Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 497, 29 October 1928, Page 10

Turf Notes

Racing at Avondale There will be racing at Avondale on Thursday and Saturday, the fixture being the Daxgaville Racing Club’s annual. Promising Filly Passbook scored one of the easiest wins recorded at Trentham. She is a free-striding filly by Paper Money lrom Password, by Martian —Silver Rink, by Bezonian. She is one of the first winners bred by Mr. W. Higgins, in whose colours she ran. Trainar Wanted? Evidently Mr. V. Riddiford will have to get a new trainer for his team, as Captain Gage-Williams, who for some time past lias been in control of his representatives, informed me this week that ho leaves shortly on a trip to England. Te Atiawa's Form When To Atiawa beat the opposition in the Brewer Handicap at Waverley on Monday last it marked the first win in open company for the Chief Ruler gelding (says the “Chronicle”). So far this season •Te Atiawa has credited his owner, Mrs. W. D. Graham, with three wins, and judging by the manner in which he ran away from the field at Waverley there are still better races to be won with him. Te Atiawa is in the sprint at Avondale on Thursday. Successes in W.A. At the opening cf the West Australian Turf Club's season this month. Pure Blend (Tea Tray—Takahu) won the fillies’ section of the Initial Stakes. She led all the way, and despite the fact that she lost ground by running out at the turn, she won by two lengths. Her time far four furlongs, 49sec, is a new State record. The winner (says a Perth writer) is a handsome filly, and was purchased privately at Sydney sales by Mr. E. Lee Steere, chairman of the W.A.T.C., for 400 guineas, and a £IOO contingency out of the first win. Pure Blend beat 20 others, and seems to be exceptionally good. On the same day the ex-Aucklander, Spoony, also got on the winning list. Very Unlucky If ever a horse had bad luck, it was Head Serang. At Trentham on the first day he missed the get-away, while on the second effort he got twisted around at the despatch, which destroyed his great possibilities. In his first essay, in addition to not breaking the line with the others, he also seemed to get slightly interfered with on the course proper, and then only went under to Admiral Drake by a slight margin. The subsequent running of Admiral Drake, after winning the first day, plainly indicated that it was a good one who beat Head Serang in his initial essay at Trentham. His Busy Day Reference to J. Munro’s feat of riding seven of the winners at the A.J.C. spring meeting, and that of G. Young in riding eight, says a Sydney exchange, recalls the 1901 carnival, when that accomplished horseman. F. Kuhn, "as successful in nine of the races at the meeting. His first win was on Sequence in the Epsom Handicap, and he followed this with a first on San Fran in the Spring Stakes. On the Monday, Gameboy won the Shorts Handicap, San Fran the Metropolitan, and Grasspan the New Stakes, Kuhn riding each. Gameboy and Grasspan were successful on the third day in the Suburban Handicap and the Duff Memorial Stakes respective.lv, and on the concluding day Kuhn rode Newry. winner of the Members’ Handicap, and ‘ San * ran. who scored his third win atthe meeting in the Randwick Plate.

Whangarei Weights Handicaps for the opening day of the Whangarei spring meeting, to be held at Whangarei on Thursday and Saturday of next week, have been delayed until Saturday next, and will appear in the late editions of Saturday evening’s papers and on Monday. Acceptances close at 5 p.m. next Monday, November 5, with the secretary at Whangarei, or with Messrs. Blomfield and Co., High Street, Auckland. At Moorefield on Saturday The Moorefield meeting was held on Saturday, states a Sydney cable In the first division of the Flying Welter Handicap (6 furlongs), the New Zea-land-bred mare Jazz Baby ran unplaced. Eleven started, and the race resulted as follows:—Chryses (8.9), 1; Somnolent (8.13), 2; Prometheus (9.3), 3. Chryses won by a neck. Whangarei’s New Stand In reply to representations made by the president of the Whangarei Racing Club, Mr. R. G. Hosking. the Prime Minister has promised that in the event of his being unable to conduct the official opening of the members’ stand at Kensington Park, a Minister or Government representative would conduct the ceremony. The stand will be opqned on November 8, the first day of the Whangarei Racing Club’s spring meeting. Not To Be Commended Valstreet displayed a mind of her own prior to the start of the two-year-old race at Te Rapa on Wednesday, but this did not appear ample justification for the thrashing tho youngster got from Goulsbro two furlongs from home in the actual race. The use of the ■whip on two-year-olds, particularly at this 3tage of the season, should he restricted, and a reminder to horsemen would appear to be necessary. Cause for Protest A panel of the first flight of hurdles, on the second day at Trentham was knocked down, and everything except Askari came through the gap in the run home. At one time clubs nominated tho number of hurdles over which a race had to be run, and as Beaumont jumped one fewer than Askari the latter’s connections were entitled to lodge a protest against the winner on the ground that he did not complete the course. In other words, a hurdle race can be converted into a flat race if something can go out in front and flatten out the timber. , Well Beaten There was little doubt what would be favourite for Jthe Waverley Cup on Labour Day, for everything pointed to the fact that Bisox would be hard to beat. She had some good performances to her credit this season, including the Winter Cup and the Avondale Cup, but in the .race she was never prominent. Over the early stages the Bisogne mare was alongside Seatown, there being four others in front of the paid, but when it came to the run home the favourite was not in the picture, and sixth was the result of her efforts. Perhaps it was not her best form, and to much notice should not be taken of her failure. At any rate, she may be expected to do better in | events over a longer distance. To Be Ignored | It was thought and hoped that the I Harcourt Cup would supply a line on i the New Zealand Cup, but the result I of the Trentham classic has to be ig- ! nored. Instead of it being a solidly run race to suit a stayer, it became one of the shortest sprints even run on a racecourse. It merely supplied an object-lesson of how lacking in judgment some successful riders are when knowledge of pace is required. Anyone planning -the race and its possible result must have realised that [ Star Strangex’s only chance was a solid pace. Instead of that being pro- | vided, Star Stranger, with a 281 b pull ;in the weights over Black Mint, allowed the latter to make the running, and while the latter was still well clear three furlongs from home, Star Strangex was running at the tail of the field, and was giving half a dozen lengths or more to the leader. They ran the first half-mile in 53 2-5, after the first quarter had taken 28, with the good horses pulling double. Campbell, on Rapier, shot his horse to the front shortly after ente.ring the straight, and the others found themselves in the position of being unable to give away a start in a sprint up the i straight.