NOTES AND COMMENTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 28, 17 February 1937, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By "Ihe BarV) At Gisborne on Thursday Royal Minstrel credited Mr C. Haldane as an owner-trainer with his first win. The Nigger Minstrel returned a very nice price but his disappointing finish out of a place on Saturday would no doubt take some of the gilt o£f the gingerbread. • • • Dungarven has proved himself a performer above the average, but recent defeate have taken some of the glamour ofif his reputation. A good galloper indisputably, a mile or a trifle over appears as far as this Colossus gelding cares for, and perhaps eight furlongs is his ideal distance. • • • Sansfory. was started thres times on the other coast and won each time, a fitting reward to trainer W. H. Corlett, who has had no end of worry with -the Royal Divoree gelding. He is now out of hacks, but will be eligible to run his engagements out at Woodville this week-end It is, however, no certainty that he will start there, though he was never better in his career One often hears "horses for courses," but, as an English sporting writer recently pointed out, it might be more pertinent to eay that certain horses are at their best at certain seasons of the year Sansfoy is an instance, inasmueh as it was last February he strurk form and then went o£f not to win again until the Bame month thia year and then on totally different racing tracks w • • • P Burgess who rode Sansfoy in his three victories is not what one could term a fashionable jockey, yet some astute judges declare that there is no more able horseman in the Dominios than this Trentham rider • • • Hunting Cat, who was blistered some weeks back when he went sore before the Manawatn Cup, a recurrence of the Riccarton November break-down, is djOing well out on Mr Nelson 's Mangateretere property and, judging by his gallops round his paddock he has made a complete recovery. • c • Trainer V. H. Colello has an additiOn to his string in an nntried aged gelding by Psychology from Symbolism (imp.). He ils destined for a jumper. Colello 's other charge, Lone Spear, is gradually getting into. shape and when the jumping season comes round should be able to earn his oat bill. • » • Highgrader and Royal Feast are again in active work, though their tasks so far have not been of a serious nature. Last jumping (season many were predicting that Highgrader would be the find of the season as a cross-country performer, but unfortunately he eontracted ligament trouble. There was, however, no break-down, for as soon as his owner-trainer recognised the ailment he stopped workipg the Lord Quex gelding and gave treatment. l'hus there ishould be a good chance of his standing up to a preparatiom • • • Arthur Lord has now won the last four hurdle races run at Gisborne, two in the spring on Sybil Song and now a double on Jazz King. There is no fitter jockey in the Dominion than the well kno^n harrier runner, who took this sport* np a few years back as a hobby. Lord, who rides a fairly good hurdle or steepleehase, has been in the game since a lad, being a son of Arthur Lord, who at one time was first horseman to Mr E. J. Watt who afterwards set up as a public trainer at Woodville. * * # The Clive owned and trained mare Hunting Spy opened her winning account at Gisborne last- Thursday by taking the maiden scurry, which perhaps did not say a great deal of the opposition unless she has improved two hundred per cent on recent public showings. Bhe has displayed speed for a few furlongs, but twice when regarded as a likely winner has failed to survive the distance. • • • Tullamore, half-sister, by Tidal, to Ben Braggie, is beginning to take a little more interest in her tasks. Never hitherto has she shown fast enough time to encourage even a modest halfdollar risk on her chance, but this writer will be greatly (surprised if, as a three-year-old next season, she does not turn out at least a payable proposition. • • • Huntette and Gasman, who were trained at Hastings until recently, will not come back to the same stable. Both have been a little disappointing, more espeeially Gasman, who has failed to come within coo-ee of the predictions made. Huntette goes back to Goscomb's charge and in all probability Gasman will be returned to J. Price, who did well with him previously. • • • The double win of Jazz King at Gisborne suggests that the hurdlers in that district are of rather poor quality, as at Wairoa Jazz King, in anything but a class field, was never prominent. Summerhill was a big disappointment, but it may be first as wise to wait awhile before passing an adverse opinion on the Autumn gelding.