RACING NOTES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 252, 16 June 1932, Page 3

RACING NOTES

'The Judge.")

CURRENT FORM GENERAL JOTTINGS FROM THE TRAINING TRACKS. OVER THE HURDLES. (Speeially Written for the "Post"

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The slack period of raeing is near at hand, but there are still some important fixtures to be got over before the season ends at the end of July. The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club holds its winter meeting next Saturday, and if the acceptanees are in keeping with the list of horses handicapped, then the Hastings body is in for a pleasant gathering. It is a very fine field that has been entered for the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase, perhaps the best that has been engaged for very many years, and the prospects are that the majority of them will go to the post on Saturday. Indeed, it is on the cards that most of the horses racing at Hastings on Saturday will stay over for the Napier Park fixture the following Thursday and Saturday. There have been some very thrilling contests for the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase, for although the country seems fairly simple it is obviously deceiving, for mishaps are plenty at each jumping fixture.| In addition to the proved jumpers, there will be many interesting lesser lights, so that keen racing and jumping, with a share of mishaps, will assist in keeping the attention of baekers. One of the most fancied horses if he starts in the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase on Saturday will be Hard Gold, who finished third at Hawera to Nukumai and Wiltshire. Hard Gold has been schooling brilliantly at Hastings, and each time he goes once round over the rather formidable fences his time is usually a couple of seconds faster than anything else. Princess Elizabeth, a steeplechase winner at the first time of asking (at Wanganui) is another likely contender, but there is any amount of otber talent. Worth Consideratlon. Easterly ran a good race the last day at Ellerslie, in the Campbell Hurdles, this being her first completed hurdle race'on that course. On that showing she will have to be reckoned with in the Hawke's Bay Hurdles on Saturday, in which she is top weight. Prior to taking on the formidable Ellerslie hurdles Easterly had won three hurdle events on end, two at Awapuni and one at Wanganui. There are no Auckland horses entered for the Hawke's Bay meeting, but it is possible that there will be many nortberners engaged at the Wellington fixture next month. Vandyke, after his surprise win on the flat at the Avondale autumn meeting, had been galloping well at Ellerslie and he was expected to get in the money at the Great Northern fixture, but he failed badly and was never prominent in his engagements. He is to be schooled over hurdles. High Pitch did well at the Great Northern meeting and he will probably be a better hurdler this winter than he was last. He is a great possibility for the Winter Hurdles at Trentham next month. Clever Jumper. If Town Beauty is all right he will he sent to Trentham. He is still in the hack class among the 'chasers and it is possible that he will contest the Hack Steeplechases at Trentham next month. However, on the runaway win he had in the Tamaki Steeplechase the final day at Ellerslie, his place would appear to he in Wellington Steeplechase. Town Beauty is a ; fast and clever jumper and moreover is a very fit horse, staying on better ■ than last year. The Tiger and Royal Bengal, the two boomed hacks from Taranaki, were complete failures at Ellerslie. Probably the bad ground had something to do with their defeats. The Tiger went fair races only, but on'the first day Royal Bengal, starting wide out in the open sprint, ran a great race, being off the course all the way and finishing on behind the placed horses. On this showing he was backed to beat the sprinters the final day, but he was never handy to the leaders. Both The Tiger and Royal Bengal will do better on top of the ground and they will still he found good' enough to win open sprints. Pakuranga Hunt. The next race meeting in the Auckland province is that of the Pakuranga Hunt Club at Ellerslie two months hence, although the Auckland trots eventuate on Wednesday and Saturday of next week. Now that the Manawatu Racing Club has signified its intention of abandoning its winter meeting, probably the Ohinemuri Jockey Club will at last he offered a permit for two days, for it has applied for October 29 and 31. What is the Government and the Racing Confeence' going to do about our best horses going to Australia? was the question put to the writer just after the Great Northern meeting, when it was announced that those to go aeross the Tasman for racing purposes included the winners of the three big races at Ellerslie — Copey, Landmark and Sunny Sky, in addition to Make Up, Appledore, Manawhenua, Taneriri and Horowhenua. That appears to be something that the controlling authorities will have to face very soon if there i&sto be any racing in the Dominion. At the present time many of the smaller clubs experienee great difiiculty in filiing the fields for their meetings and now there are more one-dividend races than ever. On account of the hard times those owners who cannot stand up to it are retiring their horses and they may never come back into the fold. Keep Them At Home. It is not so long ago that the h ew South Wales Government placed a tax on racehorses going into that State, with a rebate if the horses dopurted again within a specified time. In view of the existing conditions in the Dominion it looks as if some action will he required to keep most of our horses at home. It is very nice if New Zealand horses eapture the plums overseas, hut this is not the time for sentiment and it certainly appears as if some action will soon be necessary in the interest of racing clubs. Of course it is a different matter with the young horses up to two years old, or of even older horses sold in

this country being transported overseas. The large number of New Zealand horses sent to Australia for purely racing purposes over the last few seasons is phenomenal and indicates that in the interests of racing within the Dominion action is imperative. Just what direction that action will talce is a matter for the authorities to consider. Ninety per cent. of Dominion racing clubs have their backs to the wall and quite a few have gone over the wall. There is generally a limited number of horses available for winter racing in New Zealand, and the migration of a dozen of our leading jumpers and flat racers will make itself felt. It will he interesting to see how the Wellington Racing Club fares at its fixture next month. • No doubt there will he good fields all round, but they cannot he up to standard with the good horses away. It is a piquant situation and it would not occasion surprise if some action was taken very shortly by the authorities.