With The Gallopers

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 488, 23 March 1933, Page 2

With The Gallopers

"CANARD") |

(NOTES BY

Tauranga iis the next fixture to look forward to and this club holds its annual meeting on Saturday. The course is a pretty one but rather peculiar, anc| it has a rise in it which frequently upsets horses which' :are not used to it. As uisual, form at Paeroa did not work out. In the last four years eight actual favourites have been successful and there have! many times been large dividends. This meeting w;a.s no exception. The turning course and the sh'ort istraight works havoc with longstriding horses. However, this is to be amended and next year the course will be a full mile round and will have quite a different lay-out. One of the most interesting entries for Bay of Plenty is the Feramorz — Marble Arch gelding, Welcome Boy. He is now seven yeans: old and has competed at the Tauranga meeting for j the last three years. In 1930 he won the T'rial Plate carrying 8.10 in 1.3, and also the County Stakes with 8.13. The time was 1.15 2-5s for the six. He then belonged to Mr. G. A. Earl and was trained at Matamata by R. J. Mateer. 'The following year in the same stable he won th'e Herries Hack Cup with 8.5 In 1.42, and was; third to Crimestor and Laptown in the President's Hack six, carrying 8.4. ^ Last year he won the Herries Memorial for the second time with 8.4 in 1.42, and also the President's Hack six with 9.0 in 1.15. I£ there is aqything in the theory of horses for courses, Welcome Boy, who is in the Herries Memorial fpr the third time with 8.6 and in the President's Handicap with 9.0, should go close to notching a few more successes. Nothing went better at the finish at Paeroa than the Kilbroney — Country Air gelding Free Air, who was finishing on the first day in third place in the Hurdles and won nicely when he was asked the second day. Curiously enough, Free Air was a most pronounced non-stayer in his earlier career, but Is now developing stamina. His breeding, by Kilbroney, should ensure him being at home under winter conditions. Unoco was unlucky both days at Paeroa. On the first day he had to strike his colours to one out of the box in Arch Eagle, who, as "Canard" | hinted, was a dry one from Thames, | and the second day was not ridden the | best of races by Smith and met the i improving Free Air and Imperial j Prince at a disadvantage in weights. \ There is not much doubt that Unoco, ! who was something of a failure on the 3 flat, will, if he keeps sound, make 1 good at the jumping game. There are . thousands of instances of horses which were useless on the flat coming right • over the sticks (witness Creina's I King) and Unoco, if placed right, | should secure a fair share of oats j for Alb. Cox. | High Pitch started in the Hurdles the first day and in the Steeples the second. and Jimmv Irwin is ranidly

getting him. into that condition which spells "Northernis." A let up left him with a bit of a "tum" and the j breakdown of Foxhound left him short oi; a suitable mate to work with, so that he will be better suited later on. He was crossed at the sod wall in the Steeples and did not sighti the fence till he was into it and in the circumstances made a great recovery. Zane Grey, who showed signs of . promise at the hurdling game, did I not perform up to expectations at Paeroa. He was fifth the first day, but on the second died away when in a good position. Evidently he found the lextra two furlongs a bit far. He is not as yet fully seasoned, but he is a classy jumper and sooner or later success should be his lot. The forward showing of Master Lu augurs well for the Hauraki Plains gelding'is chances in steeples this season. Last year he was taken too easily and had a lot of superfluous flesh to carry for the bulk of the season, with the result that he fell when the bustling tactics were used. This year the O'Connors have had him in work early and he looks a lot fitter than he did. For a Great Northern winner, however, he did not fence as cleanly as one would expect. Tom Impey's pair, Imperial Prince 3 and Principal, are mixing their events I curiously. First they run over hur1 dles and next day on the flat. Impe1- rial Prince notched a fourth and a I second, the latter over the longer 1 distance, and Principal a fourth and 1 a sixth. These were in seven fur- | long races and he gave the impresI sion that the jqurney was too short. | Both should be in the money before 1 long and had they been at Tauranga h would have had friends. | An interesting reappearance at | Tauranga will be the hurdler Biform, which formerly belonged to the Ilandley estate at Paeroa land was leased to the Powell family of Dargaville I fame, being a victim of their disqualii fication. It was proved on appeal I that Mrs. Powell had not done any1 thing and as the lease was cancelled 1 and the real owners had nothing to | do with' the incidents which led to the I "lifers," Biform was given' a clean 1 sheet again and is now back in Paeroa. I First noticed running on in a maiden 1 at Te Rapa, few persons sorted out 1 Biform as much, but "Canard" saw I him school one day at Paeroa and 1 duly selected him when he came out | at Te Aroha and won his first hurdle | race, paying close on h'alf a| eentury | last year. He later ran a isecond at 1 Paeroa and then a third to Royal 1 Visitor and Paddon, in the Orakei I Hurdles at Ellerslie, a 11m event. Both his victors went on subsequently to win in the best circles, but Biform had then gone to Powell's stable. Now he is back home "Canard" expects big things of him this winter. It would pay to go to Tauranga if only to wateh him alone. Arch Eagle, who won a llm hurdles at Paeroa, is an aged gelding by Archiestown, a good sire of jumpers, I out of Glenpupu, who threw one or | two very useful sorts. Unfortunately I he is not too sound, but if he can be | kept right he wili earn more istake *

money in minor jumpdng events. "Wee Prince, who is highly regarded in certaiul quarters, is a six-year-old brown gelding by Prince Merriwee from Lady Rewa, in J. D. Kemp's stable. Wee Prince i's bredS to jump and stay, for his sire was very solid in his day and his dam was not a bad sort. At his present showing he is a bit green, but has signs of making good. Ruby Meteor and Ruby Dawn, Arthur T'otman's bracket, are not a bad pair of hurdlers, the latter partieularly. Both should pick up some money at the minor meetings. They are full isisters. Emancipation, who was also a failure on the -flat, did not do so well over the sticks as earlier in the season and did not jump as cleanly. Th'e imported son of Sir Dighton — Patrine may need a bit of a let-up, for he feeds biadly when away from home. The victory of Dole in the Qhampion Two-year-old Plate at Trentham was a convincing one, piarticularly as he had not had a great deal of work in public for isome time, but the opinion formed of him by "Canard" at Ellerslie has amply been borne out by results. This horse not only begins well but in each of his races has sh'own that he was finishing on. Dole will take a bit of time to grow, but he iis likely to prove a good three-year-old. Red Manfred, who has an unattractive style of galloping on right-hand courses, is, nevertheless, a horse of talent, as is shown by the time he put up at Trentham in the Plunket Nursery. When he becomes more isolidified in frame he will probably acquire a smoother action. Old hands will remember that that wonderful mare Cruciform was much similar in her two-year-old days. Cherry King is a moderate two-year-old who shows signs of proving a useful isort. He is very green ;and got badly away the first day at Paeroa but was finishing on after having to go outside th'e field on the second day. With more experience he will "assuredly come right. Impasto has turned out ;a great disappointment. Of late his party have thought him unbeatable, but he h'as not delivered the goods. A third to D'Artagnan and Queen Nona is his best performance for the last month and unless he takes a big turn for the better his connections will find him a most expensive proposition. Apparently he is one of thase horses who leaves his races on the track.