HORSES AND HORSEMEN.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 252, 15 June 1932, Page 2

HORSES AND HORSEMEN.

JOCKEY WINS BAREBACK. l Bareback riding properly belongs ! to the circus, but the brilliant English boy jockey, Fred Rickaby, whose in,come this year will approach five figures, brought the art into play on April 10, when he won the Twickenham Handicap on Silver Sound. It ■ was a spectacular feat performed on , a racecourse. A quarter of a mile from the winning-post, Rickaby felt : his saddle slipping. Most jockeys would have pulled up. Not so Rickaby. He kicked his feet out of the irons, moved his body forward, and pushed the saddle away until it slip- ■ ped under the horse's stomach. Then bareback he had to come and challenge the leader, Mittagong. Yard by yard he overhauled the other until he got levej with him close to the post, and then beat him by a short head. The extraordinary feat drew round upon round of applause from the crowd. Stil in Active Work. Pillow Fight is still in active work at Flaxmere, Hawke's Bay. His contemplated jaunt to Australia has been cancelled and now the Night Raid — Week End gelding will do his spring racing in this country. He will probably take on one of the Uuineas events and then go on for the New Zealand Derby and other rich weight for age races. Last spring it was in- , tended that Pillow Fight should be specially reserved for the A.J.C. Derby, but, on account of developing unruly manners he was emasculated. This barred him from Australian Derby undertakings. A True Sport. Those who have the pleasure of the acquaintance of the Blemheim owner, Mr. J. J. Corry, need not he told of his great sporting spirit, but those who connect him with the Croupier episode are apt, in the faee of the Supreme Court verdict, to form a wrong opinion of Jack Corry. He is every inch a true sport, and no lame dog ever crot stuck on the wrong side of

the fence if the owner of Landmark and Make Up was approached for assistance. Mr. Corry had supported his two Make Ups to win him a tidy sum over the Great Northern double, and followers of the stable stood for a good win. Starting both horses owned by him, his instructions to the respective riders were "Win if you can!" Never before in the history of irnportant fencing events in this country have two horses owned by the same man been seen fighting out sucb a punishing finish as that which thrilled racegoers who witnessed the finish of the Great Northern Hurdles. Neck and neck from the last fence Landmark and Make Up raced locked together, each rider vigorously at work, but in the end Landmark headed his stable mate and won the Great Northern Hurdles of 1932. To the trainer, T. George, all the credit is due, as the Corry pair were trained to the hour, and it was sheer bad luck that Make Up tipped out at the last fence in the Great Northern Stedplechase, oth,e|rwise big-hearted Jack Corry would have had his ambitions realised, and his trainer would have been the proudest man in the Dominion to-day. With two such good leapers, the Blenheim owner should pick up a few more National plums. A Problem to Fathom. The well known horseman, W. Rennie, was given a problem to fathom after the Greenlane Steeplechase at Ellerslie on the opening day. Rennie rode Monetize and was beaten in the last couple of strides by Nassock. After the race the stewards had Renr>: before them and fined him £2 for careless riding, in other words, for taking matters too confidently and not riding his horse out as he should have done. On top of this Rennie was cautioned by a person, who he was told was an inspector for the S.P.O.A. for using tha spurs unneeessarily. So that Rennie was fined £2 for not riding his horse out, and on the other hand was cautioned for too vigorou^ use of the spurs.

April the Fifth comes from the No. 18 family, and from a branch that has produced Trenton, Patrobas, Multiform and others. He is the second f oal of his fdam, Sold Again, the first being Birthday Present, now the property of Mr. Richard Wootton, the Sydney trainer. April the Fifth is by Craig an Eran from Sold Again, by Call of the Wild (son of Polymelus) from Market, by Mafcovil from Fairmile, by Common, who won the Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, and St. Leger. The colt rau three times as a two-year-old without being placed, and even up to within six weeks of the Derby he had failed to win a race. Copey for V.R.C. Copey, who is among the New Zealand entrants for the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase, to be run at Flemington on July 9, was handicapped at 9.6 in.that race, the distance being about three miles and a furlong. As a result of his win in the Great Northern, Copey has earned a 71b penalty for the Victorian Steeplechase. All things considered, Copey is nicely in at Flemington. Not Been Prolific. Though the Thompson Handicap winner Shrill has not been a very prolific stud matron, having produced only two foals, both of her progeny, Father's Voice, by Absurd, and nigh pitch, by ttarchedon, have been good gallopers, and the latter has shoue over the hurdles as well as on the flat, his latest win being at Ellerslie recently. Some two years ago Shrill was bought at auction very cheaply by the Bell Block studmaster, Mr John Gleeson, as it was very doubtful whether she was in foal, though she had been stinted to Lord Quex. Mr, Gleeson took the risk, and in due course the foal arrived. He will be a year old in August and good judges who have seen him declare him one of the best that they have ever seen. ^ As the mare had had a good rest it is more than probable that this youngster may prove as good if not better than his relatives, and when he is put up at the national saies next January he is sure to be the mediurc of crm'ifprl LiddinP'.

Good Preparation. Two ex-hunters, Billy Boy and Town Beauty, notes the Taranaki writer "Hurry On," were successful at Ellerslie, and their success, along with Copey's win in the Great Northern, again emphasises the great value of hunting in preparation for the career of a cross-country horse. It will he remembered that Beau Cavalier was also a product of the hunting field, and it would seem that a season's following the bounds is :ie v er wasted with a prospective 'cliaser. Magnified by Guesswork. How greatly figures are magnified by guesswork turf writers is shown by the following cable rppearing in a Sydney exchange: "Mr. Tom Walls, owner of the Derby winner April the Fifth, in an interview, said that, including half the stakes, wh^ch amounted to £4500, his total winnings from the race were just under £10,000, though he was popularly credited with having won £40,000. Mr. Walls said that April the Fifth's dam, Sold Again, was sold for 20 guineas. His partner later bought her for 270 i guineas. If April the Fifth won the St. Leger, Ke would he sent to tha stud and should then be worth £10.000 a year for a long time." Acted as Runner-up. Dastur, who acted as runner-up in jthe Derby, is a member of the No. 16 family, and is by Solario from Friar's Daughter, by Friar Marcus from Garron Lass, by Roseland from Con- , certina, hy St. Simon. She claims the famous mare Agnes as ancestress, and from this line come tka, imported Australian sires Grosvenor, Great Barrier, Saltash, Friarsdale, Great Star, and Bonnie Charles. Miracle, who finished third, is another hargain of the sale ring, having cost only 170 guineas. He is of the No. 13 family, being by Swynford from Rothesay Bay, by Bayardo from Anchora, , by Love Wisely. His branch has given the Australian turf many great horse's, including Goldsborough, Martini, Henry, Robinson Crusoe and Nordenfeldt.