TROTTING RE-HANDICAPS.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17748, 11 March 1927, Page 2

TROTTING RE-HANDICAPS.

On account of their sufi&esses at the Manawatu meeting Mr G. Paul has pfenalised the following winnprs epgaged at the Taranaki- Tr.ottipg meeting on saturday: — Urenui Handicap : Loch Moigh, penalised 72 yards, now 120 yai'ds. Omata Handicap: Loch Moigh, penalised 48 yards, now 48 ' yards. Inglewood Handicap: Rania penalised 72 yards now 96 yards. ' _/•

It is reported that Arpeut may be' given a turn over hurdles during the winter. ¥ ¥ ' A specially happy effort in nomenclatpre is the bestowal of Cnrtain on : a' yearling hy Thespian from .Cowl. ¥ Merry Damon was withdrawn ,from all engagements at Franklin meeting at 2.50 p.m. yesterday. Eattlement is to go to Sy.d.ney with Limerick, and Calcite also is likely to be sent across nfext week with the two three-year-olds. Ninety-five yearlings have been nominated for the 1928 Sapling Stakes, to be run at the Jnne meeting of the Ashburton TTotting- Club.

M. Holmes has aceepled .an engagement for 18 months to drive the horses trained by W. Wajwen. He will 'steer Great Earl in the Manawatu Trptting Cup to-day. * * T. Green steered three successive winners at Matamata last §aturday, and R. Hatch's apprentice looks to have good prospects of heading the list Qf jockeys for the season. h' Bonny Spec was the outsider of the party when she won on the second day at Wellington, and the Winchester raare returned a healthy dividend -r— the second she has paid on the Hutt coprse. & . # ^ ' It is stated that there is a possibility of Manfred being retired to the stud without raeing again. R. Lewis is reported to have recommended this course, his opinion being that the Yalais horse has beconie incorrigible. n » f£>

Elzear jogged in at Addington in 3 44 3-5 for 13 furlongs, and it is pratty certain that wlien required she can go .well under 4.40. The Southland-bred trotter was well treated at Hamilton. & * It is stated that the reserve placed on the Martian-Kildee colt which was offered at Trentham in January was 2000gns. If the South Australian bu3rer has gone over that figure he has paid a long price for a youngster by a 25-year-old stallion. ^ # . The Australiaxi record for 2J miles. which was broken by Speaifelt in the Australian Cvup, was Pilliewinkie s 3.511, established in the same race a year eai'lier, Speai'felt is also joint holder with Kennaquhair of the twomile record of 3.223. » « ^

A. Driscoll, a North Island appientice ' rode two winners at the Banks Peninsula meeting. He was to have done F. D. Jones's riding at Dunedin and Riccarton, but was suspended foi a month for crossing at a northern fixture. Driscoll is likely to go to Sydney with the Riccarton trainer and ride when the weights do not suit M. McCarten. # % & The defection of Speai'felt and Pantheort left Heroic an easy task in the Governor's Plate at Flemington, the opposition consisting of three modeiates. The A.J.C. hahdicapper evidently does not rate Heroic as champion at two miles, and makes Speai'felt concede him 51bs, and also places Windbag and Manfred ou a higbei lovel, in the Sydney Cup..

R. Berry, driver of Patsy Phegan, 1 was fined £25 at Wellington for alleged careless driving. « * # Matinee, a moderate sprinter, was placed on 11.13 in a race at Opotiki, the next horse in the handicap being allotted 7.13. # * « Mr B. E. Jolly, the South Australian who paid over 2000gns for the Martian- — Kildee colt, also bought a filly by Chief Ruler. This is his first venture into the ranks of owners. Kildee is a sister to Songbird, but was of no account as a racer. The ViR.C. meeting placed Spearfelt at the top of the tree among the stayers in Australia, and his exploits will enhance the value of the Auck-land-owned stallion Catmint, who, like Spearkead (sire of Spearfelt) is a son of the Carbine horse Spearmint. » ^ ^ Margaret Birney has won the Peninsula Cup two years in succession. She carried only 7.4 last Saturday, so that there was nothing to enthuse over in the effort, but apparently she f.avours the - small track at Motukarara. $ # Through a mistake the totalisator was closed down five minutes too soon, for the Monowai Handicap at the Invercargill Trotting Club's meeting, with the result that there was a demonsti'ation hy the public. There was a small pool. 3: « ^

Ap.art froni his hig betting transactions, Mr C. B. Kellow has had no reason to regret giving-16,000gns for Heroic. The chestnut fiyer has won his purchase price in stakes, and it js reported that his list as a stallion is fiully booked for the next two years at a fee of 200gns per season. « v ti. « The Wensum, who led the field home in a two-year-old handicap at Flemington, is by Paper Money, and cost between six and seven hundred' : as a yearling. His suceess will enhance the prices of the Paper Money yearlings wjhich are to be auctioned ut Randwick at Easter. . ¥ & \ ft was announced a few days ago 1 that, if the. weights suited, Count Cavour might go to Randwick to contest the Sydney Cup. Nine stone to 9.2 is understood to have been his owner's estixnafe of a reasonable weight, and it will he interesting to learn how Mr Barrett regards 9.5. ^ ^ * Mr Wilson, handicapper to the A.J.C. , obviously regards Manfred as Australia's best all-round ^alloper. He has awarded the unruly one top weight in the Doncaster, and within ,3i;bs of Spearfelt in the Sydney -Cup. Manfred is asked to concede Heroic weight in both. ^ ¥ J. Wallis took the Boint-owned geldings Jackie Auduhop and Mickey Andubon to Invercargill. Their record was a second to Jackie Andubon and a third to Mickey. Jackie Audubon did not leave the mark on the secpnd day, and his brother, who is a trotter, went a bit unsteadily. $ # &

W.* J. Tomkinson had a good day; at Hamilton on Saturday, winning three -races — with Concliff, Elzear and Bridget Galindo. Concliff andElzear scored again on the second day, so that followers of his stable would recoup sojne of the heavy lpsses .sustained "at the Otahuhu meeting. Moratorium has done, well' since Mr "W. J. Doyle purchased him from Mr P. Delargey, and registered another win at Motukarara °fi -Saturday. He was, however, a trifle lucky, as Masfer Clarence was knocked nearly on to his nose at the top of the straight, and was only half a lepgth away at the finish- « ¥ #

Heroic, who has won over £38,000' in stakes, and ranks ..second ip Cloaming among Antipodean stake-earners. was threatened with blindness in his twp-year-old days. Fortuiiately the troub'le was Avrongly diagnosed, and the Valais horse has seen his way to the winning post ma-ny times. $ ■ ,¥ • The Otago Central pacer _ Dawson Bingen was picked out by visitors to the Vimcent meeting. i'n January as a promising sort, and- he has justified thejr estimate by winning four races and recording a second in another event. Dawson Bingen is not unlikely to work his way into Metropolitan .companf. ¥ v & * One .of the most impressive wins registered at the Woodville meeting was that of Kalos in the maicleu event the first day. With three pounds overweight, he nevel* gaye anything else a look in up the straight, after lying tliird to the home turn. When his head was let loose there was nothing else in it out the winner, .and the four lengths margin at the end could haye heen increased. ^ ^ "... Nimble Direct was not extended to win in 4.3? 2-5 at Addington ' last month, and should be able to 'better his handicap time of 4-33 on the same track this week. He will haye to imprpve on it, however, to agam defeat Escapade, Avho ran second to him in 4.29 4-5, and now comes in ,on 4.32. The trotting mare meets thC Victorian pacer on three seconds ber.ter terms. 31 * ¥

Spearfelt, like Windbag, was one of the despised in his yearling days, ; His dam, Lady Champion, with a Spearhead colt at foot, was sold in Victoria for 150gns. On the joyage to Sydney she injured herself so severely that she had to be destroyed. The foal was reared by hand, and'later was knocked down for 120 •guineas. His gross earnings now amount to nearly £'27,00 0.

^ -■$ V' A good deal of favourahle comment has been forthcoming concerning Mr A, R-. McKenzie's two-3reai'-old Gallanmore. Latest reports are to the effect that this promising juvenile has developed respjratory trouble. Gallanmore is a half-brother to Piuthair and Clarinda. The fact that he is by Absurd suggested that he _was never likely to reval his relatives, over a djstanee, but he might have been a sprinter of class. w » &

It was not particularly surprising that Mr B. Chaffey did not run Mapfred at Flemington. When saddled , up for the Futurity Stakes at Gaulfield, the cantankerous Valais fiyer declined to leave the enclosure, and . was only got on to the track by backing him through the gate. It 'took -1, lot of R. Lewis's persuasiveness to get him to the starting post, where he declined to face the barrier, and refused to take part in the race.

^ H- * Ro3ral Tractor was installed favoui'ite for botli. his races at Motukaika, but let his backers down on both occasions. In the Motukarara Handicap he swerved away from the barrier and was not persevered with. It is unlikely, however, that he could have beaten Autobiography. t In the Middlepark Plate the latter, very green, and making his first appearance in a race, outpaced Royal Tractor for over half a mile, and it looked a certainty that he would do so next time out over five furlongs. Roy&l Tractor was in front a furlong from home on his second appearance, but faded into third place. |

Kelman beat a" moderate field of ' pacers pointless at Wellington,- and the old trotter, like R. Townley's 1 other winner, Bonny Spec, returned 1 his supporters a handsome price. # * The Taranaki District Committee' resolved to remit the balance of H. McSweeney's disqualification (one year) which was imposed at the Egmont Racing Club's meeting in May last. # ^ ^ Tiff, who was put into work again a few weeks ago after a long absence from the tracks, is amiss, and prot>ably the attempt to wind him up will not be persevered with. # * # The Absurd gelding Jack Point, who fetched a price well on the way to £2000 as a yearling, was offered for sale recently, but 300gns was the best bid. He was passed in, and won a race at his next start. * * ® The indications all point to Rampion being an absentee from the A.J.C. meeting. This will rob the St. Leger, in which Limerick is expected to be a star ter, of a lot of interest. Rampion to date has won ' over £26,000, so that his owners may be esteemed fortunate in that nobody was prepared to bid up to the 1500 guineas reserve placed on the Rossendale colt at the yearling saies in 1925. $ ¥ #

The imported colt, Greengrocer, has been' in the boom since he eommenced his racing career a few months back, and in his engagements he has been entrusted with a lot of public money. At Woodville on the opening day he was favourite in the Maiden, and after making no show he was relegated to seventh favourite on the following day in a similar class, again to fail badly. Probably the colt has not yet become acclimatised. » * * Some expensive juveniles carried silk at Flemington last week. Among them was Avaunt Courier (brother to Valicare) , for whom the record yearling price of 550"0ghs was paid. He fini'shed third in a nnrsery handicap, won by the Paper Money youngster The Wensum. Sion _ (a _,4100 guinea yearling) was third in the Ascot Yale j3takes. Glengariff, a 3800 guinea yearling, won her first race in Sydney recently. * & ■ At the Te Aroha meeting the Shaftesbury Hack Handicap carried an unusual condition. The winner's share of the stake was £140, plus a sweepstake of £5 each for starters, which totalled £120. Awarere, tho \ winner, was thus credited with £260. and some discussion has taken place ! on his eligibility for hack races. The haclc qualification ends at £500, or one race of the value to the winner of £250 or over. The value of thc Shaftesbury Handicap to Awarere's owner was £260, and it is clear that ,the horse is not eligible for entry in hack events in future. * # * The *ex-New Zealand jockey H. i Cairns, has had a great season. • In addition to his wins on Heroic, he : steered Spearfelt in both the -Melbourne and Australian Cups. These successes will go a long way towards .effacing the memory of his disqualification in connection with Purser. Be"fore he came into prominence as a flat-race iockey, Cairns was in the first flight of riders in Australia over obstacles. He went comparatively unknown to Australia with a steeplechaser, and at that time 110 one could have envisaged that he would eventually blossom into the most-sought-after horseman ' in the Gommonwealth. - M » *

The worst news of the week was that concerning Jericho, whose racing career may be cut short by what was supposed to be a broken fetlock. The Archery — Judith colt was one of the most promising Derby propositions seen out for some years, and his retirement is part.icularly' unfortunate on that account. , Jericho, who was a half-brother to Palestrina, had done nothing exceptional so fdr, a- win in a two-year-old handicap and a victory in the Dunedin Champagne, compi'ising his total of successes, but it was his •commanding appearance,' courage and- latent possibilities that had impressed everyone. Later reports suggest that a toru ligament may be Jericho 's trouble, but it is certain that he cannot race for a considerahle time. ^ ¥ & The Auckland trotting trainer W. , Kelsev, who is now in Western Aiis- ; tralia," had an unexpected stroke of luck recently, when Dean Dillon won the Brennan Haiidicap at Perth. Kelsey was uncertain whether he woulcl start the gelding owing to an injuryreceived through pu'tting his foot in i a sulky wheel at the Christmas carnival. As Luek would have it, he took ; the horse to the course and early in ' the evening a stranger appeared on the scene, who offered Kelsey £100 to nothing if he won the Brennan Handicap. R transpired that the stranger was a showman, who had drawn Dean Dillon in a £500 sweep, conducted by the Police Union, the first . j>rize being £400. Dean Dillon was harnessed up, went out friendless, with long odds offered, and beat Owyhee Lass, who appeared tp have the raee in keeping half a furlong from home. '

Australian papers are full of advertisements by professional tipsters who claim ahility to forecast winners with unfailing re^ularjtj-. » The increase in the number of these gentry indicates that there must be a big market for their wares. It might be thought that the most credulous puntbr would realise that a tipster who had such knowledge at his command would ' deplete the bookmakers' satchels instead of running a precarious business. The New South Wales Go vernment has determined that it is time to protect the public from theinselves, and the Chief Secretary has introduced a BiH to amend the Gaming and Betting Act of 1912, and it ' included a elaiise which makes the sale of betting tips illegal. The clause is not intended to interfere with newspaper racing forecasts, but is aimed at specialists whose information in connection with each meetlnr; is disp'osed of for sums ranging from a shilling to half a guinea.