RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21751, 20 June 1934, Page 11

RACING NOTES

RACING. June 21, 23,— Napier Park E.C. June 23. Ashburton C.R.C. June 30.—Oamaru J.C. July 6.—Dannevirke Hunt Club. July 10, 12, 14. -Wellington R.C. July 21.—Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club. July 21.—Franklin Racing Club. July 26.—Waimate Hunt Club. July 28.—South Canterbury J.C. July 28.—Manawatu R.C. —Season, 1934-35. August 4,—Poverty Bay Hunt Club. “TOGO” JOHNSTONE’S DERBY TIPS. On the Sunday before the Derby, “ Cardigan,” on behalf of his paper, the Melbourne ‘ Herald,’ had a radiophone conversation from Melbourne with W. it. Johnstone, rider of Colombo, who was then in Paris. Johnstone expressed the opinion that Colombo would win, fc t said that Easton and Windsor Lad were the two colts he was a little afraid of. Both were good stayers, and Windsor Lad was improving with each race. Though Colombo ran only third, Johnstone picked well, as he selected the two who beat his mount. u Cardigan n asked Johnstone whether Colombo was another Phar Lap. , II "It’s hard to say whether we will ever see another Phar Lap,’ he replied quickly. “I don’t believe it possible in my lifetime. ' “ Colombo is a good sort ot horse, and has huge quarters. He has more quality than old Gloaming, but is like that horse behind the saddle. “ Gordon Richards is all that has been written about him, and there are many other first-class English riders who, in addition, are fine chaps, and my relationship with them is most cordial. “ The break in France at the weekend (he rides there regularly on Sundays) is pleasant as well as profitable, as 1 won my share of races here as well as in England this season. But I won’t be in Paris next Sunday. I’m going north to see the test match. ‘‘Take a double —Colombo and the Australians. It’s a good one. Cheerio!" JOTTINGS. The Railway Department will run a special train to and from the course from Dunedin in connection with the Oamaru Meeting, to be hold on Saturday week. Jj. ,1. Ellis’s winning ride on Mobile at Timaru on Saturday made his total for the season eighty. K. Voitre 74, W. J. Broughton 57, and A. H. Eastwood -IS are the next on the list. Lord Ranald pulled up sound after the steeplechase at Timaru, and was handed over to the Riccarton trainer, J . H Gillett to prepare for future engagements. He has not been paid up for in the steeplechase at Ashburton on Saturday. H. Turner, rider of Punchestown m the steeplechase at Timaru last Saturday, is of the opinion that his mount would have won had he not tripped over Barrington as that horse fell approaching the fence. Punchestown has a good chance of making amends at Ashburton next Saturday. Verdun, who won the Hurdle Handicap at Timaru on Saturday, was having his second outing at the game, and shaped as if he will make a useful hurdler. He hung on well at the finish when tackled by Rasouli, and jumped well throughout the race. By Shambles ho is a half brother to the Great Easter Handicap winner, Charmeuse.

At a meeting of the English Jockey Club early last month, Lord Rosebery asked the stewards it they would consider having apprentice races at Newmarket entrance free, as he thought this would encourage tho entries in

[By St. Clair.]

TROTTING. June 20, 23.—Auckland T.C. June 24,—Hawke’s Bay T.C,

August 4.—Christchurch Hunt Club. August 14. 16, 18.—C.J.C. Grand National Meeting. August 18.—Pakuranga Hunt Club. August 18.—Egmonl-Wanganui Hunt Club. September 1. —Otago Hunt Club.

these races. Mr G. D. Smith, the senior steward, said that the stewards would gladly make tho experiment, and they would start by haying an apprentice race with such conditions at the Newmarket second July, meeting. Wiltshire won the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase of 1928 with 10.0, and was successful again twelve months later with 10.9. Ho was unplaced in the 1931 National with 11.5. How his form has deteriorated is evidenced by the fact that he had only 9.0 in the W. G. Park Steeplechase at Te Awamutn on Saturday. A further comment on his recent form is supplied by the fact that he was only fourth fancy- He, however, succeeded in re-entering the winning list. A good performance at this meeting was that put up by Havering, who, with 12.0 on his back, lost the hurdle race by only a head to Silver Division, who was receiving 3st. Cleaner placed herself outside hack class when she won the Prince Edward Handicap at Timaru on Saturday, her total for the six races she has won being £527. She had been placed in exactly half her outings this season, during which she has registered five wins, seven seconds, and five thirds, earning £629. As a two-year-old Cleaner had two runs, both unplaced. Last season, she had 16 races for one win, two seconds, and a third, earning £Bl. The complete record of Cleaner is: —s2 starts, 6 wins, 9 seconds, 0 thirds, and 31 times unplaced, while her stake winnings amount to £7lO. Cleaner was bred by the late Mr W. G. Stead. She is by Lord Quex from Charlady, by Absurd from Lady D., by St. Denis from Lady C., by Ladas from St. Cecelia, by St. Serf. Cleaner will still ho eligible to nm her nominations in hack races at Ashburton and Oainaru as they closed prior to the Timaru meeting. A feature of the list of winners of prominent steeplechase events is tho varied number of sires represented. The Great Northern Steeplechase furnishes a good case in point. In (he fifty contests to date forty sires have had winners, and it is worthy of note that thirty-two winners are the progeny of colonial-hred sires. The ‘ Blood Horse,’ a journal devoted to the thoroughbred, and published in the United States, claims that the twenty-five-year-old horse Wrack has sired the winners of more money than any other living sire in the world, a claim which is not likely to be disputed, for they have amassed an aggregate of nearly £500,000. Wrack was bred in England, and is by Robert le Diable, son of Ayrshire, from Samphire, daughter of Isinglass. In his racing days Wrack carried the colours of Lord Rosebery, and he was a good winner.

Agility,- Graham Direct, and Ironside are two-year-olds that will contest the Lyndhurst Trot Handicap at Ashburton on Saturday. All will start off the front mark, and in this class each one will add interest to the race. Agility, trained by G. S. Smith, was not one of the lucky runners in the Sapling Stakes, and his place at the finish did not represent the limit of his capabilities.

The Ascot Meeting, one of the most important spring fixtures on the English racing calendar, opened yesterday, and the principal race on the card was

the Ascot Stakes Handicap, run over two miles. It was won by Hands Off from nineteen other runners. Last season Hands Off raced as a three-year-old, was started nine times for three wins, two over ten furlongs, and the other over a mile and a-half, the total in stakes being £763. Penny-a-lmer, who finished second, had only one wm out of nine starts, and Meldrum, who was third, one win out of a dozen starts. When a name was required for Phar Lap’s yearling sister, a well-known Rotorua guide was asked to select an appropriate name in Maori, it being pointed out that the meaning of Phar Lap was lightning. A reply was soon forthcoming, and the name Te Nira was claimed for the youngster. It his since been ascertained that the Maori name for lightning is Lira, and evidently the word sent down from Rotorua iii the guide’s handwriting was misread on receipt. There is no word Nira in the Maori dictionary, and probably the filly's owner will have the name changed to Te TJira. The New Zealand-bred horses Our Comet and Royal Visitor, who are candidates for Grand National honours in Victoria next month, competed at the recent Flemington Meeting, both running unplaced. Royal Visitor started in the Hopetonn Steeplechase, two miles and a-half furlong, in which he carried 10.9, and ho was second favourite Our Comet contested the Marlborough Hurdles, two miles and a-quar-ter, and with the favourable impost or 10.9 he disputed favouritism with Wayback (11.1). He weakened towards the end, and, as the distance of the Grand National Hurdles extends to three miles, his prospects do not look bnglit. Royal Visitor is still engaged m both Grand Nationals, hut the fact that lua first race was over country leads io tlio impression that the Grant! tioual Steeplechase may he lus mission. The coming Melbourne Cup, with £IO,OOO in stake money, promises to claim wide interest in New Zealand, for a perusal of the list of entries shows that the number of New Zealand-bred horses engaged is forty-three, as follows:—Li march, Blixten. Nightly, King March, Deputy Ruler, Master Bnerly, Minerval, Miramond, Palantua, Silver Ring Sir John, Theo. Inflation, Antique, Forestry, Peter Jackson, Lunbohm, Almacla. Boughal. Sirona Lion Heart. Round Table, Pawkv. Sir Nigel The Khedive, Ventrac, Chief Light. Cape York. Cape Morn, Greenhorn. Dazzling Raid, Hunting Rag, King Colossus. Movie Star, Sir Simper, Custodian. King of Diamonds Miss Noltava. The Masquerader, Whenko. Marcus Cicero. Red Bank. Upoki Anki. The Australian-bred gelding Red Manfred who is owned by a New Zealand lady’ is also included among the nonn--11 When the remit proposed by the delegates from the Canterbury Jockey Club, reducing the amount of stakes that hacks could win before losing their “ hack ” status, was considered by the Racing Conference last year,_ a number of members voted against it because thev anticipated that during the ensuing season clubs would be able to increase their stakes. This, however, has not been the case, and it now looks as if it will be a long time before the stakes given prior to the depression will be offered again. Realising that factor, the remit which i* to be again brought forward by the Canterbury Jockey Club, reducing 4hese amounts from £250 and £SOO to £2OO for one stake and £4OO for the aggregate, will gain more support. Last year the voting was 25 for and 21 against, but a 'three-fourths majority was required, and therefore the motion was declared lost. The South Canterbury Jockey Club also has a remit on the question. It proposes that hacks shall Jie only allowed to win one stake of £l5O or an aggregate of £3OO before losing their status, but that appears to be too drastic. , ~ The following is taken from the ‘ Horseman and Fair World ’ (Indianapolis) of May 23:—“Mr and Alrs J. R.. M‘Kenzie, of Christchurch, New Zealand, who have been spending a week here, left this morning for New pork. Before leaving Mr M'Kenzie purchased from Colonel Henry M. Bosworth the two-year-old trotting filly, Fair Warning, by Mr M'Ehvyn (Imin 59Jscc) out of Molly Warning (2min ISsec), by Peter Clienanlt (2min 4scc), second dam Molly Knight, 2 (2miit Glsec. dam of Pola M'Elwyu, 2miu CAsec,

etc.), by General Watts (2min 6Jsec). Fair Warning is a full sister to last season’s good trotting mare, Mary M'Elwyn (2min 3isec), and to Lemac, a highly regarded green trotter in the Ben White stable. Fair Warning does not have to rely on her relations, for she has shown Dick Curtis with the limited handling she has received that she is a high-class trotter. She recently trotted a mile in 2miu 22-|sec, half in Imin 7isec, quarter in 32}sec. She has been a mile in 2min 24sec, quarter in 31|sec, and has been an eighth in 14|sec. The filly is to be turned out at the Bosworth farm until ready for shipment to New Zealand, which will probably be this fall, Mr M‘Kenzie is a member of the New Zealand Trotting Association, which meets monthly for the conduct of trotting. It is composed of nine members. The Trotting Conference meets yearly, makes rules, etc. It is composed of a representative from every club in New Zealand, and is affiliated with Australia, and recognises each other’s penalties. He is *a friend of Mr S. W. Kelly, of Wellington, New Zealand, who visited this country in 1931 and bought Fantime by Guy Abbey out of Olive Fant, 2min 6isec, a sister to Molly Knight, 2min 6isec, etc. This filly is still at the Bosworth Farm, and will be shipped with Fair Warning. Mr Kelly is also a member of the New Zealand Trotting Association, and is the owner of David M'Elwyn, bought from the late Henry M. Jones.”