HORSES AND HORSEMEN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 207, 26 April 1932, Page 2

HORSES AND HORSEMEN

STARTER AT MARTON 1 Owing to Mr. A. Vincent heing required to do the starting at the Marlborough meeting, his services will not be available at the Marton Jockey Club's fixture on April 30. Mr. W. Price has accepted the Marton Club's offer to do the starting for the meeting. Put to Hurdling Pahu, who showed useful form on the flat, has been put to hurdling at j Trentham, and he gives promise of making good in this department. He has twice been schooled over fullsized fences, and on Tuesday acquitted himself well. Royal Ganie was tried over the pony hurdles, but he baulked twice and was not further j persevered with. The Sun went over I a pony hurdle three times, jumping cleanly and without hesitation.

Mrs. James Scobie Dead New Zealand friends of the noted Melbourne trainer James Scobie will regret to learn that his wife died on April 5. Mrs. Scobie was a daughter of the late Mr. William Bailey, of Ballarat. Mr. Bailey, for whom Scobie trained, won the Victoria and A.J.C. Derbies of 1901 with Hautvilliers. Austin and Nornian Scobie, the two sons of the marriage, ave well known to the sport. Austin is a partner of his father and races a few horses* for himself. Nornian, who trained successfully in Melbourne, has been established in England for some years as a trainer. Created a Surprise Gay Lass, who created a surprise | on the second day at Hastings, is a four-year-old mare by Lord Quex from Mountain Lass. She had disappointed recently, being well beaten ac Waipukurau and at Hastings^ on the first day when her connectione were sanguine. Naturally they did not benefit to much extent when the mare won. Gay Lass is trained by JOldfield in the absence of J. MCameron.

Substantial Improvement The four-year-old mare Fondle ha? made substantial improvement dur ing the past few weeks, and her first attempt over a mile on the conclud ing day at Hastings, when she won showed that she will not be troubled by a journey. She is on the small side, however, which will probably prevent her reaching good class Fondle is well nam- d, being by Leighton from the MurNan mare Caress. Caress is a aister to Quest, a useful performer in the colours of Mr. V. Riddiford. Quest, by the way. is still doing duty as a haclc at Trentt hani. | Doubles in England In England a new system was recently introduced in connectioU with the tote "daily double." Patrons were sold a ticket with a definite horse numher on the first of the selected races corresponding to the number on the race-card. Those who were fortunate enough to name the winner of the first race were, upon the runners being declared for the second "leg" of the double, permitted to write , in their selection and place the tickets in the box provided for the purpose. This system is somewhat similar to the 'exchange system that is in vogue in South Africa and South Australia. No figures are yet available to_ show whether it has caught on with the publie. There is little douht that it is a fairer method than naming the two horses at the same time, though, of course, there will he less chance of obtaining sensational dividends.

History of Divorce The former West Coast idol, Divorce, whose death at Greymouth is reported, was foaled in 1906, and was thus 25 years of age in August last. Divorce was not raced as a two-year-old, and made his first appearance at the Greymouth meeting on January 1, 1910, filling second place in his engagement. In his third starfc on the same course, at Easter of that year, he won the Paroa Hack I Handicap. Including these three races, he. contested in all 158 events, practically all confined to the West Coast, and was not retired until after he had fulfilled five engagements in his seventeenth year. Divorce, who was by Sensation, was bred at Kaiata by Messrs. Cameron, and was raced throughout his career by the present Omoto owner-trainer, T. Cameron. to the Ganie

Three of the hurdlers at Awapuni made reappearances after a spell, and in the case of two of them, Mister Gamp and Omeo, the period extends over several months. Mister | Gamp has not run since the Great Northern Hurdle Race last June, and in the meantime . he has changed owners and stables, heing now in the colours of Mr. T. Wills, wl\o races Fitzquex, and trained hy J. Sullivan. Omeo has not started since he unsuccessfully contested steeplechase events at the Grand National meeting last August. Avro was in winning form at Feilding last November, but he has not raced since he was unsuccessful at the Auckland summer meeting. In a flat race the Grand National winner Callamart also made a reappearance. Donoghue's Opinion of Phar Lap When S. Donoghue was in Anierica he was rather anxious to have a mount on Phar Lap, and on his return to England he expressed the following opinion of the chestnut: 'I flew from Lqs Angeles to San Francisco, 480 miles, in 110 minutes, to see Phar Lap. He is a grand-looking animal and compares, with anything we have in England. He is well over 16 hands, with powerful quarters and lots of eharacter. He has been given top-weight in the big race. He looks in a class by himself, but perhaps these courses may be too sharp for him. He has done well since his arrival."

_UlJl_ifTriTTWW7TirTYftVwn^^^^ir "i-H AawMni" Romantic Figure in Racing A romantic figu.re in the history of English racing has returned quietly to it after an absence of 30 years. Mr. J. A. Drake, an elderly American who aspires to win this year's Grand National with Coup de Chapeau, a half-bred French horse, was a leader of the most remarkahle "invasion" that racing in -Britain has ever experienced. He came from the United States in 1889 with an associate known as "Bet-you-a-million" Gates, the trainer Wishard, and the jockeys Johnnie and Lester Reiff. Wishard bought an old horse, Royal Flush, at Newmarket for £420, and in the following season Mr. Drake and Gates won £100,000 in bets between them with this animal alone.

Dominant's Recent Success Dominant, who cost 6,750 guineas as a yearling, has won £2,213 in stakes, mostly in the past couple of months. The syndicate that bought him is not now eontrolling his racing, but the horse is held on lease by one of the members, and the others are in a position to he identified with any stable moves. The whole party behind Dominant are, however, a modest betting lot, and if they had availed themselves of the god prices obtainable about the horse in his recent three successive wins, they would have been well on the right side. By clever handling of commissions an enterprising group of racing men could have made their fortune out of this once despised racehorse, which brought a record price as a yearling, and has only now, as. a five-year-old, struck the form that his buyers visualised when they went in with their "no limit" plunge in the yearling ring. If all goes well in the interim, Dominant is certain to be a popluar fancy for some of the important events next season.