THE CLUBMAN

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1589, 7 October 1920, Page 10

THE CLUBMAN

The nominations taken by Mr. W. Spence, secretary to the Auckland Racing Club, for the Mitchelson Cup and King Edward Handicap, to be run at the spring meeting, and for the Auckland Cup, Railway Handicap, Summer Cup, A.R.C. and Grandstand handicaps constitute what must be records numerically, and the entries for the weight-for-age races, Islington Plate and Auckland Plate, must be somewhere in the same region. Altogether the average class engaged is very good, and is thoroughly representative of the Dominion, the best horses from nearly all stables of note that we can think of being accorded entries, though there are some that it would appear have been highly placed. AVhen it is remembered that there are so many classic races requiring attention later, as well as the minor races, such as those for jumpers and for horses eligible for maiden and hack races, it cen easily be imagined what the further nominations will be. like. Auckland would appear to be a bit more in the boom than some other parts, but still nominations for race meetings everywhere are exceedingly good. This shows how popular racing is becoming in the Dominion.

Another big spring meeting commenced on Saturday at Randwick, and is in progress this week. The gathering is full of interest for sportsmen who follow Australian form, and there are not many who do not. The Australian Jockey Club make their meetings very attractive, catering for the best horses in each department of the game, and there is no doubt Randwick in the spring—and really <t any season of the year—ds the "town hall” of the colonies for class in horseflesh. The records attained there for speed, not only show that the Randwick racecourse is kept up to the highest possible standard of perfection, but that the horses that race on it are losing nothing in the way of pace or staying qualifications by comparison with those of previous decades. Records are either nearly reached for some particular distance, equalled for others, or eclipsed in one or perhaps more every season. This in itself is proof of the excellence of the bloodstock of the colonies, and 0f,., the importations. When horses win handicap races under. substantial. imposts or in weight-for-age or standard weight events in record time, or nearly approaching thereto at Randwick, there is no reason to doubt the class to which they belong. There the pressure is invariably on all the way, and horses have to run their races from end to end.

Ever since Noctuiform, owned by the late Mr. G. G. Stead and trained by R. J. Mason, romped home in the Australian .Jockey Club’s Derby of, 1905, beating his stable companion,Sungod, who made the pace for him, and Lady Wallace, who went to Victoria about a month later and won the V.R.C. Derby, the time registered by Noctuiform, viz., 2min. 32Jsec., has stood. Only during the past month the subject of Noctuiform’s impressive victory formed the sub-, ject of a special article in one of the' Sydney papers, and the writer expressed the opinion that Noctuiform’s wonderful time was likely to stand for years. No doubt thousands of readers, who know their racing catechism from A to Z, would think with him. Two minutes thirty-two ■ and a- ■ half seconds for a mile and a-half, with 8.10 up. on a grass track of the. circular order stood as one of the fastest, if not the fastest, achievements for a three-year-old in a race for those of his own age, but at last, after 15 years, another Richmond has appeared, and in a season when doubts were being expressed as to whether we were likely to see any champions over a distance from the ranks of last year’s two-year-olds. By almost general consent, Erasmus was a short while back being, picked out as the most likely to win classic honours in the A.J.C. Derby, but the best that colt could do was to run third to Mr. W.’ -V. Manton’s. chestnut colt Salitrosj who was got by

Linacre from Kummula, who won in 2min. 32sec. by a length and a-half from Mr. A. T. Brown’s Malurys, by The Sybarite —Sweet Bird, Erasmus, who is also by the same sire as Salitros, being two lengths and a-half further back, third. There were 13 other starters, and amongst them the New Zealand-owned colt Vespucci, who. we are told, flattered his supporters until challenged before entering the straight. This will be borne in mind by followers of form, in view of the fact that Vespucci has New Zealand engagements of the classic order, though he did not gain a place. So much for the Derby form. * * * * A race which would excite very keen interest from the large assemblage of 60,000 on Derby Day at Randwick would be the Spring Stakes, which has been productive of so many great contests, and has been most remarkable for dead-heats. During the past eleven years there have been three dead-heats. This time the undoubted champion Kennaquhair and Poitrel, the latter twice a previous winner, crossed the line so close that the. judge could not separate them. It was a splendid performance between two great pub-

lie favourites. Poitrel has now the great distinction of having had his head in a winning position three years in succession, though he only receives half the fine stake this year. It is a pity that Gloaming was not on hand to try conclusions with the pair, and to have another chance of a test with both horses, whom he had beaten previously on weight-for-age terms. Poitrel beat him in this race last year by a very narrow margin. Kennequhair’s dam was got by the New Zealand Cup, Derby, and Canterbury Cup winner, Manton, and the fact that Pershore, who is owned by the ex-New Zealander, Mr. E. J. Watt, got third is of interest to us, as Pershore was got in this country, by imported All Black from Perseis, and, therefore, a win by that young horse would have been a good advertisement. Pershore is at least a rather useful four-year-old. The race was run in 2min. 33sec. Poitrel holds the best previous record (2min. 31sec.) for this race. The previous dead-heaters were Aurifodina and Duke Foote in 1912, and St. Carwyne and Reputation in 1915. The firstnamed trio each won the race outright. Reputation is one of the few New Zealanders to score, Sasanof, Gladsome, and Cruciform being the others.

The Avondale Jockey Club’s spring meeting, reported e’sewhere, resulted in a wonderful success from an all ; round point of view. The course, cn neither day fast owing to the rainfalls preceding, was, nevertheless, Perfectly safe, and it was a source nf satisfaction that in the big fields for some of the races there were no accidents. The wisdom of Starting racing on Saturday an hour earlier than usual was manifested, and people rolled up at the western suburb on that day in numbers- never previously reached. The Railway Department rose to the occasion, and as the tram service was at a standstill owners of motor conveyances (public and private) did their best to relieve the situation, and did it well, so well that the conclusion forced upon one without taking a bird’s-eye view of the grounds was that much njore space must be provided for the motor traffic, and until the club can find room on their property for more they might' do worse than help those responsible for the nn-keep of the road in the vicinity to improve both from which access is received. There was not only a record attendance and in conveyances, but in the totalisator receipts, and

from nominations ancj.,. acceptances for the races,..and . the club, -notwithstanding their increased stakes, must have had greater profits than ever before, and with those profits added to funds in hand with which it is intended making more extensive accommodation for the people. Very much can be ! done also in the way of further increasing stakes. If the club will consider supplementing the prizes for the', races that have been paying them best and which are the poorest in prize money they will be doing a 'fair ‘thing by the owners. When nearly ‘enough money is received in nominations and acceptances alone from a race each day to pay the prizes to the winners then the matter is really worth giving more than passing consideration by the committee, who are to be congratulated on the progress of the club in so many directions.

Want of accommodation is the one big cry at present amongst those who have to take their horses to Avondale to race, and this position must be met, and ■ the committee know it and will act. It is always pleasing to have visitors from outside provinces, even though they sometimes bring horses that carry off a lot of the money. This spring meeting saw a very good distribution of the stakes, and Aucklanders generally were pleased to note that a local owner in Mr. A. E. Tattley, who

had not been racing long with any luck, secured the chief race, and that consistent .good sportsman, Mr. J. McNicol, who has been racing for many years, and whose horses . are but to win when they can, got a fair share of the stakes with the members of his team. Mr. Bennett has been a regular patron of the Avondale Club, and his still good gelding Gazique placed him in third position. Mr. W. G. Stead has no reason to regret his first spring campaign at Avondale, the success of his fine colt Mermin in the Avondale Stakes more than the value attached thereto would be gratifying, and so would Landslide’s win in the Avondale Guineas be to Mr. Ernest Alison, the breeder and owner. * * * * Crisnstead, who won the Epsom handicap carrying 9.6, equalled Cetigne’s Australian record put up at Flemington last spring in a smaller field. In this race ther were twentytwo starters, and as Greenstefid won in Imin. 37sec. the performance of the son of The Welkin and Tuning Fork must rank with the greatest ofmile performances on record in Australasia. Jack Findlay, who got second carrying 8.9, and Remmon, with 7 7. were fancied candidates, the lastnamed and the winner being well befriended some time back- M. Connel has the honour of having ridden Salitros, winner of the A.J.C. Derby, and the Epsom Handicap winner, Green-stead, and has thus made fresh history in connection with those races and further fame for himself. One has to go a long way back to find a winner of the race that, carried as much weight as Greenstead, or over 9.2, the weight Hyman had in 1909. In 1891 Marvel, however, got home carrying 10-2 in Imin. 40% sec., and he was a great flyer of his time. A protest' was , entered against Greenstead, which evidently he survived, ’ihere has been no. further information cabled concerning the result. ♦ * ♦ * On Saturday, by the steamer Kent from the Old Land, Auckland received another addition of a thoroughbred horse, a three-year-old purchased in England on account of Mr. J. N.- Heslop, who during the past, three years has imported three blood horses that should leave their mark. Polydamon and Arrowsmith were both secured by Captain Tanner for Mr. Heslop. and the three-year-old Swift Flight, by St. Martin from Maxime, by Ayrshire, now domiciled in Asprey’s care at Ellerslie, was also selected by the ex-New Zealander, who can be given credit for securing a rather good sort for his age. He is a good bay with black points, the only white being a faint star on the forehead. .He has a good brainy head, and. is a wellproportioned, deep-bodied colt standing on good legs, and looks a tough, wiry customer who could be taken for older than he is. He ran seven times at two years old, and got second in one of his races and fourth in another, and has been placed this season. As he was in work , when .he left he may perhaps be given a good spell, but he looks all right after his long ourney, and the fact that he was- kept on rather a short allowance towards the end of it, due to a lot- of the feed sent with him getting musty, so much so that the lamp trimmer in charge took the sensible course of. boiling some rice for his charge, who he landed in creditable condition. Although Swift Flight is a maiden he certainly looks a good sort, and like many English horses imported to the colonies may improve with age and the change. Maxima, his dam, had a winner of one small race last season, a' year older than Swift Flight, whose ' sire, St. Martin,, is a-son of St.- Fr'usquin’ sire of St. Carwyne, one of the best sires in .Australia, and of so many notable others in England, and of Day Comet, a good performer, now at the stud in the. Waikato. Apropos of the horses imported by Mr. Hislop, it will interest readers to-, learn that Polydamon has filled out into a very massive horse, and that breeders' in Poverty Bay are enthusiastic about his prospects as a sire. Merry Roe, Bleriot, and Asterina are three noted mares that have visited him this season.