SOUTHLAND.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1489, 7 November 1918, Page 10

SOUTHLAND.

Gore Racing Club’s Successful Meeting— Notes on the Racing—Marianne Wins Principal Handicap— Benefit’s Double Success.

INVERCARGILL, November 1.

What may be termed the most successful and enjoyable spring fixture ever controlled by the Gore Racing Club opened on Saturday of last week and extended over Labour Day. The fields were not large, but there was some exciting racing, and the attendance and totalisator figures were of record proportions, while the weather was ideal for outdoor sporting purposes.

The imported mare Wild Oats, by Martagon, has produced a filly foal to Balboa. Golden Webb, by Captain Webb —Daisy Chain, is also attending to the rearing of a filly by the Varco horse. These are the first of the progeny of the Auckland Cup winner to be announced.

The principal event, the Waikaka Handicap, of the opening day of the Gore meeting was won by Marianne, a daughter of the English stallion Kenilworth, now at the stud in New South Wales and well known as the sire of two good stayers in Poitrel and Kennaquhair. The dam of Marianne, Ruenalf’s Daughter by name, was imported from Sydney and is now in Mr. J. B. Reid’s paddocks at Elderslie Stud. Owned by “Mr. Rewcastle,” of Dunedin, Marianne promises to stay well, despite the fact that she is built on delicate or spidery lines. She had to be ridden hard to get with Tin Soldier at Gore, but came away over the last furlongs of nine and beat him comfortably. In the final event of the fixture, the Muirihiku Handicap, decided over a mile, Marianne had again to be forced along to the distance, but won easily at the end from Aycliffe. It will be interesting to watch her future career, as she is not yet at her best, judging from her looks.

The first of Vice-Admiral’s stock to win a race was seen out on the opening day at Gore, viz., Admiral Talbot, and he won again on the second day. It is not surprising that this good-looking gelding should promise to gallop well, as in addition to claiming a good horse like ViceAdmiral as his sire, his dam, Lady Talbot, was got by Pilgrim’s Progress from Lady Lillian, by Phaeton (son of Trenton) from Lady Zetland (one of the crack mares of New Zealand’s turf history from a handicap point of view). Admiral Talbot, who cost 135 guineas (top price) at a sale of horses here on behalf of Mr. J. C. N. Grigg in December last, is owned by Mr. R. Miller, of Mandeville, an enthusiastic veteran sportsman, and is trained by P. T. Hogan. He returned a very substantial price in his opening essay, but this was probably due to the fact that the stable commissioner was too late to get his money into the totalisator. The first of the stock of Soldiers’ Chorus to race was in evidence at

Gore, in Marching Orders, a son of Order (dam of Special Order and Orderdown), by The Officer —Spot. He is very like his sire from a quality point of view, but otherwise favours his dam as regards substance. Although he did not get into the money, Marching Order displayed pace, and it is safe to say that he will be hard to beat in the Winton Stakes a fortnight hence. On the second day at Gore, Tin Soldier made amends for his beating by Marianne on the occasion of the opening of the meeting, by winning the principal race of the fixture, the Spring Handicap, from his elder full brother, Gunrest. There was a great finish between the progeny of Calibre and Tinwald Beauty, but the younger brother, in receipt of 191 b., stayed the ten furlong journey out the better of the pair. The fact that Gunrest was very heavily backed by his connections enabled the supporters of Tin Soldier to collect a very fair dividend. The disappointing Don Pacifico (San Francisco — Windwhistle) was favourite, but never looked like getting into the limelight. It may be said that Tin Soldier is a sturdy little fellow, built very much on the lines of Rorke’s Drift, and is owned by one of the family of Mr. F. A. Price, who has most to do with Rorke’s Drift.

The two steeplechase events decided at Gore were well worth witnessing. All the starters, to the number of seven, stood up in the Wantwood Steeplechase, Silverspire, by Quicksilver — Minaret (Southland’s crack brood mare to date) narrowly beating Chappal Moh. On the concluding day, Silverspire (trained by P. T. Hogan) had to strike his colours to the hurdle horse Glenthorpe, by Gienapp (sire of Fiery Cross, Glendower, etc.), but the race was an interesting one, and undoubtedly the fastest two miles and three-quarters contest ever experienced in this part of the world. The fences are anything but formidable at Gore, however, and the track was in great galloping order, which discounts the performance to some extent, but it goes to show that jumping horses here are showing improved pace, a very necessary thing with local owners always ambitious of discovering horses good enough to represent them successfully at Wingatui and Riccarton. Glenthorpe is owned by Mr. W. J. Kelly, of Riversdale, and both he and his brother, Mr. N. Kelly, have long displayed a partiality for racing jumping horses in the home province and elsewhere. There was another nice son of Vice-Admiral racing at Gore, a Winton Stakes candidate called Red Admiral. He is a half brother to Neuroma and Good Start, as he is out of Redstart, and he looks as if he will become more useful than either with time and experience. Like Marching Order, previously mentioned, he is prepared at Riverton by that careful mentor, A. D. Mclvor.

Quite apart from the monetary side of the performance, a great deal of satisfaction must have been reaped by an old-time Otago racing family as the outcome of the double success —Waimea Hack Handicap and Flying Handicap —of Benefit on the second day at Gore. He is owned by Mrs. J. Ellis, for whom he is trained by her son (J. Ellis), while yet another son (R. Ellis) was in the saddle. Benefit was also bred on the premises, so to speak, as he was got by Beneform (Multiform — Invicta), also bred at Mosgiel. The Winton Cup will be the next event of importance to claim attention in this district, and it is to be hoped that in this ten furlong event Gunrest and Tin Soldier will fight their Gore battle over again, while the presence of All Ready, Burrangong, Fleetham, Take Down, Aycliffe and some others may lend variety to the occasion.