Horses That Are Working Weil

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 235, 23 December 1927, Page 6

Horses That Are Working Weil

JOY BIRD IS ONE TRENTHAM HOPES (Special to THE SUN.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. In consequence of the considerable quantity of rain which has fallen in the Hutt Valley during the last few days, the tracks at Trentham’are soft, and the horses which have been galloping there have not been registering fast times. The two-year-old Select is doing attractive work and might be a useful sort. She is well bred and has a nice

style of moving, while she alwys runs her work out strongly. However, she might not be forward enough to win in a decent field before the autumn. Joy Bird is in great heart for her Manawatu and New Year engagements. She will tackle the Manawatu Cup on Boxing Day and as she has won two big handicaps in the last few weeks she cannot be left entirely out of calculations. She ran a mile and aquarter on the trial grass on Tuesday morning in fine style. She took nearly 2.18 for the distance, and it must not be forgotten that the track was soft. She is not an easy mare to ride in a race, but when she has a horseman she goes well for, she always has to be respected. DISAPPOINTING SPRINTER. Lausanne, who will be seen out in sprint races during the holidays, was worked over seven furlongs on Tuesday and gave a fair display. He was accompanied by Panther, the pair taking 1.35 to get to the end of the journey.

Panther is in great nick and is one of the likely ones from Trentham to earn some of the stake money which is being distributed during the holidays. He has a fair amount of pace, but will do better over a course greater than sprint distance, as he is always doingwell at the end of his races.

Concentrate is galloping better now than earlier in the season, and distinguished himself the other morning by defeating Flying Binge in a gallop. He is to go to Awapuni and should be seen to advantage in the juvenile events there, even if he does not win. It might be remembered that he showed promise at Riccarton in November, and the experience will stand to him and enable him to do fuller justice to himself during the coming fixtures. ONE TO REMEMBER.

Catkin is going along the right way, and is expected to be just about at the top of his form when he saddles up at Awapuni for the Christmas racing. He and his stable-mate, Bourse, are both going great guns on the track. Catkin will be particularly handy if rain falls during the holidays.

Several engagements have been made for Oratrix at Christmas time, and in consequence her track work has been watched with close interest. She has been kept in the best of fettle ever since the New Zealand Cup meeting, and it will not be for want of condition if she fails to win a race next week. She galloped well before leaving for Awapuni, and most of the Trentham touts consider her better now than she was a month ago. Kindle, whose running at Riccarton surprised the general run of bettors, has improved steadily in the last few weeks and is due again any time now.

He has come through a nice preparation for his holiday engagements, and galloped nearly as well as Oratrix during the week. This track form, if reproduced, is good enough to win a hack race. SHORT PRICE ASSURED. Tone has not been bustled in her recent work. She does not seem to need a great deal of tuning up, as she is a natural sprinter, and was very forward when she ran at the Feilding meeting a few weeks ago. She is well and goes at her tasks like one relishing the job, which indicates that she will show her best the first time she is required to* face the starter. Her first outing, it is understood, will be in the Maiden Plate at the coming Manawatu meeting. If she wins the race she will not pay much, as she is recognised on all sides as having been unlucky not to win a race at Feilding. Th€- pace she showed at the end of her race there would have done credit to some who have long worked their way out of the maiden class. Black Mint is again in regular work on the tracks, but has not been asked any searching questions yet. He has not raced for some months, and will be having liis first outing at Awapuni on Boxing Day.