STRETTO BACK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 154, 17 July 1937, Page 16

STRETTO BACK

"Early Bird.)

Kiltown's Progress at Ellerslie NORHERN NOTES

(By Telegraph — From

AUCKLAND, Last Night. The annual report of the Avondale J.G. pyesented this week indicated further increases in etako inoney for the ensuing season, and the incoming committee is at present considering the prugramme for the spring fixture m September. In the meantxmej the club in tends to have the outside stand covered as well as going on with^ other minor improvements to its present very fine accommodation. No horse 'at Ellerslie is maldng better progress than Kiltowyn, and he will very nearly be at his best when he is saddled up for the Avondale Cup, which will be his next outing. By then tho present wajerlogged tracks iu the north should have firmed up, especially at the suburban track, which dries quickly in its exposed position. Kiltowyn may be at his best for the Mitchelson Cup at Ellerslio in Oetobcr. and perhaps later in the season he may be tried soriously as a hurdler unloss he provcI too good on the flat. Will She Come Back? Since going into R. S. Bagby'|s stable the three-year-old filly Stretto has been. shaping well, and it would not be surprising to find her back to her best before the new season is very far advanced. While she gave evidence of being good over a niiddle distauce whea she was seen running on strongly at the end of her, races last season, crities cn the other side oi the Tasman opined that she would be a sprinter only. However, she was a long way below forxn on tbo other eide, and perhaps she will do better here. In the same stable is Gleu Abb, who shaped like a handicap horse in the making, and with this pair the stable may already be prenaring some coups. Handicap events may not be so difficult to win in the province this spring with the crack northern galloper under orders for the Mclbourne Cup. This is Flood Tide, who is nicely placed in that rich event, and also the Caulfield Cup, and while he has yet to prove himeelf a genuine two-miler there is no doubt about his ability over a mile and a-half in any sort of ground and under weight. His three successes over this distance at Ellerslie this term prove that. It remains to be seen whether the north will produce auy other handicap performer this coming season. as good as Mood Tide; there are certainly several coming on, and perhaps the provincial horses will be able to hold their own with the visitors at the big meetings.

A useful hack that will starc ofi full of promise for the neiv season is the Taranaki-trained Valamito, whose efforts last autumn were so unlformly good. There is no reason why he should not run an excellent mile and a quarter, for he has been winning his races at the right end. lnvariably ridden by an inexpcrienced apprentice, this might be taken as making the horse out to be better than he rcaliy is, but in any case he will not lark opportunities in the new season. . Valamito may be a possibility in some of the valuablo country handicap and cup contests.

A novice in work at Takanini is Mood Tide's sister, Miss Lovelock, and she has been revealing some pace in her work, so that she snould not be long in winning a race. This may not be in .his country, however, for she, too, is under orders to go to Melbourne with Mood Tide early next month. Miss Lovelock has a good style of galloping, and while sho may not be as good as ner relativo ehe should more tlian pav expenses on tke trip, as so many otlier maidens have done when taken to Vieloria; it is fairly easy to place horses of this class there.

Stakos lucrcasiug. The raising of the New Zealand Cup stako to its pre depression value of iCUOQ has aroused interest iu Auckland, and now speculation. as rii'e as to whether the Auckland Racing Club will rise to the occasion when the time conies for it to i'raine its summer programme. ly. the meantime, there is every prospect of the spring fixture at Ellerslie oouring considerabie increases by way uf prize mouey. 80 far as the proviuciai racing clubs are concerned, the eky may wcl! be the limit for the new season after tho wonderful success mosi clubs have scored with their latest meetings aud this i'act may be to tke disadvantage of clubs in the lower part cf the Island, for last autumn the good stakes at To Hapa and Te Aroha drow quite a number of horses from outeide the province. Aiter having been added to tho list. Anion has returued to tho tracks nmi is looking well to coumience his spring preparation. He' has been a big disappointment as a three-year-old, for he was alwaya abie to gallop as well as anything at Takanini^ to fail repeatedly with the colours up>. Perhaps now that he will race as a gelding he wall do much better, and in this respect he ought to bo in line for a good sprint race later on. He is a free galloper, and while he is not big he has the speed lo more than hold his own. According to advices reccived in Auckland both Martara and Gay Talkie, smhrt three-year-olds of this season, have arrived in lndia in the best of eondition, and they may be racing within the next eouple oi" months or so. Martara is not going to bo hurried and in the caso of Gay Talkie it is probable that he would have some eondition to work olf after the trip, for he was mclined to bo a bit gross if anything. It will be very interesting to seo which horse proves the best under racing eonditions as pertaining in lndia; one enthusiast who has had a lcngthy experience of racing in that country selected Gay Talkie as likely , to do very well indesd.