RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23375, 19 September 1939, Page 5

RACING NOTES

[By St. Clair.l

RACING. September 21, 23. Geraldine Racing Club. September 23.—Marton Jockey Club. September 30. —Otaki-Maori Racing Club. September 30. October 2. Obinemuri Jockey Club. October 5, 7.—Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. October 7.—Dunedin Jockey Club. October 7.—Bay of Plenty Racing Club. October 9.—Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Hunt Club. October 12, 14. Masterton Racing Club. October 14.—South Canterbury Jockey Club. October 14, 16.—Auckland Racing Club. October 19, 21.—Poverty Bay Turf Club. JOTTINGS The Dunedin Spring Meeting. Nominations for the one-day spring mooting of the Dunedin Jockey Club, to be held on October 7, will close at 5 p.m. to-day, and at the same time final payments will bo made for the M'Leau Stakes and Dunedin Guineas. Another New Zealand Win. Silver Coat, by Pink Coat from Silver Patch, winner of the M'Lean Stakes in 1934, last week won a Jumpers’ Flat Handicap at the Astor meeting. Ho carried 10.0 and beat a good field in Imin 29 l-ssec, a.time record for the race. Will Be Fancied. Shadeland, a stable mat© of Mute, is engaged in both trotting races at the Wellington meeting, and on his sound displays at Addington last month should have good prospects. He has made good progress under the care of D. Bennett. Should Race Well. The Auckland-owned Great Je\vel has been entered for the two principal pacing races at Hutt Park, and he should add interest to the events. He derived benefit from racing at the Addington meeting, where lie showed up well in some of his races. The Hill Stakes. Gold Rod, winner of the Hill Stakes at. the Rosehill meeting on Saturday, also won this race last year. Other horses who have won this race twice are Phar Lap 1930 and 1931, Limerick in 1927 and 1928, The Hawk 1923 and 1925, and Gloaming 1919 and 1922. Wellington Stakes Favourite. The fine form of Three Tens as a two-year-old will bring him into prominence for the Wellington Stakes on September 23. In his last three starts the Jack Potts pacer was second, and liis gallant effort when narrowly beaten by Sir Julien in the Sapling Stakes suggested that he would develop into a fine three-year-old. A Big Dividend. Had Passing By won the Selma Trotting Handicap on Saturday instead of running third he would have returned his few backers an outsize dividend, as only £7 10s was invested on his chance in the straight-out totalisator. His backers for a place secured a good double-figure price. Passing By is a four-year-old by Wrack _ from Doll Dance, and trained by his owner, J. Bell, jun.-, at Tinwald. Answer to Correspondent. Mimetic, the sire of Gay Mimic, who is engaged in the New Zealand Cup, was by Comedy King from Joyeuse, by Bayardo, by Bay Ronald, by Hampton. As a two-year-old Mimetic won the Great Northern Foal Stakes, £1,500, and as a three-year-old the Shorts Handicap at Trentbam and the Members’ Handicap at Riecartou. He was trained by J . H. Jefford for Mr A. B. Williams, and died in 1934. Winners to DateThere have been five contests for the John Grigg Stakes, and the winning list is as follows: —1935, Wild Chase; 1930, Guinea Fowl; 1937, Ortys; 1938, Master Hotspur; and 1939, Gold Flight. Wild Chase, Guinea Fowl, and Master Hotspur were trained at Riccarton, Ortyx at Wingatui, and Gold Flight is from Riverton. Disdain’s Reappearance. The most interesting runner m the open sprint at Awapuni was the Christchurch-owned Disdain, winner of the Auckland Railway Handicap. Disdain was very burly, but she looked re markably well and ran a good race Her speed enabled her to occupy a position handy to the leaders nearing the straight, but she was not prominent in the run home. When tuned up she will take beating.

A Derby Trial. The Rpsehill Guineas, rjui over nine furlongs on Saturday, is looked on as a good trial race for the A.J.C. Derby to be run a fortnight later. Two New Zealand-bred horses in High Caste and Wilson finished first and third, but the former had only half a head margin from Reading when the post was reached. Previous winners of this race to win the Derby have been Biplane, 1917, and Phar Lap. 1929. The winners of tlie last two races for the Guineas Aroius (1937) and Ajax (1938), finished second in the Derbies of those seasons.

Imperial Jade. The full sister to Indianapolis, Imperial Jade, showed a lot of pace over the early stages of the first trotting race at Ashburton on Saturday, and after losing her position at the end of six furlongs was travelling fast again at the finish, where she was close up seventh. Imperial Jade is a very handsome filly, but looked too big in condition to show, her best just yet. She is trained by M. Holmes for Messrs M'Farlane and Scott, who also had Mackscot in the same race. New Zealanders in A.J.C. Derby. High Caste’s success in the Rosehil 1 Guineas on Saturday will bring him into strong favour for the A.J.C. Derby again. He is by Bulandshar from The Begum. The running of Reading, win* finished second, and Nilson, who was less than a length behind the winner after covering more ground than any other in the race, and Gold Salute who finished second in a high-weight handicap, also run over nine furlongs, will also bring them into prominence for the Derby. This classic promises u» provide one of the most interesting contests for some years, and the three New Zealanders named appear to hold an excellent chance of scoring another win for the Dominion.

October 19, 21, 23.—Wellington Racing Club. October 21, 23.-Gore Racing Club.

TROTTING. September 20. 23. Wellington T.C. September 30.—Metlueu T.C. October 7.—New BngbUm T.C. October 21, 23. -Greymuutb T.C. October 21, 23, or 25.—Auckland T.C. October 23 -Oamaru T.C. October 25, 28.—Wellington T.C. October 25. 28. —lnvercargill T.C. November 7. 9, 10.—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. November 23, 25.—Forbury Park T.C. December 2.—Wairio T.C. December 2.—New Brighton T.C. December 2. Waikato T.C. December 9. —Roxburgh T.C.

St. Cloud Will Be Fancied. A dozen of those handicapped for the Ohapi Hack Handicap dropped out last night, leaving a probable field of 17, including St. Cloud, who raced well at Ashburton, and is likely to be made favourite.

Wardress an Acceptor. Wardress’s name did not appear in the telegraphed list of handicaps for the Geraldine Cup but, with 7.2, is in the list of acceptors. On her Ashburton form this good-looking marc will find the course more against her than the impost. has also been paid up for in the Bellfield Hack Handicap, in which she has 9.7.

A Big Field. Only Stndley Royal. Lady Middleham, Mount Val, and Pink Robe have dropped out of the Geraldine Cup, leaving a field of 19. The safety number to start from the mile and a-quarter barrier at the Orari course is 20, so the race will not have to be run in divisions.

Wingatui Jumpers. Pink Robe, who will start in the hurdles at Geraldine on Thursday in preference to the cup, was schooled by her trainer over a couple of hurdles at Wingatui this morning, jumping fast and well. Afterwards she sprinted home over two furlongs on the sand track in about 28sec. Travenna, ridden by a light-weight, finished up half-pace work by running half a mile on the same track in 57 3-ssec.

Work at Wingatui. After heavy rain during the night the tracks at Wingatui- were in good order, but a little slow, this morning. There was little fast work done. Spearthrust and Islay Downs were going easily throughout seven furlongs on the sand in linin 39sec, the last three in 41 2-ssec. Janefield led throughout from St. Amyas and Bere ißegis over six furlongs on the grass in Imin 18 l-ssee. Nightwings was sent about a mile and a-puarter on the sand, sprinting' home over the last six in Imin 23 sec and the last three in 41 l-ssec. Straightdell beat a companion over half a mile on the grass in 50 2-ssec. Foxy completed half a mile, also on the grass, in 54 4-ssec. Valantua beat Brilliant Boa over six furlongs on the plough, the last five in Imin 4 3-sseo.

A Caulfield Cup Favourite. When Pure Gold (by Heroic from Herowinkie) won the second division of the Warriston Handicap at the Victoria Turf Club’s meeting on September 2, he returned to favour for the Caulfield Cup, in which he ,is weighted at 6.9. His other success in the Moonee Valley Stakes, one mile, on Saturday will bring him into further demand, and he established a new time record, Imin 39sec. Pure Gold is now to be reserved for the Caulfield Guineas and Cup, and if he can be kept sound he will be hard to heat, especially in the Guineas. Pure Gold, a full brother to Hall Mark, is trained by J. Holt, and it is said that at times he shows tenderness just below one of his shoulders. He has been withdrawn from the A.J.C. Derby, but still remains in the Victorian classic. Feminist Fancied. Apart from Defaulter, the most impressive performer in the Warwick Stakes was the Metropolitan candidate Feminist, says an Australian writer. Like Defaulter, she is a stayer, but she developed unexpected speed. She was racing with Defaulter all the way and, after he left her, she struggled on well, and was able to withstand the powerful finishing run of St. Constant. who was able to make only a dead-heat for second with her. It was, therefore, not surprising that Feminist became a clear favourite for the Metropolitan Handicap. She is engaged in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, but is almost certain to run in the Metropolitan before going to Melbourne. Carrying On. Discussing the question of carrying on racing at the present time, “ Chiron.” in the ‘ Australasian,’ says: “As Australia, in common with the rest of the British Empire, is concerned in the war which Germany began against Poland, there is every likelihood of the suggestion being made that racing should be curtailed in Victoria. It will be urged that when the fate of civilisation is at stake it is no time for people to indulge in a sport like horse racing. There are, however, other aspects of the matter which call for careful consideration. One is that people need something to take their minds from almost uneding wireless announcements regarding the preparation and the progress of the fighting. It has become a tradition of the British race to carry on as usual in times of crisis like the present, and there is no reason why we should depart from it in the present instance.” Proprietary Racing in N.S.W.

A recommendation that win-and-placo totalisators, with a unit of 5s or less, should be installed on all racecourses is included in the report of the committee established by the New South Wales Government to consider the conversion of proprietary racing clubs to non-proprietary. The Act under which the committee functions provides that the clubs shall convert to non-proprietary by 1943, but the committee has recommended that the change over should be completed by the close of 1940. The report of the committee on the forfeiture of the Saturday meetings by the Rosebery and Victoria Park Clubs recommends that those clubs should be allotted the Wednesday meetings of the Ascot and Kensington Clubs in exchange, which would give each club 17 or IS meetings each year, instead of 12 as at present.

New Zealander Wins Durban Cup. The victory of Tobunga, by Posterity, from Impetuous, in the Durban Gold Cup last mouth marked the most important success achieved in South Africa hy a New Zealand-bred horse, where many have proved consistently good performers. Tobunga was purchased by Sir J. B. Robinson at the national

sale of thoroughbred yearlings at Trentham in 193 d. and last season won several races, the most important being the Umgeni Handicap at Durban. He attracted special attention in the Berea Handicap, when, after being badly checked at a critical stage, he was narrowly beaten by Brainstorm. The Durban Gold Cup, run over two miles, is the most valuable event in the Union, and carried a stake of £2,300, and gold cup valued at £2OO Tohunga raced in the interest of his trainer, 51, Whiteford, who came into possession of the horse when Sir J. B. Robinson presented his horses to the various trainers in charge of them before he left last year on an extended overseas tour.