Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 207, 21 November 1927, Page 6

Turf Notes

By

“EARLY BIRD"

Takapuna Fixture

This is to be held at Takapuna on Saturday and Monday next. Over the Sticks Star Area has been schooled over hurdles two or three times recently at Wanganui, and has shaped well enough to suggest that the Acre gelding will make good as a hurdler. He is engaged in the jumping events at Feilding. Star Area is the right stamp of horse for the game and should be up to any weight. Related to Bold Front Crowdennis had his first winning representative in Sydney recently in Beau Dennis, who is a half-brother to the Magpie three-year-old in J. T. Jamieson’s stable, Bold Front. Beau Dennis showed plenty of speed in his race, which is not surprising when it is considered that his sire. Crowdennis, was a notable sprinter in England. Stormy Doing Well The Quin Abbey gelding, Stormy, who has done well since his arrival at Riccarton, is another entered for the Southern fixture, and if he regains the form he showed last season it is probable he will accompany Limerick to Sydney later on. Stormy has done particularly well in Sydney, and his successive victories around the Newcastle district will not be forgotten by backers or bookmakers if he makes the trip to Randwick in the autumn. Agrion’s Sister According to a Sydney writer, White Fang will be raced at the summer meetings in New Zealand before being given a spell. No doubt the New Zealand lady who owns the gelding is anxious to see him carry her colours. White Fang has won three races in Australia, and as two were at Randwick and the other at Flemington, he has had a profitable 15 months in iu;stralia. His V.R.C. Carnival Handicap win showed him to possess unexpected stamina. He fairly revelled round the left-handed going in Melbourne. Number Boards During the week-end Mr. W. S. Spence, secretary of the Auckland Racing Club, who was returning from the New Zealand Cup meeting at iiiccarton, visited Feilding for the purpose of inspecting the Feilding Jockey Club’s number Ifbard. It is the opinion of racing authorities that this number board is the best of its kind in New Zealand, and was designed by Mr. J. M. Johnston of the Manawatu Racing Club. The Auckland Club proposes to provide a similar board on its course. The best number board in New Zealand to-day, and the best operated and controlled, bar none, is that at Trentham—until it is blown over by a regular cyclone, as it was last month! For Feilding and Auckland Lysander, Episode, Curtain and Covent Garden are to represent Mr. G. M. Currie at Feilding. Covent Garden has done well since the Auckland spring meeting, and Lysander is expected to make a bold bid in the Feilding Episode and Curtain are both engaged in the Nursery Handicap on the. second day at Feilding. Episode appears to be making steady improvement, and the Limond—Homage filly should prove one of the best of her age when she is thoroughly tuned up. Curtain has furnished into a fine-looking filly, and she has been hitting out in very promising style lately. The Thespian—Cowl filly is likely to make good later on. After Feilding the team will next be seen out at Ellerslie. Fastest Half-Miles “The fastest half-mile I’ve ever timed,” Mr. F. W. Heath, the official timekeeper of the V.R.C. is reporred to have said after Amounis had won the Linlithgow Stakes at Flemington. He clocked Amounis to run the last four in 462 sec. If fractional times were taken officially in the same way at Randwick, there would be some remarkable gallops on record. When Windbag was in his prime he was unofficially timed to run the last four of two weight-for-age races in 47 (how these Magpie horses can travel when they are unwinding a sprint!) An even fastex' half-mile was credited to Beauford the day he defeated Eurythmic in the Autumn Stakes.' Who will readily forget how Mr. Mackay’s gelding, when given his head by Albert Wood, just after they had gone out of the straight, streaked lengths ahead of his rival? Beauford’s pace was terrific and he is privately reported to have run four furlongs in the middle of the race in 46sec. The actual half-mile record for Australasia is 45, which Gloaming ran to win a race at Trentham, Wellington, in 1921. Even if the old champion was helped by a following wind, which so often prevails at Wellington, he was not under full steam, as Beauford, Windbag and Amounis were when the v/'atch. was put on them, and that makes his four in 45 the more remarkable. A Precedent The disqualification which fell down in connection with the Rowley caso is not the first which failed to take effect after being imposed by the Canterbury Jockey Club. At the New Zealand Cup meeting of 1911 Goldbird and his trainer and rider were disqualified for two years for inconsistent running, comments “Sentinel.” Apparently the ti'ainer or rider did not analyse the handicap in their favour, and neither did the stewards. Goldbird and Tyrannic finished upsides with each other just on the tail of the third horse in the Middleton Hurdles, in which the placed lot were St. Aidan, Esparto and Gaelic. Tyrannic came out on the third day and won the Suburban Hurdles, in which Goldbird did not start. In the Port Cooper Hurdles, Goldbird won when meeting Tyrannic on 141 b. better terms, so that if the latter was entitled to start it was a certainty for the former horse, and hence a charge of inconsistency must have fallen on the face of facts. Nevertheless a two years’ disqualification followed. The same evening the writer offered to bet that he could state a case which would clear the disqualified people, who escaped an endorsement of the punishment after (the writer claims) an ai'ticle appeared in the Otago “Witness” on the case. The case for the allegedly guilty people was further strengthened by the fact that St. Aidan, Esparto and Gaelic, who finished in front of Goldbird and Tyrannic when the two last-named first met at the meeting, did not go to the post in the race which Goldbii'd won.

To Race at Takapuna The New Plymouth trainer E. George arrived yesterday morning with Mint Leaf, Nastori and Hipo, who are to fulfil their engagements at the Takapuna meeting next week-end. On the Job Ruapapa, who is looking remarkably well, won the championship at the Egmont Show last week. It is understood that this horse has practically a full book. A Long Spell Foot trouble will prevent Commendation racing for some time, and consequently he will not be seen out at Ellerslie next month. It is stated that the Limond gelding will not be raced again until he is taken across to Australia for the next spring campaign at Randwick. Ashhurst Rehandicaps The following rehandicaps have been declared by Mr. W. P. Russell for the Ashhurst-Pohangina meeting:—Hack Hxirdles, Mister Gamp, 101. Pohangina Handicap: Mireusonta, 8.12. Siberia Hack Handicap: Miss Pat, 8.3; Bissac 7.7. Manawatu Gorge Handicap: Henna, 8.9. True Blood’s Future According to a Sydney writer, although True Blood has returned to New Zealand there is every chance of his sold to go to Australia. Agrion’s two-year-old sister, White Wings, failed in Australia. but she is selected to do better in the autumn. An Australian tried to buy her, but the price was too high. Royal Blood was left in Sydney by Mr. Scholium. Kinloch Dispersal Prior to his death in England, the Kinloch studmaster, Mr. J. F. Bucnanan, expressed a wish that the trustees should dispose of the whole of the stud at such time .as they thought opportune, and arrangements have now been made to hold a dispersal sale at Kinloch immediately, following the January blookstock sales at Trentham. The stud comprises the English stallions Paladin and Diacquenod, and 14 brood mares -with foals at foot by Martian, Limond, Paladin and Diacquenod. Under the Hammer Bicolour (Magpie—Charleville), the brother to Windbag, is to be offered at auction by Messrs. H. Chisholm and Co. on December 22. At the recent V.R.C, meeting Bicolour dead-heated Eridanus for the Hotham Handicap, and half-way down the straight was a place possibility for the Melbourne Cup, in which he eventually finished fifth. With so much to recommend him there should be keen competition for Bicolour, who, as a yearling, was sold for 1,600 guineas. Waipa’s Fine Bill The Waipa Racing Club will hold its annual race meeting on the Te Awamutu racecourse on Saturday, December 17. The programme carries prize money to the amount of £1,120, with the Te Awamutu Cup of £3OO, 14 miles the leading event of the programme. From the programme, which will be found published in full in another column, it will be seen that nominations for all events close at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 2, and may oe made with the secretary, Mr. J. G. Wynyard, Te Awamutu, or with Messrs. Ricmfield and Co., High Street, Auckland. Another Richmond There is another three-year-old Richmond in the field. The success of Agrion in the New Zealand Dex'by is sure to raise many an argument as to what might have been if he aad not gone wrong in Sydney, comments a Sydney writer. With the Mason touch on him, which Australian, trainers have had such good cause to respect, the Limond colt would probably have been able to join in the thrilling finish of the A.J.C. Derby. Agrion’s time was one-fifth of a second slower than Trivalve made in his Derbies, and although it was registered on a notoriously fast track, and times are delusive for purposes of comparison, it at least suggests the colt is top-class. There is a chance that Trivalve and Agrion will meet in the A.J.C. St. Leger. Mason has never yet been in Sydney with horses for an autumn meeting, but a year or two ago he was kept away only through a shipping strike disorganising the steamer service. Now, unless he considers Agrion a stayer, he is not likely to throw down the gage to Trivalve, as good money is to be won in New Zealand at Easter time. DIVISION RACE TAKAPUNA MAIDEN EVENT A division of the field for the Melrose Maiden Stakes being rendered necessary owing to the large number of acceptances, the committee of the Takapuna Jockey Club has decided to inci*ease the stake from £250 to £3OO, and the stake apportioned to the winner of each division is £135, and that to the second horse £ls. The division of the field has been arranged as follows: MELROSE MAIDEN STAKES Of £300; 7 furlongs First Division Second Division

REMINDERS Entries for the Waipa Club’s annual meeting at Te Awamutu on December 17 close at 5 p.m. on December 2. Nominations for the Manawatu Racing Club’s meeting and first forfeits for the Palmerston North Stakes, will close on Friday, December 2, at 9 p.m. Nominations for all events at the Marton Jockey Club’s meeting will be accepted up to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 9. Entries for general events at the Auckland summer meeting are due at 5 p.m. on December 2. On this day also weights for the Auckland Cup are to be announced.

Ahi Ngaro 8 0 Air King . . 8 0 Amos .... 8 0 Ash Tray . . 8 0 Bannock . . . 8 0 Bombarder . . 8 0 Brampton . . 8 0 Bright Comet 8 0 Cullgie . . . 8 0 Diamond Double Mint 8 0 Queen .... 8 0 Flitter . . . 8 0 Fane .... 8 0 Frowning Flying Tresses 8 0 Beauty . . . 8 0 Glen Maree . 8 0 The Josie Melville S 0 Immigrant . 8 0 The Lover . 8 0 Kyngzone . . 8 0 Kola Knight S 0 Marble King 8 0 Orchus . . . 8 0 Orbit 8 0 Ponticus . . 8 0 Pompieus . . 8 0 Restaurant . S 0 Prince Lupin 8 0 Scaramouche 8 0 Saucy Lass . 8 0 Valsier . . . 8 0 Tidal .' . . . 8 0 Wyoming . . 8 0 Whaka King . 8 0 Young TV hite Light . 8 0 S 0 Zane Grey . . 8 0