RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 19787, 10 February 1928, Page 9

RACING NOTES

[By Bx. Cuib.]

RACING FIXTURES. February 11.—Dunedin J.C. February ll.—Taranaki J.C. February 11.—Poverty Bay Turf 0. February 11, 13.—Rotorua R.C. February 15.—Clifden R.C. February 16.—Tolaga Bay J.O. February 16, 18.—Wanganui J.C. February 18.—Canterbury J.C. February 22, 23.—Gore Racing Club. February 23, 25. Nelson J.C. February 23.—Waiapu R.C. February 24, 25.—Woodville J.C. February 25, 27.—T0 Aroha J.C. February 29, March I.—Dannevirke K.u March 1, 3.—Marlborough R.C. March 3.—Banka Peninsula R.C.

PROCEDURE IN CONDUCT OF INQUIRIES

The Racing Conference has recently issued instructions regarding thq procedure to be observed by all clubs m the conduct of inquiries. It reads as iol“For the guidance of all committees, secretaries, stipendiary stewards, and other officials, the Conference Committee has approved of the following procedure in the conduct of inquiries:—

“ (1) The secretary or his deputy shall commit to writing the grounds of the protest, objection, charge, or other matter forming the subject of inquiry, and it shall be read over to the defendant by the chairman of the committee, who shall explain to the defendant the exact nature of the charge against him. In cases where an owner or a trainei is implicated in the running or riding inquiry, the chairman of the committee shall read over and explain to him the exact nature of the charge against him. “ (2) The defendant, together with the person lodging or making the protest, objection, charge, or other matter forming the subject of inquiry shal . it they desire, be present while the whole of the evidence is being given. ‘ (3) All evidence in support of or against the protest, objection, charge, or other matter forming the subject of inquire shall bo committed to writing, and, if required, signed by the respective witnesses. “ (4) The defendant shall have an opportunity of calling evidence, being heard in defence, and questioning witnesses. “ (5) In eases where apprentices or other voung persons are concerned m anv inquiry they should be encouraged and assisted to'place, everything which they could say for themselves before the committee. . . “ (6) Committees shall state in their decisions the specific rule or rules under which any person is charged or has been penalised, and such decisions shall he in writing, signed by fbc chairman.

VANISHING LINE OF ST. SIMON

Under the above heading “.Beacon in Hie ‘ Melbourne Leader ’ says “ yire lines, like empires, flourish tor a period and. then decline to vanishing point. None but u brave man would Have hazarded the. opinion twenty-live years ago that the male lino of Vedette, through Galopin and St. Simon, would in a comparatively tew years be almost on the verge of extinction. Vet mica is the case/ The decline has been very rapid. A quarter of a, century ago St. Simon was at the zenith of his brilliant stud career, and year attei year he was giving to the tnrt an almost unbroken sequence of great racehorses, which seemed destined to emulate the stud achievements of their sire. No sire lino looked to rest upon a more sound foundation. The success of the Galopwi-St. Simon line is best exemplified by quoting the stud fees of the leading stallions in Eugland in 190 G. St. Simon was then commanding a lee of 500 gs, and his sons, Persimmon, St. Frusquin, and Florizcl 11., were each standing at 300 gs. The next two in the list wore WilTiam the Third and Zinfandlc, at 200 guineas each, and they represented the Galopin-St. Simon male lino. 01 the nine horses whose stud lees ranged between 200 gs and 500 gs six were St. Simon and five of Ins sons. Galopin and St. Simon and their_ sons completely swamped all other sires in England. The position was much the same in Australia. Hill ol Portland, a sou ol St. Simon, came to St. Albans, and in a few years established himsell as the leading Australian sire. His success was so pronounced that Australian breeders bought all the horses they could get by Galopin or bis sou St. Simon, and Simmer, Fortunatus, Hant Brion, Positano, Diplomat, Gossoon, Grafton, Merv, Far Nientc, St. Alwyne, Persian Knight, St. Anton, Charlemagne 11., St. Ambrose, and a host of others came hero and had a great run of success. Bill of Portland left two groat sons in Bobadil and Maltster, who were great sires. Now, let us see what the position is to-day in England and Australia. “There is not one horse belonging to tin's male line at the stud in England which is in the first flight of stallions. The great sons of Galopin and of St. Simon did not carry on the lint?. The best performers sired by Galopin were St. Simon and Donovan. The latter sired Velasquez, a great racehorse and disappointing sire. The line of Galopin through Donovan is practically extinct. St. Simon left behind him Persimmon, St. Frusquin, Florizel, St. Damine, Desmond, Childwick, St. Florian, Raeburn, William the Third, and numerous others to carry on his male line. The statistics relating to winning sires in England for the racing season just closed arc just to hand, and they reveal to tho fullest extent tho decline of the male line of St. Simon. There are only two sires of St. Simon descent among the first forty names on the list. The best representative of the line in England to-day is Twelve Pointer, a son of Royal Realm, and his fee is only £9B. “ The line has lasted longer in Australia than in England, and was well represented in the winning sires’ list last season, when St. Anton, Comedy King, Kenilworth, Limond, Sea Prince, Piastre, Highfiekl, Seremond, Bowman, and Rossendale were among the top lot. Some of them are de.ad and others are near the end of their days. The prospects of the line being carried on for more than a generation or two arc not bright.”

JOTTINGS

The Clifden Meeting will be held next Wednesday. The Winion Trotting Club’s Meeting turned out with a surplus of about £4OO. Messrs J. E. Henrys, A. J. Ellis, and H. A. Pierce were amongst the handicappers present at Wingatui yesterday. Arrowrair was nominated for tbo Nelson Meeting, but Las failed to stand up to training, and will be returned to his ' owner The match between Native Chief and Great Bingen will be started to-morrow, at 2.30, after the fourth race has been decided. Pink Note is one of the very few Otago-bred horses to have succeeded in winning a Dunedin Cup. Pink Note ran third in last year’s Dunedin Cup to Footfall and Vaward. This year’s field for the Dunedin Cup only included four horses that had ever started over a mile and a-half, and none of them had over won over that distance. Pink Not© showed signs of having met with trouble in the running of the Dunedin Cup when he returned to the enclosure yesterday.

March 9, 10.—Napier Park R.C. March 10, 12.—Franklin R.C. March 15.—Waimale R.C. March 17.—Opunake R.C. ■ TROTTING FIXTURES. February 11,— N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. February 18, 22.—Otahuhu T.C. February 25.—Greymouth T.C. February 2d.—Kahoura T.C. February 27.—Inangahua T.C. March 2.—Marlborough T.C. March 2, 3.—lnvercargill T.C, March 7.—Manawatu T.C. March 8, 10.—Timaru T.C. March 15, 17.—New Brighton T.C. April 7, 9.—Hawcra T.C,

Hud Satrap been well ridden in the Dunedin Cup he might have beaten Pink Note. There should bo a big crowd at Wingatui to-morrow afternoon to see Limerick in action. Mr G. Gould, chairman of the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club, was present at Wingatui yesterday. Stormy is not quite ready yet. He had every chanco in the Publicans Handicap yesterday, but on the day was not good enough. Booster drew the rails at tho start of Fie Publicans’ Handicap yesterday, but Money Order, who was next him, beat him in tho jump out, that was the end of Booster. He was finishing on well at the finish. Tlie first day’s racing at Wingatui this week may not have been a success financially for the club, but it is a long time ’mo there was a better d ’’s racing on the course. The success of Quarterdeck in the Trial Stakes yesterday marked the 599th time Sir George Clifford’s horses have won for him.

Additional importance is always attached to the Dunedin Champagne Stakes, as it was one of the few races that the mighty Carbine started in in the colony. He won it in 18S8._ Dunedin Cup day of 1928 will bo remembered for some time as one of th hottest days spent at Wingatui. When returning thanks for the gold cup attached to the stake for the Dunedin Cup on Thursday, Air J. A. Aingo promised to present a gold-mounted whip to the winner of the next Dunedin Cun.

The two North Island horsemen who attended tho Wingatui Meeting yesterday, A. E. Ellis and S. Wilson, did not have a very good time, the former riding one winner, Goblin Market. Yesterday was the first occasion on which a dead heat has ever been recorded in the Publicans’ Handicap in fifty-five years Goblin Market’s success in the Champagne Stakes marked Mr G. I). Greenwood’s first win in that classic, and was also the first of Absurd’s progeny to win the race.

The going yesterday' was too hard to suit Wlmniclifl'fiIf Felony could begin better he would he useful. In the Trial Stakes he certainly beat the winner out of tho barrier, but he docs not appear to he able to gallop at his best until he has covered three or four furlongs. Sir George Clifford’s colors have been borne to victory in fifteen contests lor the Dunedin Champagne Stakes, including a sequence of six wins irom 1915 to 1920. The stable horseman, F. EJones, also claims a good record in connection with the classic, as he has ridden nine winners.

When Goblin Market won tho Champagne Stakes yesterday lie created a fresh time record lor the race, his 1 min 14 3-ssec being exactly a second faster than the previous best, which was held by Ares (1922), Wild Hind (1923), and Tresham (1924). His Hinny friends were all glad to see “Billy” M'Donald lead in a winnci again. Ho had Koauau looking very well, and now that his luck has turned he may go on wanning. Koauau also gave his-rider, A. J. Peart, his first winning ride since getting his license back.

In the matter of physique Satrap is certainly a good looking colt, and there is a very great deal to admire in the line of Ins pedigree, for there is a profusion of great names therein. The loading lines in Satrap’s pedigree read as follow;—Sire: Paladin, by Polymelus (son of Cylleno and grandson of Bona Vista) from Cestus, by St. Frusquin (son of St. Simon) from Abbott’s Way, by Rightaway (son of Wisdom). Dam: Persian Lilac, by Persimmon (son of St, Simon and grandson of Galopin) from White Lilac, by Springfield (son of St. Albans) from .Eglantine, by Hermit (son. of Ncwminstor). ■ The three-year-old Blimp, who won the Nolan Gold Cup and the Inaha Handicap at the Egmont Meeting, is trained at Awapuni by G. W. New for the Christchurch owner, Dr M. G. Louisson. Ho can boast of quite a .high-class pedigree, which on account of his relation to Gorton is of interest in Otago, as ho was got by Gasbag (son of Demosthenes), from Marfaux, daughter of Martian, and he traces to the Gorton maro Lady Gertrude, who gave tile turf that brilliant performer Euroclydou. Blimp has a strain of Musket blood on eacli side of his pedigree—one through Cuirassier and the other through Stepniak. Jack o’"Lantern’s wonderful run in the Autumn Hurdle rate yesterday was the best ever scon at Wingatui. Ho was left at least half a furlong at tho start, and had caught the leaders at the end of four and a-half furlongs, and then took charge of tho field until after jumping tho last hurdle. His misbehaviour at the start was one of his worst performances, being second only to the Waino one. As he is only a live-year-old ho is likely to improve yet, and if he will only settle down a little at the start he will make a topnctch hurdle racer.

“ Modern in thoroughbred racing owes not a little to the Antipodes,” writes the sporting editor of the New York ‘Times, - in'reviewing the latest issue of the ‘Australian Stud Book.’ “It was from Australia that the rest of the racing world borrowed the starting gate and the numbered saddle cloth—two of the most important aids to the conduct of the sport—and they have other established rules and customs that make for greater excellence and satisfaction in racing. Those who have witnessed racing in Australia and New Zealand are loud in their praise of the manner in which it is handled.” i’ripaway lias failed to stay in her previous efforts this season, though she showed a lot of pace as a two-year-old. When she won the Russley Plat© at Riccarton last Easter she covered _the live furlongs in 59 2-osec. and beat feolgelc, Sbalimar, Wayward, and about ten others. She is an attractively-bred filly, being by Archery from Killiney, who is by Kilbroney froni the Stepniak marc Nithsevo, who is the dam of Charleville, who in turn is the dam of the 'great Windbag, one of the best horses that ever raced in Australia. Avant Courier, the three-year-old son of Valais and Courante, who has the distinction of _ realising sJsoogs when sold as a yearling, is placed well in the limelight on that heading alone, and as he is the only horse that has defeated Trivalve this season that, of course, invests his autumn iorm with considerable interest. There appears to be a fairly strong opinion that a mile journey will prove to be Avant Courier’s pet distance, and some of the critics hold the view that he will win high honors over that particular distance. An important race set down for decision this month in which Avant Courier is expected to play a strong part is _ the Caulfield Futurity Stakes, which is run over seven furlongs at weight-for-age, with penalties and allowances.