SPORTING NOTES.

Shannon News, 6 August 1926, Page 4

SPORTING NOTES.

♦ The annual report of the Pahiatua Racing Club revealed a sound financial position. During the year a mortgage of £350 was paid off, and after doing this there remains a cash balance of £713 5s sd, compared >vith £6Bl last year. Charlady is back on the tracks at Ellerslie. , Day Deighton has been transferred from Auckland to Taranaki and is now an inmate of R. Johnson’s stable. The Taranaki trainer, D. Mongahan, has a chestnut half sister to Pouma by Archicstown, who is reported to be , looking particularly well. Little has been heard of the Limond | —Amyrin colt, Resinous, since his , transfer from Awapuni to Taranaki, i but a recent report states that he is looking very well. He was companion | to Quillfire in a scamper over four fur- ( longs last week, the distance being loft i behind in 55secs. Comedy Prince and Mali Jong, the two Awapuni representatives to figure at; the Grand National meeting, will not now go south till this week, it having been trainer H. Doyle’s intention to make the trip last week. According to a Melbourne writer, Thracian, the rising three-year-old, brother to Heroic, is not considered of much account at the present stage of his care'er. Sprinkler, the brother of Pilliewinkie, is reported to have broken down during the running of the Claremont Handicap at Washdyke lust Saturday. The' trouble is in the foreleg and his chance of coming back is staled to be not at all bright. The two races run by Radiac last week are expected to work a marked improvement in the big black gelding, for he was always near the leading division in the Hack Hurdles at Timaru. It is held that, considering the solid pace set by Projector, Radiac’s performance was a good onit and, when more seasoned, he should do good service for A. E. Wormald. Tigerland is another who is expected to benefit by his race in the South Canterbury Steeplechase. He jumped well throughout, but lacked the, necessary pace to keep up with Uncle Bob, who eventually beat the Ricearton gelding fairly comfortably. stable mate, Whipcord, is reported to have run a much better face than he did at Trentham and Waimatc, but he is not showing the form ho promised earlier in the season. Red Wink was a starter in the Claremont Handicap at Timaru, but when racing in the middle of the field shortly after the start he faltered and eventually his rider, E. Shaw, pulled up. It was then ascertained that tlie Wmlcio gelding had slipped a hip and he was in a fairly bad way on returning to his box. A further lengthy spell will now be required. The Oamaru trained pair, .Jclin Bradbury and Heather Lad, were, in tffe opinion of a southern writer, the most unlucky horses raced at Washdyke last week. They should, however, pay their w T ay if sent on to Ricearton. Mazama was unlucky in going cut at the first fence in the Tcschemaker Memorial Steeplechase, states a southern scribe. He slipped into tdte ditch in taking off and, although re scrambled over, his rider was unseated when he landed. Mazama looks a useful sort for minor steeplechases. According to advices received in the south, the Auckland apprentice, W. H. Jones, won the Townsville Cup on Bernesk, and was first in two other races. Including expenses, the trip was worth to him £250. The distance of the Cup was a mile and a quarter, and Bernesk won by a neck. Jockeys having their headquarters in Wanganui have ridden nearly 150 winners; during the past twelve months, states the Chronicle. At the head of the local lads is J. Barry, with 60 wins, and others prominent are M. McCarten 50, and D. C. Watts 17. Other district horsemen avcll up in the list are L. G. Morris 58, B. H. Morris 47, and A. McDonald 19. When C. Christie I'efc Wingatui early last week, he had four of Mr. R. Acton Adams’ horses under his 'care, but he will arrive at Ricearton with a greatly reduced team (states a southern exchange). General Auvancc am; Cartoon broke down- at Waimatc and it is feared that both horses are hopeless cases, while Gleucrec’s form showed that this hunter is no good. Christie will thus have only Tholomon for the

Grand National meeting, but he may prove a worthy representative in hack events, as he is a very useful galloper. Pavo was only seen under silk on two occasions during the s’cason just closing, and, as he figured among the also-ran division each time, there seemed to be some reason to regard the veteran as a sp'ent light (writes “Phaeton”). The old fellow is, however, standing up to his work so satisfactorily as to engender the hope that he may be seen to advantage during the com-, ing spring. A reference to the records’ reveals that Pavo made his debut on the turf as a two-year-old in 1918, so that ho js rising 10 years old. The 1 veteran gelding is still' owned by Mr. } Hugo Friedlander, and it will be extremely pleasing to chronicle a further addition to his winning record under the colours of that good sportsman. The leading trainers in the Wanganui district who have gain'ed a place well up on the list are the following: P. Tilley 18 winners,.W. Rayner 15, W. H. Dwyer 11, L. Knapp 11, J. Morris 10, J. B. Gaisford B|, F. Lind 4 and A. Mitchell 4. A winter race meeting without a stoeplechase in the southern part of the Island without Mandrake would be a calamity (states a Christchurch writer). He assisted at both the Waimate and South Canterbury Hunt meetings last week, but finished a long way.in the rear on each occasion. Mandrake, who is now in his eleventh year, was bred by the Hon. J. D. Ormond; another Karamu cast-off in Aurore, now 16 years of age, also was a competitor at the two. gatherings mentioned. Both geldings appear to be quite sound, but are out of their element amongst the present day steeplechasers. Mr. John Colmon, one of the oldest bookmakers in Australia, died in Melbourne recently, at the age of 76. His health had been failing for some months. He had been a member of the Victorian Club for over 40 years. His sons, A. C. and John, are well-known in racing, the former being the owner of Rahda and other horses. The late Mr. Oolmon, until a few years ago, was one of the leading Victorian operators on the two Cups and similar annual events. ‘ When the last mail left Chicago the English stallion Phalaris had the unique distinction of being at the head of the winning sires list in both the United States and England. He has only two representatives in the States, and as one of these, a throe-year-old filly, Margosay has not yet raced, so all the credit, as far as America is concerned, necessarily belongs to Carlaris, winner of the Coffroth Handicap and the Ti-juia-na Derby. Colorado, the 1926 Two Thousand Guineas winner, and Manna, the 1925 Derby victor, are among the .notable sons of Phalaris to race in England. The English jockey, J. Leach, visited America a few months ago in companj with G. Archibald, and in recent issue of the London Evening News expressed himself as follows concerning what ho saw: “The character of the courses is not, without interest. They have a ‘cushion’ of ‘dirt’ about two inches deep, and the hard track underneath leads to jarring and soreness, and it is probably due to this fact that the horses soon become infirm in the legs. I have never before seen such badlegged thoroughbreds. There is no comparison between English and American racehorses; the English horses are more muscled up and better conditioned. American riders have a much better seat than tlie majority of European jockeys, but it appeared to me—from the grandstand—that they did not show as much judgment, nor did they ride such strong finishes, as wo see in England. They do not appear to use tlieir whips so well. The horses are not clocked until they reach a full gallop. The starting gate •is about twenty yards behind the starting pole, at which the time is first taken. This accounts to some exent for the fast times registered.” It is no wonder selling races are -so greatly favoured by English racing clubs, states an exchange. At Hurst Park, on May 25th, a filly named Warrior’s Star won the Richmond Plato, a two-year-old selling race, of £197. She was entered to be sold for £IOO, and on going to auction after the race was

bought in for 1200 guineas. That meant a surplus of £ll6O over the selling prke, and half went to the Hurst Park executive. As Warrior’s Star, who had never previously started, won as she pleased, her owner was prepared to go to a stiff figure in order to retain her. Up to the date mentioned it was the highest price realised by any selling plate winner in England this year. One of the best-known dams in Poverty Bay died last week, Mr. C. Bennett losing Pauleen, whose best foal was undoubtedly - Gazique (states an exchange). Pauleen was foaled in 1902, and was purchased by Mr. Bennett in Auckland many years ago, being a gift at 20 guineas. She came of. good stock, being by St. Paul—Curacaco, the latter being by Cuirassier— Rubina. Rubian, it may be re-called, was the dam of the speedy Machine Gun, probably the pick of the late Mr. G. G. Stead’s team of fliers. Of the Gaze!oy—Pauleen stock, Gazique, as stated, is the best known, and certainly has been the most profitable from a racing viewpoint, his total stake money running into close on £9OOO. Another of Pauleen’s progeny was Over There, who was sold by Mr. Bennett to an Australian buyer, and netted for his new owner over £2OOO. Paulcen was also the dam of Gazeen, whoso stock includes Royal Heather and Garzon. Gazeen never raced. Her stock though, is still full of promise, for only a few days ago G. .Tones, the well-known Greenmeadows trainer, visited Mr. Bennett’s establishment and took away with him a rising four-year-old, of whom great hopes are held.