Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 163, 30 September 1927, Page 6

Durf Notes

By

“EARLY BIRD.’*

Coming to Ellerslie The two-year-old Raasay, of whom big things are expected—he beat Tea Miss at Napier on Monday—is due at Ellerslie this week-end. He is engaged in the Welcome Stakes. Southern Visitors In the next few days several Southern horses will be arriving to fulfil their engagements at the Auckland spring fixture. Luke Wilson has booked accommodation for three, and in addition expected week-end arrivals aro Civility, Grand Knight, Wild Pigeon and Shot Silk. Useful Sprinter Nancy Lee ran two good races at Ellerslie at the week-end, finishing third on each occasion, after being well up throughout. When at her best Nancy Lee has plenty of pace, and where the opposition falls a bit short of the best she will head the field back to the birdcage. It is expected that Nancy Lee will fulfil her engagements at the Auckland meeting, and then perhaps do the Waikato fixture. Will Win Soon In his one start at the Avondale meeting last week-end the three-year-old Brampton showed that he has lost none of his pace. He was saddled up in the second division of the Maiden, and after being conspicuous for half a mile he faded out. The going did not suit him at all. He is very well, and if he has taken no harm from that outing he should get on the winning list before hte summer fixtures arrive to claim attention. After Another Cup Te Kara won the Avondale Cup with 8.12, and he has now been raised 91b in the Mitchelson Cup, while several of his opponents in the former event have dropped from one to four pounds. Cohesion, whom he beat by a neck, is allowed but four pounds for that beating, notwithstanding that the Gisborne gelding finished out of a place in the Plumpton Handicap on the second day. Te Kara is not at all badly treated, for his performance on the heavy track was a real good one. Taking Her Time Archeno, having her first race for some little time, did well to get third in the Henderson Handicap last Saturday. She wanted the outing, and on her next appearance she should make an improved showing. She was fair, handy all the way after drawing the ace, and it was only in the straight that her condition gave out. Archeno should do more than one good turn for her owner-trainer, W. J. Urquhart, and this season should be every bit as good as last, if not beitter. What was; Lacking? Town Guard, follovring his good win in the sprint at Ellerslie last Saturday, drew the outside marble the second day, and for this reason he was not in great demand. As a matter of fact, Town Guard drew 14, but those near him were so fractious that he was able to start from number seven—a vastly different story. He got away all right, but his showing lacked that devil so obviously present the first day, when he scored brilliantly. Town Guard is proving himself a rare type of sprinter, and is good up to a mile, so that stull further successes may be anticipated for him. It is in his favour that Ellerslie mud holds no terrors; for him. Measured In Weight Although Delightment was unlucky in not winning the open sprint at .Ellerslie last Saturday, he was well beaten on the second day. On this occasion he had every show, being always with the leaders, and was actually first into the straight. However, his electrifying finish of two days previous was missing, and he was well beaten by Sir Archie.' No doubt the effort the first day got to the bottom of' Delightment. What the handicapper thinks of this Catmint sprinter is expressed in figures, for he has been awarded the same weight as Civility and Grand Knight in the Shorts next week. With the wet tracks Delightment may prove superior to them, too. Gallop Proved True A week before the Avondale meetIrg Sir Archie did a fine gallop over five furolngs, and on that he looked to have a show in the Flying Stakes. In that event, however, he failed to leave the barrier correctly—an error he had made at the Pakvirana Hunt gathering —and consequently he had no chance from the outset. On Monday he got away all right, although he was well back over the first half-mile. He made his first effort approaching the straight, and came round the bend well out just at the rear of the leaders., Sir Archie made no race of it from this to the finish, scoring comfortably by three lengths. On this showing the Archiestown gelding will win some more races. For the Guineas? Gascony has been at Ellerslie for over a week, and he is to have his first race as a three-year-old in the Great Northern Guineas. The stable also has Great Charter engaged, and on his showing in the Avondale Guineas on Monday Mr. T. H. Lowry appears to have sl useful pair to carry his colours in the most valuable mile race in the Dominion. Gascony has been indulged in useful tasks since his arrival, and he looks in nice order for his first rage. The King John gelding has been handicapped at 8.2 for the open sprint on Saturday week, so that taking a line through the handicapper’s adjustments for the Avondale meeting he rates Laughing Prince as four pounds better than Gascony.

A Bit Muddled This is how some Rand wick training notes were made to read elsewhere on Saturday last:—“Training operations at Randwick this morning were held on the course proper. The hurdles were 90 feet apart.’* The number of hurdles that it would take to cover Randwick course proper 90 feet; apart would be prodigious. Also, what must White Fang, Commendation, Gothic, Limerick and other crack gallopers have thought when called upon to perform their daily exercise under such conditions? The message should have read “the hurdles were 90 feet ‘out,’ ” thus confining the workers to the outside of the course proper. Original racing messages invariably trouble some people.—Southland “Times.” Smart Youngster Supporters of the favourite made a poor start in the opening event at Napier the second day, the Nursery Handicap, as Tea Miss went down without a kick to the debutante Raasay, a full-brother to Ganymede and half-brother to that one-time good one, Runnymede. It was no trouble for Raasay, as he went with Tea Miss almost from the barrier rise, and gave her no peace, winning by the best part of a length without any pressure having to be applied. It was a good performance when the fact is taken into consideration that Raasay was suffering from some trouble to his jaw a few days before the meeting which had to be surgically treated. It marked the first winner that Luke Wilson had turned out. for Mr. J. S. McLeod since he took over direction of that owner’s team last season. Naturally he got the glad hand from many friends, as he is popular all along the line.

Bro ther to Chamour Ellerslie trainer J. Thorpe to-day goes out to the Auckland Stud Company’s farm at Papatoetoe for the purpose of bringing in a yearling brother to Chamour (Catmint—Loloma). Like his elder relative, the youngster is a chestnut. Auckland Meeting The acceptances and final payments for the first day (to-morrow week) of the Auckland spring meeting close at live o’clock this afternoon. They will appear in a special edition of THE SUN at about 5.20 p.m. Ohinemuri's Committee For five vacancies on the committee of the Ohinemuri Jockey Club, caused by the deaths of Messrs. E. Shaw and A. McGuire, arid the retirement by rotation of Messrs. Grace, Barrett and Vuglar, the following have been nominated:—Messrs. J. J. Barrett, M. Crimmins, E. Edwards, T. Grace, J. W. Silcock, H. Spinks, A. Steedman, W. J. Towers and T. P. Vuglar. Coming to Hand

Finelli stood on the mark in the Flyeing at Ellerslie last Saturday, and took no part In the contest. She performed differently on Monday, and beginning indifferently she hit the front after the field had gone a furlong. As usual she was stopping in the straight, but the fact that she did so only goes t> show that she is not quite right yet. When the tracks get better she can be expected to perform much better.

Dual Engagement Catkin, made second favourite in the. Avondale Guineas, proved that he had little right to that distinction, for he was beaten into third place. Tie is hardly up to classic standard as yet, although on good ground he might be a different horse. He won handsomely from a big crowd of hacks at Wanganui }y h ® n the going was good, despite rain that afternoon, and therefore when he strikes another similar track he should do better. Catkin is engaged in tire Gordon Handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday week in addition to the Great Northern Guineas, and his chances in the former event are held in respect. King Lu’s Consistency

Another rare mudlark is King Lu. He carried top weight in the Henderson Handicap last Saturday, and waiting on the held to the home turn, he came away and spreadeagled the opposition in convincing style. He, too, has paid the penalty of success by going up in the handicaps. He will probably make his next appearance at the Auckland meeting, which opens next week. King Lu has done his owner-trainer good service this winter season, and in this respect he has emulated the deeds of Delightment and Master Doon. The latter, by the way, was a rank failure this time at Ellerslie, his showings being a long way below his best.

About Laughing Prince As anticipated, Laughing Prince duly landed the Avondale Guineaes, but it was not a bloodless victory. True, the Quantock colt won by two lengths from Great Charter, and yet it is extremely doubtful whether the Wanganui repress illative could have done any better had he been pressed over the last bit. He was ridden in behind the leaders to the home turn, and once they had straightened up he was pushed along, overhauling Great Charter a. furlong and a-half from the judge. Great Charter stuck to his opponent in determined fashion, and to get within two lengths of him and to make him go all out was a good performance. Incidentally, the King John gelding beat the remainder much more easily than he himself -was downed. Laughing Prince has proved himself a good sort in bad ground, and taking this fact into consideration we can expect to see some interesting classic battles when the tracks! dry up—some time in the distant future.