GREAT FIELDS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 16, 14 October 1943, Page 7

GREAT FIELDS

High-Class Racing For Trentham

(By

St. Simon.)

The acceptances received for the Wellington Racing Club’s spring meeting, to be held at Trentham on Saturday and, Monday, October 23 and 25, are up to the usual standard associated With this important racing centre. They are numerically strong and in most of the races of good class. A Held of 20 is carded for the Wellington Handicap, one mile and a ball’. Unfortunately the two good Aucklanders, Lord Chancellor and Lou Rosa, dropped out. Lord Chancellor’s defection was not a surprise, as he does not handle the lefthanded way of going very well. He lost the Autumn Handicap to Kakanui heie last March through this weakness, lueie is a Held of 19 lor the Short Handicap, with most of the best sprinters m commission engaged. The class is . stronger than usual In the hack races, in whtca the ballot had to be used to reduce the events to the safety numbers.

Harcourt Stakes. A field of nine has accepted for the Harcourt Stakes, the mile and three turlongs event at standard weight-for-age, run on the second day of the meeting. The event appears a foregone conclusion ae far as Kindergarten is concerned, but there is certain to be keen competition for the good place money offered, and, in any ease, Kindergarten is a suflicient attraction in himself. He won *the race last year, and the two that followed him home, Rakanui and Gladynev, are again in the race. Big Guineas Field. The field for the ’Wellington Guineas numbers SO, which is the safety limit for the mile post at Trentham. Those remain, ing in include the place-getters in the Great Northern Guineas, Atatu, Balfron and Skyhawk, and also Gulf Stream, winner of tho Wanganui Guineas. It is unlikely that the whole field as it stands at present will go to the poet, but 20 runners seems assured. There were 15 runners when Boulder Dam won last year. Valebit Destroyed. At the completion of a schooling task at Trentham yesterday morning, Valebit struck himself and so badly severed the tendons of one leg that it was found necessary to destroy him. Valebit was a four-year-old son of Mr. Standfast and Valeni, a Valais mare, and was trained by P. Spratt for Mr. F. V. Lysons. He showed some promise in his early three-year-old career, but invariably ruined his chance by lugging out on the left-handed running. In Greene’s Team. Travancore, who was prepared, for the current season’s racing by his partowner, Mr. A. W. Meikle, has joined up with H. S. Greene’s team at Greenmeadows. Travancore looked well when he resumed racing at the recent Hawke’s Bay spring meeting. Uncertain Starter. Though Cramond Bay is an acceptor tor the Rimutaka Handicap on the first day at Trentham, he is not a certain starter, as he has been showing signs of lameness lately. This is bad luck for trainer W. H. Hume, for on Grand National form Cramond Bay appeared to have good prospects of winning a hack sprint during the spring campaign.

Has Good Form. The Aucklander Marble Fox is to have a run at Masterton this week on the way south to Trentham, and her prospects read well in the Masterton Handicap. At her last start she carried .7.12 and was beaten a nock by Lord Chancellor in the Mitchelson Cup and the rise to 8.5 at Masterton should not stop her. Marble Fox is a bold finisher and the long Opaki straight should suit her. t On Tho Flat. Hasten, runner-up in this year’s Grand National Hurdles, is doing his racing at present on the flat. He has a sprint engagement at Masterton this week and will compete on the flat again on the first day of the Wellington meeting, but is to resume as a hurdler at Trentham on Labour Day.

Otaki Parade. During the racing at Otaki on Saturday several two-year-olds were given a sprint over two furlongs from a barrier start. The heat was won by Hoodiki, a wellgrown chestnut filly by Golden Eagle from Merial. owned bi’ Mr. -8. Sievers, Wanganui. Second was Killarney Boy, a halfbrother by Saleve to Duncannon, raced by Mr. F. Hurley. Wanganui. It was not a serious trial of strength as i most of the runners were under a firm hold. The two juveniles mentioned are to have their first race at Masterton this week. Knee Trouble. An Auckland report states that Chalette, winner of the Avondale Pioneer Handicap in her only start to* date, has developed knee trouble, jind it may have to be taken out of training. She is raced by Mrs. A. ,T. McGovern, and is by Chatsworth from Rulette, a member of the High Caste family. ' Slow Progress. The immense Beau Pete three-year-old Tara King ran an improved race in the maiden event fit Otaki, but he is not the type of horse suited by “heavy going and a turning track. The race should prove beneficial to him and when he docs reach his form he is likely to be seen at his best on big courses. He is making slow, but steady, progress. Encouraging Effort. After an absence of a year, Foreign Coin resumed racing at Otaki and he made a forward showing to finish a good fourth against more seasoned horses. The wet and softening ground how he prefers it, but the performance was an encouraging one, for he was in the picture all the way. Won Last Year. „ Student Prince, topweight for tne Glen Hurdles at Trentham next week, won the race last year with 0.13. He was among the horses to work well at Hawera on Tuesday, doing strong three-quarter pace work and then schooling well over two I fences.