TRACK AND STABLE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20036, 7 September 1939, Page 16

TRACK AND STABLE

PROMISING SPRINTER AERO KING’S CHANCES ENGAGED AT AVONDALE AMATEURS AND NATIONAL By “Trenton” Aero King, who is engaged in the open sprint at Avondale, has been given plenty of solid work during the past few weeks and, according to a northern exchange, is bearing a very bright and muscular appearance. He showed marked ability as a sprinter towards the end of last season, and his chances in sprint events'at Avondale cannot be lightly assessed. Winner in Australia Advice has been received that the New Zealand-bred Vagarie, by Siegfried from Confiscation, was successful in a two-year-old race at Morphettville, South Australia, last Satur- • day. Bred by Mr. R. T. Reid, Hamilton, Vagarie is a bay filly and she was purchased at the yearling sales at Trentham last January by Mr. C. Wheeler on behalf of a South Australian client for 240gns . Curbing the Amateurs It is the ambition of many English amateurs to have a mount in the Liverpool Grand National, and on occasions horses have been bought so that their owners should figure in that race. These inexperienced riders constitute a danger, and it is proposed to take a step that will make things safer for the regular jumping jockeys. A London newspaper says the idea is, in future, to bar any rider ("amateur or professional) who has not ridden five steeplechase winners in any country. Point-to-point and hunt races will not count as qualifying winners. Aintree is difficult enough without the presence of riders who scarcely know which way they -or their mounts are going. Yet to Appear There have been inquiries as to what became of the Heroic—Trasina colt, General Wolfe, who reached 2300 gns before being knocked down at the 1938 yearling sales, writes “Pilot.” His owners, Messrs. H. S. Thompson and P. C. Basche, gave him to J. Scobie to train, but he u f as not raced last season. Now he is to be given another trial, but this time at Randwick, with F. McGrath as his trainer. His appearance is reported to be in keeping with the promise he gave as a yearling, when he was one of the finest-looking youngsters offered at auction. A Lean Year In the absence of Ajax and with Spear Chief under a cloud, owing to leg trouble, it looks as if the weight-for-age races at the Randwick spring carnival will be robbed of a lot of interest. At present Defaulter should not experience any difficulty in scooping the pool, says a Sydney w r riter. It is unfortunate that an interruption in Chief’s programme should come at a time when he was regarded as almost certain to make matters interesting in the long weight-for-age races. Opinion of Ajax An interesting opinion of Ajax was recently given by F. Bullock, who achieved great success as a rider and trainer in England, when he said that races such as the Royal Hunt Cup and the Cambridgeshire Handicap would not prove beyond the Australian champion. Bullock saw Ajax fo r the first time in the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield, and he was very favourably impressed. So far Bullock, who returned from England only a couple of months ago, has not seen the best of the Australian horses, apart from Ajax, in action. Like all racing men, he is looking forward to the meeting of Ajax and Defaulter. > A Promising Novice. Cape Gabo has had a good deal of schooling of late over the pony hurdles at Riccarton, and shows marked promise. This good stayer should make good at the new game.