ROYAL CHIEF’S NEXT

Southland Times, Issue 24239, 24 September 1940, Page 9

ROYAL CHIEF’S NEXT

RICCARTON TEAM FOR WINGATUI

PROMISING PAPER MONEY COLT AT GERALDINE

(Special to The Times)

CHRISTCHURCH, September 23. Spring weather has been enjoyed at Riccarton during the past week, and all tracks are now in excellent order. The next meeting after Kurow on Saturday to interest owners and trainers will be the Dunedin Jockey Club’s spring meeting, and this is expected to attract an unusually large number of horses from Riccarton, including several candidates for the two classic events, the McLean Stakes and the Dunedin Guineas. An interesting visitor for the second day at Wingatui will be Royal Chief, whose trainer considers he will need another race to fit him for his trip to Trentham, where he will contest the Harcourt Cup. Royal Chief has done well since his race at Ashburton, but still carries a little too much condition, and only racing will reduce this.

Other horses from Riccarton for Dunedin will probably include Winning Rival, Don’t Forget, Shikari, Nightglass, Settlement, Prudent Prince, Night Dress, Retrogression and Doria and the two-year-olds Blue Bouquet, by Myosotis from Royal Baby, Man’s PalVennachar colt, Myosotis-Palanquin colt, Mans Pal-Universal filly, Salutation, by Theio-Queen’s Salute, Verlagia, by Vermeer-Pelagia, and probably one from the Chokebore stable.

Halt, who j. aid over half a century at Geraldine last week, is a big longstriding gelding by Nightmarch from the Winkie mare Peho. and is owned by his breeder, Mr R. Sutherland, who also had Ann Mie in work until a few weeks ago. Ann Mie, it will be remembered, ran second to Don’t Forget at the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting, and paid good double figures for a place. Unfortunately she went amiss shortly after this, and has not raced since. WARDRESS RECOVERED Wardress, who figures in the nominations for the New Zealand Cup, has been off the scene since the Grand Nationa 1 meeting because she was suffering from some internal trouble. She is right again now, but is to be taken out of the Cup. The Sandwichman was put back into commission a few weeks ago, but did not do well, so it was decided to put him out again for a few months in the hope that he may be able to tackle next winter’s racing. Weights for the New Zealand Cup

a: due to appear next Friday. There is no doubt as to the probable topweight, Royal Chief, and he is likely to be well ahead of the next on the list. Mr W. Parsons, owner of Recollection and Night Dress, was laid aside with illness for some weeks before the Geraldine meeting, and his trip to it was his first outing. He bought Recollection from Sir Charles Clifford, and endeavoured to buy Night Dress as a three-year-old from the same owner, but the price asked for the latter, 1000 guineas, stopped any business. Night Dress was eventually sold for 300 guineas to Messrs Elworthy and Gould, who sold him to Mr Parsons for 150 guineas with a’ contingency. Recollection has won good money for Mr Parsons, in spite of lengthy periods of inactivity because of unsoundness, and now that he appears to be quite sound again, he is certain to win some big races. Night Dress was purchased with the idea of making a jumper out of him, and he has had a lot’ of schooling, mostly in his home paddocks, but as he appeared to be thriving on the work, it was recently decided to keep him at flat racing for a while yet. Unfortunately Night Dress was not nominated for the New Zealand Cup. He is bred and is just the type to win such a race.

PROMISING COLT One of the best grown two-year-olds credited to the defunct Papei’ Money was paraded during an interval at the Geraldine races on Thursday. This is a colt from Wanaka, one of the Silver Peak breed, and is not only big, but shows exceptional quality. It will be surprising if he does not turn out a high-class galloper. He will race as Prince Shad in the colours of Mr F. C. Christie, owner of Nightcalm. Mr Christie also paraded a gelding by Paper Money from Aspiring, another of Silver Peak’s progeny. He is not as big as his mate, but is likely to come earlier. Mr Christie is training these horses at Orari. Nightcalm was expected to race at the Geraldine meeting, but recently met with a mishap by running into a post, and has had to be eased up. Wagner has been given away by his owner to be used as a hack, but his new owner has hopes that after a few months’ easy life, the Siegfried gelding may be given another trial.