RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22442, 12 September 1936, Page 9

RACING NOTES

RACING. September 19.—Ashburton County R.C. September 19.—Poston Racing Club. September 19. 21.—Avondale J.C.. September 24. 26,-Geraldme Racing C. September 26.—Marten Jockey Club. September 26.—Napier R.C. October 3.—Kurow J.C. . , October 3.-Otaki Maori Racmg Club. October 3, s.—Taumarunui Racing Club, %^tobe°r a 'B, 10.—Dunedin Jockey Club. October 10.—Dannevirke Racing Club (at ‘ TV 12.—Auckland Ra c; ?e C October 16, 17.—Maaterton Racmg Club. October 17.—South Canterbury Jockey B October 26— Wellington Racing 26.—Waverley Racing Chib. _ October 86.—Waipawa County Racing §or'th Canterbury Jockey Club,

OBITUARY—MR WILLIAM CROSSAN

Th« late Mr Wm. Crossan, whose death was reported yesterday, was one of the best-known and most respected men:in Otago, and in the racing comzaunity h© was looked tip to not only as an authority on all matters P er * taining to the sport, but as a very clean sportsman. It is a wonderful record to have* been connected with racing for just on 60 years and neyer had the finger of suspicion pointed at one, but the deceased valued his .reputation as a sportsman, as he did as a business man. and his high principles gamed for iiim a circle of stout friends it is the honour of few to possess. The late Mr Crossan has been in business nearly all his life in Otago, with the exception of a short period spent in Victoria, and during the past few years resumed the proprietorship of the Waterloo Hotel, a house he has owned for many years. During his long and honourable connection with facing Mr Cfossan has owned a large number of horses, ana the most important race he won was the Dunedin Cup in 1912 with Parable. Many good judges always swear that he won this race a second time with Ogier—it has often been said that the judge was the only man on the course that did not think so. One pt the-beet horses he owned was bt. Uenis. In 1931 he won the Invercargill Cup -with Glenrowan, and probably made more money out of a good mar© named Aphaea than any other horse he ever owned. Many owners are only remembered after death by the good horses they have owned, but the late Mr “ Bill ” Crossan will always be remembered for his greatness of heart. A very wide circle of friends will join his widow, son, and daughter in mourning his death. Mr Crossan is to be buried at tne Anderson’s Bay Cemetery to-morrow, the, Cortege leaving the Waterloo, Hotel atv3 p.m. s' f

JOTTINGS

Nominations for the Dunedin Spring Meeting are due nest Friday at o p.m.

Acceptances for the Ashburton Meeting will close at 8 p.m. on luesuay*

Tie., nominations received for this months meeting at Geraldine total do-, an average of 22 per race, as compared with 382 last year.

Conforming to recent developments, the 7.7 minimum in handicap events will be in force for : the Wellington Spring Meeting.

The special three-year-old race, the Trentham Stakes, of one mile, again figures in the spring programme for the Wellington Meeting next month. It will be run at Derby weights, and the stake is £SOO.

The list of winning sires published In Australia for the 1935-36 season reveals that the number marked off as dead totals 54. The_ great percentage were well advanced in years.

The. Teschemaker Handicap to be run at the Spring Meeting of the South Canterbury Jockey Club, on October 17, has been endowed with a stake of £2OO. This race should attract New Zealand Cup candidates.

Travenna, Paladino, and Royal Pal were let off with light tasks this morning. They look better for the racing they had last week.

The three-year-old by Shambles from Brayton, the dam of Historic and other smart performers, has not been in work at Riccarton long. He looks a useful sort, but he will require time. Mr J. A. Smaill, with Golden King, Chryeology, Night Wings, and the pacer, Janet Gaynor, will take the biggest team from Wingatui to the Geraldine Meeting. The report from Wanganui that Wild Chase has gone sore is disconcerting. His knees had shown signs of causing trouble previously, and his spring programme may be seriously affected. Octane, who raced well last week considering the short time he was in work prior to the meeting, is to be raced over hurdles, and will commence his schooling tasks next week. Racing clubs i in the North Island have been notified by the Racing Conference that applications for permission to hold the next contest lor the Duke of Goucester Cup will be received up to October 18. Natty, the three-year-old filly by Pink Coat from Artistic, is now a member of G. A. Fielding’s team. Since she started in the M'Lean Stakes nearly a year ago she has been spelling, ■and has grown into a fine-looking mare. An insurance policy for £I,OOO recovered much of the loss sustained by Mr C. Curtain. Melbourne, recently by tlie sudden death of his four-year-old horse Carnarvon, who_ was_ purchased last season for 1,250 guineas. Carnarvon won the Gibson Carmichael Stakes for his breeder, Mr J. P. Arthur.

[By St. Claib.]

October 26. —Waikato Must Club. October 26, 27. —Gore Racing Club. October 29, 31.—Poverty Bay Turf Club. October 31.—Banks Peninsula Racing Club. . . . October 31.—Rangitikei Racing Club. November 5, 7. —Whangarei Racing Club. November 7.—Hawke’s Bay Racing Club. November 7,9, 11, 14.—Canterbury Jockey Club.

TROTTING. October 3.—Methven T.C. October 10.—New Brighton T.C. October 17.—Waikato T.C. October 24, 26.—Auckland T.C. October 24, 26.—Greymouth T.C. October 26. —Manawatu T.C. October 26.—Oamaru T.C. October 31.—Wellington T.C. November 10, 12, 13.—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. November 26, 28.—Forbury Park T.C. The training tracks at Wingatui have dred up well during the week, but the course proper is still very wet, and, with the Spring Meeting less than a month away, the caretaker is going to have his work cut out to repair the damage done to it last Saturday. Lady Kate is the latest recruit to the jumping ranks at Riccarton. Ridden by A. Stove in her first trial she shaped very well when sent several times over the pony obstacles. Yet she was nominated last Friday for the New Zealand Cup! It is reported from Riccarton that L J. Ellis was acting on medical advice when he took a holiday after the Grand National Meeting. EWis resumed riding at the Wanganui Meeting this week, but had no luck on Thursday.

G. Richards rode bis hundredth winner for the present season in the opening event at Hurst Park on July 26. He proceeded to win the _ next two events as well, and made it four for the day in the final event.

By his success in the Canterbury Guineas last Saturday, the Pantheon colt Billy Boy will now come into the discussions on the A.J.C. Derby. Billy Boy cost his owner, “ Miss Lorna Dooae,” 750 gs as a yearling, and has now won two races.

The Waimate Racing Club, after allowing £92 16s. 6d for depreciation on buildings and plant, made a profit last season of £149 9s 7d. The year commenced with a debit balance at the bank of £2l 5s Bd, and closed with a credit balance of £221 0s sd. Mr G, A. M’Culloch has been re-elected president for the ensuing season.

Commencing with the Ashburton Meeting next Saturday, there will he a circuit of race meetings in the south. The Geraldine Meeting follows on September 24 and 26, the Kurow Meeting on October 3. and the Dunedin Spring fixture \on 'October !S i and 10. f Then there will be a spell until _ the' Gore Meeting on October 26 and 27.

Although H. Gray was unsuccessful in his application for a jockey’s license, he was seen in the saddle at New Plymouth on Saturday when he rode the Wellington-owned Cardsharper in the parade of two and three-year-olds. His mount, which is in his stable, was first out and first home in his class.

The jockey B. H. Morris is booted to leave for Australia after the Wanganui Jockey Club’s spring meeting with a view to riding Oratory, Chief Ranger, Great Hope, and Black Friar in their engagements. During his absence the riding of the members of It. G. Morris’s team, which remain' at Marton. will be done by H. N. Wiggins.

The many important successes regisgistered by the progeny of Chief Ruler accentuates the fact that the Dominion lost a high-class sire when The Tetrarch’s son died a couple of years ago. The winnings of Chief Ruler’s progeny from the season 1927-28 to that of 1935-36 amount to £131,664, made up as follows: —New Zealand. £99,036; Australia, £32,628.

Gold Rod is now absolute favourite for the Melbourne Cup following upon his win in the Hobartville Stakes. There are still doubts about his staying ability but neither backers nor bookmakers, are taking any risks. Mr G. J. Barton’s Desert Chief has come into favour for the Caulfield Cup as the result of his recent good form.

Although Talking will probably not meet Gold Rod until they go to the post for the A.J.C. Derby, the Magpie colt will have several races to fit him for that engagement. His trainer has practically decided to give him what he regards as the easiest races. Talking will most likely run in the Chelmsford Stakes at Tattersall s Meeting at Randwick on Saturday and in the HiR stakes at Rosehill.

Although Oorban, sire of the brilliant Arachne, was not a very good performer, he is bred on very speedy lines, as he is by The Tetrarch from Scotch Gift, by Symington, and is a brother to Tetratema, one of the fastest horses of xCcent times. Arachne inherits great speed from both sides of her pedigree, as her dam, Welkin Queen, is by The Welkin from imported Wilga. The Watkins Cup is a new race which will figure on the card for the Spring Meeting of the Wellington Racing Club next month, named as a mark of respect and remembrance for the late Mr 0. S. Watkins, a past vice-president and life member of the club, and past president of the New Zealand Racing Conference. The race will be the principal handicap event of the second day, over a mile and a-quarter.

Two owners, Messrs T. A. Duncan and H. W. Moss, have each two representatives in the New Zealand Cup, the former having entered Hunting Queen and Entheos, and the latter Prostration and Boomerang. Three mares each hnve_ two of their progeny in the list, Graciosa being represented by Might ami Boomerang; Huiarau by Werohia and Captain Furst; and Enthusiasm by Mr Duncan’s pair.

At the annual meeting ol members of the Waimate Racing Club, Mr M. J. Meehan advocated the issuing of complimentary tickets outside the district to encourage patrons to attend the race meeting. As the revenue of the club came mainly from the totalisator the wider issue of complimentary tickets would assist the-club’s finances. The president agreed that the suggestion was _ good, and assured Mr Meehan that it would be considered by the committee.

The New Zealand trotter Great Way appeared to put up a wonderful i vformance by winning f. a 228 yards behind in his first race at Perth, but he was assessed on 4.51, and in the Dominion was capable of trotting better than 4.30. Imported horses will have no di'"culty in paying their passage to the West if treated on that liberal basis.

Cuddle and Arachue are both engaged in the Epsom Handicap, one mile, at Randwick on October 3. Cuddle is weighted at 9,12 and Araolnio at 8.9. As Arachne defeated Cuddle at equal weights in the Canterbury Stakes, it will be readily recognised that the New Zealand mare is confronted with a very difficult task to reverse places with her Victorian rival in the Randwick race with 171 b the worse of the weights. Under the circumstances it will occasion no surprise should Cuddle be set for the Spring Stakes, weight-for-age, If iniles, on the first day at Randwick in preference to the Epsom Handicap.

That “ the draw for the 1937 yearling sales should be based on the principle of drawing for the order of sale of each sire’s progeny, instead of, as has been the practice, the order of sale of the individual breeder’s consignment, and that it would be desirable to formulate a plan to draw for the sires of yearlings that are expected to be most sought after on the first day, and to divide the remaining sires as evenly as possible between the second and third days.” This is the text of a motion to bo submitted to the Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association in Sydney in October.

At a meeting of the directors of the Riverton Centenary Committee held this week a communication was received from the secretary of the New Zealand Racing Conference regretting that the request of the Riverton Centenary executive for a one-day’s racing penhit could not be acceded to and that the only way to obtain the extra day’s racing desired would be by Act of Parliament. The Minister of Internal Affairs wrote that he had referred to the proper authorities the communication received dealing with the possibility of obtaining a special totalisator permit for a race meeting, and regretted that he had no authority to grant a totalisator permit for a race meeting which would involve an excess in the limit fixed by Statute.

New Zealand is not alone in the struggle to keep step with crushing taxation of racing. The A.J.C. distributed nearly £IOO,OOO in stakes last season, spread over 20 race days at Randwick and eight at Warwick Farm, and for this the State Government held out its hand for £112,743 in taxes. The Government demands 9 per cent, in addition to charging racegoers nearly double fares on rail and tram. Totalifator receipts fell off by £76,000, punters preferring the betting shops to the course. Betting shops gave work to a squad of policemen and barristers, but that is poor consolation to racing clubs. The A.J.C.’j receipts from all sources totalled £210,476, but when the balance sheet was made up the surplus was £667. Much labour and little gain.

There is a possibility that Greek Shepherd will not make his reappearance for a few weeks yet. He has been suffering from the effect of a mishap to a fetlock joint suffered in -July, and it has not been deemed ad;visable to give him anything beyond easy exercise. He has not been allowed, however, to put on much surplus condition, and will not take a great deal of winding up work when it is decided to resume serious operations with him; but in the meantime a patient policy is to be adopted, and no risk of causing further damage is to be taken.

According to “ Spearmint,” in the Auckland ‘ Herald,’ no winner of an English classic race has ever been imported to the Dominion. The nearest we have ever had to a St. Leger winner in New Zealand is Leolinus, who was imported by Mr G. G. Stead in 1878, and a ,few years later was acquired by the New Zealand Stud Company to Join Musket and Anteros at Sylvia Park, where he remained until his death in 1888. Leolinus was a high-class racehorse, _ and _as a three-year-old beat Atlantic,' winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Ascot. The St. Leger that year was an extraordinary contest. The favourites were the Derby winner, George Frederick, and the great mare, Apology, who had cantered away with the Oaks. George Frederick went wrong on the eve of the race, and Apology was lame, and it was announced that she would not start. However, she was got to the post and was too good for the opposition, of whom Leolinus did best, being beaten by a somewhat easy length and a-half. Although he was no match for Apology, Leolinus had some good horses behind him, including Trent, who had won the Grand Prix, and Atlantic. Leolinus was a great success at the stud and was sire of British Lion, Fabulous, Leolantis, Leopold, Lionel, Tigredia, and many other good winners.