THE DANNEVIRKE J.C. AUTUMN MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 993, 18 March 1909, Page 5

THE DANNEVIRKE J.C. AUTUMN MEETING.

This popular country racing club had the flags unfurled on Wednesday and Thursday last, in weather of the best. A good attendance, interesting racing, fine dividends, and excellent management were the leading features of the two days' sport, consequently patrons had an enjoyable period, and the Dannevirke Club went another notch forward. Speculation was fairly brisk, though there was a shrinkage of of £4273, when compared with a similar venture last season, the respective figures reading : — 1908, £17,781; 1909, £13,508. The bookies were well represented, nine on the first day paying £2O 10s., and eight on the concluding day paying the same price for the privilege of conducting business on the lawn, while on Wednesday three paid £lO 10s. a-piece to field on the outside; the next day a solitary penciller putting up the ten guineas for the right to go on with the game. One of the knights of the pencil and satchel who was operating on the lawn, came a cropper through peppering Vi too rashly in the Flying Stakes, and he had to do the balancing act; not to the whole of his clients, however, for he informed some of them that he would mark their tickets and that they would get paid the following day. The promise was all they got, however, for they are waiting yet. Sandstream ran a couple of good races in the Dannevirke Cup and the Autumn Handicap, the two principal events on a well-endowed two days’ card. There is no doubt had he been better handled on each occasion that he would have gone one better than he did. As it was, Gold Lace just beat him in the Cup, while Tangaroa did ditto in the Autumn . Over confidence on the part of his pilot Hatch brought about the downfall, and the error gave the backers of Gold Lace and Tangaroa a return that they were indeed fortunate to participate in. Woodhey got third in the Cup, and the consistent Vi occupied the same berth in the big race on the second day. A sterling piece of goods is this daughter of Merriwee and Aramada, and it seems open to argument that had she been allowed to run her race

in front, with better judgment, tha. it would have taken the opposition a deal of strenuous exertion to have overthrown her.

Boanerges, a half-brother to the erratic Vasa, by Pilgrim’s Progress, got away with the Nursery Handicap from 15 other babies, second berth being obtained by Dawn’s full brother, Day Beam. Seraphic, a full brother to The Squatter and The Cockatoo, was third. Next afternoon, in the youngsters' contest, the Juvenile Handicap, the sensation of the fixture took place, Te Puia, a handsome fiily by San Fran out of Black Ada, capturing the stake and returning her supporters a handsome dividend, which the fallacies of the Gaming Act of 190 7 will not allow me to disclose. Te Puia, who was bred at Te Mahanga Station, is the property of D. O’Meara, the stud groom on the estate, and R. Brough, who trains her, is an interested party in her racing career. She comfortably accounted for the eight others lined up against her, second honour and dividend going to Glissade, a nicelooking grey half-sister to Loftus, by Soult. Day Beam, who was giving the next below him in the weight list 231 b, was third. Hipporoffla easily carried top-weight (10.13) to victory in the Hack Hurdles, Scenery just getting second place on the post, from Speciosa. The dividend paid on the chestnut mare for second position was a good deal better than the backers of Mr. Ellingham's gelding received. During the argument, Narcotic and Whatakura came to grief. In the Second Hack Hurdles, Hipporoffla, who was none too well handled, failed to materialise, the first pay-out being less in favour of Scenery, who battled it out from the half-mile post in a most determined manner. In fact, it looked any odds she would have got to the leaders, Waikareao and Speciosa, but her perseverance was rewarded, and at the finish of the bout she had the most to say, crossing the line by a length and a-half margin from Speciosa; Waikareao third. Hipporoffla made a great effort to get up just before coming to the straight, but he had too much leeway to make up, and his defeat was assured.

Aberbrothock —who, by the way, is a half-brother by Papakura to Sandix —easily captured a double at the gathering, his successes being achieved in the Makirikiri Hack and Mangatera Hack Handicaps, and it is no stretch of the imagination to write that at no part of the journeys was he ever asked to do his best. This stable companion of Tangimoana is no slouch and with luck on his side his popular owner, Mr. D. Buick, M-P., should have further laurels to gather in with him.

Another double event winner at this venture was Hermia, a well-proportion-ed four-year-old full sister to Wirral, owned by Mr. R. A. McDonald. She is a good sort of a mare, a fact which may be gauged from her performances. Another of the Birkenhead tribe ran second and third to Hermia —this was the Gisborne owned Inez, who got third shop behind Wirral’s sister in the Electric Hack, and second position behind her in the Telephone HackTwo of Conqueror's sons in Toanga and Tino Toa were second and third respectively behind Hermia in the Electric and Telephone, so it can be observed that some well-bred ones were out chas’ng Wirral’s full sister, but for all the chance they had they might be out hunting her up yet.

Hyland, a three-year-old full brother to Vasa, got away with the Tahoriti Welter, the capture making the second successive win for the sport who goes a-racing under the nom de course of Mr. Highden. Goodwin Park, one of Tilly’s pupils, was second, and Continuance, who hails from Gisborne, where he won the Scurry at the Poverty Bay Turf Club’s meeting, third- Hyland was always handy, and when asked for a sample of his best, replied in good style. Tangimoana’s younger full brother Rangikapua, was one of the also started, but was never prominent. The Flying Stakes. —Vi came out of the ordeal triumphant, as she fairly flew in, and that in the good time of 1.15 for the three-quarters of a mile, and she had Bst in the saddle, and good performers like North Head.

Stylish and Pluck behind her, the latter filling the second position, Pink’un’s half-sister third-

North Head went a good deal better on Thursday, when he easily defeated Stylish, Pluck, Merrie Rose and Toa Tuhi in the March Handicap, and his supporters got a real good price about the Birkenhead gelding, who never at any portion of the trip gave the rest of the arguers the slightest prospect of getting upsides with him. Pluck, the favourite, was too sore to do himself justice, and finished fourth, and Merrie Rose, who hung at the post, a bad last. Maiora, with a pound over 9st in the hogskin, easily accounted for the Tamaki Welter, with Aboriginal second, and. according to the judge’s placing, Moscow third, but I fancied myself that Silken Rein occupied third berth. Maiora was in a good place right throughout, and pulling to the front in the last bit, had no serious difficulty opposing him in the annexation of the conetst. This son of Soult’s can gallop all right, as the time, 1.29 for seven furlongs, shows First Mate was made an odds-on chance for the Tapuata Hack Welter, and the good opinions formed of his abilities worked out correctly, although his backers were made a bit uneasy by the fact that the stewards held an enquiry into his running, when compared with his first day’s effort behind Aberbrothock. in the Makirikiri Hack. A reprimand to Telford, the trainer, and Luke Wilson, who steered him the first day, was as far as the matter went. In justice to those behind the son of Blue Jacket it might be stated that when First Mate got beat the first day. the journey was a six-furlong one, but when he captured on Thursday it was two furlongs further, and in his victorious contest he had no chance when threequarters of a mile had been compassed, for it was only in the last furlong that he got the best of those arrayed against him. Quanchy, who got second and paid a good price as a result of his efforts, is one of R- Gooseman’s pupils, and belongs to Mr. F. Armstrong, who used to race his half-brothers, Shackle and Mesmer. Business was brought to a close with the Kaitoke Welter, half a score going out to do battle for the possession of the bullion- Silken Rein, the favourite, slipped the field at the start, and continued to keep the foes at bay. reaching the man in the box by a length from Seatondale, Rangihaeta a fair third

The energetic and courteous secretary (Mr. I. Spiers Freeman) was, as usual, up to date with all the appointments for the convenience of patrons, and the success of the meeting must in a measure be put down to the firstclass style in which he handled the staff under his control- The victorious horsemen were headed by A- Oliver with three captures, K. Hatch and F. D- Jones coming next with a brace of successes apiece, D. Watt, F. Cress, E- Lowe, L. Wilson, W. Kirk, C- Price, R. Young, F. Coleman and FLangstone each adding a single to their score-