HORSES AND HORSEMEN.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 224, 16 May 1932, Page 2

HORSES AND HORSEMEN.

. SOUTHLAND CANDIDATES. At Invercargill recently the Southland Cup candidates, Night Maid (Austin), Red Sea (Stuck)^and King Balboa (Cotton), were associated in an interesting gallop over a mile. Nigbt Maid made most of the running to the straight, where King Balboa came tbrough and beat Red Sea by a good length, with Night Maid a similar distance away. The first half was run in 54 4-5 and the full distance in 1.58. King Balboa had a pull in the weights, but he finished particularly well, and there is no doubt that he is very well at present. Cleared Out. Foreign Queen made no race of the Novices Stakes at Marton. Sbe is a quick beginner, soon hit the front and practically cleared out from the field. Foreign Queen runs in the colours of the Woodville trainer, D. Kemp, who raced her motber, the Solferino mare Megan. Her sire was Mercian King, an Australian-bred horse by King Offa out of Bunfeast. Mr. F. D. Donnelly, of Hawke's Bay, imported Mercian King to New Zealand about three years ago, but M"cian King died the year after his arrival. Qutsiders' Day. ) Outsiders were first, second and third in the Grand National, so those who drew the Irish sweep tickets on these three horses must have reeeived the news of their great luck with more than the usual surprise — but, on the other. hand, the result of this trapp* race usually is a surprise. No New Zealanders were lucky on the race day, but three, of course, drew horses and will each get £729, and two were in the consolation prize list for £10Teach. Interference in Running. Mr. J. Higgins, for sorae years chairman of the A.J.C. stipendiary stewards, but now engaged in a like capacity in India, was recently on rholiday visit to Sydney, and some of the remarks he had to make to ■ pressman there are worth'while quot ing. Interference with horses in rac ing, he said, was causing officials concern in every country. Effective measures were necessary to raise the riding standard. The punishmeni given to an experi'enced lad who of fended would be unduly harsh on an apprentice, but the latter should not be allowed to ride in races unti' thoroughly qualified. He thought the chief clubs should appoint a board to judge the (qualifications of apprentices. The courses, as laid out at present. /^11/^rJ -frvr iyi nvp RnilTld TU(lfi?XX161lt OI1

the part of jockeys. It was a disadvantage on most courses for a horsr to he well drawif in a short race, for unless it was as smart as those on the outside it would meet trouble at the first turn. He was a strong advocate of left-hand racing, as that was the natural way for a horse to move. [ High-weights in Heavy Going. \ Long ago, when I challenged the i parrot cry of the day that heavj i going is against the heavy-weights' s on the ground that the statement was i contrary to facts established over a great many years, I met with a fair J amount of ridicule or pity," write s l "Beacon" in the Melbourne Leader. | Since then there has been a consider- ■> . able number of converts who have i' discarded the old false cry. Results l at Caulfield were in full accord with [ those of previous meetings when the * going was heavy. Conditions could I not have heen more against time- \ niaking. The noise of suction by gall loping hoofs in the mud was partil cularly loud. The heavy-weights be- | gan the day by running first and sel cond for the Khartoum Hurdles. King | Mart (9.2) won the principal flat race S — ^Glen Huntly Handicap; and in the I last event, run when the going was | much heavier than at any other part ' of the day, the three most heavily burdened starters monopolised the plac- *" ings. In my opinion, the reason whv heavy weights so definitely hold their own when the going is "heavy is that r such conditions are the most strenuous in racing, and the horses at the top or near the top of handicap s invariably are the proved best in th - field. There are cases where certain horses are troubled hy heavy going, but that is irrespective of the weigh'.s j carried. The test of racing is suivival of the fittest (in the widest meaning of that word) and the goin^ is there for all.

Raced Too Young j Mr. J. Higgins, when in Sydney recently, said that the standard of i horses in Australia to-day was evidently below that of a few_ years ba^' Gloaming, Windbag, Heroic, Manfred, - and Rampion were truly great horses, but Phar Lap seemed to have outclassed' all those opposed to him ^o such an extent that it forced the opinion that the class, as compared with Gloaming and company, had deteriorated. Two-year-olds were raced to early, and the majority were overraced. Excessive racing must have r. had effect. A careful inspection of th" runners at any meeting would show that many of those competing woul have difficulty in passing a veterinary exaniination. Early training and racing of two-year-olds, together with the crouch, or Tod Sloan style of riding were the contributing factors. Young horses were put under too big a strain before they were fully matured. Short stirrup riding, with the rider crouched on the horse's withers. lessened the wind resistance, and un- ' doubtedly assisted the horse to greater speed. The crouch, however, threw all the weight on the animal's forelegs, and placed much extra strain on the front tendons.

Julius Tote. A Julius tote is now used at Hialeah, Mianii (Florida), and though at first it scarcely gave the satisfaction anticipated in the way of "quick service," this was due to employees being unaccustomed to it and not to any fault of the machine. However ther,e wa£ rapid improvement on the part of ticket issuers and cashiers, and on Derhy Day the turnover was £62,000. For the thirty-nine days over which the meeting extended the averagp turnover was a little over £35,000. That meant approximately 1,400,000 dollars. Under Florida law clubs 'are allowed to deduct 10 per cent, and the State 3 per cent. x Yery Popular. When F. B. McFarlane went across' to New Zealand with his team of four horses he was very popular," says a Sydney writer, "and it was thought there was a good chance of the penalties imposed on Australian horses being lifted. The victories of Huon Voyage, Wilbur White, and Princess Mauritius in the face of penalties look- like spelling the death knell to any let up in that direction in the near future." Kentucky Derby. Entries for the Kentucky Derhy, which carries £10,000 added money, do not close until three months prior to the running of the race, hy whieh time trainers have an idea wheth-r their strings include anything possessed of classic pretensions. This is a far better idea than nominating horses when they are yearlings, and when even those associated with them havr very little idea whether their real value will ever equal the fee for first forfeit. This year the Kentucky Derhy is to be run on Saturday, and there were 125 nominations on February 3. The first payment was £5, and the next is £100 for starters all suhscriptions being added to the winner's share. Second money is £1200. third £500, and fourth £200, the distance being a mile and a quarter. Eighty different owners were represented, the higgest being Mrs. Payne Whitney, and she had only half a dozen in the race. C. V. Whitney entered three, of which one was Top Flight, who was the hest two-year-old in America.

Gay Lap's Injured Knee. 'In view of his injured knee not responding to treatment, Gay Lan h been teinporarily retired. Although the Lapidary gelding only wcn one race this season — at Avondale — he won stake money to the amount 'A over £650. His two best performance:^ were his seconds in the Railway Handicap and the Newmarket Handicap at the Auckland Summer meeting.

Nea Lap's Win. Of Nea Lap' success at Canterbury Park (Sydney) recently, the Sydney Morning Herald says: — "The New Zealand trainer J. M. Cameron seldom pays a visit to Sydney without win ning a race or two. He is due to re~ turn to the Dominion shortly, and after the defeat of Gold Trail and Nea Lap at Moorefield, he had reason to think that his present sojourn here would be costly. Matters did not look any brighter after Gold Trail had been beaten into second place at Canterbury Park, but Nea Lap, a sister of Phar Lap, put a different complexion on things by winning the Ashbury Handicap, the last event of the af~ ternoon. In a keen betting race, Intrepid, another New Zealander, was the elect of the public, Nea Lap, Rory O'More, Herolage and Dear MaL-:h also having a great number of dmirers. E. Bartle got the favourite away smartly, and then took him across to the rails. Intrepid galloped freelv in the heavy going, and when

he entered the straight a couple of lengths to the good it was thought that the race was his. J. Pike, however, was only awaiting his opportunity to make a correctly-timed i.v.n on Nea Lap. The mare was in a iiandy position throughout, and when she was given her head inside the furlong post, she brought Intr-pid tack quickly to win by half a leng'th." Coming Back? Of late Air Laddie has heen gradually regaining his form. The first indication that he was coming back was reeeived at the Feilding Easter meeting, and since then he has run several fair races. His best efforf: in recent months was in the Marton Hack Cup, in which he finished as well as anything in the race and was only a length behind the winner, Fairway, at the finish. If the improvement mntinues he is due at any time now. Mean Theft. A mean theft is related by G. Murray Aynsley. During a recent niglit somebody removed the rugs from the brood manes R^proachful, dam of Chide and Riri, and Orange Blossoin, dam of Kakara and Silver Ring. Fortunately the weather was mild, or else the consequences might have been serous for the mares. Showed Up Well. Bon Ayran showed up well in jumping events last season. After running second in the Petane Hack Steeplechase at Napier Park, he failed in the Park Steeplechase the second day, but going on to Hastings he accounted for the Hawke's P" Steeplechase and the July Steeplechase. He contested the Mariri Hack Steeplechase at Trentham in July and was sent out favourite, hut failed to get into the money, though he jumped well. Bon Ayran was next talcen to the Grand National meeting, where he fell in the big steeplechase. He also came down in the Beaufort Steeplechase, and lost his rider in the Lincoln Steeplechase. He has not raced since, hut is due to make his reappearance. at the Wanganui winter meeting next month.