Pageant a Good One

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 552, 3 January 1929, Page 11

Pageant a Good One

CANTERBURY PARK TROTS

Successful fixture Concludes

f Special to THE SUXJ CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. TPE-E Canterbury Park trots concluded to-day in fine 1 weather When the racing commenced the track was very heavy, but improved as the day wore on and dust was m evidence when the sixth race was being run. There was a large attendance and the totalisator handled £33,405 10s against £30,671 10s on the corresponding day last vear. The total for the meeting was £61,836 10s against £65 328 last year.

Favourites liad a real oft' day, the only first fancy to pay a winning dividend being Mercury, who completed a Rouble at. the fixture, when he won the Middleton Handicap. Three other favourites succeeded in gaining: second place, but iri the majority of cases, outsiders filled the dividend positions. Molly Molloy Comes Home Pieter Timmerman, Great Amazon and Trampcrisp were withdrawn from the Progressive Handicap, Lady Kan £202, New .Met Cord £372 and Repute £371. being the best backed. It was practical.y a procession, for MoUy Molloy led from start to finish, and, although Lady Kan looked a possibility in the back lane, the last time. Molly Molloy was never extended in the run

home, and had three lengths to spare from Lady Kan, who was six lengths ahead of the third horse, Repute, at the finish. The winner was not at homo on Tuesday’s slippy going, but with conditions more holding to-day the daughter of Great Audubon and Hilda Wood won decisively for K. C. McDermott. New Metford never settled down and was pulled up live furlongs from home. Another For Edwards

Albena, A. Butterfield, £569, was favourite for the Prebbleton Handicap, followed by Travis Axworthy £464, find Dick Logan £424. The winer turned up in Neerson, who carried £395. At the outset Travis Axworthy and Avenger mixed their gaits, while St. Bridget went wrong shortly afterwards. Neerson drew right away in the back stretch the last time and was never headed. When negotiating the final bend, however. he broke, and gave his backers some cause for alarm, but he quickly found 1 is gait again, and won very easily by four lengths from Albena ajt the finish, the latter just getting up to beat Erin’s Royal by a head. Neerson’s win marked M. B. Edwards’s fourth victory at the meeting. Of the beaten division, Sonoma Child showed up as the likeliest to be led in a winner very shortly.

No Trouble to Pageant With half a mile to go in the Park Handicap, Pageant cleared out from the field and there was lictle excitement at the finish, Pageant beating Bonny Logan easily by six lengths, with Harold Thorpe a poor third. Mate o’ Mine-Harold Thorpe bracket £957 was the elect of backers, but Pageant was not far away, carrying £939. and then came Moneyspider £649. Pluto was the early leader, his nearest attendants being Zenith and Pageant. Pluto reached the half-mile disk in 1.16 4-5, and was still in command at the mile peg, which was passed in .’.31 3-5. Pluto soon retired in place «f Zenith, who was almost on te %is with Pageant when one and a-naif miles had been left behind in 3.46, but thereafter Pageant's driver had a comfortable drive, and although Bonny Logan put up *a fine run and succeeded in passing Harold Thorpe, who had been Pageant’s nearest attendant till the straight entrance, W. J. Tomkinson had no occasion to draw the whip. Pageant finished up the full journey in 4.57 4-5. All through it was a cleanly contested race, and there is no doubt that th-3 best horse won. Of the beaten division Waitaki Girl finished on well in fourth place, while Billy Sea was fifth. Those that made mistakes were Billy Sea, Event and Acre, while Vesuvius in breaking over the concluding stages interfered with Moneyspider and Kirelight.

Mercury Again Mercury £l,llß, Royal Serene £B2O and Donard £484 were the best backed in the Middleton Handicap, and the strong support .extended to Mercury was well founded, the Adonis pacer giving M. B. Edwards his fifth win at the meeting. Mercury never turned a hair and won like a good stayer. It

was surprising to lind Milo Minto paying the other dividend, as liis first day’s form could not make him present un appeal, lie was always doing his work in finished style, which could not be said of his Tuesday’s performance, his second was put as a marked reversal of form. Royal Serene showed a torrent of across the l °P, but he had no chance with the other pair. Bing Boy and Alvira mixed it badly at the start. Old Coaster’s Victory Sarsparilla. £698 was again public •Tioice In the Hornby Handicap. Happ> kosa £643 and Nourmahal £620 next ih demand. The favourite would probably ' v °n but for a costiv break at a eitical ftage cf the race, as he showed a fine bl *rst of speed once he settled to Ins §?it again, and got up to beat » iia Hebe by a neck on the post. Nighborn no mistakes and finished up ;1 Sood winner. Wild Hebe trotted a hne sold race, but he was not up to. the ‘lass of the dividend-payers, lie is a very honest and reliable sort v no should win another race when the class *8 not too select. Lenwood. Our Lad>. Ljonmel. Happy Rosa and John Maurihus ruined their chances by making mistakes. highborn was bred in Westport by Carles Craddock, being by Charge from Maid of Berth, a trot-

ting mare than won good races on the Coast for Mr. George Murray. In 1919, when a four-year-old, Nighborn was sold to a patron of A. Cox’s Christchurch stable, and two months later the novice returned to his native town to clean tip the trotting events on the Christmas card. Nighborn has passed through various hands since then, but has kept up a fine record of victories and placed performances. Away Stages Comeback Tom Thumb £1,267 was looked upon as the best of good things for the Belwyn Handicap, the second favourite Away carrying about half that amount, and the ex-Southlander, who was driven by E. C. McDermott, staged a popular comeback when he won from a good field of sprinters. Pie was allowed to race in behind Double Event until the race to the judge was commenced, w r here he came away by himself to score a clean-cut victory from | Double Event, who had a length to spare from the fast-finishing Tom Thumb, whose turn is not far off. Away indicated that he was in form when he finished third to Kotuku Jack and Author Jinks in the Boxing Day Handicap at the Ashburton summer meetI ing. He is a Southland-bred gelding by Adonis from Castout, and raced well a couple of seasons back, until he was thrown out of work through unsoundness. Now that he has become sound again, Away should do further service for his owner, as he is equally good as a stayer.

Countryman Goes Fast Sahib £607, Bingen Lad £579 and Lady Matehlight £539 had most support for the Telegraph Handicap, over a mile in the saddle. From the buckmark, Countryman outclassed the opposition. In the early stages he was well back, but three furlongs from home, he came on the outside like a flying machine, and was close on the heels of Succession and Granite City for the run home. Countryman wound up a good winner in 2.11 2-5, which was a wonderful performance on the heavy track. Succession, who was always in the van, dropped out about two furlongs from home, but came at it again to beat Granite City for second money’ on the post. The last-named appeared to be caught napping in the last few strides. Rebel, Bing Boy and Fashion Queen stood on the mark, while Omaha was slow away. Final To Dundas Boy For a final flutter backers went solidly for the Harold Thorpe—Arran Chief bracket, £834, and Dundas Boy £834. Dundas Boy was first out and first home. Granite City followed him all the way, and finished up in that position, after surviving a strong challenge from Genuine, who made up his ground very quickly at the far bend. When the start was declared Fixpo stood at the peg, and Jolly Chimes galloped. Dundas Boy was always doing his work comfortably and never

looked like getting beaten. William tjie Great finished on strongly in fourth place. The winner is owned by the popular Auckland sportsman, Mr. George McMillan, and is trained by Roy Berry at Templeton. Dundas Boy is by Brent Locanda from a Wildwood Junior mare, and his form of late suggests he will reach higher company this season. Results are as follows: — PROGRESSIVE HANDICAP Of £225; Vj miles; class 3.37 6—MOLLY MOLLOY, limit J I—LADY1 —LADY FAN, 36yds J 3 REPUTE, 24yds « Scratched: Piete, Timmerman, Great Amazon, Trampcrisp. Won by four lengths. Time, 4.2 2-5. PREBBLETON HANDICAP Of £275; 11 miles; 3.30 class. 4 NEERSON, 24yds J 1— ALBENA. limit • • • % 5 ERIN'S ROITAL, oOyds ° Scratched: Grand Light, Real Light, Wakataua. Won by four lengths. Time, 3.52. ■ PARK HANDICAP Of £850; 2 miles; class 4.31. 2 PAGEANT, limit .. J S—BONNY LOGAN, 36yds - 1 HAROLD THORPE, 12yds J Scratched: Talent. Won by six lengths. Time, 4.57 4-5. MIDDLETON HANDICAP Saddle Of £275; class 4.45; 2 miles ‘ I—MERCURY. 24yds J S—MILO MINTO, 48yds 5 2 ROYAL SERENE, 4Syds " All started. Won by three lengths. Time, 4.47 3-5. HORNBY HANDICAP Of £400; 2 miles; class 4.4* 5 NIGHBORN. limit J 1— SARSAPARILLA. 4Syds " 6 WILD HEBE, limit ° Scratched. —Proud Ata, Duke Bingen. Won by three lengths, a nose between second and third. Time, 4.53. SELWYN HANDICAP _ Of £450; li miles; class 2.46 2 AWAY, limit J 9— DOBLE EVENT, limit - I^°-ZeT,Uh UM pa'gjln| S '' Won Vy three lengths, half a length between second and third. Time, 2.50. TELEGRAPH HANDICAP Saddle Of £300; 1 mile: class 2.15 10— COUNTRYMAN, 48yds | c SUCCESSION, *t. . • ..•••••••• „ 6 GRANITE CITY, 12yds 3 ctarfpii 'Won by two lengths, a neck separating second and third. Time, 2.11 2-5. FINAL HANDICAP Of £300; 1 mile; class 2.14 2 DUNDAS. BOY, limit J f. ,-R.vxITE CITY, limit - 7 GENUINE. • -- . en S -hs Q »h^f 1 awS-. Time. 2.11 2-5.