RACING.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17753, 3 July 1929, Page 3

RACING.

FROM TRACK & STABLE

(By "Martian.”)

SEASON’S FIXTURESJuly 10, 11, 13—Wellington. July 25—Waimate Hunt. July 25, 27—Gisborne. July 27—-South Canterbury Hunt,

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"Reader,” Frankton.— (1) Although Aussie was bred in Australia he has dope all his racing in New Zealand; (2) L. J. Ellis is the apprentice rider of that family. "Penalty,” Te Awamutu.—There is no penalty incurred in the Winter Hurdles for a win in the Trentham Hurdles on the opening day of the Wellington meeting. "Time," Morrirtsvillc—Finora put up her seven furlong time record at Rlccarton. The time was 1.24.

GOSSIP FROM ALL PARTS

The Wellington Club’s Winter meeting will be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday of next week.

It Is reported that the Jockey, Walter Sibbritt, who piloted Taj Mali to victory in the One Thousand Guineas contest in England recently, is a native of Perth. Western Australia.

W. J. Tomkinson’s trotting record for the present season has not been beaten in New Zealand for many years. At the present time he has trained 3.3 winners, and piloted a similar number of successful performers.

.Mr J. S. Barrett’s recent purchase, Grand National, will not go to Riccarton until after the Wellington meeting, for which he is being trained by -Mrs A. McDonald.

Magna Charta is doing well at Rlccarton since he raced successfully at Wingatui and promises to be at his best for the Grand National fixture jn August.

The Matamata owned gelding Dobbin will shortly be given, the opportunity to make good as a hurdler. On several occasions a while back the son of Quin Abbey, who is trained in the South, was given a run over the battens and jumped very well.

A Christchurch Press writer says that the unhoppled trotters in Australia are evidently of very poor class, for a Sydney writer says a maiden that can go 2.2 b for a mile is a good betting proposition. In New Zealand things are a bit different.

A Hawera Star writer says that it would be unwise to write Tresham down as a jumping disappointment too soon, as he has more pace than most hurdlers, stays well, and jumps better than the average. Tresham is top-weight in the opening event at Trentham next Wednesday.

The hurdler Heisler was eased up for a short spell, after his win at Washdyke. The present intention is to race him again at the South Canterbury Jockey Club fixture towards the end of the morith.

It is understood that Mr McNab has been asked by the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club to reconsider his decision to retire from the position of starter to that club, and that in all probability he will hold the electric releaser at the National meeting in August.

Malmsey ran a disappointing race in the leading event at Ashburton on Saturday and it is evident she is not much good under the winter scale of weights.

King’s Guard, Tinokoa and Taku Tama, the members of R. Hannon’s team with engagements at the coming meeting at Trentham are booked to go south from Frankton on Friday evening.

H. Shaw, the owner-trainer of Lord Eudorus, who just cut Crown Area out of a good win two or three weeks ago in Sydney, says the former is a most particular horse. “If I do not wash his feed box out daily he will not eat a bite of his food, and he must have a quantity of green stuff daily, or he will go off his tucker."

Boomerday will be taken to Wellington on Friday night by the local trainer, J. F. Tutchen. The Quin Abbey—Bell Crispin gelding is engaged in the hack steeplechase on the opening day of next week’s meeting at Trentham. So far as condition for racing is concerned, there is little fault to find with the Te Rapa prepared candidate.

At the Victoria Park pony‘meeting on June 15 the Masterton-bred 11a (Paper Money—Arizona) was successful in the second division of the 14.2 Handicap. The. New Zealandbred filly, which carried 7st 121 b, beat 17 Other runners, covering, the halfmile in 49$sec. She was a wellhacked first favourite. She was bred by Mr W. R. Kemball, her dam, Arizona, being a daughter of Martian and Grecian Maid, by Cyrenian—Lady Agnes.

Nightmarch is working well. He looks a much improved horse and j certainly is much better than when he I started on his preparation a year ago. Provided he goes on all right A. McAulay will take him to Australia for spring racing, and he may get away early. ■- '

Lucy Rose is not being allowed to lose her condition and tire Lucullus— Autumn Rose filly will be ready to make an early start with the racing of the new season if such is required of this member of G. A. Reid's team at Te Aroha.

Australian handicappers take few risks with New Zealand horses in big races on the other side. In the last Dunedin Gup Star God was allotted 7.0. In the Melbourne Cup he has been handed out 7.12, or 191 b above ihe Australian minimum. He is asked to present a pound to Seatown, who would have to give him a lot of weight in this country. Probably Star God is payingf- for his relationship to Star Stranffr, of whom our Australian friends I have some pleasant and some unpJasant mcmori ear- ;

Dr. Stewart McKay, in the Sydney Referee, defines a stayer as a horse that is capable of running two miles in 3min 22sec to 3min 28sec. He will not admit that a horse that can win a 12 furlongs race, a Derby, or a St. Legcr, is necessary a true siayer, and quotes Cetigne, Biplane, Gloaming, Rampion, Lady Valais, Caserta and Furious as examples. It is hot sufficient that a horse can run two miles over hurdles, Decause the time he takes is generally 3min. 40sec. That denotes an “endurance” heart, not a “staying” heart.

Solferite, who finished second _in the Maronan Handicap, the concluding event at Ashburton, was making" his first appearance since (he _ Grand National meeting last year at which the Solferino gelding won the Winter Cup and the Selwyn Handicap. His forward running on Saturday was a surprise and indicates that Solferite Is likely to be handy again for some of the prominent events of the spring.

One of the most Interesting features in connection .with the Australian spring weights is Honour’s 7.9, in the Caulfield Cup, writes “Sir Modred.” This is only 2,1 b over w.f.a. and in view of the fact that Gay Ballerina got 51b over that standard in the Epsom and lib over in the Metropolitan, Honour seems well handicapped. The haridicapper has evidently regarded him as not likely to stay, but in the meantime his record suggests that a risk has been taken with him.

At the last meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Trotting Conference a remit emanating from the Canterbury Owners’ and Breeders’ Association, and put forward by the Ashburton Trotting Club, turned at having a minimum weight of 11 stone instituted :n harness races, but the remit met with such poor support that it will not be persevered with. In Australia a minimum weight ha? been the order, but recently it was decided iw suspend the rule and allow drivers to go out at catch-weights.

In Brisbane last week, a deputation from the Downs and South Western Racing Association waited on the Queensland Turf Club in reference to the continuation of the annual subsidy. It was shown that during the last three years the Association had lost about £2OOO in working its territory, and it was not only asked that the subsidy should continue, hut that it should he increased from £6OO to £IOOO.

This is not a story of “Chinaman's luck,” but of luck in China, where they seem to be able to run a race meeting or two in spite of all the fighting that has been going on. “Billy Tingle, the Australian boxer" says a Shanghai cable in the Sydney Sun, now physical instructor of the Municipal Schools and an amateur jockey, holds the world record for parimutuel odds, paid for a win op a pony he was riding. This won the June Handicap of the Chinese Jockey Club, one ticket purchased for a win .paying £1519 for 10s. The previous China record was £IOSO for a 10s ticket. Australia’s record dividend is £836 16s for £l, paid in South Australia in 1885.

The Aga Khan has given high prices for many yearlings that have proved failures, but, according to all accounts, he got hold of somethjng specially good when he gave 12,500 guineas for the Buchan —Harpsichord filly, Quarratal-Ain (half sister to Royal Minstrel), who made her first appearance on April 30 at Newmarket. On the strength of her private form, she opened favourite for the Spring Two-Year-Old Stakes, and won easily by two lengths from an unnamed Diophon colt. According to some of the critics, her showing pointed to her as the best two-year-old seen out this season in the Old Country, and she is credited with being more powerful and stronger quartered than most of Buchan’s fillies.

The stage tourists in the musical comedy who used to so gaily join in the popular ditty “Follow the Man From Cook’s," writes “Poseidon,” were never more enthusiastic than the army of tote bettors with whom the successful jockey W. Cook is the prime favourite of the moment. Investors in the machine, a large proportion of them women, are particularly keen to back the mounts of a rider who is having a good run of success. They don’t wait to hear the straight out betting as a guide to their modest bets, but say to themselves “Whatever Cook is riding will do us." At Rosehiil all _ Cook’s mounts were better backed in the machine than they were in the ring. But tlie tote backers of Cook had an unpleasant jolt, because, although he had five mounts, they did not collect once.

The response made by owners for the six leading events at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Grand National meeting is highly gratifying. The ilgures for the Winter Cup show a drop of one compared with last year, but there is an increase in each of the jumping races. The total increase is forty, the respective figures for the two years being 217 and 177. The following are the details, last year's totals being given in parentheses:— Grand National Steeplechase, 26 (18); Winter Cup, 53 (54); Beaufort Steeplechase, 28 (25) ; Grand National Hurdles, 41 (27); Sydenham Hurdles, 36 (27): Lincoln Steeplechase, 33 (26). Practically. all the best steeplechasers and hurdlers are engaged, white the Winter Cup list is quite up to the best standard.

E. A. Connolly, who concluded his term of disqualification about a fortnight ago, has been granted a permit by the V.R.C. to train his own horses, and the apprentice, P. O’Hanlon, has also been reinstated. Connolly is a . likeable man, and he will be welcomed back by many friends, says the Sydney Referee. For years he has been one of the sensational figures of the Australian turf, and even during his retirement he has received credit for being a big winner on one or two horses. That is not improbable either, as he would be kept well informed regarding private and public form. No doubt he will again loom largely in the public eye, and we shall hear “Connolly did this, and Connolly did that,” and, as on many previous occasions, very little credence will attach to some of his alleged doings. There was talk of his permanently retiring, but racing and betting have always entered so largely into his life that such procedure on his part would have been almost impossible.

When, last season, the first batch of yearlings by Mr Hunter White’s imported Polymelus horse Tippler were offered by auction in Sydney no one seemed to want them. As a consequence the breeder had, perforce, to retain some of them and race them himself, with the result that three of them have proved good' winners for him, as have also two others for other owners who got them at low prices. Now Mr White is being snowed in with applications for the service of his so successful young sire, but so far he has answered that they are to be reserved for. the exclusive use of his own stud. One New Zealand buyer was fortunate enough to secure one of this season’s Tippler yearlings, a black gelding from Sweet Form. The best he seems to have been able to do in thinking up a name to claim for this youngster is “Tippling.” Poor, isn’t it?

Horses have keen intelligence and remarkable memories, says a Melbourne writer. Some years ago one of the best jumpers at Flemington was the Gippsiand horse Obelisk, winner of several steeplechasers. On two occasions at Flemington he lost his rider early in the race and completed the course as capably as when be had a rider on his back. A still more remarkable case was that of the hurdle-racer Weenobah. At a Flcmington meeting in June he lost his rider at the second hurdle and continued in the race.. After having cleared the last hurdle the favourite, Forest Prince, was in the lead well clear of the Held. Suddenly. Weenobah' darted out from the ruck. He gained rapidly on the leader, and as he reached Forest Prince's quarters, the rider drew his whip, and, unaware that the challenger was riderless, urged his mount on. All to no purpose. Weenobah drew to his girth and still gained. Forest Prince's rider grasped the situation, put down his whip, and looked around for a possible genuine opponent. Weenobah galloped on, and, of course, was first past the winning post. .No sooner had he done so then he eased off, wheeled around, and came back for the judge’s recognition, before some of 4he stragglers in the field had completed the course. He- then trotted off to the gate leading to the weighing enclosure. Can anyone recollect a case of a riderless horse falling when negotiating a hurdle or fence? That question has been put to many veteran racegoers, and the answer is invariably in the negative.

Making the most of their opportunities is apparently a characteristic of the New Zealand trainers who have come to Sydney within the last few weeks (says a Sydney writer). It is rather surprising to find the connections of Cimabue and Oratrix with eyes on the big Grafton double, to be run next month, but it is a move that might show distinct results. Cimabue is a better class of sprinter than usually runs in the Ramornie Handicap, and the northern handicapper is unlikely to take risks with such a brilliant performer. But the race carries £250, and the betting possibilities at such meetings arc big, and as Cimabue has been used to carrying big weights, success in this race might not be beyond him. Oratrix may make the Grafton Cup a stepping stone to the King’s Cup in Brisbane, and if she can win this £IOOO race it will act as a great consolation even if she fails in the bigger race later in the year. Like Cimabue, Oratrix will certainly receive a full share of weight, and the presence of some solid stayers from Sydney will make the race a hard one to win. And even if she fails, it will have proved an excellent try-out in fair company from a King’s Cup point of view. The. Grafton Cup is run on July 18. The King’s Cup is run in August, so the Grafton Club has certainly been fortunate in the date of its big meeting. That New Zealand horses should be raced at country meetings is an indication of the advance made by country clubs. They took the right step in the first place by providing big prizes as an attraction, and Sydney owners and trainers are now educated towards paying yearly visits with good horses to all ihe big racing centres.

The' full text of the criticism of Mr P. A. Connolly regarding the Western Australian turf, some of which was cabled, is contained in the latest papers by the mail. Mr Connolly, who is a well-known racehorse owner, speaking at the annual meeting of the West Australian Turf Club, said that racing was never so bad as at present. Horses were sent to the eastern States to win big races. The reason they did not win big races in Perth was that they were always made favourite by bookmakers. The last Christmas meeting was the worst he had ever seen for “ramps.” A steward should always be placed at the. turn. A horse was recently crippled there, and one had run off the course, but there was no inquiry. There was a freemasonry among the jockeys, who had recently clubbed together and saved one of their number who should have been convicted at the inquiry. He advocated affiliation with the trotting authorities to deal with starting-price some of whom held up to £7OO on a day’s meeting. A Royal Commission would disclose things that would give members a shock. Mr James Brennan (president of the West Australian Trotting Association) suggested that both trotting and racing bookmakers should come under the control of the West Australian Turf Club. This would help t.o suppress the starting price men. The professional punters, who tied up stables, should be eliminated. The acting-chairman (Mr S. W. Parker) said the West Australian Turf Club was doing its best to clear racing of undesirables.

AUCKLAND DISTRICT COMMITTEE. DISQUALIFICATIONS MODIFIED. At a meeting of the Auckland District Committee yesterday it. was agreed to alter the disqualification of J. 11. Mcßae, A. J. Gilmer and W. Rennie, jockeys, for the balance of their term to suspension of riding in races, and it was also agreed to recommend the Racing Conference to act likewise in regard to C. N. Carmont, jockey.

Applications by A. Driscoll and H. J. Tinker for permission to work in training stables were declined.

Should the Waipa Racing Club be successful in obtaining a permit for an extra day next year, it was agreed to recommend that the club should be granted a permit for one fixture of two days. Several applications for licenses were considered and reported on to the Licensing Committee.

The disqualification imposed on the Jockeys W. A. Rennie, J. 11. Mcßae, A. J Gilmer and C. Garmont dated from June 29, 1928, and was for a period of two years.