Racing Bits and Turf Tattle

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 196, 12 April 1932, Page 2

Racing Bits and Turf Tattle

HORSES AND HORSEMEN.

SETTLING AT TRENTHAM. Out riding at Trentham on a reeent morning was R. Hawkins, who is settling at Trentham- Hawkins returned to New Zealand from Indiaabout seven months ago, and during the summer and autumn resided at Riccarton. He had several erosscountry successes in India, including victories in the Grand National Steeples (at Lahore) and the Lucknow Grand National Steeples in 1930, and lately has brought home winners on the flat in the South Island, including successes on Semper Paratus at Blenheim and on Elude at Riccarton last month. He will assist in schooling the Trentham jumpers during the winter, among the number prohahly being Pahu, Marjoram, The Sun, and Kelstar. Tai Ao's Series.

The East Coaster, Tai Ao, contmues on his winning way and now has six brackets on end. Against a number of fairly useful sorts in the Autumn Handicap at the Hawlce's Bay meeting, he carried all but 10.10 and beat Royal Hunting with ease. This three-year-old will race in open company in the future and his record is sure to he lengthened before the season's close. He scored another success on Saturday. Woman Trainer's Success. It is on the cards that a woman will head the trainers' list in New ^Zealand this year (says thei Referee,;. Prior to the Easter racing, Mrs, A. W. McDonald, of Awapuni, was the leading trainer. T. George, who led in five winners, headed her, hut as Mrs. MsDonald has a big team, which includes jumpers, she may regain the lead. Twenty-four winners have been turned out by Mrs. McDonald and 28 by George this season. Nearest them on the ladder are E. J. Ellis and A. Cook. If Mrs. McDonald does head the list, she will undoubtredly be the first woman trainer in any important racing country to do so. Murray-Aynsley's Team.

G. Murray-Aynsley has allotted Meprisant and Riri a sp'ell for a few weeks, and has put Silver Scorn and Berate aside for the winter. He is keeping Muff and Ihakara in commission and intends to race them at the Amberley fixture .at the end of this month. The two-year-olds have both recovered from the troubles which prevented them racing at the Riccarton meeting. Silver Scorn suffered from a chill, and Berate wrenched herself whilst galloping on the track, but both have gone into winter quarters in the best of order, and much interest will attach to their appearance as three-year-olds. Proved a Disappointment. When Mr. Boyle's Rational II won the Douro Cup two years ago he looked the makings of a good horse, but he subsequently proved a disappointment and the trip to Australia completely knocked him back. Last August Mr. Boyle disposed of him to Mr. P. Thorpy, of Greymouth, and for a long time the Australian-hred gelding continued on his disappointing way. Lately, however, he has b^en racing very consistently. He won a double at the C.J.C. Easter meeting, and his recovered -form' is a tribute to his veteran trainer, W. McDonald

Lucky Yearling Purchase. An interesting story connected with .the purchase of Johnnie Jason serves to illustrate the luck attached to the buying of a horse. The Newcastle trainer C. Unwin sorted out the brown yearling colt hy Treclare from Rosaleen as a promising speculation and a man with whom he consulted agreed to buy him, but a relatives died a few days later and the proposed deal was declared off. Unwin then interested Mr. W. J. Jones, a Newcastle baker, who bought the colt for 120 guineas, and was thus placed in the happy position of owning a Deroy and Cup winner. Up to the present Johnnie Jason has won prize money well on to £13,000, so that he can vefy appropriately he termed a bargain of the sale-ring. Lorigan Departs.

The departure of H. Lorigan from Trentham has decided Mr. Harold Murphy to hand his horses over to W. Marks, formerly head lad for Lorigan, who looked after and prepared Cimabue for his Steward's Handicvp success while Lorigan was in ^ 'dney and Melbourne with Concentrate and Co. Marks is at present away from Trentham, but the horses will be handed over to him when he returns. Excella Tea Withdrawn. Having failed to show any f orm m her races. Excella Tea has been put out of eommission and will in future do duty as a brood mare. The daughter of Pollycrates and Black Tea has always displayed abundance of speed on the track, but has repeatedly failed to reproduce it in public, and has been a costly proposition. Excella Tea has not been over-raced, and, as she is well bred, there is no reason why she should not maks a swcessful stud matron. New Arrivals.

C. Emerson has turned out Martian Chief, Gesture and ' Oratorious for a spell, and his only active worker at presenf is Lochlaggan, hut he is husy with soma young stock. He was to receive the two-year-old Early Cup from Mr R.. J. Murphy. This is a gelding hy Tea Tray from. the English mare Bonny Dawn, formerly owned hy Mr. W. Higgins, but now an inmate of the Elderslie Stud. Early Cup was taken hy H. B. Lorigan to Sydney in the spring, but contracted soreness and was sent home without racing, (and has been spelling since. Emerson has recently broken in a yearling brother to Early Cup and the youngster will race in the same ownership under the appropriate name of Acceptable. Another addition t6 the stable is the two-year-old filly by Polazel from Fortune's Wheel (sister to Phar Lap), purchased by Mr. J. L. Wehb, of Auckland, at the Kaituna dispersal sale. St. Simon Blood. Horses tracing to St. Simon kept up the credit of the line at the Auckland autumn meeting, winning 11 of the 16 races on the programme. The sires tracing to St. Simon who had winning representatives at Ellerslie were: Lucullus, by Ard Patrick (3); Quin Abbey, hy Morganatic (2); Day Comet, hy St. Frusquin (2); Valkyrian, by William the Third; Solferino, by Soliman; Archiestown, by Sir Archibald; and Nassau, by William the Third.