RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23679, 12 September 1940, Page 4

RACING NOTES

[By St. Oi.air.]

RACING. September 14. Ashburton C. Racing September 19, 81.—Geraldine Racing Club. .. , September 21.—Marton Jockey Club. September 28.—Kurow Jockey Club. September 28.—Foxton Racing Club. September 28, 30. Ohinemuri Jockey 3, s.—Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. .October 12.—Otaki-Maori Racing Club. October 12, 14.—Dunedin Jockey Club, October 12, 14.—Auckland Racing Club. October 17, 19.—Masterton Racing Club. October 19.—South Canterbury Jockey dub. October 19.—Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Hunt. October 19.—Stratford Racing Club.

JOTTINGS Reminder.; -Nominations for the Kurow meeting close to-night at 8. Nigger Boy Three-year-olds. F. W. Ellis has five three-year-olds in his stable this season, four of them being by the defunct sire Nigger Minstrel. Racing Below True Form. A Sydney correspondent states that Beaupartir has shown signs of soreness on more than one occasion during his work. He has been racing much below ibis true form. Sold to Australian Buyer. It ie reported from Gore that the Songbird-Unawed mare Solo has been purchased by the Australian owner Mr F. W. Hughes, and will probably be mated with the Derby winner Coronach this season. Joined Up. Captain. W. Pierson, B.Sc., M.R.C.V.S.. of Gore, who acts as hon. veterinary surgeon to a number of racing and trotting clubs in the south, has gone into camp at Burnham with the Otago Mounted Rifles. Big Commissions. It is reported from Sydney that a commission has been launched to back Beaulivre to the extent of £20,000 for the Epsom' and Metropolitan Handicaps double. After Bean Vite had won at Ra'ndwick last month the con-nections-behind Beau Vite and Reading are reported to have backed that combination for £70,000.

October 24, 26, 28. —Wellington Racing Club. October 26.—Poverty Bay Turf Club. October 26, 28.—Gore Racing Club. TROTTING. September 18, 21.—Wellington Trotting Club. October 5. —Methven Trotting Club. October 12.—New Brighton Trotting Club. October 26, 28. —Greymouth Trotting Club. October 26, 30. —Auckland Trotting Club. October 28.—Oamaru Trotting Club. November 2.—lnvercargill Trotting Club. November 2.—Wellington Trotting Club. November 12, 14, 15.—New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club. November 28, 30.—Forbury Park Trotting Club. November 30, December 7. Waikato Trotting Club.

Raced in Blinkers. When Sir Beau won the Wanganui Guineas last Saturday he raced in. semihood, now best known as blinkers. Northern reports of that race show that he had to do his best over tho final furlong to shake off Enrich. Good Place Bet. Pleading, who disappointed his connections in his races at Riccarton last month, has since been galloping well on the tracks, and with 8.0 to carry in the Novice Stakes at Ashburton on Saturday should prove a good place bet. Well Related. R. E. M'Lellan is reported to be working an outstanding three-year-old at Invercargill. He is by Nigger Minstrel from Morse Signal, the dam of Waitoru, Trebleack, Doubleack, and Ackcmma. Both Out. Two New Zealand Cup candidates in Guilder and Wagner are reported to be amiss at Riccarton, the latter seriously so, and can definitely be counted out of the New Zealand Cup field. Should Be Favourite. Don’t Forget won twice over six furlongs at Riccarton last month but failed over seven on the concluding day under 9.0. He is not up against such strong company in the Chatmos Handicap at Ashburton on Saturday, and with 8.7 over six furlongs is likely to be made favourite. Distance Should Suit Her. Winning Rival, with 7.12, promises to be one of the favourites in the Ashburton Handicap, to be run over a mile and a-quarter She does not begin fast enough to have chances over shorter

distances, but was finishing on strongly in both tho Brabazon Handicap and Winter Cup at Riccarton last month, and was placed fourth in both races. Reading’s Dislike of Beaulivre.

Reading, who was only beaten half-a-head by Beaulivre in the Canterbury Stakes last Saturday, would probably have won. had ho not attempted to savage Beaulivre in the run home. J. T. Cush, part-owner and trainer of Reading, said that if his charge had been allowed to wear blinkers he would have won the A. J.C. Champagne Stakes last Easter as well as tho CanterburyStakes. Blinkers have been in Australia for 20 years, the reason being that blinkers might cut off a horse’s view of tho running and cause collisions. Cush pointed out that blinkers are permitted in England, in America and in Franco. The rule in New Zealand, conformed for many years with that in Australia until last year, when by 37 votes to 12 the Racing Conference authorised the executive committee to approve a type of blinkers which might be worn by a horse in a race. Beaulivre had another narrow escape when the horses were in the birdcage after the race. Reading lashed out with both heels and they missed the winner narrowly, barely grazing his side. The horses were quickly moved apart. This latter incident was not reported and the chairman of stewards, Mr G. Wiliams, said that no objection was taken to Reading’s tactics in tho race, as he suffered the disadvantage. America’s Champion.

They race and win in all shapes. From tho winner’s circle at the Santa Anita racecourse, trudged an old bay horse, with rheumatic legs and knobby knees. Indifferent to the cheers of 75,000 Californians, he plodded back to his stable, stood calmly while proud hands removed his saddle and swabbed him down. Then, with the patience of an old campaigner, he posed for a picture. To Seabiscuit it meant nothing that he had just won the rich Santa Anita Handicap, the biggest money-making horse in racing history. But to the rest of the United States it was about tho biggest sports news of the year. An ugly grandson of Man o’ War, Seabiscuit was sent to the races 35 times as a two-year-old, but won only five times. As a three-year-old he was a plater and a failure. Once he could have been bought for 2,500 dollars. and was eventually sold to Charles S. Howard, a car distributor, for 7,500 dollars. Under Howard’s silks he started to go places, won 17 races in two years, seemed sure to pass Sun Beau’s all-time-monoy-record of 376,744 dollars, but then his legs broke down and be was retired to the stud. This winter Mr Howard decided to Iftt him have one more crack at Sun Beau’s record. Nobody was sure how Seabiscuit’s legs would stand up under the mile and a-quarter of the Santa Anita Handicap. For over a mile, while the crowd roared him on, he hung close to Whichcee. Coming into the stretch his rickety legs churned up the turf, he streaked into the lead, flashed across the finish a winner by a length. His time, 2min 1 l-ssec, a new track record ; his purse, 86,650 dollars; his total winnings in six years of racing 437,730 dollars.