FROM TRACK AND STABLE

Waikato Times, Volume 103, Issue 17367, 31 March 1928, Page 19 (Supplement)

FROM TRACK AND STABLE

(By “Martian.”)

RACING DATES.

April 7—Tuapeka County Jockey Club April 7, 9—Auckland Racing Club. April 7,9, Feliding Jockey Club. April 7, 9—Wairarapa Racing Club. April 7,9, 10 —Riverton Racing Club. April 9—Beaumont Racing Club.. April 9—Waipukunau Jockey Club, April 9—Kumara Racing Club. April. 9, 10—Canterbury Jockey Club. April 12—Westland Racing Club. April 14—Greymouth Jockey Club. April 14, 18—Avondale Jockey Club. April 18, 19—Manawatu Racing Club. April 28, 30 —Waikato Racing Club.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

“Weight" Morrinsville. —Nancy Lee carried 8.8 when the Lucullus — Flagship mare won the Cheltenham Handicap at . Takapuna in the spring.

“Query” Tiran. —J. Buchanan has ridden live winners of the Great Northern Oaks, viz: Helen Portland (1907), Bleriot (1913), Merry Roe '\Doreen (1922). ‘•Reader” Hamilton. —Reremoana is not the only winner of the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie to carry 9JI. Hilda, who was first home in the race of 1890, also carried a similar impost.

GOSSIP FROM ALL PARTS.

Tuapeka, Auckland, Feilding, Wairarapa and Riverton clubs will introduce their Easter programmes next Saturday.

The three year old gelding- Manaxmi, by Songbird—GoMflre, burst a blood vessel when reaming in the Crown Stakes Handicap at Qfcautau last Wednesday. He ought to be given a spell, as this is his second “offence" of lade. it XEB 9 E-

In all probability the Railway Handicap runner, Awarere will take his place in the big mile at Ellerslie at Easter. The Swift Flight gelding has yet to prove himself over a mile in first-class company, but must be considered among the possibles as owner G. Paul knows what is required for such an important race. If both Aussie and Awarere faoe the barrier the colours of the Te Awamutu owner should be prominent at the finish.

At the end of the month, Mr Frank Ormond is going to increase Ills team by the inclusion of three rising two year olds in the shape of geldings by Lord Quex, out of Barthshine and Blrkelot, and a Ally by LackhamHymarty, says -a Wellington writer.

Good as Gold is bowling along freein her wort, which is generally kept { well .within her powers and restricted ' to race pacing tasks, with a burst •hc|me in the straight, She seems to be very well and in good shape to run up to form.

It 1s rumoured that at (tho end of the month Mr W. G. Stead will be vacating the training quarters at Greenmeadows for so Jong occupied by ids team. Some good ones have gone forth to battle from the establishment.

Rapier, when the last ‘mail left Sydney, was in the second line on the double chart. His Sydney Cup chance was thus reded highly by’the bookmakers, but he is not likely to trouble the Sydney layers a great deal this autumn.

Mask won the Grandstand Handicap at Auckland in January, but since then he has had only two starts — the Wellington Gup and the Wellington Racing Club Handicap—and ran unplaced in each of them. According to reports from Wanganui, Mask is l in good fettle just now and can be expected to race well.

W. Huxley, who for many years rode with great success in England, India and South Africa, is now settled in Adelaide with his father, E. Huxley, Soon after Huxley arrived in Adelaide he applied for a jockey’s and it was not long in being jfeoted. Huxley had his first ride jjaafcAdelaide this month when he rode jPfPden Aureole in the Sires’ Produce -Stakes. His mount ran poorly and ae was last home. Huxley rode Princess Dorrie, winner of the One Thousand Guineas, and The Oaks in 1914.

As usual there will be a weak field for the Great Northern Oaks, to he decided at Ellerslie on Easter Saturday. Twelve fillies are engaged, but only Wild Pigeon, ,Ti Tree, ttamaris and Doree have any pretensions to class, while the three last-named have no credentials as stayers. Of the remaining eight in the race, two have won one race each, while four of them are maidens.

Civility, whose autumn form during the past two or three seasons, has been first-class, will not he on the scene for the Easter meetings this year. F. Lind stated at Rangilikei that she was still suffering from intermittent lameness, and .at the end ot' this week she would be turned out for a good spell, to see if she would 'throw it off.

l r &* ~ ' The Wanganui sprinter, Kiosk, is feeling the effects of racing on hard tracks, and at the present time W. H. Dwyer has him in the paddock. Nothing much will he done with him until raiu takes the sling out of the ground, and ’in the meantime his Easter engagements are uncertain. Dwyer is handling for Mr I. Lupton, a rising three year old, half-sister to Kiosk, by Chief Ruler, called Just So. This Ojjy has been to'work Cor about a month, and her trajdcr stales she is .'showing considerable promise. She probably make her first public hBJi eara.no c a the Manawalu autumn pMtifig net t month. .

Aussie is again in work on the Te Awamutu tracks after his short let-up The injury the Fortaflx gelding sustained some time back was not as serious as at first thought. If G. Paul’s brilliant galloper can be turned out at his best at Ellerslie he should have a big say in the decision of the Easter •Handicap, i

According to -the Wellington writer, “The Watcher,” Crown Area’s Easter engagements have not yet been decided. He is regarded as nicely treated in the Great Easter Handicap at Riccarton, hut on the fast trip south, when he ran second in the Stewards’ Handicap, -his health suffered, and for that reason another trip may not be undertaken, and he may race nearer home at Feilding. A lot will depend upon h-ow he goes along during the next levs' diays. Crown Area is in good order after his racing at Trenrtham, and-if he goes to Riccarton he .will not lack friends in the north for his engagements.

D. Price has been one of the leading trainers for over 40 years in Australia and New Zealand (says ’the Melbourne Eporting Globe). Each season he has handled winners of many races. He has scored with flat racers and champion jumpers. Twenty odd years ago he trained Machine Gun, who still holds the Australasian record of 58sec for five furlongs. Another noted horse -to pass through his hands was Pink ’Un, who won brilliantly at weight-for-age in Melbourne. Price trained Subterranean (who captured many weight-for-age raees here), Munjeet (a speedy New Zea-land-bred horse), Bribery (winner of the Grand National Steeplechase and the Australian Steeplechase). Price also had charge of Tookarby, Lonioera, Donace, Uquee, Micronesia, Heke, Laveuse, Saluki, Shanghai, and other winners.

R. D. Jones, trainer of Limerick, is not losing any sleep over the prospect of his gelding having to meet the "Victorian cracks, Trivalve and Gothic, In some of the weight-for-age events at the AJT.C. campaign (says an Australian writer). Jones has supreme confidence in his champion, and well he might, for Limerick usually comes through no matter what the opposition may be. It is certain that Limerick is “up against It” again but has not hte same thing happened before, and Limerick went on, adding to his score? In the 'middle distance engagemeatsvhe will find Gothic his chief opponent, and perhaps when he comes to the two and a quarter miles race, he will have to cope with Trivalve. But, even with such redoubtable ’talent against Limerick, Jones is not likely to lose heart. He knows what Limerick can do, and therefore he adopts a “fear no foe" attitude.

“My expectation! is that Limerick .will beat idl-comers ‘in every race he contests during the forthcoming autumn carnival in Sydney” (writes “Scrutineer,” in the Sporting Globe). The prospects of horses are being freely discussed, and opinions of Sydney racing men are evenly divided as to whether Limerick or Trivalve will win the Cumberland Stakes. Randwick has been the scene of countless equine duels, which have raised the racing public of Australia and New Zealand to high pitches of excitement, but not even the memorable clashes of Beauford and Gloaming caught the imagination of true lovers of the thoroughbred to a greater extent than the probability of Limerick being opposed by Gothic and Trivalve during the autumn carnival. The material is here for great racing, and it is pleasing to be able to report that the New Zealand gelding is as fit as a fiddle—quite ready to defend his title as the greatest horse in the country. Great though the recent deeds of Gothic and Trivalve in Victoria were, there is no questioning Limerick’s right to be hailed as champion. Versatile in the extreme, he has won over all distances, £rom five furlongs to two and a quarter miles, and the fact that he is regarded as the lion in the path of Gothic, so far as races up to 10 furlongs are concerned, and teh horse most likely to stop the remarkable run of success Trivalve has experienced over the longer journeys, speaks for itself. The Chipping Norton Stakes follows the Rawson Stakes, and will be decided at Warwick Farm. This is a £IOOO event of a mile and a quarter, the conditions of which are such as to make it necessary for Limerick to carry a penalty of 31b, and Amounts a penalty-of 71b. Neither Gothic nor Trivalve was nominated for the Warwick Farm race, and, as the latter is practically certain to contest the St. Leger on the opening day of the. A.J.G. meeting, the following" Saturday, it looks as if the first meeting of the Victorian wonder colt and Limerick will be in the Cumberland Stakes, a standard weight-for-age race over two miles oil the third day of the fixture. It is probable, too, but by no means certain, that this pair will be In the field for the King s Gup on .the final day. J. Scobie, trainer of the ycunger horse, has slated that, much as he would appreciate leading in the .winner of thalt coveted event, he will not finalise nis plans for the Melbourne Gup winner until the weights are announced on April 2. He has the South Australian St. Leger in view, ais that race would be in the nature of a walk-over for Trivalve i'f the colt regains his form.