AUCLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 53

AUCLAND TOPICS.

By

Digger

After making good progress towards recovery from the accident he met with before the Great Northern meeting, Zippor developed tetanus a week ago, and it was found necessary to destroy him. He was a very brilliant hurdler and his loss is a serious one. H. Rama has not overtaxed Tanenri and Manawhenua since the Great Northern meeting, but he has sprinted them during the week, and they are both in fine condi'ion. Being good mudlarks they are certain to race well at Trentham. where they will have their next outings. - That promising jumper Singleton appears to be working more freely, of late, and his condition is now better than when he ran so well in the Great Northern Hurdles. He will be one of the Auckland visitors to Trentham to contest the big hurdle races. The hunters Billy Boy and Town Beauty continue to please in their schooling, and they are likely to be very hard to beat in races for this class at the Taumarunui meeting. The grey horse Dominican has recently been brought to Ellerslie to do his schooling. He has shaped fairly well, hut is not yet a finished hurdler although his pace will stand him in good stead among a moderate lot of hunters. J. Williamson has decided not to persevere with Corinax for the preesnt. and this good horse has been turned out. He is under suspicion of unsoundness, and the turf may have seen the best of him. D. Monaghan has leased the veteran Kamehameha to the Takanini trainer R. Gourlay, and he may be taken to Gisborne to race at the winter meetings. Kamehameha was going well in the winter steeplechase at Ellerslie when his saddle broke and he had to be pulled up. Ruffles, continues to gallop in a style that indicates he is at his very best. He has been a little unlucky of late, but another winning turn may not be far off. He is at his best in the present heavy state of the tracks. F. Gilchrist has Hampton Park and Puriri Park both sprinting in fine style, and either has only to reproduce track form to win at short notice. Puriri Park did not shape well in the heavy ground at the Great Northern meeting, but later on he will show that he is a galloper above the ordinary. Gay Cockade’s effort in the Cornwall Handicap showed him to be in good shape. He has been a consistent but unlucky horse all through his racing career, but he' is now working, well, and his turn may come at the Taumarunui meeting at the week-end. He is another that relishes a soft track. It was not till the final race of the Great Northern meeting that Catoma ran up to track form to score an easy victory.

In the interval he has done everything asked of him in fine style, and track watchers fully expect him to extend his record at the Taumarunui meeting. At his .best the Pukekohe-trained Helium is a very useful horse, and he may now be at his best. He is expected to race in keeping with his best efforts at Ellerslie at the week-end. In his first essays over hurdles at Ellerslie Omanaka went well for a mile and a-half. It is natural to assume that he will derive some benefit from that experience, and he should do well' over the shorter distances at Ellerslie on Saturday and Monday. Early June form showed Lady’s Boy to be back to his best. He is a genuine and very solid galloper on heavy tracks, and he will need only to reproduce Great Northern form to be very hard to beat on Saturday.