FIRST RACE OF SEASON

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 280, 25 August 1942, Page 6

FIRST RACE OF SEASON

Battledress At Hawera

(By The Watches.) Battledress will be one of the most interesting runners at Hawera on Saturday. It will be his first appearance as a tour-year-old, and bis first race since he won the Greit Northern St. Leger last April. Battledress .won £3626 in stakes last season, being headed only by iHap:py Ending, who-defeated him so narrowly in the Wellington Cup. His record was 10 starts for seven wins, a second, a third and an also ram die graduated from hacks to th • best class, and, bred as he Is, should be even better this year. D Deo'lall will be an interesting runner at the Combined Hunts' meeting, bhe has not raced since receiving an injury while competing at the Waikato spring meeting last November. She had 6nl -' bve starts last season, winning once and hntshlng second twice.

I< P. burgess will take a small-team to Hawera this week,, including Flahuluk, Sanction and Voltaire.

Welcome Stakes Winner. The three-year-old filly, Grilse, by Solicitor General from imported Birst Cast.' is back in W. J. Wadley s -team and looks well after a rest for more than f> X months. 'She won the Welcome Stakes in good style last spring and she should go on to good form this season.

For the Classics. . The forward running of Representative In his first race of the season at Ellerslie on Saturday indicates that he has done plenty of work in preparation for the spring racing. One of the topline two-year-old's of last, season, Representative is freely engaged in the - forthcoming three-year-old classics. Representative is, by Nightmarc'h from Praise, so is a tullbrother to the New Zealand Cup winner Serenata. Praise herself was an Oaks winner. 1 She is a sister to Commendation, being by Llmond from Eulogy, so Representative belongs to an illustrious line of class gallopers. Mar Be a Good Ono. T The Auckland sportsman, Mr. A. J. Court, has spent a good deal of money on bloodstock without outstanding success, but he appears to have a promising sort now to carry his colours in Saturday s winner, Lord Chancellor. Lord Chancellor, who was having his first start, is a three-year-old bv Mr. Standfast from Administration. He was sold as a yearling for 525gns at the National Sales under the 'name of Four Square, being purchased on behalf of Mr. Court by Mr. 11. H. Green, of Wellington. His name was changed by his new owner. Administration is also the dam of Mintlaw. a good handicap winner in the Auckland province. She- is by Day Court from Imagination, a half-sister to that good galloper Suggestion. Imagination was bv Birkenhead—Culmination, dam of the Wellington Cup winner Stanchion and of Termination, dam of Happy Ending. This is Mr. W. E. Bidwili’s most successful family, from which were bred in addition to those named such great gallopers as Elevation, Devotion and Reputation.

Sent South. . , The Pbaleron Bay—Golden Rod two-year-old owned by J. W. Pankhuret, Riccarton, has been sent to Invercargill to be trained. This gelding led one of the divisions home in the two-year-old parade on the second day of the National meeting.

Coincidence. , • , ~ A somewhat unusual coincidence was associated with the Thames Steeplechase •at Paeroa. It is the first Twohill Memorial, and the winner, Ureklaw, is raced and trained by R. H. Martin, who served the first 10 years of his racing career in the Twohill stable.

Balloting for Starters. Last season the Wellington Racing Club i adopted the idea of a ballot to reduce fields to reasonable limits, but the acceptance list obviated the necessity for putting the scheme into practice. It is interesting to learn that racing clubs in Victoria follow this principle though they continue to have different opinions as to the most equitable system of balloting. The majority consider that a straight-out lucky draw is not in the best interests of racing. Hence their adherence to the sectional ballot, whereby eliminations are made from various classes of horses, For instance. if six horses have to be eliminated from a field of 26 that field is divided into three sections—two of nine and one of eight—and from each of these sections two horses are withdrawn by ballot. Consequently topweights, middleweights, and lightweights have almost equal opportunities. In a straight-out ballot the six topweights, obviously the best horses, could be eliminated, leaving in their place six of the bottomweights, or what would appear to be the worst horses in the race. Reducing Fields. The V.A.T.C. has decided that aged horses cannot compete in the Doona Trial, a race set down for next month. It is a race for maidens or near maidens, and aged' horses will be barred. This is a sensible means of reducing fields. Aged horses that cannot get out of maiden class are superfluous. on the flat at least. The V.A.T.C. is following a recent rule adopled In England that horses aged more than five rears cannot compete in handicaps. It is not likely to follow that rule very strictly as conditions are not parallel in England, where the percentage of handicaps is small compared with the 'colonies. Most of the English races of importance are at w.f.a. or at set weights. v . . Gascony Dead. ■ The stallion Gascony baa died ar the West Derby stud, Ohau, of a twisted bowel. Gascony had only been at Oliau for a few weeks, having been with Mr. Lowry up to this season. The new stallion at the West Derby stud will lie Tiderace. Tiderace has also previously been on stud duty with -Mr. Lowry, and while in New Zealand only had three outside mares, but has served all Mr. Lowry's mares, who are mostly descended from Desert Gold. Answers to Correspondents. "Query.” Oriental Bay: If you back a bracket and one of the horses in the bracket is scratched you are still on. “Sport,” Woodville: Information sent °“A.8.C.,” 'Wellington: (1) £l/10/8. (2) £2/16/-. (3) £l/17/6. “C. 5.. Wellington: <ll £3/5/-. (2) £1 17/6. ‘(3) £l/13/6. , , “Wager." Wairarapa: £B/0/6 and £2 16/-: £5/2/-. £l/8/-; £3/18/6. ' “Will”: £2/12/0; £l/0/6. £2/14/-; other later. ■

“W.L.”: £l/11/-: £2/10/0: £2/18/-. J.S.: £-1/13/0: £B/0/0 and £2/10/-; £9 17/- and £2/14/0: £2/2/0: £2/5/6. “A.L.M.." Hutt: £l/12/0; £l/9/-; £1 8/-; £l/11/-: £l/10/0; £2/5/0.