Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 248, 10 January 1928, Page 10

Durf Notes

Conducted by “

EARLY BIRD”

Dargaville’s Week The annual race meeting of the Dargaville Club is to be held at Dargaville on Thursday and Saturday. Splendid acceptances have been received for the first day’s events, and the racing promises to be very keen. Not Seriously Affected Te Monanui was re-shod last Friday and commenced work on the New

Plymouth beach on Saturday. Tt is not anticipated that his trouble will be serious. Still a Hack Broad Acre has now won £ 420 in first stakes, due to his wins at Feilding, Manawatu and Marton. Another victory will see the son of Acre among the elite of open class. Improving Hurdler Bright Day was solidly supported each day at Stratford, and but for hitting the last hurdle badly might have troubled Pink Rose, as he finished very strongly. In his second start he was again well back in the early stages, but though he was running on at the finish he was out of a place. A Te Aroha Tour G. Reid took a team of four down to Taranaki from Te Aroha, and three wins and a number of minor placings came his way. One of the team, Marble King, annexed a double at Stratford, and his success was well anticipated by the stable. Town Bird was very consistent, scoring one win and three seconds in four starts. A Strong Team Several members of Cutts brothers’ big team have been striding out in useful work lately. The stable has eight horses engaged at Trentham, leaving out Centrepiece, who will not make the trip. Apart from Childsplay - and Front Rank, who raced at Auck- ’ land, the team for Trentham includes Sudden Storm, Quarterdeck, Sky | Quest, Wild Work and the two-year-olds Full Feather and Impertinence, . none of whom did any racing during the holidays. A Find of the Season ; Good as Gold has been one of the ' finds of the season in the South. After winning a hack race at the Oamaru meeting she repeated the performance ; at the Dunedin meeting. Then she went to Invercargill, where she captured the open sprint each day. It was useful form, and she may go to : further successes, in better company. She is engaged at Trentham. Good [ as Gold is a four-year-old mare by Paper Money from Killala, by Kilbroney from Arai te Uru, by Birkenhead from Fair Nell, by Apremont from imported Idalia, so she comes from one of the best lines in the New Zealand Stud Book. Her elder sister, Letter of Credit, was a useful sprinter when raced by the Auckland owner, Mr. F. Earl. Goshawks’ Prospects Each year a likely horse for the Douro Cup is searched for, and on this occasion recent form appears to point unmistakably to Goshawk. He started only once in Auckland, when he gave Martarma 91b and ran the three-year-old to three-quarters of a length in the Queen’s Plate. Martarma’s subsequent form need not be emphasised. Goshawk won two races in Sydney in November, over a seven-furiong maiden welter, with 10.2 up, in 1.27* at Rosehill, and a mile and 75yds race at Canterbury Park with 9.2. Goshawk has all the credentials, and even though he is sure to be in a prominent position in the handicap, if he starts, he should be hard to beat. In the Grey Handicap on the last day at Ellerslie he was awarded top weight 9.0, but was not accepted for. Lady Limond Quite a surprise nomination to many in the Douro Cup was that of Lady Limond. A number were under the impression that the Limond filly was out of hacks, but in reality she has won only £325 according to the records. No doubt the fact that she contested open races during the holidays led to the idea that she was now not a hack. She will have to carry a good deal of weight in the Douro Cup. but this should not be against her. Indeed, it should be all in her favour, for she requires rather more handling than is within the capabilities of a lightweight. She will be one of the Douro Cup favourites if she runs in that event. * Martarma’s Career The success of Martarma in the Great Northern Derby marks the first important win credited to Mr. J. Porter, a very popular Canterbury owner. Martarma, by Martian from i the imported mare Per Arma, by Picton from Perush, by Persimmon, was bred by the late Mr. J. F. Buchanan, ! and was purchased by Mr. Porter as a ! yearling for 800gns. He was (says ! the Christchurch “Star”) a big co't j and his trainer, F. Christmas, gave j him plenty of time. He started only j twice as a two-year-old. -running j third to Eulalie and • Agrion in the Canterbury Champagne Stakes, and second to Agrion in the Challenge Stakes. He started off this season with a fall at Wingatui. He was fourth in the New Zealand Derby, and fourth in a close finish for the places in the Stead Gold Cup. Next he won a maiden race at South Canterbury, and next day he ran second to Set Sail over a mile. On the opening day of the Auckland meeting he won the Queen’s Plate, a performance wheb gained him admirers, and by his success in the Great Northern Derby he has demon- , strated that he is a colt of good class. As he appears to stay well, he will be worth keeping in mind for other important events later in the season, while lie may prove to be a worthy | successor of his sire when the time ! comes for him to take up stud life. Mr. ! J. Porter has always taken the great- ■ est interest in the track doings of his j colt, and he is to be warmly congratu- 1 lated on achieving his ambition, in seeing Martarma earn Derby honours. I

Royal Mint Not For Trentham On a soft track Royal Mint is re- \ garded as a fair performer, and it was only through the conditions not being to his liking that he did not put up a good showing at the past meeting. With no prospects of a yielding track at Wellington this month, J. Thorpe has now definitely decided not to go South. Right and Left, another member of his stable, will be railed North on Wednesday to meet his engagement in the Dargaville Cup, a race which he has won for the previous three years. Rapier’s Next Cup? When he won the New Zealand Cup with 7.12, Rapier was raised to 8.10 for the Auckland Cup. This latter event he won as handsomely as he did the Riccarton prize. Now he has gone up another 12 pounds, for Mr. Coyle has ! awarded him 9.8 in the Wellington Cup. With Count Cavour out of the way the son of Greyspear should be capable of running out a solid 12 furlongs. Battlement, who finished third to him in the Auckland Cup, now comes in on nine and a-half pounds better terms, and if he could be relied upon would b© the most difficult to beat. As Good As Rapine? As it is at present, however, Rapier has a splendid chance of adding his second Wellington Cup to his credit this month. Twelve months ago he won with just two stone less, Te Monanui with 9.3 running him close. Raping, carrying 10.2, was a length and a-half behind the winner in third place, and it can be said that on Rapier’s present form there would not be much between him and Rapine. Therefore the fact that the latter carried 10.2 to get third shows that Rapier cannot be ruled out with 9.8. He is a good horse, and his recent deeds have justified his early favouritism for the Wellington Cup. One For Trentham Broad Acre, who won three races on end during the recent holiday meetings at Awapuni and Marton, has been given 9.4 in the hack six furlongs at Trentham. This is a big weight, but the Acre gelding may be able to carry it, for he is of the solid type, a bit more so than the majority of this breed. A. E. Ellis will ride him, and with all his weight he will be heavily supported. There are some smart hacks against Broad Acre, and the latter will be found where the best of them are. It is more than likely that in the very near future Broad Acre’s racing will be confined to open company. Little Doing at Ellerslie There was very little fast work at Ellerslie this morning, a few of the horses who claim engagements at Dargaville and Trentham being sent along at a fair pace. Sir Rosebery was the first to work, covering six furlongs on the tan in 1.23 2-5. He was not extended at any part of the journey. Righl and Left went easily over a round on the course proper in 2.9 3-5. On the same track Wee Marble secured a break on Gala Day, eventually beating him over half a mile in 50. Sir iTi! 1 -* 6 ’ *? n tan, was going well within himself to cover the last three of four furlongs in 41 3-5.