Freehold is Early Sprint Favourite

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 611, 13 March 1929, Page 12

Freehold is Early Sprint Favourite

The favourites for next Saturday's big Trentham double, the Thompson Handicap and Railway Handicap.

REREMOANA AND THE CLASSIC TRENTHAM TOPICS (Special to THE SLW) W ELLIXGTOX. Tuesday. Ilia Trentham course lias never been in better order than it is at the present time. There is usually a danger of it being rather too hard during the autumn, but recent rains have made the going excellent and heavy dews have kept it so. There is every prospect of horses competing at the comingmeeting being- able to race ui a. perfect turl The trial grass track at Trentham is in line condition at present, but the club has decided to allow horses to work on the outside of the course proper upon payment of a Coe of £l. a penalty of £ 5 will be imposed upon any person whose horse fails to keep to the portion of the course marked out by the manager. There was no work of great interest at Trentham this morning, but by Thursday some of the visiting horses will have arrived and the gallops are sure to attract a deal of attention. IToi de Val. who claims an engagement in the Silverstream Handicap on baturday, has not raced as recently as some of the others engaged in the race, but he galloped well at Trentham today and may b© forward enough to run a good mile. He went with Footpad over seven furlongs, covering the distance in 1.32 3-5 and beating his companion comfortably. Footpad, however, did not put a great deal of effort into his work and probably is not a good track horse. Speedy Two-year-Olds Push and Crash got to the end of half a mile in 49 3-5, which was better than the few other gallops which were timed during the morning. Black Mint, who is being got ready for late autumn and winter racing, was sprinted. Quantum, who has engagements among the hack sprinters at the Wellington meeting, showed a lot of dash in a short sprint. He should strip well on Saturday. The early favourite for the Railway Handicap, the principal sprint handicap to be run at the Wellington autumn meeting, is Freehold. Freehold competed successfully among the hacks at the Wanganui meeting in February, and it may be remembered that his time for six furlongs on the second day of the meeting was faster than that in which the open .six was won. In addition he carried far more weight than the winner of the open event. It was freely remarked at the time that had ho competed in the higher class lie would have won. If there is anything in the time test no doubt his Wanganui form is responsible for his being favourite for Saturday’s race. lie comes from a. good stable and if it is known that his trainer. F. Tilley, fancies him, that too will have something to do with his having a big following. A Possibility A smart sprinter, Moa Bird, was seen in action at Napier Park on Saturday. Moa Bird won several races last season and then underwent a period of enforced idleness. She looks bigger and more solid now than she did last year and she. should race better. She competed among the sprinters on the opening day at Napier and but for being interfered with she might have won. Moa Bird is not the best of beginners and the Trentham course should suit her better than the smaller tracks on which she has done all her racing up to the present. A Southern report is that Pink Coat, who was engaged in the North Island Challenge Stakes, will not be sent to the Wellington meeting. Hawera Try-out

Vivo, an acceptor in the ITigliWeight Handicap at Trentham on Saturday, galloped with Mendip at Hawera to-day. The pair went a mile in 1.45 and Mendip had the better of the trial at the finish. Vivo, however, pleased and is expected to do well at Trentham. Mendip is engaged in the Opunake Cup on Saturday and should be one of the hardest to beat. The St. Leger candidate, Concentrate, ran a really good race in the Napier Cup last Saturday, and Red Heckle and Toxeuma may find him a tough opponent in the classic this week. He is bred to stay, but up to the present he has not run up to expectations. He seems to have improved since the spring and he is sure to give a good account of himself this week. Reremoana Well Reremoana and Bright Glow were galloped at Hawera to-day and the honours of the work-out were with Reremoana. The Challenge Stakes candidate galloped in his best style and was doing a little better than the mare all through, but both are credited with satisfactory efforts. Reremoana will be one of the best back'*! runners in the Challenge Stakes and as he will not have any penalty to carry his pros-

I pects are bright. When he won a year ago he carried a 51b penalty. [ Bright Glow is engaged in both the Challenge Stakes and the Thompson Handicap, but she is regarded as a sure starter in the Thompson, a race in which she ran second a year ago to Joy King. So far High Falutin’. who remains in the St. Leger, has done nothing of note under silk, but he was noticed finishing very fast in his race at Bulls lust week, and it is possible that a distance of ground will suit him. Another St. Leger candidate that raced last week is Toxeuma, who contested and won the open six at Napier Park on Saturday. Toxeuma has grown into a very presentable looking three-year-old. He should run a good race, but his ability to run out a mile and three-quarters at a fast pace is doubted. Valpre, a Plunket Nursery Handicap candidate, galloped at Hawera to-da.y. She was accompanied by the maiden Fortalice, whom she beat over five furlongs in 1.7 2-5. The promising hack Richfield, who t has engagements at Opunake this ' week, was showing signs of lameness after workinr at Hawera this morning. Better at Trentham White Fang looks better now than he used to, but he did not stay out the mile and a-quarter of the Napier Cup at all well. Improved by the race he i might go a good race in the Thompson Handicap, however, as a mile seems to be his best distance. One of the more interesting competitors at the Wellington meeting will be Commendation. The big chap was seen in action at Napier Park last week and he must have pleased his connection by the manner in which he tackled liis task. tie contested the Cup, hitting the front early in the race. He bowled along at the head of the field and was still one of the leaders after the home turn had been rounded. He faded out of a place in the final run, but the impression by his performance is that he will soon be able to give a really good account of himself and that even if he is never again the Commendation of old he will be good enough to win some important handicaps. He will be well tested "at Trentham and at Awapum, and if he wins one of the coveted prizes his success will give general pleasure. While galolping at Hawera the three-vear-old Christmas Tree stumbled and broke both forelegs, lie was destroyed with as little delay as possible. Christmas Tree was by Tree Lucerne from Fluke, the dam of Captain Gazeley. He was a maiden belonging to Mr. J. Short. The favourite for the Thompson Handicap is Pegaway, winner of three races at the Auckland Christmas meeting. Pegaway will be ridden by A. Tinker.

DEATH OF STALLION

NEW ZEALAND-BRED HORSE

BROADWOOD’S CAREER

The death of the sallion, Broadsword is reported from Australia, where most of his life was spent. Broadsword was bred by Sir George Clifford in 1906, being by Clanranald from Safeguard, by Maxim from Teredo, by Apremont from Nautilus. He was thus a brother to Stronghold and Fleetfoot. Like most of the progeny of Clanranald, Broadsword showed a lot of quality', and from the time he arrived fit Riccarton, as a .yearling, he was greatly admired. Soon after he was broken in he was the victim of an accident, receiving a . nasty gash on the chest, but fortunately the injuries were not serious, and he made a rapid recovery.

lle was unplaced in the Welcome Stakes, but later in the meeting he won the .Electric Plate, a half-mile w*ight-for-age event, which in those days frequently provided a great contest among the sprinters of all ages. Later in the season he won the Great Northern Foal Stakes at Auckland and the Autumn Nursery Handicap at Riccarton, while he was placed in five other races in his first season. He raced unluckily at three years, as he failed to notch a win, though he was four times second and twice third, most of these performances being registered in clasic or weigh t-for-age events.

At the end of that season he was sold to the Melbourne owner, who raced under the assumed name of Mr. S. A. Rawdon, for whom he did very well. He won a couple of sprints in the spring of his four-year-old season. In the autumn he ran third in the Newmarket Handicap, and a few days later he was second to Comedy King in the All Aged Stakes, one mile. A few weeks later, at Sydney, lie carried 8.8 and won the Doncaster Handicap, winding up the meeting by carrying 9.0 into second place in the Final Handicap, one mile and a-quarter, beaten bv a head. He raced with moderate success after that, though at six years he won the Adelaide Birthday Cup, one mile and a-half. At the stud he sired a number of smart sprinters, one of whom, Chelidon, won the Oakleigh Plate.