Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 174, 13 October 1927, Page 6

Durf Notes

By “EARLY BIRD."

This Week’s Racing Dunedin Club races at Wingatui today and on Saturday, and Carterton races on Saturday. Reminders Owners and trainers are reminded that entries for the Auckland Cup and other leading events at the Auckland summer meeting close at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Acceptances for the Waikato Racing Club’s first day are due a*t 5 p.m. tomorrow. Also Wellington acceptances to-morrow night. Nominations for the Thames meeting (to be held at Ellerslie on October 29 and 31) must be made by 5 p.m. tomorrow with Mr. W. S. Spence, who is the race meeting secretary. Acceptances for the Waikato Hunt Club fixture close on Monday next. Picking the Winners One South Island bookmaker (who must have lost many customers when he was caught and convicted a few months ago) has adopted a novel way of encouraging his apparently shy customers. To each client, he has sent a coupon entitling one pick to place the first three horses in the two cups next month, and for every additional wager booked they get an extra pick. The prizes for this feature are much bigger than the prices quoted on the same book’s charts. Getting Tuned Up. Desert Clow ran his best race of the season when he finished a good fourth in the King Edward Memorial at Ellerslie last Monday, and from the way he was going at the home turn it looked as if he would play an even more conspicuous part in the finish. The Day Comet gelding is in the right hands and when next he is stepped out. probably at Te Rapa, he will be one of the fancied division. In At Te Rapa Transformer finished fifth in the King Edward Memorial, and the fact that he was nearly as well backed. as Mask was illuminating. He was lying behind Great Charter for most of the journey, only to weaken in the straight. He wanted that race to sharpen him up and now that he will be given more solid work he should be ready to back at his next outing.. Transformer is in the Waikato Cup with 8.4, and when his remarkable winning effort on the same course last autumn is remembered by backers they will be looking to him for a repeat performance. This time, however, the journey is twelve furlongs.

Likes It Soft? Whether Te Kara prefers soft ground in his old age or not is not definitely known, but as he scored in the Avon-r dale Cup with mud up to the knees, with 8.12, and failed conspicuously with 9.7 on top of the ground in the Mitchelson Cup, it certainly looks as if he likes to feel his feet sinking: and the ground drifting under him. There are not a few who maintain that the Avondale Cup was a false one. Te Kara is engaged at Te Rapa and Cambridge in the near future, so we have more prospects of' learning the position so far as he is concerned. Arrived Too Late

In the Mitch.elson Cup Royal Mint came on the scene too late, as usual. On Monday he was hard ridden over the early part, but this seemed to make little difference, for he again loafed. He is a hard horse to ride, and one wonders if even with a stronger horseman up and with the extra rise in weight he would go more generously. Perhaps not. His next appearance will be in the Waikato Cup. Mint Deaf is also engaged there, but his form of late has been too unsatisfactory to enable him to be recommended.

Lysander and Limerick Lysander struck himself recently and has had to be eased. It is not serious, but no risks are being taken and it is hoped to have him at the Trentham meeting. His owner, Mr. G. M. Currie, would like to try Lysander against Limerick in the Champion Plate at Trentham. Smart Sprinter Although Nastori was galloping well prior to the Auckland meeting she was not given a run in public. She will make her next appearance at Te Rapa, where she will take on the best over six furlongs. The company there is by no means so select as that she would have had to face at Ellerslie, so that she must be given a chance. \ Nastori is on the minimum. First Chief Ruler to Win

Silver Rule, a half-sister to Silvermine, who won the Trial Plate at Otaki on -Saturday, is a two-year-old filly by Chief Ruler from that speedy mare Silver Link, a good winner under the colours of the Taranaki sportsman, Mr. A. Alexander. This is the first success to be credited to one of the progeny of Mr. J. Donald’s imported sire, who are this season making their first appearance on the turf. There are only six or seven racing this season. Randwick’s “Rolls Royce’’ Filly The two-year-old Paper Money filly Endorse is to return from Sydney and will run, all going well, in the Wellesley Stakes. The cabled result of the race for the Gimcrack Stakes, in which she finished third, did not give any idea of the merit of. her performance, but returned New Zealanders by the Makura stated that she ran a very good race, and is a good class filly. The track was heavy and against her, but Endorse satisfied the critics that she is good.

Promising ’Chaser Glendowie made such an impressive showing in the Hunters’ Steeplechase at Ellerslie on Saturday that he must be given a show in the Waikato Hunt Cup on Labour Day. He was on the bit over the last half-mile at Ellerslie, and although he scored by a neck only he could have won by half a furlong or more had he been asked. He has been raised thirteen pounds for that win, and if he goes to the post he will no doubt be made a firm favourite, despite the fact that there are some good ones engaged. Desperate Finish One of the finest finishes ever seen in a handicap at Ellerslie was witnessed in the King Edward Memorial Handicap last Monday, when Mask and Star Stranger ran a dead heat. Quite apart from the result, the forward running of Star Stranger would be encouraging to those who ha,ve already committed themselves over the Martian gelding in connection with his New Zealand Cup engagement. The gallop he had in the Mitchelson Cup was just what he required to sharpen him up and he looked a better horse after it. Therefore it was small wonder that he was sent out favourite at about the same price he was at in the Mitchelson Cup. Fifty yards from the post Ma.sk looked all over a winner, but the last run was the favourite’s and he got up to dead-heat.

Star Stranger’s Improvement Mask was a bit unlucky, for he was disappointed at the bottom of the straight. Here Great Charter was in front and Mask had to pull out to come round him, and at the same time the three-year-old also moved out a bit, the incident throwing Mask and his rider out of their stride. On the other hand it would have been unfortunate had Star Stranger been beaten, for he did not get much of an opening when his; rider asked him to make a forward move. This was four and a-half furlongs from home, at which stage he had only three horses behind him, and this meant pulling out and going on the outside of some others. This done, Reed made for the rails again, and he was there as they came into the straight. Star Stranger bored out when he made his final run, and this was responsible for his finishing so wide out. On this showing, and with nearly a month in which to complete his preparation, the Martian gelding promises to be hard to beat in the New Zealand Cup.

Set Sail’s Cup Prospects The Oamaru Cup resulted in an easy win for Set Sail. After being one of the first to move, she was steadied and was taken in behind the leaders. About two and a-half furlongs from home she made a forward move and when she ran into the lead the race looked a foregone conclusion, and so it proved. At no stage of the journey was she doing her best, and was only cantering over the last couple of furlongs. After the race C. Giesler, the trainer of the Solferino mare, informed the Christchurch “Sun” that she was a certain starter in the New Zealand Cup. As ’the result of this definite decision bemg made known, Set Sail is likely to enter calculations as far as the New Zealand Cup is concerned. Smart Youngster The win of Ridgemount (Leighton— La,lla Rookh) in the Canonbury Stakes at Randwiqk on Saturday proved conclusively that he must be considered a high-class two-year-old, as with 8.5 on his back he apparently was a victor from an early stage of the contest, running the five furlongs in 1.1 i, the Australian time record for the distance beiing 58§. Prior to leaving the Dominion Ridgemount, who was bred by his owner, Mr. W. G. Stead, at Flaxmere, Hastings, was known as Static. The value of the stake won by Ridgemount was £7OO, with an addition of a £ls sweepstake for acceptors. It was run under special weights, colts having, to carry 8.5, geldings 8.2 and fillies 8.0. Great Charter’s Great Race When it was seen that Great Charter, a useful sort of three-year-old, had only 7.3 in the King Edward Memorial Handicap last Monday, it was recognised that he had a show of springing a surprise, for he gave the impression that he will be able to stay. He was taken to the front at the; start and quickly opened up a gap, which was much reduced at the end of five furlongs. However, he stayed on after coming into the straight and it was not until inside a furlong from home that first Mask and then Star Stranger began to draw up to him. Even then he did not give in and the fact that at the finish he was only half a length behind the dead-heaters showed that he is nothing if not tenacious. The official distance between the first pair was announced as a length and but it was not more than half a length.

This oversight was pardonable, of course with the judge concentrating on Mask and Star Stranger, were widfi apa rt It looks as if Great Chaiter is one of the Derby possibilities, for to finish so close to two good horses in his first attempt at a distance exceeding a mile was really good. Jockey Reilly is making a name for liimsell as a judge of pace when running along ?n front He nearly pulled this race oft, and also the Avondale Cup on Cohesion —his reward in the latter case was to lose the ride subsequently, and the form of the Gisborne gelding was not so good —moderate, in fact. Hawke’s Bay Youngsters Raasay and Tea Miss are included in those that have made good for the Wellesley Stakes, to be competed for this month at Trentham. When the pair last met in the Nursery Handicap on the second day of the spring meeting of the Napier Park Racing Club Tea Miss was allowing Mr. McLeod’s representative half a stone. Ha comfortably accounted for her, although the fact has to be taken into consideration that Mrs. Perry’s filly was suffering from shin soreness. Still, Raasay was not without his troubles, as a short time before the fixture he had to be lanced for a swelling in his mouth. In the Wellesley Stakes Raasay will have to concede Tea Miss five pounds, consequently she will meet her conqueror at Napier Park In the Wellesley Stakes on twelve pounds better terms, with exactly the same distance! of ground to traverse. j