DIVOTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 47, 11 March 1937, Page 8

DIVOTS

'The Delver")

(Dug by '

1,111 ■ i Don't forget that general entrjeg for the Avondale and C.J.C. meetings must be in by 5 p.m. to-morrow (Friday), when also there js due a first. acceptance for the Great Easter and Autumn Handicaps and first forfeils for the Champagno and Challengi1 ; Stakes. * • • Nolana, who paid a huge dividend a division of the Juvenile stakes at Motukarara, is by Nightraid, and is a sister to Rose of Tralee. She gave C. T. Wilson a, win on his first ride sinco his suspension expired, • •> • Admiral Drake, who js now in his eleventh year and has not raced for over three years, is an entrant for the JHiverton Cup. His last start was in a highweight handicap at Riccarton, and he has not won since he capiured the Auckland Cup of 1931. • * • . The Canterbury Jockey Club has decided to discard the nuxpber cloths formerly in use and issue in their place a style similar to those in use at Trentham. In future the saddle cloths will be of black material with white numbers. • • • Cuddle's Australian Cup record is almost as bad as it could be. Though a fine stayer in her New Zealand races, she ran last and distressed in the Australian Cup last year, and she beat only one horse home this year. * w » Private information received in the South concerning the jockey L. J. Ellis 13 not pleasing. He has been suffering from trouble in one eye for some years as a result of a fall at Wingatui and a danger exists that he may lose the sight of that eye. • • • As further indication of the boom racing is experiencing in the Waikato it is interesting to note that totalisator turnover for the first day of the Te Aroha meeting of £53,370 exceeds those of New Zealand Cup day at Riccarton, (£49,737) and Wellington Cup day at Trentham (£49,737). • • « Aecording to the C.J.C. handicapper, Mr J. E. Henrys, Wild Chase should bo a "good thing" for the St Leger Stakes at Trentham this afternoon. He has awarded him 9.6 in* the Great Autumn Handicap, 1| miles, whereas he has placed Martai'a on the 8.12 mark.

iw w rv An interesting hurdle entry for the first day of the Ohinemuri meeting at Paeroa is the big Acre gelding, Boughal, who has been schooling satisfactorily of late at Te Rapa. On being purchased by a Hamilton sportsman recently it was the intentiou to put Boughal to hurdling and his debut in company will be followed with infcerest. * * J. J. Lewis, of Ashburton, one of the oldest trainerg in the .Domini'ou, intends to retire from the business (says the Timaru Herald). Among the good horses he has trained were Lady Lillian (Great Easter and Great Autumn), Wellbeck, Calibre, and Wharncliffe (Great Northern Hurdles), and Geperal Petain. At different times he prepared horses for Messrs E. Gates and J. C. N. Grjgg, and later for Mr J. H. Grigg and other members of the family. * * * Advice has been received in Auckland that Heritage, the Posterity — Homage horse at one time owned and raced by Mr W. H. Gaisford, of Dannevirke, and who recently won the Eclipse Stakes at Bombay, ran second- to Play On in the C. N. Wadia Gold Cup, one mile and ahalf, there on February 27. He and Mas d'Antibes, who ran second to him in the Eclipse Stakes, were favouriteS, while Synagogue, who was unplac'ed, was next in request. Heritage was beaten by a length and a quarter. He will not race again till November. L. H. Hewitt, his trainer, won a race with his own horse, Saint Amour, a twelve-year-old gelding, at the same time, and he was at good odds. • * • Mutable, winner of the £3000 Australian Cup on Saturday, is a four-year-old gelding by Drake from Varium, and he is trained by his owner, W. J. Smart. This breeding is of interest to New Zealanders, as Varium was bred in the Dominion by Mr I. G. Duncan in 1922. She was-by Boniform from Lady Wayward II (inip.), by Ladas from Vane, by Orme from Vampire, by Galopin from Irony, by Rosebery, l'ride, winner of the New Zealand Oaks in 1928, was by 'Sutala from Egotism, whose dam, Conceit, was a full sister to Varjum, dam of Mutable. J/ofty, who raced at Motukarara on Saturday, is a descendant of the same family, he being by Honour from Pride. • • * * A glance back over Ihe records, writcs "Rangatira,"' shows that the Wellington Racing Club in recent years has often had to bc satisfied with three starters in the St. Leger Stakes. In the eigliteen years since the war there have been three runners on seven occasions, and once, when Star Stranger easily beat Catcall, there" wero onljr two starters. The last two years there have been only three runners. The highest numbers of starters in the periofl under review was the eleven of 1933, when La Moderne estahlish&ri her race record of 2min 56|sec, which is only a quarter of a second slower than B'irst, Acre's Australian and New Zealand record for the distance. There were nin.e rumtcrs when Lady Pain won

two years eariier, but in most other pears the number has been six or Eewer. • • • With the V.R.C. meeting over, more attention will now be directed to tho A.J.C's. Easter fixture. Already betbing quotations are out for the two principal handicaps. Last week PameLus was at the top for the Doncaster, followed by King's.Head, and then, on the one line, Gay Blonde, Plymouth Sound, Regular Bachelor and Silver Standard. For the Sydney Cup there was no prcmounced favouritism, the first line being occupied by Alunga, Golden Promise, Mananui, Silver Standard and Wotan, •with Cuddle and Silver Ring qmong the next bunch of nine. Poubtless there will have been some definite cbanges as the result of the two last days' racing at Flemington.