won the first division of the Puhi Maiden Plate at Otaki at his second start—with Soneri in third place. He won the Farewell Handicap at Bulls, and later went on to Ellerslie to fill third place in the Great Northern "Derby, a head and a nose behind Lady Foxbridge and Balgowan. Calm Courage had only one race last season, but in the current season he has been stepped out five times, winning on two occasions. He registered his successes in the Farewell Hack Handicap at Marton and