CANTERBURY.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1390, 14 December 1916, Page 14

CANTERBURY.

Canterbury Teams Starting North for Ellerslie —Ardenvhor to be Ridden in Auckland Cup by C. Emerson — Crib to be Tried Over Country Next Season —Notes on the Methven R.C.’s Meeting—Ogier Wins Methven Cup—Plymouth to Make His N.Z. Debut at Ellerslie—Mr. A. W. Rutherford's Quartette for Wyndham Fixture—Leading Lady to Join Ranks of Hurdlers—Marco Bello Meets With Slight Mishap. CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. Riccarton trainers are busy getting their charges ready for the Christmas and New Year meetings in various parts of the Dominion. R. O’Donnell leaves for Auckland on Thursday with Mr. G‘. L. Stead’s team, all of whom are in first-rate trim. In local circles it is thought that Wishful will represent the stable in the Auckland Cup and The Toff be reserved for the Derby. R. J. Mason expects to get away on Friday, and H. Cutts about the same date. J. Campbell, who met with serious injuries through being thrown off a horse at the Hororata meeting, is making a satisfactory recovery in the Christchurch Hospital. It is probable that Ardenvhor will be ridden in the Auckland Cup by C. Emerson, who should be capable of getting the best out of the uncertain Martian gelding. The Timaru trainer S. Trilford intends giving Crib a chance to earn distinction over country next season, and such a fine jumper and rare stayer should make good at the business. The same mentor intends trying to convert Oxenhope into a hurdle racer. Recorder, who was purchased after the Hororata meeting by Mr. H. Cassidy, made her first appearance in his colours at the Methven meeting on Thursday. It was an inauspicious one, for after being interfered with in the early stages she never got near the leading division. When contesting the Mount (Hutt Handicap at Methven, Zarana, a five-year-old gelding by Euclid from a Finland mare, broke a leg and had to be destroyed. The Charlemagne gelding Ogier, trained by F. Holmes, keeps up his record as being one of the most inconsistent horses at present racing in the Dominion. Only a fortnight ago at Timaru he ran a bad race on the first day and a good one on the second. Then at Hororata he absolutely refused to gallop in the Cup, finishing “down the course.” Under the circumstances his prospects were not taken into serious consideration for the Methven Cup on Thursday, being the least esteemed of the half-dozen competitors. For once Ogier took it into his head to gallop, with the result that he won, and paid those who had not tired of supporting him a double-figure dividend. After winning the Mount Harding; Handicap at Methven on Thursday, Golden Prince was sold by Mr. J. McDonald to Mr. J. Parsons for 500gns„ The Menschikoff gelding has turned out a rare bargain for the North Canterbury sportsman, who purchased him twelve months ago for 18gns. During his racing career, which only extends over six months, Golden Prince has won five races and been placed in several others. In future he will be trained by S. Trilford, at Timaru in company with Oxenhope and Crib’ About 25 horses are being got ready at Riccarton for the Dunedin, Southland and North Otago meetings, prominent amongst them being Snub,. Margerine, Wardancer, Adjutant’' Ogier, Week End, Findhorn, Battle Eve, Bomb, Comely, Bore, and Kilmeny. The Australian-bred hurdler, Plymouth, who will form one of R. O’Donnell’s team for Ellerslie, will be making his first New Zealand appearance at the northern fixture. Before the Grand National meeting of 1915 he was expected to win a good hurdle race, but he went amiss on the eve of the gathering. Plymouth is a useful sort of gelding, and private reports credit him with being an accomplished fencer with a fair turn of foot on the flat. The Canterbury sportsman Mr. A. W. Rutherford will be represented at the Wyndham meeting by Daytime, Henriette, Samisen and Furling, all of whom are in excellent trim.

Two juvenile events at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting have filled very poorly, only three two-year-olds beingengaged in each. The fact of Sedd-el-Bahr having been freely engaged at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting suggests that there is little chance of him being sent North for the Manawatu fixture. Leading Lady is to be tried as a jumper, and will probably make her debut in hurdle events at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s summer meeting. As the result of a slight accident, Marco Bello did not accompany John Barleycorn to Auckland, as originally intended. His name figures in several of the chief events at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting, and his mentor hopes to have the gelding fit to race at that fixture.