Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 345, 4 May 1928, Page 6

Durf Notes

(By

EARLY BIRD)

Wanganui Fixture ] Weights for the first day of the Wanganui winter meeting on May 17 and 19 are due to make their appearance on Monday next. Winners at the Egmont fixture are liable to a rehandicap. Last Cornwall Winner The last winner of the A.R.C. Cornwall Handicap, Lomint, has had but one race this year, being given a run Avondale. She was by no means ready, but she promises to be tuned up by the time the winter meeting comes along. Her weight in the Cornwall is 8.4, or three pounds more than she scored with last year, so that she liasonly gone up that amount for that win, her only outing since then being that at Avondale referred to.

A Full Hand The Te Awamutu trainer F. E. Loomb holds a great hand in the Great Northern Hurdles, with his string of five— Mia Bella, Lady Cintra, Desert Glow, Mangani and Black Cruiser. The last three are also in the G.N. Steeplechase. The first-named is now coming back to form. Has The Pace

Marble King showed a lot of speed in his races at the Waikato, and he looks like making good over sprint courses. In Taranaki during the summer meetings the Marble Arch gelding won a couple of races, and since then has been something of a disappointment. No doubt with his speed he will win his way out of the hack class before the new season has been long in progress. Marble King is a full brother to King Arch, a promising sort that was shipped across to Australia last month. Orchus’s Form King Peg and Orchus were two well backed candidates in the hack sprint the concluding day of the Waikato gathering, and they were the early pacemakers. The former, who was

solidly supported, failed to run on, and it was left to Orchus to challenge the winner, Waltzer, runnng him to a length and returning a fine second dividend. Orchus has been something of a disappointment since winning at Takain the spring. Lorna Coming Back? As a two-year-old Lorna Doone was probably as fast as anything of her own age, and then she was stricken with a cold, the effects of which remained with her for some time. The filly made her first appearance of the current season at Te Rapa in the sprint the second day, and although she was never conspicuous in the betting and in the running she looks in nice order for the winter season. It is to be hoped that Lorna Doone has not lost her speed. From Matamata In the hack seven at Te Rapa the first day Levenside came from the clouds to get third money, and as a result of this fine burst of speed was backed to beat the opposition in the mile hack on Monday. He got away well, but lost his position, and fifth was his portion at the finish. Levenside is one of W. H. Patterson’s team, and this trainer should soon be leading the Thurnham gelding in a winner. Patterson has started well since he shifted to Matamata, scoring his first win when Miss New Zealand rolled home at Te Rapa last Saturday. Jockey’s Hundred Years The wasting jockeys are called upon to do to keep down their weight undermines the health of most of them, and probably for that reason they are seldom associated with longevity. Last month, however, in England, John Foulkner, who was a first-class rider in the middle of last century, celebrated his 100th birthday. Foulkner rode in all kinds of races, and, although like J. N. McGregor, of Melbourne, he had almost every principal bone in his body broken, he rode in races until he was 70 years old. He had his thigh broken six months ago by the kick of a mule. Foulkner has been married twice, and has 32 children.

When She Floundered Generally recognised as being of little use in wet ground, Speechless’s present trainer, A. Cook, of Te Awamutu, was nevertheless very confident as to the filly’s chances the first day of the Waikato meeting, the conditions then being a soft ground rapidly cutting up. The trainers’ optimism was justified, for Speechless ran a good second, being in front a couple of chains from the post. On Monday the sodden course was all against Mr. J. N. Heslop’s filly, and she finished well back, after floundering badly on the turn.

How He Likes It Finishing fourth at Te Rapa the first day in the hack seven, the connections of Waltzer were particularly sweet on Waltzer’s prospects in the final event of the meeting, the six furlongs hack. Tinker waited on the leaders into the straight, and then sent him through, the result never being in doubt over the final bit. Waltzer likes the winter conditions, so that he may be placed right again before the season is over. Consistent Ladies’ Boy A consistent sort of hack sprinter that will yet take higher honours is Ladies’ Boy, who is now trained by W. Tozer at Ellerslie, this mentor having taken over from C. Carmont, sen., after the Ellerslie meeting. This hack is one of the successful Some Boy 11. tribe, and it is said that trainer Carmont used to ride him as a hack when working other horses on the lead. One day they tried him out, and the result came as a shock to them. Seeing that Ladies’ Boy has won four races this season, in addition to getting Placed on several occasions, Carmont must have been pleased at the result. Ladies’ Boy ran two good races at Te Rapa for a second and fourth. Huxley From India

A jockey from India, whose surname was familiar to racegoers in Australia in the 80’s and 90’s, is now spending a holiday in Sydney. W. Huxley is a son of Ernest Huxley, who, over 40 years ago, was one of the best jockeys in Australia, and piloted four A.J.C. Derby winners—Singapore, Stromboli. Camoola, and Charge. The family afterwards proceeded to England. W. Huxley was apprenticed to R. Wootton, with whom he went to South Africa. He afterwards rode with success in Eigland. In later days he has ridden with success in India, and came to Australia primarily to see his father, who resides

in Adelaide. After reviving old memories of Sydney, he will return to India. Egmont Acceptances Acceptances for the first eay or the Egmont Racng Club close at 5 o'clock to-night. Auckland General Entries Nominations for the minor events at the Auckland winter meeting on June 2, 4 and 6, close at 5 p.m. to-day. New Secretary Appointed. At a meeting of the Opotiki Jockey Club Committee held last evening, Mr. T. H. Pearson was appointed secretary, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. G. A. Hathaway. Recovering Form Modest Boy appeared to be off colour when raced at Avondale, but he recovered his form prior to being sent to Te Rapa. He ran an improved race on opening day, and on Monday finished strongly to beat all but Schorr in the hack mile. N. Cunningham has the Some Boy 11. gelding in fine fettle, and he should not be difficult to place during the winter. In the Boom Among those in the boom for the Great Northern Hurdles is Aberfeldy, who is well treated with 9.11. Beau Cavalier is one that early backers are nibbling at for the two Northerns, Hurdles and Steeplechase, and his recent showings over the sticks were a big impovement on anything he has yet shown. His Debut

Zuexis, who is to make his first appearance in a race at Ashburton, is a three-year-old gelding by Sarto from Glenluce, by Glenapp from Lady Stockwell. He is thus a half-brother to Red Heckle, who won the Russley Plate at Riccarton on Easter Monday. Zuexis has shaped fairly well in his early efforts on the tracks. Fop Mr. E. J. Watt

When the ex-Trentham trainer R. D. O’Donnell bid to 500gns for the imported mare Tamerzand at Randwick the other day, he was acting on behalf of Mr. E. J. Watt. Tamerzand was one of a draft of thoroughbreds sent out from England by Mr. Rundle Brendon, and to our time she is a rising four-year-old by Tamer (a halfbrother to Buchan and Saltash) from the Collar mare Ladas Maid. She started three times in England as a two-year-old, but was not placed. Didn’t Wait Fop Second Day All of J. T. Jamieson’s team were sent home from the Waikato meeting without waiting for the second day’s racing, the state of the going being responsible for this step. It was thought that Welcome Home at least would get in the money in the hack seven, but he was hopelessly placed near the tail of the field, with horses all round him. as they approached the home stretch. It was a big field, and those not near the rails when the field started to cosue across the top had little chance of getting in the money. Welcome Home should be a better horse next season. Has He Finished?

Baldowa was walking very groggily when he went out for the Autumn Handicap ‘at the South Canterbury meeting, and only extreme optimism could have prompted his connections to undertake the journey from Southland to Washdyke last week. In his day Baldowa was a good horse, but he has got to the end of his usefulness, as, apart from age, he seems too infirm to be worth much consideration in future. In Saturday’s race he was unable to jump out, and he toiled hopelessly in the rear most of the way. All The Big Ones

Beau Cavalier won the last Grand National Steeplechase with 11.7, which was his last race over country, and followed up his successful efforts in the G.N. Steeplechase with 9.7, and the Wellington Steeplechase with 10.7, so that with 12.2 in the Great Northern Steeplechase on June 4, he cannot be said to be harshly treated. Only on three occasions have horses weighted at 12.2 and over been successful at Ellerslie, but that will not daunt backers, who were recently given convincing evidence that Beau Cavalier is in great condition for his two gruelling tasks next month. One For Next Season After threatening for some weeks to win a race, Partial Eclipse made good in the second division of the Waikato Maiden, and on her runaway win in that event she was liberally supported for the hack sprint the second day. The filly was well placed at the home turn, and then suffered .when carried out. It is doubtful whether she would have finished in a place. The half sister to Awarere should improve with another year on to her age, for she is a big filly that will take time.

Schorr’s Improvement One of the easiest wins recorded at the recent Waikato meeting was that registered by Schorr the second day. On the first day he was running in a good position, lying second on the rails just behind the leaders. Just after passing the six furlongs post he dropped back as if he had been shot, and in the next half furlong he was near the rear. The cause of this was not known, probably a bump from the horse running alongside him being a contributing factor. On Monday he

was handy when the field had straightened up, and over the last bit, after hitting the front a hundred yards from home, he simply cantered in. It was an impressive effort on a heavy track, and showed that Schorr is going to do well this winter.

On the Buzz-Wagon There appears to be divided opinion at present as to who is to control future motor-car racing on the Oreti Beach and racing people where horses are concerned are not worrying about the upshot ot the matter, but they hope that future activities in car competition will not clash with galloping or trotting fixtures in Invercargill, writes “Sir Modred.” Quite a number of the persons interested in the motor racing business have from time to time expressed regret that nothing was being done to attract visitors to Southland’s capital, yet in their initial venture as sports promoters they clashed with the Invercargill Trotting Club’s annual gathering, a fixture that had been before the public favourably for several years. It is to be hoped that the future rulers of the buzz-wagon business will see to it that this does not happen again.