RACING AND TROTTING

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21416, 7 March 1935, Page 16

RACING AND TROTTING

LATEST NEWS FROM FAR AND NEAR

I'ACING FIXTURES

March G, 9 —Cromwell J.C. i March 9—Napier Park R.C. | March 9. 11—Waikato R.C. March 16—Clifden R.C. March 1(5. 18—Ohinemuri J.C. March 16, 18—'Wellington R.C. March 20, Opotiki J.C. March 21, 23 —Oamaru J.C. March 22, 23- • ■Manawatu R.C. March 23, 25—Bay of Plenty J.C. March 30—Hawke's Bay J.C. March 30—-Birchwot d H.C. April 4-Waimaie R.C. April 4. 6 Dargaville H.C. April 6-South Canterbury J.C. April 9. 10— Pahiatua R.C. April 11, 13 --Wlutngarci R.C. Apr:! 13--Otautau R.C. April 1", —Weslpori J.C. April 20 -Tuapcka J.C. April 20, 22 —Wairarapa R.C. April 20. 22 Feilding J.C. April 20. 22 —Auckland R.C. April 20, 22. 23 —Ri vert on R.C. April 22 —Beaumont R.C. Apr'! 22—Waipukurau J.C. Apr. 1 22—Kumara R.C. April 22, 23 —Canierbury J.C. April 24, 27 —Greymouth J.C. April 27—Marten J.C. April 27, 29- Avondale J.C. TROTTING FIXTURES March 9- -Timaru T.C. March 13—Wvndham T.C. March Hi—Cheviot T.C. March 23—Wairarapa T.C. March 23—Roxburgh T.C. March 23- Auckland T.C. March 30—Thames T.C. March 30 and April 3- Manawatu T.C. April 0 Wanganui T.C. April 13—Ashburlon T.C. April 13—Vv'anganui T.C. April 17—Rotorua T.C. April 20. 22—Hawera T.C. April 20, 24 N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. April 27 —Taranaki T.C. April 27—Methven T.C. May 2. 4—Forbury Park T.C. May 4—Cambridge T.C. May 11—Waikato T.C.'. May 11 —Oamaru T.C. TURF GOSSIP Should 3lakc Good The well-known hurdle horseman, H. Turner, who has done exceptionally well in the South Island since he settled at Riccarton some three years ago, has decided to launch out as a trainer, and he has been recommended for a license by the Canterbury District Commit!ec. Turner has P ecn one of the most regular track worKois at headquarters in recent years, and has willingly uddtn ail classes ot horses on the I'at and over obstacles, and his services have always been sought aiter by trainers with unruly charges, or with horses that required initiating into the ranks of jumpers. His creditable career to date gives him every recommendation in his new role, and there is no doubt he will soon get a strong team of horses together. A Losing Proposition According to "Pilot" in the Sydney "Referee," the exact amount paid by Mr J. A. Phillips tor Synagogue was 1500 guineas. The breeder, Mr W. S. Clark, received 2500 guineas for him, so that the colt was not a profitable purchase for those who paid that amount for him, a few days before the Auckland summer meeljng, and sold him for 1500 guineas at the conclusion of that meeting, at which Synagogue earned i: 100 in ytakes. Thotnpbcn Handicap The wei';ht .•id.iu.-tmvti!;- (> »r the Wellington nieelng, optninj: a I Tren ■ ■tham on Saturday of next week, will provide plenty tu' discussion m racing circles tor Hie ntxt few days. Chief interest will cenire in the weights for 'he Thompson Handicap, and it would appear as if Mr 11. Coyle ljas got through a difficult task very satisfactorily. He may probably be considered to have been harder than usual on the good horses, but on top of the handicaps for last year's race, he could not have given Silver Ring much less than the 9-12, with which the Riccarton gelding heads the list. Last year he had 9-5, but did not start, and in the interim he won several races, including the Epsom Handicap at Randwicic, so an additional 71b could not be considered out of place. It was expected that Silver Ring would have to give Nightly a few pounds, and in separating them by 31b the adjuster has rightly assessed them. Cuddle is in her right place with 9-2. and if back to her previous form at Trentham, she will be dangerous. It is interesting at this stage to compare her impost with ♦ hat <>f Fracas. Cuddle beat the Chokebore lilly over a mile and a quarter at Trentham by several in 2min s_lsec, the weights being 8-7 and 8-2 resoectively. In the Midsummer Handicap, Cuddle 9-2 narrowly defeated Fracas 8-5 in 2min 4 l-ssec. Cuddle went on to Wingatui, and ran unplaced in her two engagements, and has not raced since. Fracas has had one outing in the meantime, easily winning the Peninsula Cup last Saturday with 8-11 in l"s sec - Now in the Thompson Handicap, Fracas receives lib more from Cuddle than she did in the Midsummer Handicap, so it would appear as if her win on Saturday last was not seriously regarded by the official. It is possible this pair may meet again, as Cuddle has been in steady work since she returned to Hastings, end i s expected to leave for Australia after the Manawatu meeting. If so, it is certain that Fracas will carry strong southern support. Gay Blonde has the credontials Ibis season to give ner bright prospccis with 8-12, 'but Red Manfred seems lo be flattered with 21b Je.... Sperling Blood has shown no form since his trip to Riccarton in November last, and has to be discarded just now. Of the remainder on the seven to eight stone mark. Guarantee, Miss llushabye, and Burnish would make most appeal. Cadland is m this division, his weight, 7-8. being a big drop e»n his impost last year. 8-13. There is onlv a moderate tail-end to the list. Palm and Fair Weather probably being the most likely. There is every indication that the field will be well up to the standard of previous years, and that (he race will provide the usual intricate problem to investors. In the meantime. the prospects ot Silver Ring, Nightly, Fracas, and Gay Blonde will probably be most considered.

Cherry Kin;: Injured While being ridden to tin: Marlon racecourse on Friday morning. Mr Monty Shaw's Cherry King fell on the metalled road, seriously injuring both knees. The injuries received will probably end his racing career. A trip to Australia was contemplated, Cherry King being booked for a passage this month, but there is very little chance now of the trip eventuating.

Silver King's Brother Yearlings to be offered at the coming sales at Randwick; include a brother to Silver King. As he is reported to be much better grown than the latter at the same age, it is safe to say he will not leave the ring at 150gns as was the case with Silver King. A Good Record By his wins this season Hall Mark Tias increased his earnings, from £19,689 to £23,659 (says an Australian writer). His sire, Heroic, won £38,062 10s. It has not often occurred that a sire and one of his progeny' have been so well placed in the winning list in Australia. Well Bred Yearlings Mr P. Miller's yearlings for the coming sales at Randwick include a half-brother, by Constant Son, to Chatham; while Mr A. Thompson has a half-brother, by Silvius, to Dark Sky; Sir Hugh Denison, a sister to Clever Fox and Dark Chief; Mr H. Taylor, a half-brother to Vauntry; and Mr E. A. F." Haley, a brother to Pamelus, who recently won the Armidale Cup. Pamelus was sold for 25 guineas as a yearling. At Aintree Again The American amateur rider, Mr G. H. Bostwick, rode in the Liverpool Grand National two years, and purposes again figuring in that race. His mount will be his own horse, Castle Irwell, who has won at a little over two miles at Aintree. Amateurs have won their share of Grand National Steeplechases, a race in which a rider must be endowed with a full share of pluck to stand a chance of success. The course is one that would dismay any weak-hearted rider. Australia's Leading Riders Up till the middle of February M. McCarten was fourth on the winning jockeys' list in races run in the Sydney area. The top live were: J. Pratt 57, D. Munro 45, A. Knox 44, M. McCarten 32. and J. O'Sullivan 31. McCarten had much the best average, however, as he had been unplaced only 50 times, against 135 by Pratt and 205 by Knox. Munro also had a better average than the two leaders, his total of unplaced rides being 91. McCarten was in the money 65 times in 115 starts, Munro 30 in 171, Pratt 104 in 239, Knox 134 in 339, and O'Sullivan 91 in 254. Horse's Best Age The much-discussed question of a racehorse's best age has brought a most interesting article from "Audax," in "Horse and Hound." In dealing with the subject he says: I believe that in almost every instance over a distance of ground—say, the two miles and a half the Ascot Gold Cup is run over —a horse that has come well to hand and developed satisfactorily never has a better day as a racer than in the summer of his four-year-old career. Certainly on the day Persimmon, for instance, won the Gold Cup he was a greater horse than at any earlier period of his activities. I well remember now magnificent he looked, full of lite and vitality, and it would have been impossible to make him better or stronger as a racing machine than on that day when he made the greatly-fancied Winkfield's Pride, of the same age, look like a hack. Another four-year-old whom no increase of age would have made better than he was on the day he secured the Ascot Gold Cup may be instanced in the very handsome Cyllene. In fact, I am convinced that four-year-olds, not in the early spring, but later in the year, have, as a rule, reached the pinnacle of their racing powers. TROTTING NOTES Reminders Nominations l'or the Manawatu and Thames meetings will close on March 15'. Acceptances l'or the Wyndham Trotting Club's annual meeting will close to-morrow. Acceptances l'or the Cheviot meet-

ing will close on Monday.

Timaru Trotting Club Owners made a fine response in acceptances for the Timaru Trotting Club's meeting, and Saturday's iixture should be one of the best held in recent years on the Washdylw racecourse. A field of 13 in the Timaru Cup gives promise of a stirring con- . r' l with a comparatively short limit" ci 48 yards the field should oe well bunched all the way. Native Chief and Elvo on the back mark have a big job ahead of them to beat some of the more favourably handicapped division, and on any form he has shown in recent years Native Chief can safely be left out of calculations. Elvo, however, represents a different proposition, for she has won seven races this season in a manner that suggests her winning days are not at an end. A hard puller, she takes a lot out of herself in lighting with her driver, but on her day she usually has plenty in reserve. Even a handicap of 48 yards will not discourage her many admirers on this occasion. One of the most improved pacers this season is Rey Spec, and his wins over two miles at Ashburton and New Brighton, and a third over a mile and a quarter at Wellington last Saturday, show him a good stayer as well as a sprinter. On 36 yards he is not badly placed, and his form entitles him to the position of favourite. Not always a brilliant beginner, he is a handy pacer once on the journey, with a rare burst of speed over the final stages of a race. Gunfire has been too long off the winning list to give him anything but an outside chance, and Great Logan's public form favours his prospects over a shorter journey than two miles. At the Timaru meeting held in January, Todd Lonzia showed a liking for the Washdyke track when he scored a veiV impressive win in the President's Handicap, fairly beating a good field in 4min 34 2-ssec. He confirmed that form at the Royal meeting at Addington when he won the Sussex Handicap, of a mile and a half, in 3min 18sec. and now asked to do 4min 32sec he is not harshly treated. Craganour has not displayed any outstanding form for some time, and Jchn Jinks, Queen Author, Mountain Ore, and Manoeuvre do not make any very direct appeal. Little Nelson is a doubtful proposition at the best of times, but Bracken is very consistent and can be depended upon to go a good race. She was unlucky to suffer defeat al Hutt Park on Saturday, and may soon atone for that beating. Of the more favourably handicapped horses she appears the most likely to till a place. The President's Handicap should provide a fine race, and the early favourites include Bracken, Todd Lonzia, Rey Spec, and Elvo.

Caught in the Tapes A peculiar mishap befell the iucal pacer Bright Voyage in the Members' Handicap at the Invercargill Trotting Club's annual meeting last week, says the Southland "Times." At the start Royal Guy became entangled in the barrier strings, carrying the cords away with him as he left. The broken strands caught and pulled Bright Voyage's feet from under him and he came to grief. The little stallion bounced quickly to his feet again with his driver, A. McLellan, still in the cart, but- by the time the son of Happy Voyage had become balanced to his gait the field had left him behind and ho was not seriously persevered with.

Travis rringJe At the New Brighton meeting last month Travis Pringle made an exhibition of his field over a mile and a half, and at no stage of the race was he extended to win in 3min 31 l-ssec from a 3min 45sec mark. He could apparently have improved a good deal on this time, which makes his chance in the Kingsdown Handicap at Timaru on Saturday appear very bright. Travis Pringle, however, has not always trotted in the faultless manner he showed on that occasion, and possibly has only come right as the result of his racing experience. On this running, however, there appears nothing capable of extending him, and he is likely to see a very short price in the totalisator betting. Harold Wrack Harold Wrack was unlucky, through meeting interference, in not winning at least one race at the recent Invercargill meeting, but ho will be afforded an opportunity of making amends at the Timaru meeting on Saturday. At his best he is a very speedy pacer, and he made a deep impression when he registered 3min 22sec fcr a mile and a half at the Wellington meeting last month. In the Seadown Handicap at Timaru he figures on the limit of a 3min 37sec class, and though the company is full of promise he should hold his own. He is trained on the Washdyke course by R. Townley, and will be racing in familiar surroundings. Speedy but Temperamental If track work could be taken as a reliable guide, Charteris Vale would probably win the Seadown Handicap at Timaru, for R. B. Berry's filly has speed above the average. Unfortunately for her connexions she also possesses a temperament quite unsuited to racing, and is liable at any time to impose upon herself a handicap far in excess of her correct assessment. By winning a couple of minor races she has attained a mark off which she can afford to make few mistakes. Grace McElwyn, from the same stable, is a pacer of altogether different temperament, and though only a pony she is a quick beginner and a very determined /inisher. In the Wai-iti Handicap, of a mile and a quarter, at Timaru, she will be racing over her favourite distance, and her excellent performance in running second to Nobleman at the Ne%v Brighton meeting will not have been forgotten by speculators. In South Australia Trotting in Adelaide is on the verge of a big boom says the Sydney "Referee." The Saturday night meetings under the electric light have captured popular imagination, and eacn meeting shows a remarkable increase [ in the number of patrons. The recent average has been 12,000, and when it is remembered that fewer than 5000 attended a Monday afternoon meeting in Sydney, with its bigger population, the figures are all the more remarkable. Of course, it must be remembered that night trotting is the at- ■ tractive feature, and if Sydney clubs had this privilege, huge attendances would result. Men and horses are going to Adelaide from other states, and a well-known Victorian trot tin.- man, Mr S. Foster, recently took 20 horses from Melbourne to Adelaide to be sold by auction. The ccmmonsense and businesslike methods of the South Australian Trotting Association are at last bearing fruit. The ami was chean and goud entertainment, and it is possible to attend a Saturday night meeting in the paddock, buy a book, bet on every race, and pay fares to and from the course for £l—the cheapest outing in the Commonwealth The example of South Australia definitely proves that night trotting meetings make the sport boom. From a very mediocre concern the South Australian Trotting Association has jumped in one year to its present position among the leaders of the sport.

BREEDING OF HORSES

DOMINION'S POSITION "SKCOM) ON'|,Y TO K\(;LAM>" "It is time 1 hiit more publicity drums were beaten nnd more trumpets blown about this Dominion's commanding position with respect to the use, breeding, and proper enjoyment of the thoroughbred horse," writes Mr O. N. Gillespie, in the March number of the New Zealand Railways Magazine. "It is not undue optimism to believe that when the time comes for us to have to swallow G. B. Shaw's advice to 'eat your own butter,' a good measure of compensation for our loss of exports can be got by the right exploitation of our country's rich capacity for the production of bloodstock. "New Zealand is second only to old England herself in the growing and furnishing of the finest type of racehorse. We alone in the world, had the temerity to send a horse to England, whose line of sons and daughters altered the whole map of winning strains in the Old Land. This was Carbine, and there is, in addition, the famous Trenton, who also left an indelible improvement mark. Sir Modred, whose equal we have bred in dozens, headed the winning sires',list in the United States. With the one exception from France. aIT other countries, great or small, have had only one-way traffic with England in bloodstock. "To-day, through intelligent and selective breeding for generations, in a climate ideal for the nurture and culture of the horse, and owing to our fecund, luxuriant, and permanent pastures, our bloodstock has reached a standard of excellence rivalled only by the Mother Country.

"One of the contributing causes towards this extraordinary phenomenon is this fact: the management of the racing of horses is, in our little country, without peer in the range of its incidence, in its efficiency, and in its sporting and entertainment value.

"We have 80 or more courses, all of them good, and of them 20 tit lonst bear comparison with the leading racecourses of the rest of the world, and lour of them would take a "power o' beating" on any system of comparison. These remarks apply to galloping courses only, and the splendid arenas devoted lo the harness sport, for instance, at: Addington and Auckland, are not included. "Trentham. is Ihe best of them all, and is the best racecourse in Ihe world." Mr Gillespie goes on lo stale at length his reasons for this contention. j RUFUS NAYLOR CASE A.J.C. GIVEN LEAVE TO APPEAL (Received March C, 8..'30 p.m.) SYDNEY, March (J. The Full Court granted the application on behalf of the Australian Jockey Club for leave to appeal to the Privy Council against the majority decision of the Full Court granting an injunction restraining the club from preventing Rufus Naylor from entering the Randwick racecourse. JOCKEY'S HOLIDAY IN NEW ZEALAND SYDNEY, March 6. Passengers by the Mariposa include the leading jockey, D. Munro, who was suspended for a month for not keeping a straight course on Arachne in the Newmarket Handicap last Saturday. Munro will spend a holiday in New Zealand.