RACING NOTES

Grey River Argus, 3 April 1948, Page 6

RACING NOTES

(By “Galtee More”) Should Atone The Peerswick Hurdles will give Battle Chief an opportunity to turn the tables on Turf Topic, who ran home an easy winner over the Battle Song gelding in the Kildare Hurdles on Easter Monday. Battle Chief would derive benefit from his outing and he should be capable of disposing of his opponents and start backers off on the right foot to-day. Overdue for Winning Turn

Bay Fort has been racing very consistently of late and he may round off his sequence of minor placings with a win in the Merivale Handicap.

The mile and a quarter should be well witifin the compass of the big Broiefort gelding who always seems to finish on in his races. Better Than Most Think

The main event at Riccarton today, Ihe Sockburn Handican, has drawn a well balanced field, and the outcome looks particularly open. Hard racing appears to have got to the bottom of some of the better performed candidates, and for that reason, the winner may well come from one of the up-and-coming lightweights. „ , 4 . Mestiza is a horse from whom the best has not been seen. She has always shaped in the manner of a slayer and usually runs her races in behind. The Sockburn will be her hardest race to date, but, like her sire, Wild Chase, the four-year-old mare is a dogged finisher and has all the attributes of a stayer With her liffit impost. Mestiza may be .lust the one to upset calculations to-day.

M The ße final event, the Grimcrack Handicap will give Winter Sweet a chance to make her record two on end. The sister to that good galloper of a few seasons ago, Foxolo score*! an effortless win in the Canterbury Handicap on the opening day This will be her stiffest task to date, but there will be money to say that she is eoual to the occasion.

Unlucky at Wairarapa Lord Azure, winner of a txw-year old race on the second day at-Well-ington, was hopelessly left at tne start, but showed phenomenal speed in a sustained run round the field. The Cambria Park colt was ninth at the post—a great effort.

Rounding Into Shape . Brookby Song ran in the Cup at Paeroa the other day, and showed speed in the early . stages. As he pulled up well, this great chaser has only to shed some superfluous flesh to take a prominent part in the settlement of leading cross-country events this winter.

Made the Grade , A On the small courses Dark Arrow has the valuable quality of being able to work his wav into a commanding position leading up to the run home, and, in this respect, Royal Victor was at a disadvantage at Tauherenikau where he was no match for the Nightly gelding.

Well Bred . , Oban, a three-year-old gelding by Nizami from Green Gables, a useful performer in the South Island a few seasons ago, was made a good favourite for the six-furlong hack race the first day of the Wairarapa meeting. but he was decisively beaten by Follow Suit. Oban was raised 51b for that placing, but the rehandicap did not get to the bottom of him. He showed gameness to hold on in the straight and beat the fast-finish-ing Bonnie Fair by -a neck.

Speedy Sprinter From the far south there came to Trentham another very fine galloper in Desert Girl, who came from behind to win ib p _, W.K.C. Railway Handicap with 7.12, and, on the second day repeated the leal with 8.8, smothering her opponents in the straight and running in an easy win in lmin 251sec —a great gallop lor a turning track. Desert Giri is a young mare (only lour), and is another of the successful Salmagundi breed. Her future is a very bright one. She was again responsible for a fine effort in the Great Easter at Riscarton, when she chased False Step home. Set to carry No. 1 saddle cloth in the Waltham Handicap to-day, Desert Girl is sure to be among the best supported and will prove very hard to beat.

May Surprise , , The age of miracles has not ceased and, as far as the racing game goes, perhaps never will. If General Argosy was to lead the field home in the Challenge Stakes, it would surprise many, but would be no wonder on the score of his breeding and reputation. Usually a good beginner, the Solicitor-General gelding is likely to be near the front throughout.

Potential Stayer Foxbav, winner of two small handicaps at two years, has raced very consistently since, the spring, finishing second to Shirley Fox in the Great Northern Guineas; winning the Waikato Gunieas; running second to Len Rosa in the Nihotapu Handicap at Avondale, and to Sweet Nymph in the Gloaming Stakes; and being well up in fourth berth in the Thorndon Handicap in January. He then won the Rotorua Cup, which made him a lit colt for the New St. Leger, which he won by sheer gameness. An ideal Cup horse, he might shine at Riccarton and at Ellerslie over a distance of ground.

The Selling Stakes Although regular race meetings have been held in Nelson since 1882 only once has a Nelson Derby been staged. That w'as in 1889, when six horses competed, the winner turning up in Jimmy Paul’s good horse Foxton. The Wanganui horse did most of his racing nearer home, and he won the Rangitikei Cup three years in succession, in 1890, 1891 and 1892. When the Nelson Derby was dropped, its place on subsequent programmes urns filled by a Selling Race, the winner of which had to be sold immediately after the event, the. owner generally making the first bid at an upset price. In the event of the upset price beeing exceeded, the surplus was equally divided betw'een the owmer of the second horse and the club. Country clubs made various local rules regarding such races, and they soon fell into disfavour.