BIPLANE & CO.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 52, 24 November 1917, Page 9

BIPLANE & CO.

~ « HACK FROM AUSTRALIA

INTERVIEW WITH THEIR TRAINERS

J3y Wednesday's ferry steamer thero arrived in Christchurch threo prominent Canterbury sportsmen, in Messrs. G. L. Stead, B. J. Mason, and It. OJJonnoH, after a pleasant and profitable trip to Australia. Mason was accompanied by tho dual Derby winnor, Biplane, tho only member remaining in his chargo of tho four horses ho took across last autumn. O'Donncll brought with him only Almoner and Mplco, out of an original toani of six. ■ Looking littlo tho worse for their sea trip, tho horses wero landed at tho Christchurch station in tlio forenoon. Naturally, like their mentors, they wore a littlo travel weary. Nov is this to bo wondered at when it is remembered that not so very long ago they wore iu Melbourne, just having concluded a strenuous racing campaign. A tedious train journey to Sydney was followed by an immediate embarkation for New Zealand, where they arrived after an ■uneventful voyage. A cursory examination of Biplane showed that he had not come out of his Australian campaign scathless. His damaged forefoot is still unsightly, tho crack extonding almost to tho top of tl\o hoof. This has been ent out and carefully attended to, and though tho champion showed littlo _ inconvenience from it when walking, it is boiind to keep him idlo for several months till tho hoof grows clown again. In tho meantime he is to bo given a lengthy spell, and no arrangements have been •made as to his futuro nctivities. An oven, worso blemish, and one that ho in euro to carry for tho rest of his days, is the injury to the quarter whore ho was hit by a. tram-ear soon after his arrival at Sydney. The musclo still shows a big dont, and there is littlo chanco of its ever filling out to normal proportions. With the exception of these two disfigurements Biplane is in tho vor,y best of health, and soems to I have nniotoned down a good deal as the result of his travelling and racing oxT/orionco. Needless to say, Mason was pleased to bo back homo ngarn aftor the cxigoncies of travel. Questioned as to his Australian experiences, he had little to add to what had already appeared in print. Biplano's collision with a Eandwick tram soon after his arrival was -icarly attended with very serious .consequences. Tho car hit the colt 'in the hindquarters and toppled him light over. How ho escaped so lightly as he did is a wonder, yet after a few ' days' treatment by his' trainer the colt was enabled to commence work again. There was no fluke about Biplane's defeat in tho Cholmsford Stakes, but it was rather an error of judgment. A gale of wind was blowing when the raco wna run, and Deeloy was instructed to keep his mount in behind the leaders so as to escape its full force. As a result Biplano was reefing all through and when asked for an effort failed w respond. Different tactics vno pursued in all his subsequent efforts with the best of results. His A.J.C. Derby was a brilliant performance, as also was his Craven Plate win. In neither of those races was thoro anything ( in the field capable of thoroughly testing the soil of Comedy King, who was not thon quite at his "best.

Going ou to Flemington the V.R.O. Derby was practically at his mercy from the llagfall. It was in this race that the crack in tiio colt's foot developed. Tho injury was at onco at! tended to by Mason, who bound it up and so enabled iiiplane to add tho Lwlithgow Stakes to liis iist of victories. Jt' was not a hard race, but, tho injury developing, it was deemed umviso to ask him to race again on the last day of tho meeting. By this time .tho colt was right' at his' bust,' and Mason is conlident that ho could have lowered the colours of any horse in Australia of any age. In Mason's opinion, Prince Viridis is the best of the Australian threo-year-pkls, though Jironzetli aJid lhnce iu-0 both very fair colts. He was not over-impressed with tue greatly-boomed English horse Lanius, whom ho describes as rather mean behind .-and somewhat on the leg. Hβ had not done .nearly enough fast work to have much chanco in a race such as the Melbourne Clip, whore tho pace is on all the way Several very tempting offers wern T e rns for Bi P lauo > including ono of 5000gns., but though oven that figure would not have stopped the would-be purchaser the offer was not entertained tor a moment. Had all E one well with the colt at Flemington he woud have been taken straight to Auckland for the Great Northern itoroy, and other classic races. Aβ it is ho goes mto retirement for a few mouijis' irell-eamed respite, the acknowledged champion three-year-old of tho soason.

Tho Yaldhurst mentor, R. O'Donnol, had little timo to discuss his Australian experiences. He, took six horses over with him, won four good races, and sold four of hia charges at very satisfactory prices. Almoner, the chestnut son ot Boniform and Cassock has doveloped into a very handsome colt? Ho proved his superiority to all the two-yoar-old colts ho .met, hut found his equal in Sweet Lady, who O'Donnell describes as a particulnrly brilliant filly. The Maribyrnong Plate in which sho defeated the Now Zealau'der was not exactly a truly-run race, for I'itnesa and Outlook, two very fine iuvenilos, had Almoner doing his best right from the start. Then Sweet Lady swooped down on them and soon had their measure.

Liko Mason, O'Donnell lias nothing but praieofor tho courtesy oxtended by tho racing officials of the Commonwealth, who did their utmost to study the convenience of the Now Zealanders Almonor and Meleo were found to be looking in tho hesfc of heart, quite ready to race again as soon as required. When that will be has not vet been decided.—Christohurch "Sun''