Surf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 114, 4 August 1927, Page 6

Surf Notes

R V

“EARLY BIRD”

A Non-Starter | Pentagram did not start in the J Brunswick Steeplechase at Moonee ! Valley on Saturday week. Pakuranga Weights | Mr. F. J. McManemin’s adjustments for the Pakuranga Hunt fixture at El- | lerlie on Saturday, August 20, are due J to make their appearance to-morrow. Hunt Cup Candidate The Pakuranga Hunt Cup candidate i Rafferty is improving each time he is j galloped, and as he is a useful jumper | his showing in that event will be | awaited with interest. Room for Improvement [ The ’chaser Glenlight is working j along nicely at headquarters in view of the Pakuranga meeting. Nevertheless he will have to improve on his more recent attempts to be among the j money-getters Breezy Unplaced i At the Victoria Park meeting on | Wednesday, Breezy was unplaced in j the Novice. Abbot’s Delight won the 14.5 Handicap. Bosh, who was favI ourite, ran third. Pony Racing in England The English Pony Turf Club is | making strenuous efforts to complete j a model race track at Harrow, which j will be the headquarters of pony rac- ; ing in Britain. A syndicate has | £250,000. Should pony racing at ; Harrow be successful, other tracks will ; t*e opened in several provincial centres. A, Reed’s Lean Run Lucie Manette, _>vinner of the Lilimur Two-year-old at Caulfield recently, gave Ashley Reed his .first grinning ride in the metropolitan area since he was successful on Adjong in the Moonee Valley Keilor Handicap on May 28. In that time he had 33 mounts. Reed is second to W. Duncan on the winning jockeys’ list, but has no chance of catching him. Spearfelt Back Again Spearfelt is doing a fair amount of work. The Melbourne Cup winner was on the Caulfield tracks last week, when he cantered three times round on the sand. So far he has not been given any strenuous tasks, but he is standing up to light exercise well, and his trainer, Vin O’Neill, is more than ever hopeful of being able to get another race out of him. Sale of Thoroughbreds The eight racehorses owned by the late James White, the financier, who committed suicide, and who, though once a millionaire, is said to have died insolvent, were sold last week for 2,900 guineas. They were sold under an order of the Chancery Court. ♦ The sale lasted 20 minutes. O’Sullivan, the trainer of the horses, who had refused to give them up pending the settlement of a claim by him against the estate for £ 1,200, bought three of the horses. O’Sullivan’s claim will be met out of t-he proceeds of the sale. Word for Thespian’s Brother A good display of galloping in the Lillimur Two-year-old at Caulfield on Saturday week was given by Farrago, a full brother to the New Zealand Thespian, who once held the Australasian mile record. Farrago cost 2,250 guinea, but his owner, Mr. L. K. S. • Mackinnon, chairman of the V.R.C., seems likely to win races with him, sajrs a Melbourne writer. He has hatl only three or four starts, and Saturday’s effort in the circumstances was a good one. The colt found Lucie Manette a little too good for him, but the race is certain to benefit him. Farrago is a brilliant-looking bay colt and is wed grown. His style of galloping is very attractive. Massey Memorial Cup At the annual meeting of the Franklin Racing Club on Monday night, Mr. A. Jones, of Waiuku, announced that the residents of Waiuku would donate a cup at the forthcoming meeting, to be known as the “Massey Memorial Cup.” The officers of the club declared elected were: President, Mr. Dynes Fulton; vice-president, Mr. A. W. Tapper; secretary, Mr. A. P. Daysh: treasurer, Mr. A. F. Brown; auditor, Mr. W. W. O’Louglilin; executive committee, Messrs. A. Medland, W. J. Taylor, VV. F. M. Watson, R. W. Bilkey, G. T. Proude, T. Hancock, E. W. Keating, R. Fulton. W. Barnaby, F. J. Morrow, A. C. Gill and J. Kennelly.

soon. and “Steve” Donoghue, who always is invited to functions of this nature. Air. Fink happened to be given a seat next to Donoghue, and he had quite an interesting chat with the famous jockey, who is held in the very highest esteem by owners and the racing public. Mr. Fink describes Donoghue as a good fellow. When called upon to speak, as lie invariably is at all gatherings of racing men, Donoghue jumped nimbly on to a chair, and did his bit without any sign of nervousness. “Steve” informed Air. Fink that he was thinking seriously of retiring in a couple of years, and he would then pay a visit to Australia.

For the South By the Port Hunter this morning there arrived, in addition to Air. G. M. Currie’s horses, the stallion Polazel, to the order of Air. J. McDonald, of Timarn. For Wanganui Degage is moving along steadily and will probably have her next race at Wanganui. Challenge to Minister It is reported that the Racing Conference will not allow the Ministerial action over the Waikato dates dispute to pass without strenuous opposition—in fact, it was asserted by a prominent racing authority at Riccarton on Saturday that the conference intended to have a “show-down” to see whether the Minister or the conference was to run racing in New Zealand. Honours to New Zealand The two-year-old colt Black Watch (by Black Gauntlet from Punka), bred by Mr. J. B. Reid, of New Zealand, which won the Alolecomb Stakes, of £1,300, at Goodwood, is engaged in the Derby and Grand Prix de Paris next year. The colt is the first progeny of a colonial-bred mare to run in England. Closing of Nominations Owners and trainers are reminded that nominations for the Alarton and Wanganui spring meetings close on August 12 and August 22 respectively. Entries for the New Zealand Cup are due on August 19 and for the Taranaki Hunt on Alonday next. A Big String Captain J. Gage Williams is getting his team ready for the spring racing, and may take an early departure for Wanganui, with Marton the first objective, writes “The Watcher.” He will go with Grand Knight, Zarisee, Wild Pigeon and Mount Marta and the two Leighton two-year-olds, AVet. Paint and Shot Silk. Jemidar is doing well in his work, but it is not intended to include him in the trip. Zarisee has come in bright and well, and has also settled down nicely. Grand Knight is doing some solid work. Mount Alarta will be raced until October and will then be turned out. Chat With Donoghue Mr. Theodore Fink, of Alelbourne, who is at present in England, was among the guests invited to the Press Club luncheon on the eve of the Derby. Lord Derby was there, and among other distinguished people, Lord Birkenhead, Viscount Lascelles, Lord Dewar, Colonel Sofer Whitburn (owner of Adam’s Apple), the late Mr. Frank Curzon (owner of Call Boy, the winner of the Derby), Sir Victor Sas-