NAPIER PARK RACING CLUB’S SPRING MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1076, 20 October 1910, Page 6

NAPIER PARK RACING CLUB’S SPRING MEETING.

(From Our Own Correspondent-)

Notwithstanding that the climatic conditions were very unfavourable on both afternoons, the Park people had a most successful reunion for their spring venture, for, from a financial and racing point of vision, matters panned out in a highly satisfactory manner, the attendance being good, and that speculation was brisk may be gathered from the fact that the amount registered by the tote officials amounted to £11,210, an increase of £471 when compared with the sum that was handled at the opening gathering of the club last seasonThe revenue obtained from the pencillers was also on the up grade, for on Wednesday and Thursday they contributed £395 to the treasury department of the club, this sum being

£49 10s in advance of the fees paid at the last spring gathering. The racing in the greater number of was of a keen, exciting description, and that winners were difficult to locate may be observed when 1 add that out of sixteen events the actual first favourites only asserted themselves in four events, and in only one case did the dividend as regards them exceed level money, and in that instance it was only of a fractional nature. This occurred when Bellah won. Supporters of Cullinan and Strathmoira had to lay odds on, and in regard to Sea Pink nearly three to one on—a fielder’s meeting in every sense of the word, and a weary lot of backers turned homewards at the conclusion of hostilities on Thursday evening.

The most successful owner at the gathering was Mr. T. H. Lowry, whose team secured five events, three of the victors being the production of his stallion Royal Fusilier. The squire of Okawa was not present on the opening day, but put in an appearance on Thursday. Parable, who has not been long in work, made a vigorous showing in the Park Stakes, for she was out in front from the period when the lever was pressed to within a short distance of the judge’s chair, when Sandstrerm got to her and promptly administered a beating. As a matter of fact the

quietus could have been given previously, for when once in the straight it could easily be discerned that Gray held the verdict in his keeping on the bay son of San Fran, as he was riding

in a very confident manner. Kopu, • who started favourite in the contest, was a moderate third. The winner looked a much-improved horse to what he was the previous week at Hastings, and there is not the slightest doubt that Griffiths had him at his best, a presumption that carries weight when it is stated that Sandstream carried within a pound of 9st and ran the ten furlongs in 2m. 7 3-55., and, in addition, ran over much more ground than some of the other contestants. Woodhey was considerably favoured throughout the trip, for she had a clear run on the rails for the greater part of the journey. Iranui, Lamsdorff, Spate, and Bunkum at no stage of the game had a winning prospect.

The good field of eleven weighed out for the Racing Club Handicap, ten owners being represented, Mr. Watt starting two —Bridge and Parable. The former was making his first appearance at the meeting, as was Merriwa, Amato, and Separator. Merriwa, who in his track work has been proving superior to Cullinan, was installed favourite, the bracketed pair coming next in demand, then Kopu. Young Kemp, who piloted Spate when she won the Spring Handicap at Hastings last week, had the leg up on Vi, who was one of the neglected division in the betting over the affair, and the youngster put in force the same tactics that he had found so successful on his ride on Snate, for he got Vi out of the tapes first and never surrendered the position during any portion of the journey. Kopu was the unlucky horse of the race, for he got pocketed and cornered on several occasions, and under those conditions ran an exceedingly good race. Parable was always within the danger zone, but not near enough to get up to the leader, who at the finish had a two lengths’ advantage from Kopu, the latter about the same distance in front of Parable, the favourite fourth. He did not get a particularly good passage, for he seemed to be meeting bother just as he was preparing to make a bid for the award. He was also very slow to get going, and it took him seme time to find his feet, so that he, like Kopu, under the circumstances, though beaten, was not by any mesns disgraced. Bridge was up amongst f he bunch just before heads were turned for home, and he finished fifth just behind Merriwa. The appearance of The Possible’s son suggested that when he gets more racing that he will then show to greater advantage. Vi paid the price of the meeting, and several who had taken notice of the vigorous style in which she finished in the last bit of the Railway Handicap the previous afternoon entrusted her with their coin and confidence in the Racing Club Handicap, their observation and allegiance to Merriwee’s daughter resulting in most satisfactory financial resultsBoth of the baby races were cap-

tured by Mr- T. H. Lowry’s representatives, Bellah and Sea Pink, and at the finish neither had to use very strenuous endeavours to gain success. The former is a stout-built son of Royal Fusilier and Lissadurn, who

finishes his tasks in a strong, forcible manner. Sea Pink is connected to All Red, for his dam, Rose Madder, is a full sister to that well-performed horse. He is a sweetly-iined-out youngster, showing much more solidity than the majority of Seaton Delaval’s productions, and he can gallop fast, as was evident on Thursday, when he gave Ireland and Sanguinary a good break, and ran the four and ahalf furlongs in 55 2-ss. Trebelli, Rangiatua and Elfbolt, who were amongst those opposing Bellah, were making their debut. The first-named is a half-sister to Downfall and Warsong by Birkenhead, and is a fractious, irritable filly, and did not settle down to her work at all well. She was bracketed with the winner, one of whose stable chums she is. Rangiatua is a black full brother to Rangipapa, owned by Mr. D. Buick and trained by A. Neale. He shows a fair amount of pace, but ran very greenly. Elfbolt is one of the Birkenhead tribe, his dam being the Nordenfeldt mare Elflock. He performed very indifferently, never having a winning prospect at any pardon of the route. On Thursday another stranger made her appearance in the form of a daughter of Eos, by Birkenhead, but she failed to attract attention by her performance, for she was a long way behind Sea Pink, Ireland and Rangiatua at the business end of the event. Aorangi, who let his trainer and connections down badly last week at Hastings was in a particularly generous mood, and experienced no difficulty in securing both open hurdle races, and in both instances returning excellent prices. Unluckily Those connected with him, including his trainer, did not benefit to any extent by the returns dispensed from the machine. C. Cress, who had the mount both afternoons, rode a nice race on the big gelding. Nogi, who was made favourite in the Taradale Hurdles, fenced in a wretched style, crabbing and screwing at all of the obstacles, but, judging by the way in which he got over the ground between the hurdles, he only had to jump a couple of the fences decently to have given him a more than fair to medium prospect of being returned the winner. He pulled up lame and was not started the second day. When only a couple in Centaur and Rangihaeta were arrayed against Aorangi, the former moved in his preliminary as if he were sore, and shaped a long way be'ow the form displayed by him at the Hawke’s Bay meeting. Aorangi fairly flew in with a big margin in his favour, Rangihaeta a very indifferent third. W. Stone, who trains the dual winner, came in for a lot of congratulations over the annexations, for his path has been very thorny of late, and bis friends (and he has got heaps of them) were glad to see that he had turned the corner. Only a trio —Te Whetu, Captain Jingle and Appin—toed the mark in the Greenmeadows Hack Hurdles, the latter filling the favourite’s position. As it turned out, it was a bad selection, for at the finish there was only one in it, and that was Captain Jingle, who scored as he liked in the most convincing style- Te Whetu was pulled up half a mile from home through his saddle slipping back. Prior to this occurring the Daystar gelding was jumping in a very slovenly fashion, and seemed to put no heart into his work. On the following day Te Whetu was in evidence again in the Caledonian Hack Hurdles, when he was opposed by Appin, Eiya, Captain and Wool ongong. Eiya, a gelding by Mahaki out of Luna, who had on the previous day ran a good second to Tina Toa in the Ahuriri Hack, was looked upon as the proper article to secure the event, for those who had seen him fence in the Hack Hurdle race at the last Winter Meeting of the Club, remembered that he got through his task in a satisfactory manner, and the exposition that he had given on Wednesday proved beyond contradiction that he was not deficient in pace. However, he went back on his admirers, for when asked for something special just prior to reaching the home bend he failed to reply and modestly retired, leaving Captain in command, with Te Whetu in close at- • tendance, Appin laying a long way out of it. The latter’s rider wakened up half-way down the straight, and then asked the son of The Possible’s to make up his leeway in too short a distance, with the natural result that he had to suffer defeat. If ever a race was handed away this was done on Appin who, had he been more adjacent to the head of affairs right throughout the route, would have had

a big say in the appropriation of the winning award. Captain, who is one of Clarence O’Neill’s pupils, was ridden by F. Cress, whose first ride it was over the battens. For a new hand at the game, “Freddy” made a favourable impression, and he received a great cheer from the rest of the horseman when he came back to the paddock. Writing of horsemen, I might mention that one of the oldtime brigade in C. Mitchell, piloted Eiya.

They were a very poor lot seen out in the Trial Hack for the top-weight, Virtue who has only been gelded a short time, and who has practically done nothing to speak of on the tracks, experienced but little trouble in capturing- The favourite for the contest was Goldemar, who failed to get a shop, second place being occupied by Waikehua, who as a two-year-old ran some decent races. Merrie Valet, who showed up in good style at Hastings, got third. Amongst those behind Virtue and Co. was StelJaris, a half-brother to Guiding Step, by St. Ambrose. He is not nearly forward enough to do himself justice, for he hardly knows how to gallop. Given favourable opportunities, he will surely be heard of in days to come. As a yearling, Virtue cost his owner, Mr. T. H. Lowry, 450 guineas, and this is the first time he has done anything towards recouping his owner for the expenses incurred on his behalf.

As might have been expected, Cullinan’s presence in the County Hack was the means of the poor support being accorded to the other five runners, for although the big gelding had the impost of lOst 21b, with a G.lO minimum, he carried more than a third of the total amount invested on the machine. He proved that his selection was a judicious step, for the question of who would win was never in serious doubt, and at the home bend he pulled to the lead, and the rest might just as well have been hobbled for any chance that they possessed of overthrowing the son of Royal Fusilier. Idealism carried out his form displayed at Hastings, for he was again second to Cullinan, the light-weighted Entente third.

Eleven filed out for the Ahuriri Hack, and although Contendent was burdened, with 9st 91b he was a staunch favourite all along the line from the time business commenced in connection with the event, Tina Toa being next in demand, then Amaru. The affair was pretty accurately gauged, for although the favourite missed, the second choice scored. Contendent had a very bad passage, for he was always getting into trouble, and got much the worst of the deals. Amaru also happened upon bad times, for when she was making a great run in the straight she got a terrible bump from Tina Toa that sent her over on to Contendent, whom Jones partly pulled away, thus lessening the impact. Whatever prospects the pair possessed at this stage (and there was no doubt they were both going fast) was completely obliterated by the bumping, and as it took place a very short distance away from the winning post, and was observable to nearly every one, it appeared as if the stewards would have only been doing the correct thing had they called the jockeys before them and asked for an explanation. Possibly it may have been unintentional. However, the ventilation of the question by the stewards would have tended to prove whether such was the case or not. Another cerise bearer in Faunus again occupied the top-notch in the betting on the next event, the Railway Handicap- However, the choice turned out an unwise selection, for he was not one, two, or three, and he had everything in his favour, more particularly at the home bend, where the rest of the field swung wide, letting the lop-eared son of The Officer up, but the opportunity was of no use to him, for he could not go the pace set by Winning Post, who was hitting out in great style. Half-way up the running Gold Battery, who was galloping wide out from the rails, put in a desperate dash, and from the press stand (at a bad angle) seemed as if he had captured. Vi also came fast in the last hundred yards, and it certainly appeared as if she was upsides with Winning Post. However, the judge did not give her a position, placing Warsong third (I made him fifth). Still, there is only one man’s opinion worth having in a case of this sort — the judge—and he put up Winning Post’s number in the winner’s square, and that finishes the argument. Next day Gold Battery was stripped

for the Telephone, and was made a staunch favourite, he and Niwaru being the only ones to get into the three-figure block in the betting figures. Again were the army of backers astray, for the third favourite, Ortygia, landed, one of the outside pack in Raupare getting second money and dividend. Moreykoff, who showed a bold front for the greater portion of the journey, was third.

The weight of metal soon had the effect of making Strathmoira an oddson chance for the Puketapu Hack, Idealism next choice. The good thing duly landed, but it was not so pear y as might have been imagined from the betting, for Mediterranean made it particularly hot for Soult’s sen all the way up the straight, Niwaru, who shaped much better than she had done previously in the day, a fair third.

A hot lot from a betting point of view, Ngakau, went under in the Scurry, his conqueror turning up in U’.timatum, who, with one exception, was the outsider of the party. I think the winner was lucky to get there, for O’Brien, who was up on Ngakau, was so busy watching Goldeinar on the rails that he allowed Kirk on Ultimatum to filch the race from him.

Again in the last race the favourite had to succumb, the elect of backers being Contendent, Warsong, who comported himself in a gentlemanly manner when compared to how he had conducted himself the previous evening, registering a very easy score, the unlucky Gold Battery again second. The son of Royal Fusilier paid a royal, and he must have made some amends to his connections for his two recent failures. L. Wilson was an easy first in the victorious jockey list with five wins, H. Gray following next with three scores, the only other to get into double figures being C. Cress, two wins; Joe O’Connell, C. Brown, F. Cress, J. Buchanan, J. Kemp and W. Kirk each piloting a single victor.