Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 453, 7 September 1928, Page 6

Turf Notes

By EARLY BIRD,

Paid Good Prices It was surprising to find such fancied horses as Cohesion, Pangolin and Trouble at extraordinary good odds at Marton, on Wednesday, the starting prices for the trio averaging well over five to one. Queen Arch, too, was at a false quotation. Although L. Manson has to waste to get down to 7.9, he had to declare a pound overweight—and at the finish there was only a head in it. Weights For Avondale

Handicaps for the first day of the Avondale meeting are due to be declared by Mr. F. J. McManemin on Monday next, and acceptances close the following Friday afternoon. Winners at the Wanganui fixture next week will be liable to a rehandicap. Dermod Should Be Good Hitherto trained by Oney Cox at Hawera, Dermod was some time ago sent to Porirua to be trained on the sands there by D. Prosser. That the new conditions were appreciated by the horse was proved at Marton on Wednesday, when the four-year-old won the Trial Plate, coming on at the right end. It was a promising effort, and showed the half-brother, by Limond, to the one-time speedy Gaillard, as a horse likely to score in much better, company before long. Won Over The Flimsies Cohesion gave nothing else a show in the Hack Hurdles at Marton. The Gisborne horse pulled his way to the front before half a mile had been covered, and th„en it was only a question of what he would win by. It was a very easy victory, but the merit of the performance was somewhat discounted by the fact that the hurdles wore flimsy affairs that collapsed when tapped. nevertheless Cohesion cleared the obstacles without hitting a single one, and he was capable of getting in that short one when necessary, that accomplished fencers can produce at the right time.

A Waiting Race On Riccarton running Pangolin looked a good proposition in the Spring Hack Cup at Marton on Wednesday, but he was allowed to go out a second favourite at a royal price. He got away well after being slow to get into line —an old complaint with the chestnut —but Reed found that there were others willing enough to make the running, so he dropped in behind. Pie moved on him at the bottom of the straight, and he easily accounted for Lady's Boy in the run home. It was a smooth performance, and better things can be predicted for the Panmure gelding. Before the season ends Pangolin may well prove to be the handicap performer of G. W. New’s stable.

Held Her Own The rush to support Bisox in the Marton Handicap saw the othef wellbacked division at nice odds, and the Warm favourite had to be satisfied with third money at the finish. The winner turned up in the Te Arohaowned and trained Queen Arch, who hung on gamely under pressure. She was forced to cover a bit of extra ground to get a position over the final half-mile, and the run she started from there saw her in the van as the field swept into the straight. At the distance Queen Arch was a couple of lengths in front of the field. Actually it was this initial advantage when the whips were "out that gained her the victory, for when Royal Mint challenged hotly and looked like heading her, over the last chain Queen Arch was holding him. It was a smooth performance, and drew attention to Queen Arch’s prospects if she takes on the handicaps there. No Trouble To Him Trouble by name, and a source, of trouble to the rest of the field, who got headaches chasing him, was responsible for the fine victory achieved by Trouble in the Hunt Cup Steeplechase at Marton on Wednesday. The aged Sir Frisco gelding was ridden by his owner, Mr. K. Duncan, a son of that well-known sportsman, Mr. T. A. Duncan (owner of Laughing Prince and Enthusiasm, to mention only a couple of his good ones), and ridden a well-judged race, too, so that he had fully earned the plaudits of the crowd when he returned to weigh in. Trouble is a safe conveyance, and endowed with fair pace. It is probable that he will be brought North to contest the Pakuranga Hunt Cup at the end of this month. The N.Z. Cup Field

The nominations foi* the New Zealand Cup number 49, compared with 60 last year. As usual, they aye drawn from a wide area, 28 being from the North Island and 21 from South Island stables. They are a mixed lot, with a very long tail, writes ‘“Argus.” Last year’s winner, Rapier, is in the list again, also Star Stranger and Footfall, who filled the places, and Count Cavour, Battlement, Pink Note, Lady Desmond, Bennanee and Vaward, who comprised the unplaced division. There are some notable absentees. Limerick was not expected. Quite apart from the possibility that he will be in Australia at that time, it is unlikely that he will be nominated again for handicap events. It is different with his stable mates, Arikiwai and Roscrea. The failure to nominate this pair probably means that F. D. Jones expects to take his team to Melbourne after the big meeting in Sydney. Hynanna is another horse whose absence is accounted for by engagements in Melbourne. He is there already and is one of the favourites for the Caulfield Cup. with the Melbourne Cup as a probability later. Te Monanui was in the field last year, but apparently his owner does .not regard him as a two-miler, though he is a good horse up to a mile and a-half. Martarma is a notable absentee from Riccarton. He is training on all right, but evidently he is not to be subjected to a two-mile preparation. The absence of Mask is easily understood, as his owner finds plenty of opportunities to race his horses in the North Island, and does not patronise Riccarton. There will be some surprise over the absence of Celerity 11., as reports from Southland suggested that this muchimproved English-bred mare was a probability for the race. While the presence of some of these horses would strengthen the field, there is plenty of good material, including Star Stranger, Beacon Light, Bisox, Oratrix, Black Mint, and Desert Glow from the North with Rapier, Count Cavour, Footfall, Set Sail, Pink Note, Rotor and Battle Colours from South Island stables to arouse plenty of interest, apart from many others who may develop sufficiently during the next two months to enter seriously into Cup discussions.

Wanganui Acceptances Acceptances for the Wanganui meeting close at 8 o’clock to-night. Pakuranga Nominations Entries for the annual race meeting of the Pakuranga Hunt Club, to be held at Ellerslie on September 29, close at 5 p.m. to-day, with Mr. W. S. Spence, at the office of the Auckland Racing Club.

Small, But Good Lacking in inches, but with a heart as big as a bullock’s —that describes the ponified three-year-old filly, Moutoa Treasury, the conqueror of Knightlike in the hack sprint at Marton this week. The filly was rather slow in getting into her stride, and coming round the home turn she was well off the course, on the outside of five others, but she tackled the favourite in great style and wore him down. The filly claims several important engagements in the near future, one of which is the Eclipse Stakes at Wanganui next week. Probably Moutoa Treasury inherits her fighting spirit from her dam, Moutoa Ivanove, who was a full-sister to that fine galloper, Sasanoff. But lack of height will always be against the filly when it comes to carrying big weights. Likes Marton

On the Marton course last spring Blimp opened his winning account. That was a maiden race, and now 12 months later he had improved sufficiently to take the open sprint from a good field, half of whom by the way were not ready for serious business. Blimp was in the middle of the field throughout the contest to the home turn, where he was handy to the leaders, and by a good finishing effort poked his way up between Oration and Lady’s Boy when the latter seemed to have the race in his keeping. Keeps On Winning

The recent form of Pale Star has been quite good, although the fields he has disposed of have not been of much class. His latest effort was in the Tutaenui Hack at Marton on Wednesday, and there again he was lucky in striking weak opposition. However, the performance was better than its face value, for the Tribulation gelding had something to do after getting none too good a passage over the first half of the journey. Race For The Rails

There was at least one lucky rider at Marton on Wednesday. This was the diminutive jockey aboard Roburant in the Tutaenui *Hack, the last event on the card, which probably accounts for the fact that the boy was not called upstairs—a word fraught with special meaning to horsemen. Roburant missed the jump out from a walk-in start, but at the end of a furlong he was rushed up the outside, and then crossed over very sharply to the rails, cutting right under the nose of Kindle. There might have been a serious accident, and for this reason the chance to educate the apprentice that this is one of the things he must not do was missed. Stubborn People

At Maisons-Lafitto the French stable boys went on strike in June and were givng a lot of trouble. Breaking bottles oh the tracks, breaking barriers, etc., were tactics they were resorting to in order to gain their ends, but it was anticipated the strike would be resultless for the boys. It was intended to transfer the meeting set down for Maisons-Laffitte for June 15 and St. Cloud was the venue chosen. The 1 alteration did not take place, as it would have been necessary to abandon the last race on the card, a steeplechase, which could not be run at St. Cloud. An American owner, who had two horses in the steeplechase, objected to the race being abandoned, and in consequence the meeting had to be held at Maisons-Lafitte. The American’s luck was out, as, though his two horses were favourits, when bracketed on the totaliastor, they both fell.

First Acre’s Rider Defended Apparently Prince Humphrey was a trifle lucky to dead-heat with First Acre at Canterbury Park on August 11. Rounding the home turn First Acre was in front from Fairy Present, and it looked any odds on his showing the way home. His rider, however, made the mistake of looking behind, and while the lad was so acting the gelding came out from the rails, having an opening which ultimately meant the difference between a dead-heat and defeat to Prince Humphrey, which drew level in the last stride, says the “Telegraph.” The stewards inquired into T. Webster’s effort, and severely censured him for looking round, thereby allowing his mount to come out and leave the opening which meant so much for the odds-on chance. The official castigation was well merited, but not so the criticism of those First Acre bettors, who concluded that Webster was riding for Prince Humphrey to win, and expressed the opinion in unrestrained terms. First Acre was well backed, and among the biggest supporters were stable connections. If the betting did not completely clear the rider from suspicion, the vigour he exerted over the final furlong of the race should have dispelled any remaining doubt. Webster’s explanation of the incident is simple. Realising that once his mount reached the front the only probable source of danger was Prince Humphrey, he looked round to see how the colt was positioned. His anxiety rose from the knowledge that if Prince Humphrey was handy to him he could not afford to lose any time in making for the post, whereas if the colt was some distance out of his ground the reservation of his mount’s energy for a dash over the last hundred yards represented the best tactics. It was Webster’s misfortune that First Acre should have left the rails while he was having his peep, just as was the interference to which the gelding was subjected in previous races. It is understood that though Prince Humphrey’s rider was handicapped by a slipping saddle, the performance' was of sufficient merit to attract attention to his Epsom chance with 7.12. Admirers of the son of Duke Humphrey, however, should watch their step, as it is quite probable that the Derby will be his mission.