Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 719, 19 July 1929, Page 14

Turf Notes

CONDUCTED BY ~

"EARLY BIRD"

Acceptances Tonight Acceptances for the first day (Thursday next) of the Gisborne meeting close tonight. First acceptance for the Grand National Steeplechase, Hurdles and Winter Cup. also general entries for the C.J.C. Grand National meeting, are due tonight. Reminders .. The publication of programmes for forthcoming meetings heralds the fact that the spring fixtures are rapidly approaching. Owners and trainers are given reminders of the following dates to bear in mind: — Pakuranga Hunt Club entries close with Mr. W. S. Spence at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 2. Dannevirke R. C. and Hunt Club entries close at 9 p.m. on Friday. August IG. Marton J.C. spring meeting nominations are due on Friday, August 16, at 9 p.m. Entries for the two-year-old parade must be made on acceptance night, August 27. Plenty of Material Ellerslie trainer J. Buchanan will have plenty to occupy his attention during the next few weeks, for no fewer than seven horses are being prepared by this well-known mentor for early spring racing. In addition to Respirator, the mainstay of the team, there is the disappointing Brampton, the rising three-year-olds Neil, Good Idea, and Tambourine, and two yearling fillies. Speak Out (Thespian— Mumble) and Thais (Romeo—lsingarch). Mountain Guide—Jumper Two novices to the batten game in Mountain Guide (Sharkey) and Zane Grey (Duggan) were partnered over several of the pony hurdles at Ellerslie yesterday morning. Of the two Mountain Guide gave the neatest display. Zane Grey rapping the fences hard once or twice. Mountain Guide has all the credentials for a successful hurdler, being big and strong, and as his former efforts on the flat would indicate that he relishes a journey over a distance there is every encouragement to keep him for hurdle racFor Wanganui It is expected that the programme for the Wanganui Jockey Club’s spring meeting will contain two races similar to the Trial Plate at Trentham, the conditions being that they are oper, to horses that have never won a flat race of the value of more than £IOO to the winner. This condition should ensure getting something with “class” in the event, as was the case at Trentham when Hopwood, Shortly, Great Lady and Zarene were among the starters. Each race will be decided over a distance extending to seven furlongs, and nominations should prove the committee right in including events of this nature on each day of the fixture. Caterpillar’s Programme The speedy Paper Money filly Caterpillar is at present enjoying a temporary let-up at Riccarton, but she will be recommissioned again shortly. At the conclusion of the Dunedin meeting it was stated that the filly’s owner. Mr. J. Richardson, who, by the way, holds a joint interest in Overhaul, was intent on sending the three-year-old to Sydney for the early spring meetings, but the Sydney trip has been postponed. However, it is more than likely that later on she will be seen in action in Australia. Two-Year-Old Parade In past years the holding of a two-year-old parade on the opening day of the Wanganui Jockey Club’s spring meeting has found favour with owners and trainers, as well as breeders, but the popularity of the parade has been at times rather embarrassing (says the “Chronicle”). The public is also interested in the event, for it enables it to get a “line” on the form for the Debutante States, the first two-year-old race of the year, run on the second day of the meeting. To run off two sprints for these green youngsters in the interval between two races becomes something of a task for the club as the parade grows in favour, so it has been decided to put the parade on about 11.15 a.m., which should enable those interested to see all they want to see without any need for undue hurry. Shapes Well A filly in J. Buchanan’s stable which is the cynosure of many eyes when she is exercised at Ellerslie of a morning is Tambourine. In addition to being a well-grown, nicelyshaped rising three-year-old, she comes from a successful family, being by Lucullus from Tact, a mating which has given us good performers in Tactful. Tactician and Lido, the last-named unfortunately going amiss at the time she was evincing considerable improvement. Tambourine has been a constant attendant at headquarters for some time now. and a few short sprints have revealed that she is not deficient in pace, so that her debut in public will be awaited with interest. Sydney Trip Abandoned Notwithstanding the fact that Riccarton trainer H. Nurse missed the nominations for the A.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap with Rapier, the connections of the Greyspear horse contemplated sending him to Sydney to contest the rich weight-for-age races. However, the horse’s owner, Mr. G. G. Holmes, has not been in the best of health lately, and it has now been definitely decided to abandon the trip. Rapier continues to work along satisfactorily at Riccarton in his preparation for spring racing*, and he may make his next appearance at the Geraldine spring meeting, where he will be confined to sprint racing, after which he will receive a special preparation for the weight-for-age Harcourt Cup. run at the Wellington spring meeting. Created a Stir

A Sydney paper of the sensational type, which made its first appearance only a few weeks ago, produced a long argument in favour of taking Randwick away from the Australian Jockey Club and converting it into an airport for the city. It might with greater advantage have suggested commandeering one of the too numerous pony courses, one of which would be probably even more suitable for an airdrome than Randwick. The Randwiek course is held by the Australian Jockey Club under a type of perpetual lease, but there is a clause which enables any Government to review the position at any time. It is very unlikely, however, that during present times an}' alteration will be made, for the club is a very powerful concern. It has. of course. the Warwick Farm course, but, admirably fitted up as it is, it would require a good deal of improving and enlarging to accommodate an A.J.C. Derby or Sydney Cup crowd. In addition, the course would have to be remodelled.

Shows Promise When the two-year-olds come into their own again it is highly probable that F. Gilchrist will produce a colt who may take high honours on the turf. The rising two-year-old in question is the son of Tarquin and Marco vara, purchased at the Sydney yearling sales at Easter by Mr. E. W. Alison, junr. Undoubtedly the colt appears to be a bargain, notwithstanding that we have yet to see him in action. He is a low-set type, being thick and powerful, and has furnished splendidly since his arrival in the Dominion. Franklin Club No ballot has been necessary in the election of officers of the Franklin Racing Club for the ensuing year, the nominations received in each case comprising the present officers only. Those thus re-elected are as follow: President. Mr. Dynes Fulton; vicepresident, Mr. A. H. Tapper: executive, Messrs. AY. J. Taylor, E. H. Keating, T. Hancock, C. E. Walter, E. F. Muir, G. T. Proude, A. C. Gill, IT. Barnabv, R. W. Bilkey, J. Kennelly. R. Fulton, F. J. Morrow. The annual meeting of the club is to be held at Pukekohe on August 5. Good in the Mud

Some sires are recognised as good progenitors of mudlarks, and Quin Abbey, Catmint, Lucullus and Archiestown come in this category. Lucullus, in fact, is noted for this, and in Kaiti, Lucky Bag and Maori Boy he had three sound performers at the Trentham meeting. Quin Abbey’s best were King’s Guard and Havering, and Catmint supplied a double winner in Mark Mint. Paddon, produced only once, was a very worthy representative of Archiestown. Winter Cup Favourite?

There is a decided possibility that Merry Mint will be tne Winter Cup favourite in the North Island. After his fall at Ellerslie last month he had to be spelled, and it is certain he was not a thoroughly fit horse at Trentham. Even then, he ran two line races to finish fourth each day. The appalling track conditions on Saturday were all against an unseasoned horse like he is, and he should be a much fitter horse at Riccarton. Looking back at the three-year-old form in Sydney, one has to recall his defeat of Sion and Black Duchess at even weights in the Hobartvilie Stakes his second to Limerick- in the Chelmsford Stakes at Kosehill, and his second in the Clibborn Stakes at Randwick, to realise his possibilities now that he is striking his real form. Fie should be a much fitter horse by the time the Riccarton meeting comes round, with a month’s work into him. Better Than Last Season Looking back at the steeplechase events at Trentham, there is just mild encouragement for the belief that the season has been better than last year, when the bottom was surely touched, comments “Vedette.” Certainly Maunga’s victory was not complimentary to the opposition, but. providing he jumps he is a fine stayer, and this quality won him his race. King’s Guard and Fabriano both pleased in the Wellington Steeplechase, and it is unfortunate that Fabriano did not stand up on Saturday. Matu and Radiate both were short of the solid racing condition necessary fox' gruelling tasks, but both have only to stand up to their work between now and Grand National day to be possibilities. Kawini is solid and honest, but the same cannot be said about Brigadier Bill. Rangi Sarto stood his two races, and may be an outside chance for a race at Riccarton. Royal Elm and Alaric are undoubtedly assets to the cross-country game, and for first season horses in open races have done particularly well. Nukumai now stands as a failure as a ’chaser, and possibly he will be kept now to racing over the battens. As there is still Roman Abbey, and possibly Wiltshire, Mangani and Uralla to be considered, the prospects for the remainder of the jumping season are not so bad. Real Stayers Rare As New Zealand as well as Australia is woefully short of stayers nowadays, the following rather trenchant criticism of the position from an editoi'ial in the “Australasian” is of interest: —“There is no gainsaying the fact that so far as stayers are concerned we have slipped back badly, considering the large number of horses bred. Worse still, there is no assurance that the decline has stopped. In our opinion the principal causes of this retrogression have been too much racing of two-year-olds before January in each season; too much money allotted during the season foi' two-year-olds and not enough for three-year-olds: insufficient inducement by subsidiary clubs for the breeding of stayers by their catering too liberally for speed, and the use of a large number of stallions unfitted to maintain tlie stamina and staying ability of our blood stock. In this x*espect tlie worst aspect is the craze for imported sires simply because they are imported. Except for a very small percentage, the imported stallions which have been used in Australia in the last 20 years have been English culls. mostly unsound, and not many above selling plate or welter form in England. A pedigree, be it ever so fashionable, without the horse is worse than useless; it is a menace.”