Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 156, 22 September 1927, Page 6

Turf Notes

By

“EARLY BIRD.”

Plenty of Racing There; Will be racing at Ellerslie, Napier and Ashburton on Saturday. Efforts at Resurrection F. P. Claridge makes some big efforts to resurrect old-timers and galvanise them once more into racing life, comments the Otago “Daily Times.” The latest adidtion to his stable is Meteorite, who won the McLean Stakes of 1.920, but has been missing for several years. Hurdler’s Pedigree The Cynic gelding Ballyfarnon, who won the Hunters’ Hurdles at Dannevirke, has an attractive pedigree. His dam, Maybloom, was got by Heather Mixture fron\ Edna May, by Playbill 'half-brother to Castor) from Puritan, by Posltano —Wood Nymph, by Musket. With such a pedigree Ballyfarnon should be heard of again, although as a four-year-old he failed to gain a place out of seven starts last season. How they Love Taxes! The Wellington Racing Club experienced a successful season during the past 12 months, but if one compares the profit with the reduction in

stakes it will be seen the profit has been principally made at the expense of owners. This is, of course, the inevitable result, of over-taxation. Clubs are forced to reduce stakes, and consequently owners have less inducement to race because expenses are mounting and prize money is falling year after year. The Handicapper Scores!

There was some good-natured banter during lunch time at a certain race meeting 9 last month, when several owners, trainers, officials and a handicapper met at table. Handicapping cropped up as a subject of conversation, and an owner made the remark in a joking way that “if the handicapper put all his friends’ horses at the bottom of the scale everything would be lovely!” The “adjuster of weights” without a second’s hesitation replied, “Yes, and in a year’s time we should have no friends!” Jockey’s £2O Fine

The London owner, Mr. H. H. Benjamin, has won three races this season with Inscrutable, Helvia. filly and Glit~ . ter Ally, arid in two of the three instances there has been an objection. L. Brown, the rider of Love Lane, complained after the Maiden Two-Year-Old Selling Plate at Folkestone that his mount had been bumped by Glitter filly at the start, but the stewards over-ruled the objection, and to mark their appreciation of its frivolous nature they not only ordered the £lO deposit to be forfeited, but fined Brown an additional “tenner.”

Object Lesson for Critics Racegoers who sit in the official stand at Rand wick and so often howl when a judge gives his verdict to a horse that makes a late run on the outside, should take to heart the lesson they were given recently, says a Sydney writer. At Warwick Farm the judge’s box is beyond the official stand, all of whose occupants saw Limerick pass Amounis and Commendation. There could have been no doubt which horse won; yet when they saw the photograph of the finish it presented the three horses in such a light as causes doubts tq the occupier of the stand at headquarters. The camera was stationed several yards in front of the judge’s box, as it is at Randwick. Commendation appears • to be winning by a. bare margin from Amounis, who is close! alongside of him, while Limerick, wide out, seems to be well behind. It all shows how absurd it is to try to judge a finish from a position in front of the official line.

A Rare Bargain Mr. Smith Cochran, the American, acted contrary to Capt. Percy Whitaker’s advice when he sold the two-year-old Musical Prince in England recently. He paid 6,ooogns, for the colt as a yearling and parted with him to Mr. A. Gemmell and Mr. J. B. Joel, who own him in partnership, for l,loogns.—a rare bargain. It was a sparkling performance that the son of Prince Galahad gave when winning- the International Stakes at Kempton, London, last month, for “on the book” he had to be well over 181 b. the superior of Caraquette to beat Reminder. However, he brought about the downfall of

the latter in great style, and ran his race out like a colt who would get a longer course than 'five furlongs. One thing to be regretted is that Musical Prince, with any amount of “book” engagements, has been taken out of next year’s “classics.” Presumably Mr. Joel imagined that he was scarcely big enough. The colt, however, is 15.1 hands at present, and is still growing, so he may be big enough next season. Not Good Enough There was a lot of money lost at Dannevirke last week over the failure of Horomea, who was considered to be one of the unlucky performers on the flat at the Grand National meeting. Evidently she had done well at Levin since returning from the south, for she was supported with exceptional confidence. She had every chance in her race, but was not good enough. Seeing the excellent run she got her form'was surprisingly poor, and if it is the best she can. do she is not going to pay her way now that she is out of the hack class and is competing in open company*

Name Claimed Owner-trainer D. Monaghan has claimed Mon Star as the name for his two-year-old filly by Great Star from Sylva Lari. This youngster has put on a lot of condition since coming to Ellerslie, and it is anticipated that she will in the future prove a speedy customer. Looking Better Acushla was brought across to Ellerslie from Mangere • yesterday, and got through half-pace work on the sand. The daughter of Prince Merriwee appears to be in better order than when she contested the Auckland Handicap at the Pakuranga meeting, in which event although unplaced she was running on at the finish, and on Saturday the black mare may make a better showing. At a Disadvantage According to southern reports, Arpent, the favourite in the Jockey Club Handicap at the Otago Hunt meeting on Saturday, raced under the disadvantage of a burst heel, which it is understood he struck when doing a sprint in the morning and opened again in the race. The heel was bleeding freely when he returned to the birdcage. His stablemate, Royal Head, was not sighted in the concluding event.

Sister to Quest Flying Mist, a winner at the Otago Hunt meeting on Saturday, is a five-year-old sister to Quest (Martian— Trichas). She has not done a great deal of racing, but as a three-year-old she created a favourable impression when she won the Maiden Stakes at the Christchurch Hunt Club’s meeting at Riccarton. Last season she had four starts and was unplaced each time. If J. A. Rowland can keep her going she should be a useful stake earner this season, for there is no doubt about her galloping ability.

Starboard Light’s Form Another of the week’s expensive failures is Starboard Light. Some excuse might be made for him on the first day at Dannevirke, but on the second day a moderate third was the best he could do. He was a little unlucky in running against such a useful galloper as Royal Damon the second time up, but he was beaten also by Willow Wai, who has never been good at a distance as great as a mile.

Too Much Variety Musical was turned out in fair shape last week and there were hopes of picking up a stake with him. He had a varied experience crammed into two days of racing, as in that period he was asked to race on the flat, over hurdles and again on the flat. Naturally, with such a mixture he went home emptyhanded, and in addition by tfrb time he had got through his third outing he was lame.

In a Bad Way Another who had plenty of racing and finished up in a bad way was Tanagra. Tanagra would have won a race

on Wednesday, but for a little bad luck in the straight. He was stepped out twice on the second day, and was mixed up in the rough episode at the conclusion of the last race of the gathering. He did not come out of the scramble at all well, and was a very lame gelding when his rider got him back to the birdcage. His owner’s luck has been right out with the half-brother to Gazique.

W.aicullus a Good Hack They have a good hack at Woodville, who should be able to win a stake or two for his owner in the near future. This is Waictillus, a big gelding by Lucullus. And when he is clone with racing on the flat he will do for a hurdler. He is just the type for the jumping game. He was produced and backed at Danne L virke last week, but he failed and It is evident his party backed him a little too soon. He needed a race and with one into him would have been almost a certainty. He had 9st. 81b. to carry, but he is a master of weight and it was only the want of a good race that defeated him. He had been working so well at Woodville that when Arrow Boy won earlier in the day in open company Waicullus was considered a great bet; among the hacks. He ran a great race, and it was only in the straight that he was overtaken, and had his condition been just a little more, seasoned he would have been the good thing he was considered to be. Out of Hacks Now

Cerf is improving as the season goes along. He won well on the opening day at Dannevirke, and on the second day he registered a nice performance to get up in the last stride and dead-heat with Watchman. Watchman had all the best, of the running throughout the race and Cerf had to battle his way in the run to the straight, but once he was turned for home he finished very fast. Toward the end of the race he tired and. did not run straight and this caused a mix-up which was followed by a protest and a long inquiry. However, Cerf was not robbed of his share of the first money and first dividend, and the view seems to have been taken that his rider was not responsible for the trouble. Cerf might have won outright had he not run about in the straight. He has now worked his way out of hack company and will have to take on the better class in the future. Cerf is a half-brother to Printemps, winner of a Thompson Handicap and many other good races, and some consider he will turn out just as good as his now elderly relative.