Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 161, 28 September 1927, Page 10

Durf Notes

By

“EARLY BIRD."

Auckland Acceptances Acceptances for the first day of the Auckland spring meeting close at 5 p.m., on Friday. Coming to Hand Eden Hall ran a fine race in the Avondale Cup, a good third showing that he is coming back to his best form. On the second day he did not go off the mark well, and he was always making hard work of it in the rear. With a bit more luck in the running he may make amends in the Mitchelson Cup next week. Too Short At the present time there are 43 horses remaining in the New Zealand Cup, and Footfall is already at a ridiculous price in Christchurch, his quotation being a bit better than the quopaid by King Smock at Ellerslie on Saturday. And the race is nearly six weeks off! Star Stranger is second favourite at four points longer than Footfall. Next on the list is Rapier, and then come Beacon Light, Count Cavour, Piuthair, and Te Monanui. In the next division appear Battlement, Degage, and Set Sail.

Three For Ellerslie Early in the week the tracks at Trentham were in good order, and on Tuesday morning Grand Knight showed that there was little amiss with himself or the going by sprinting half a mile in better than 50sec. Grand Knight, Shot Silk, and Wild Pigeon leave at the end of this week for Ellerslie. During the last two days, however, there has been an abundance of rain at Trentham, with the result that fast work for the time being is out of the question. Sadder But Wiser

A well-known Ellerslie horseman was not on the best of terms with himself or his friend after Sir Archie ran home- a winner in the President’s Handicap on Monday at Ellerslie. Just before the totaiisator closed he inquired Archie’s number, and was given the position he had drawn at the post by mistake. The horseman invested £ 4 on the wrong number, and if at present he is decidedly poorer he is perhaps much wiser.

A Poor Display After running third' in the’ Grey Lynn Hurdles last Saturday, it was anticipated that Kamehameha would be seen in a more favourable light in the Kingsland Hurdles on Monday. The gelding, however, gave a very poor display, jumping badly, and never at. any stage of the journey did he appear to be going correctly. Early in the race he began to run about at his fences, and at practically every hurdle he lost ground, with the result that he finished a poor fourth. Like others, perhaps, Kamehameha did not relish the soft going, and racing on top of the ground should suit him better. In addition, he was a bit sore when saddled up. Was it a Plunge? Many of the outside patrons at Ellerslie on Saturday who were studying the figures on the totaiisator are still wondering if a plunge was made on Glenotus in the Grey Lynn Hurdles on Monday or whether the machine had not recorded accurately. Not long after betting commenced 40 tickets were recorded against Glenot.us’s name, and remained at that figure for some time. Then, in the space of five seconds, that number had increased to 440. It does not seem likely that anyone plunged to the extent of £2OO or thereabouts to cause the sudden rise, and it is on the cards that the machine evidently did not record correctly for the space of several minutes.

False Economy The secretary of the Racing Conference has lost no time in advertising for a stipendiary steward to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. J. McMahon’s resignation. Apparently one of the present stipendiary stewards is to be promoted to the chief position, for the salary advertised is £650, or only a fraction more than half paid to Mr. McMahon. Out of this sum has to be paid out-of-pocket; and hotel expenses when the official is away from home attending race meetings, so that the actual salary will be approximately £550 a year. These figures suggest that the conference intends to retrench at the expense of the stipendiary steward system, comments “Vedette.” Whether the saving of a few hundreds a year will impair the efficiency of a now much-criticised system is a question many thoughtful people will ask.

Melbourne ’Chasers at Randwick Chrysostom knows Sydney almost as well as he does Melbourne, and the once brilliant ’chaser is here again in an endeavour to show us that age has not dimmed his speed sufficiently to prevent his winning further laurels at Randwick. He arrived last week by boat in company with Pentagram, and both are located at P. Nolan’s stables. Nolan will look after them pending the arrival in a day or two of their regular trainer, S. W. Reid, says a Sydney writer.

Chrysostom has not won a race for over three years, but he has done little racing at all in the last two, and at the age of nine it may not be too late for him to reveal some of the splendid dash that enabled him to win the A.J.C. Winter Steeplechase double in 1924, when he created fresh Randwick time figures for three miles. His record still stands. Evidently his connections are fairly confident of his ability to make a successful comeback, for at Caulfield a couple of weeks ago he was sent out favourite for the Sandringham Steeplechase. He was well placed early in that race, but had nothing to do with the finish. Pentagram could not handle the Randwick track at all when J. Williamson brought him here in the winter, and he was taken to Melbourne in the hope that the left-handed going would suit him better. He was unsuccessful in the south, and was given into S. W. Reid’s care when Williamson returned to New Zealand; but at Moonee Valley recently his form was most encouraging. He was caught only in the last few strides, and beaten into second place by Grey Friar, who established a record for the course.

Good Three-year-old In the Shade ran two fair races at Ellerslie. In the sprint on the opening day he was not unduly bustled when it was seen that he had no winning chance. He was among the runners in the Guineas on Monday, and in this event he was a possibility at the bottom of the straight, and it was here that he made a short-lived effort. The going appeared to trouble In the Shade, and he will probably be a different proposition when the tracks become better. Mr. W. Glenn, M.P., should win some good races this season with the Australian Sun gelding. Beaten by the Going The condition of the Ellerslie course was in a measure responsible for the very definite failures of the members of Mr. G. M. Currie’s strong team at the Avondale meeting. Damaris failed to handle the ground, and for this reason was relieved of her Guineas engagement. Thaw went well when ridden hard, and faded out over the; last couple of furlongs each day. Covent Garden was short of a gallop, his trainer being disinclined to knock him about by galloping on the heavy track in the mornings. Episode made her first appearance and did well. LySander is no good on anything but a firm track, and so was not asked to run. Mask failed in the principal handicaps, and was obviously not at home. Unless the course dries up considerably, the prospects of Walter Rayner’s team getting on the winning list will be rather remote.