AWAPUNI MEETING

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24899, 12 June 1946, Page 4

AWAPUNI MEETING

RACING

A TIMELY SUBSTITUTE FOR TRENTHAM The extra meeting being put on by the Manawatu Racing Club on July 6 and 13, the dates of the abandoned Wellington meeting, will doubtless attract many horses that will later be racing at the Grand National meeting at Riccarton. Particularly pleasing is the club's decision to have a steeplechase with a stake of £lOOO each day. The distance will be , about three miles, and on the first day there will be a maximum weight of 12-0. Such a condition will encourage the best steeplechasers, and it will provide them with an opportunity to get in a race before the National. No doubt some South Island horses will be among the starters. When the Wellington meeting was abandoned, trainers in both islands were faced with the problem of where to race their better class horses, but that difficulty has now been overcome. With a £7OO hurdle race each day to be run over one mile and seven furlongs, and good stakes in the principal flat races, the meeting will make an excellent preliminary for the Grand National meeting. May Make Good King Canute, a four-year-old gelding by Siegfried from the Tractor mare Surge, may be a good jumping prospect with further experience. He finished fast into fourth place in the Greenfield Hurdles at Wingatui on Saturday, this being only his second start over hurdles. He has been accepted for in the Hack and Hunters’ Steeplechase at Oamaru, and the light country and the weak company may suit 'him. He is one of the Hazlett team, so he is sure to have been well schooled. Record-Priced Colt Named The full brother to Dante, which was sold to the Gaekwar of Barod?., as a yearling at Newmarket last September, for the record price of 28,000gns, has been named Sayaji Roa, after the owner’s youngest son The colt is reported to be becoming increasingly like Dante. The eyes of all the English racing public will be on this colt when he makes his first appearance on a racecourse. Early Juvenile Winner One of the early two-year-old winners of the current season’ in England was Miss Dorothy Paget’s filly Charity Trust, by Orthodox (son of Hyperion) from Donation by Robin Goodfellow, which has been at the stud in New Zealand for a few seasons. Robin Goodfellow finished second to Bahram in the Derby, and was at the stud in England for a few seasons before he was sold at the dispersal sale of Sir Abe Bailey’s horses for 900gns, a fraction of what he might have brought a few years later. Although the race Charity Trust won was run less than three weeks after the flat racing season in England commenced, the distance was five furlongs. This is rather significant, as in New Zealand several of the early races for two-year-olds are run over, four furlongs, which, from the public’s point of view, is ridiculously short for a race. These races serve no great purpose, and most of the youngsters competing in them could well be left until they can run out an additional furlong. To be Spelled

Fearless, which was recently sold out of the Chokebore Lodge stables, is to be spelled at her new owner’s property. She has not been successful in any of her seven starts this year, but in several of her races she met more than her share of trouble, and being small, invariably got the worst of it. Fearless showed good form as a two-year-old, winning twice and being placed twice in five starts, but unfortunately she has grown very little since. Winning Jockeys

After last Saturday’s racing N. B. Holland retained his position at the head of the winning jockeys’ list with 48 wins to his credit. Holland failed to ride a winner on Saturday, and he is now closely pressed by W. J. Broughton, who, having made up leeway in the last fortnight, now has a total of 45 winning rides to his credit. The young Aucklander, G. F. Hughes, is in third place with 43. A. C. Messervy and W. J. Mudford, who are fourth equal, are well behind with 31 each. Then follow K. Nuttall 30, C. M. J tilings 28, G. R. Tattersall 27, K. Chote 26, and L .J. Ellis 25. Matamata Trainer Retains Lead The Matamata trainer, G. Cobb? with 29 winners, still maintains a slender lead over T. E. Pankhurst, of Invercargill, who is second with 27. Four winners at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting elevated the Wingatui trainer, A. E. Didham to third* place, and he is followed by W. J. McDowell 23, C. J. Thomson 21, H. A. Telford 20, G. W. New 20, and F. Smith 19. Last year New headed the list with 26 winners. I£. A. Roberts, with 15 winners, is still the leader among the Riccarton trainers. Veteran’s Good Showing The Dozer is now 10 years old and past his best, but he put up a good showing in the Winter Steeplechase at - Ellerslie last Saturday, though he found - the task of giving a dashing jumper like Brookby Song .221 b beyond him. The Dozer won the Grand National Hurdles in 1941, and is still well up in the weights. Another winner of that race in Town Survey has been racing over country, but so far he has lacked confidence in his jumping, and it will take racing to improve him. May noon Return to Hurdling Last year, Boolamskee had to his credit some good performances over hurdles, including a second to Brantome in the Trentham Hurdles; but so far this winter his activities have been restricted to flat'racing. He has been racing solidly, however, and when he does return to hurdling it will not take a great deal to fit him for some of the big events. He has been nominated for the hurdle race at Ashburton. Indifferent Displays Bravura and Prince Dolomite gave indifferent displays when schooled over the trial steeplechase course at Riccarton yesterday morning. Prince Dolomite fell through attempting to run off, and Bravura fell at the second of the brush double when the pan made a second attempt, Bravura, having been pulled up when Prince Dolomite, fell.- Both horses are capable of much better displays than they gave yesterday. Ashburton Classic Entries Entries for the John Grigg Stakes, 1947, close with the Secretary, Ashburton Racing Club, on Friday next, June 14, at 5 p.m. Advt.