ELLERSLIE EVENTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 182, 19 August 1937, Page 15

ELLERSLIE EVENTS

' Early Bird")

Dutch Girl and Gadger Show Promise VALMINFS POSITION

(Special— Prom "

AUCKLAND, Last Night. Erndale, -wlio is engaged in both opeii Hat races at the Pakuranga iixture at Ellerslie on Shturday, will probably contest the former event, for the inile will be more suitable to him than the shorter fevent. He conies from tho sarne family as Paddon, White Comet, Chang and Young Paddon, so he will, be very niuch at home under tlie conditions likcly to prevail, which promise to range from. soft to very heavy. The weather early this wTcek Was more irtttled than usual. Apparently .Touatlian is not to bo raced ove-r hurdles just yet, for his eugagement at Ellerslie this week is tho opea sprint. La-st soason Jonathau taijed to get baek his 'form, which two ycars earlier had befen so good, and while he revealed ptieo he failcd to run on and so was retired for a tiine and Lhen handcd over to trainer W. kfi^Lean to be schooled over the sticks, an^ from all accounts the Thespian gelding has beai inaking a good iist oi' ii. ConsidFiable interest is being taken in Gallio's nexfc appGarance, which .vill be in tlio Dunedin llandicap on »Saturday. lt will bo remem b'cred that this brilbant colt brokc down so btidly on the cve of the N,Z. Dcrby at Riccarton last Novombcr that hope of getting him to raee again was despaiix'a of and he was iinally handod over to the To Awaniutu sportsman, Mr M. E. Tims. So well has Gallio progressed, with little evidence of the trouble that came against him, that he is expecteo to take his place next Saturday. It he stands up to the tasks allotted him lie will be a rare acquisition to the hand'icap rauks here, for he has always been brilliant. Dutch Girl won a mile open xace at the outset of her racing career, although the class was not very brilliant. This wae at Whangarei, and for some time afterwards she failed to win again and it was not until the last ineeting at Tauranga, two months ago, that she won againj this time in different ownership, and she followed it with a win at Trentham. Dutch Girl is m two races - on Saturday, the Jellicoe aud Auckland Handicaps, both mile races, and she is well piaced to add to her record. if ieserved for the minor event, for' on Trentham for ra she is not over weighted. Indced, if she could bo relied upon to repeat "Wellington form she would be oue of the tit bits oi" the day for backcrs. Will Nced To Iulprove Ellanui, a fair haek only, has had the benelit of winter ra,cing to assist her in the Auckland Eundicap on Saturday, but sho has liot doue as well as expected in her last few outings in view of the solid support aceorded her and. .so she -yfill need to improve to win this weeii. A better prospect in this mile is Young Paddou, who showed them how he could gallop at the recent Welliugton ineeting. Tho win lie scored there was Young Paddon 's first, but his form was, really good and he should do well this season. It looks like this fellow and Dutch Girl lighting out the haclc mile on Saturday. May Song and Paulstre are two very speedy four-year-olds who claim an eugagement in the Sylvia Park Handicap on Saturday and as tkey are well forward both should run well. As against this, howover, there Is Ihe laet that neither illly is very big and with 9.7 Und 9.2 respectively they will be up against it in the Soft ground. May Soug won a double at Gisborne receut* ly and so is in form, although it is doub'ed if tho elass there was- good eiiough to warrant sayitig that she would win this "week. Of the pair, Palustre may be tho better propositiou, and even in her case she wants'things all her own way. Much better prospects would seem to be improving hacks Hk» Rpinier and Oaptaiu Bruce. Won In Nacks Only * Valmint was one of the Auckland failures at Trentham last month, but in his case thcro was some excu.se,- for he had an abscess in the moutk. For some time after his return he wae dociie enough on the track to be worked without a bit, so he iost nothing by way of litness for eoming events. He is certain to he one of the favourites

for Saturday 's Jelhcoe Handicap ana what is more he m&y be dihicult • to beat. His owner is not lucky, however, fqr ho nas yet to win an open race and Yalmint is second. top weight, beillg within a stone of the Trentham double winnei'j Enge, as a result of his two second placings at the Great iSorthern meeting, to Boomerang and Royal Appellant respectively. Of the field, iu the minor hurdle face on Saturday— in fact there is One race ovei tho battens on tho programme — uone has better prospects than Uadger. This hack has not had a grout deal of cxpericnee over the sticks, and it was noticed at Ellerslie iu June that ho improved with each atteiupt, _ a pieasing featuro of his outings being that ho was always runnmg on. This will stand to him on Saturday, for the hurdle event is run over a mile aud throe-quarters, and with the prospect of the track beiug a bit on the heavy side (unless the pfescat line spell continues uUiaterruptedly) he looks like being the horse for the job. Gadger has schooled well since he last raced.