SOUTHLAND

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1318, 29 July 1915, Page 12

SOUTHLAND

Black Sea’s Grand National Steeplechase Engagement—Addition to C. J. Heywood’s Team at Riverton — A Promising Three-year-old Filly— Rosa Chamberlain.

fFrom Our Own Correspondent. 1

INVERCARGILL, July 22

Wet tracks are still the order of the day on the Southland Racing Club’s property, consequently the local Grand National Steeplechase candidate, Prairie Fire, has been sent away to South Canterbury to complete his preparation on the Washdyke course. Reports from Timaru, by the way, state that Ngatiraunui i.-.’ progressing favourably at Washdyke. It is considered unlikely at the time of writing that Black Sea will carry out her Grand National Steeplechase engagement. The mare, who is now owned in Dunedin, forms one of A. 1\ Mclvor’s team at Riverton, and, it is said that she is not being overtaxed in the matter of work in the meantime. It may be that she will not be raced at Riccarton at all, but there is no guarantee that she will not be a competitor at the Otago Hunt Club’s gathering in September.

Trainer C. J. Heywood, of Riverton, has received several additions to his team of late, including the unfortunate Kilkenny, by Kilcheran— Gyre. This horse was purchased by a Gore sportsman some years back in Christchurch and tried out on several occasions on Southland courses, but he invariably failed to catch the eye of a judge. Kilkenny was placed in two or three races and showed promising form at times, but sickness or injuries always intervened to prevent him being wound up to top hole form. It is reported from "Winton that. George Hope is greatly pleased with one of his charges, in the rising-three-year-old filly by Glenculloch from Order. This youngster is furnishing nicely, and will be kept ui> to the collar in the meantime, with.

a view to being raced in the Winton Stakes Handicap in November. The Canterbury - owned gelding Black Jack, by Black Tracker —Cheviot mare, who is being trained by P. T. Hogan in view of minor events at the Grand National meeting, has had his name altered to that of Turco. He has been duly qualified with the Birchwood Hunt and may be given a race at this club’s steeplechase fixture at Riverton next week.

Several attempts have been made of late to Induce her breeder to part with the i ising two-year-old filly by Pallas from Minaret (dam of Magdala), but her owner, Mr. H. Rubber, has no intention of allowing her to leave his own stable at anything like the prices offered. It is understood that the Palmerston North owner of Cisco Rose, by San Francisco —La Rose, is making a trip to Southland next month to see how his brood mare is progressing. She has two very promising fillies to hei credit by Pallas, the eldest a r’sirg two-year-old, and it is safe to say that Mr. Davidson will be pleased with them when he revists the home of that neat little stallion Pallas, at Heddon Bush. When the handicaps for the Birchwood Hunt Steeplechase meetingmade their appearance and the top weight in the Gardner Memorial Stakes (one m ; le) was found to be a mare ci tiled Rosa Chamberlain (12.2), with that yood and consistent gelding Golden King (11.9) next in order, keen curiosity was evinced as to the identity of the animal in the post of honour. Rosa Chamberlain, it may be explained, is an imported mare by Joe Chamberlain from St. Rosac, and her turf records read well, hence the weight allotted her by Mr. W. A. Saunders. She was raced in England (the land of her birth), France and India, prior to coming to New Zealand, and as she won in all three countries over six and seven furlongs, her Indian successes being gained with 9.5 and 9.7 n the saddle, it can be understood that she is something above the ordinary. Rosa Chamberlain and three other mares of English and French breeding respectively were recently sent from India, where they had been racing, to Australia, but were denied admission to the Commonwealth owing to strict regulations against horses shipped from the East. They came on to Maoriland, where the law is more kind, and have been for some weeks past located in the vicinity of the Southland Racing Club’s property, and their owner, Mr. J. Lester or Nestor, is now work'ng them on the local tracks. Rosa Chamberlain is a fine looking mare, but the crack of the party is a big upstanding chestnut mare by Bachelor’s Button. She is the best stamp of an English thoroughbred so far seen in Southland, and a southern owner was disappointed the other day when his offer of 500 guineas was turned down as far as she was concerned. The third member of the party is a bay pony by Burnaby, and when it is

. mentioned that she won the Civil Service Cup in India and defeated a field of horses over two miles and a-quarter it will be realised that she is a great lilliputian. She won many races in her class in India and has to her credit the scalps of several crack ponies bred and exported from Auckland. The fourth mare is a beauty, a sprinter of high degree, bred at the stud of M. Blanc in France, and she, too, has defeated in India some of the crack sprinters imported from Australasia, such as Soultline, Tangaroa, etc. In the meantime the horses are being worked here, but they may be shifted on at any time. Many local breeders and sportsmen have been treated to a glance at the strangers during the past few days and the wish has invariably been expressed that they could be kept here to enrich our weak stock of brood mares, as on looks and pedigree they would be hard to fault.