NOTES AND COMMENTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 5, 29 September 1937, Page 15

NOTES AND COMMENTS

''The Earb.")

(B7

What appeared a strong team left Hastings for Marton but recorded only one cunm placing. Perhaps this disappointv.ig icsult muy be attributed to the fact that ihe Hawke 's Bay horses have rbeen trained on sound going while at Maiton they had to race under quite different conditions. Ownere and tr-'in-ers all said that never for years has such a holding trajk had to be coa; Itended with and ihe times registered j etnfirm this. * • • J The Gvefnmeadows two-year-old Gay Son had been acquitting himself in a xnanner to suggest that he would jusl about win, but at no stage of the niu nmg did he look likely. Only a baby, this was the first time he had ever beeu on anything but firm going. * * ' * Mahutai for a few furlongs ran an improved race in the maiden, but when coming into the straight in what looked like a winning position he stopped as though struek wth a pole-axe and was eventually pulled up. • # » • Jacynth in the same race was never dangorous, but, being a light barrelled filly as well as a long strider, the mud would be very much against her, # » * Big things wero expected of En Vidette in the hufdles and the softer the track the better the chance the Hunting Song gelding was considered to have. For about a mile he shaped as though he must be dangerouis, but then broke down. badly and he will hardly be tried again. He has been turned out and his box at H. S. Greene 'a stable taken by Mr. A. Symes's three-year-old Screen. Star (Siegfried— Painted Screen), * * * Helios was never seen in the first divisiou in the jumping event, but was expected to do much better. Patagonia won well and looks like being more than usefuh Trackman, third at Marton, appeared to be the unlucky horae of the race. • • • Three from here contested the hack sprint Bueter Brown, Thala and Joe Louis. The first-named, was in a hanay position at the end of three furlongs when he got a bump, aftor which^he j was not si_ghted again. Thala could not act in the going at all and finished a bad last — much below her true form. • * # Joe Louis. ran a first-rate race for one that is better on top of the ground, finishing a close third, and had he had the luck of the race he might have squeezed home. This event was won by the Okawa-bred Cute Melody (Nigger Minstrel — Miss Cute) a contestaut who, as previously pointed out, was weighted below her form, • * # Passion Fruit was the only acceptor from these parts in fhe open handicap, but his trainer, after running him along at Marton on Friday morning^ could see him with but little chance, so tha pen was run through his name. He was not brought back to Hastings, but unloaded at Dannevirke, where his owner, Mr. Breakwell, no doubt, intends to have a little riding practice before taking the mount on him in the Duke oi Gloucester Cup. » * •

Pakanui was the only one to make a race of it with Sihoke Screen in the open sprint, getting within half a length of the Limoud gelding who needed all B. H. Morris 's nursing to get him home. There were only four_ starters and the third horse finished three chains behind the second, while Greenwick, the only other lined up, was kicked at ihe post and took no part in the J race. She is a rattle-headed bit of goods and will have to mend her ways considerably to show anything like tho form sh.e .did last season in juvenili) events. • * # •Blue Shirt drew wide out in the Hack Cup aud found himself in a poor running position by the time the first turn had been negotiated. He gradually improved his piace and eventually crossed1 the line fourth— a fair performance when all is considered. j • • # I Blue Tiger could not foot it with his more speedy opponents over the early stage of the ten furlongs, but he was the only horse to finish with any vigour and he would probably have been the winner with an additional furlong to go. o # # A trio. Geira, Hunting Spy. and Pukehou, from Hastings, went to the post in the final event, a five-furlong hack race. Geira, a very long-striding filly, could not be seriously considered under the conditions, yet she showed an abundanco of speed early, but once heads were turned for home began to stop ba^ly to finish fifth, # # • Pukehou, too, showed plenty of pace and was out in charge for three furlongs and then stopped. Hunting Spy was never sighted. * * » Reipar. an unsound horse that will be hard to keep -up to racing once the traeks become hard again, narrowly won the Marton Handicap. He would, however, have been unlucky not to.collect the first prize, as he was out in the centre of Ihe track all the way, though it iQ quite possible the going was very much better there. Lowenberg, the favourite, went a fair race, but, though he is better with the sting out of the track, he found too mcuh taken out on this occasion. # # • The winner of the open sprint, Smoke Screen, was held to be one of the bept two-year-olds last season. This was his first. race this season on account of his having wintered poorly, and even this last week or two he had not been doing as well as he should at his eats, whieh points perhaps to this Limond colt being a little delicate at the present. Thus he may not be in the fettle to give Eoyal Chief a " go for it ' ' in the Auckland Guineas early next month In the heavy going he did not havq, by any means an easy race and it is qui,te possible the run would not help at all to [fit him for the Ellerslie "classic."