THE TURF

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 5 December 1927, Page 3

THE TURF

events, 'but did not display much form. She is owned by Mr. W. R. Kemball, of Masterton, and is trained by J. T. Daly, of Opaki.

A Wellington exchange suggests that possibly too much notice should not be taken of Duke Abbey’s backward running at Feilding. He may not have been quite tuned up after a spell subsequent to the N.Z. Cup meeting, and in addition he had to be bustled in the early stages from an unfavourable barrier position.

Count Cavour, writes “Argus” in the Christchurch “Star,” bears a bright appearance and it will occasion no surprise if he shows greatly improved form at the Auckland meeting, compared with his efforts at Riccartori last month. When he is right he is a hard horse to beat and it is worth keeping in mind that some of his best performances have been registered on the Ellerslie course.

Licinius is said to have looked a certain winner when he fell a couple of hundred yards from the winning post in the open six-furlong race at Feilding on Thursday. Though he has had several planings in the interval, the Lucullus gelding has not been a winner since placing to his credit first money in the Flying Handicap at Hastings in the spring of last year. He was therefore fully due for a win, but luck seems to have been against him.

One fortunate investor who had a couple of pounds on Courageous when he paid nearly an “L” of a dividend for second on the first day at Feilding had been the unseen spectator of a trial at Masterton in which the Thurnham gelding took part. His amateur eyes were greatly impressed by the way the “maiden” shaped and he “risked his dough” accordingly while the horse's immediate connections let him run loose. It is better to be lucky than wise. )

Thus the Taranaki writer “Moturoa,” who attended the Takapuna meeting: “Hipo ran his usual honest race the first day, and with a little more luck in the running migl -."a troubled the winner. Never:. ,-,s, had he received anything like a decent run, Branson would have spreadeagled the lot. This chap is a real horse, and should win plenty of good races before the season is much further advanced. His final dab in that short Takapuna straight last Saturday was an eye-opener.”

L. G. Morris rode five winners at Feilding, J. Barry three, and 13. Morris two. Limond sired the winners of four races, and Acre of three. Mr W. Duncan’s Ruanui was the only horse to win two races at the pieeting. '

The imported grey Polygnotus horse Royal Picture, now ranking here as a five-year-old, has time and again been reported as about to break his maiden status, but in about a dozen starts his best achieve, ment has been a second. At Feilding two more complete failures had to be recorded against him.

By keeping hum to the same ciass of field. Fred Jones managed to get a second win with Arikiwai at the South Canterbury Meeting. On the other hand. Martarma’s maiden success on Friday seems to have induced his connections to give him another run fa open company, no doubt with the object of testing him more thoroughly for coming “classic” engagements. However, though made first favourite for the big event of the day, run over a mile, he could do no better than get second to Set Sail, who gave him just on 2st in weight and a two lengths’ beating, while Rascal, giving him 81b, was only a length behind 1 him. This scarcely looks like Great Northern Derby form.

The fact that there were four double winners, Thorndale. Set Sail, Ankiwai. and Battle Colours, at the Timaru Meeting last week does not say a great deal for the general class of those engaged. The Southlander Set Sail bv winning under 9st 81b suggests ’a return to form that may be demonstrated further during the holiday meetings, for nt her best the Solferino mare is’a bit better than ordinary. The only pronounced outsider to score during the fixtura was the five-year-old Clarenceux—Madama mare Jarretiere—French for garter—who, though she had had nearly a score and a-half of tries in the interval, had not finished in front since winning at Geraldine in September of last year.

Singlespear, of whom we hear today as the winner of the first division of the Camden Handicap six furlongs, at the A.J.C. Warwick Farm Meeting last Saturday, is a Maorliand-hred four-year-old gelding by Greyspear—Single Rose, who was taken over to Australia unperformed by the Riccarton trainer R, W. King some good few months ago. This is the third or fourth success he has registered over there.