ELLERSLIE ITEMS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1539, 23 October 1919, Page 14

ELLERSLIE ITEMS.

MONDAY. During the past week a fair amount of schooling work has taken place at Ellerslie over the battens. Among the raw material on Wednesday Blue and Black showed promise over a few of the. small sticks. On Thursday, Big Corn and Maurigapotae separately were indulged in a little similar practice. The most promising of all the novices is ; Rathlin, who is in fine condition. On Thursday the tine son of Robert the Bruce worked in compa:ny with Silverton, the pair giving a promising display. ' Dungannon and his stable companion, Totara Jack, were put through the mill on the same day. The pair pleased the course watchers. On Saturday, Maori Tikanga popped oyer a couple of the small hurdles satisfactorily. F. Tutchen was the pilot on Maungapotae. The big fellow cut out the initial hurdles, and then stopped at the next, but after persuasion floundered over. He wants company and will take a lot of making. 'The King Mark —- Chantress gelding in 'J. Negus’ care had a ' couple , of schooling lessons during- the week, but is still very green. Impudence was on the course for. the first time since her natatorial display in the Auckland harbour when being shipped to the Whangafei/anpual race meeting. The .mare ' still beats scars through coming in contact with the wharf piles. While going gentle work in the centre of the course HopfieTd fell dead. . The Australian-bred gelding proved a distinct disappointment since his arrival in the • Dominion. He has gone where trainers cease from troubling an.d-the whip, and spurs are at rest. Tutchen sent Seville once round the ,bfg (fechooling battens. Thb Orange and Blue gelding gave a nice even display over the timber. • His’ owner, W. Windsor,, got a cable on Thursday from P. Nolan to the effect that the horse John Bunny .was shipped by the s.s. Riverina, which was expected at Wellington on Monday. The .’chaser has been away from the Dominion for about 16 months, and has been held up by the shipping trouble. ■ The owner of Phyllona was present to see his filly get beaten in a rough up over a grass four-furlongs in 50sec. The filly is very fit at’the present time. Uncle Bill, Scrap o’ Paper and General. Jofffe sprinted a few furlongs. This, was the Captain—Biddy Curran gelding’s first sprint in company. The gelding has improved in . ; condition greatly of late. Bedford’s three-year-old bay half brother, has rounded into shape since he raced at the Avondale meeting,. and has lost the somewhat cobby appearance- he then had. Lombardy and Rome, which are sheltered in C. Coleman’s stable,- went over four'small battens and a couple of the hig schooling hurdles. The latter cleared the timber with confidence for a beginner.

Backfire was one of the pony hur- • fliers and may be kept at the game. Calais also had a fly over a couple of the same obstacles. Pearl de Mont, who was being educated over the. timber in the autumn, has been turned out foi - a few months. The mare looked like being useful in this department. On Saturday All Talk put a sand circuit past in good style alone, but was not up against the ticker. The gelding will be quite ready by the November meeting. Tabasco, looking ' nicely strung up, brushed over a few furlongs at top, While Comedy Prince was content with lighter tasks. Neale has J. O. E. Jackson’s pair, Marconi and Lady Elysian, among the working division. A win for the popular returned soldier would be greatly welcomed. Isingarch found a new owner in J. Wilson at 60 guineas when auctioned on Friday last. The mare is considered a bargain by the track experts. The daughter of Marble Arch has gone into E. Pope’s care to be prepared during the present season. Utah is the name selected for the handsome relative to Surplus in work at Ellerslie under Harry Eva. .T. Williamson’s pair of Absurd two-year-olds on Saturday scampered over a couple of grass furlongs fast. The filly Jaffna seemed the fleetest. R. E. Brown is expected to leave early in the week for the Poverty Bay Turf Club’s spring meeting with General Stephen,. Escaped and probably Valley Queen. TUESDAY. On Tuesday .the course was opened at. 5 a.m. Those present had to face a very bleak morning. The new grass track (No. 3) was opened by Bedford running six. furlongs at top, but as the discs were not. yet up no time was taken. . • Clonmel, Bitholia and Loved One worked, usefully. The first-named looks well. Escaped and General Stephen patronised the tan, doing, medium pace work. Big Corn, Slowcoach, Esthonia, Flowing Bowl, War Tank, Melting. Kilbeg- • gan and Mullingar worked usefully. Admiral Advance had a four-furlong flutter in 's4sec. Khublai Khan and ..Thrace slipped round the grass at three-quarter pace. Some Boy, looking a perfect picture and as round as an apple, worked on both the tan and grass. He does not appear to have done much' since his sensational- victory at Avondale. Garryowen ran seven furlongs in Imin 47 2-6 sec on No. 3 track, where all the fast work was done. Canowindra. and another . went fast over half a mile. Windorah had the wood on Heather Sprig at the end of seven and a-half furlongs. Royal Irish carried too much pace for his sparring partner; Greatform, over seven furlongs in Imin 36 3-ssec. Glencanny, Sandy Macdonald and

Boxliall rattled over a few furlongs at top. Golden Bubble and Spanner both worked at an easy pace. They show signs Of their strenuous Australian campaign. Fabriquette and Finkop had a fast five furlongs, finishing as above, registering Imin 5 2-ssec. Persian Prince and Royal Prince sprinted a few furlongs at top, finishing as above. - Dr. Beveridge, • who has secured a passage to the Old Country by an April outgoing steamer, has sold Crowhurst a.t a satisfactory figure, subject to a vet’s, approval. The rest of. his team are to follow suit, if fair offers are made. The new grass track opened this morning is seven furlongs and a-half round, but the horses this morning took the track on trust, only a few galloping at top. The visiting trotting owners from the south, Messrs. James Bryce. J. Corrigan and A. Fleming, motored up to Rotorua on Sunday, and nearly met with an accident at Ellerslie, where they ran foul of a. runaway horse. After the breakfast interval, the Aus-tralian-bred two-year-old Dunedin was led on to the track. The new arrival is a big raking bay. Messrs. Gleeson and M. J. Lynch were present to see their horses at work. AFTER BREAKFAST. Pablo opened the jumping session by a good display of clean fencing over six big hurdles. F. Speakman gave Big Corn a jump over a few hurdles. The son of Bunyan filled- the bill all right. Dungannon, who seemed sore at starting, refused to rise at . the first obstacle and emptied his saddle, not being afterwards persevered with. His mate. Totara Jack, cleared all the hurdles in good style. Tenacious, Notability and Step rushed the first hurdle together, the lastnamed being grassed, while his two companions cleared the obstacles well. Campfire Jack alone got over, the first fence and then entered a protest by refusing several tunes, but with a little coaxing got over safely. No Surrender led Entente Cordiale. Kinkora and Maungatahe over a round of the big schoolers in«£his order. The last-named seemed very distressed at the finish. Benzine was too solid at the finish for ’ Southland ’ over the big' battens, although the latter put up’ his best display to date in fair company. Backfire alone jumped a. couple of the small battens and looks like being useful over the timber. Signature (Henderson) carried too much condition to give Silverton, Maori Tikanga, Otara and Dunrobin a chance ovei' the battens. The son of StAmans—Legs afterwards ran a sound gallop on the flat. W. Keepa schooled Johnny Paul over the battens, the gelding shaping well.