Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 737, 9 August 1929, Page 12

Turf Notes

CONDUCTED BY

"EARLY BIRD"

Sprints at Ellerslie With the Pakuranga Hunt meeting only two weeks off, training operations at Ellerslie are commencing to show something of interest, though of course the continued wet weather experienced lately has prevented anything in the nature of fast times being recorded. Number three grass track was available yesterday morning, and the going was very heavy for the horses that I were worked. Thursby was not unduly bustled to register 1.32 for six furlongs, which for a similar distance Abbot’s Delight finished full of running in 1.25 2-5, well clear of Adjuster and Kawiti. Abbot’s Delight is very forward at present, having obviously gained material benefit as the result of several outings at the meets of the Pakuranga Hunt Club. His qualifications as a hunter have now been established, ancl opposed to the class he will be meeting shortly, he should be entitled to respect. A pair of three-year-olds in Tetrarchate and Catoma covered six furlongs easily in 1%29. The former has done exceptionally well lately, and should achieve some success during the season. Wild Country revelled in the conditions and easily beat Whakarite over five furlongs in IJ2 2-5. Wild Country is a three-year-old filly by Antagonist from Country Picnic, hence an own sister to Hoariri and Taneriri. In the autumn she displayed some speed, but was not persevered with and was eventually given a. spell. Providing nothing intervenes, Wild Country will make her debut in the Sylvia Park Handicap at the Pakuranga meeting, and this should serve to bring her nicely forward l'or early spring racing, for winter weights and lack of experience may be telling factors against her just now. Only One The only jockey’s retainer advertised in the official organ for the present season is that of A. H. Eastwood. Murray Aynsley has first call on this rider up to July 1, 1930. From Martial Dawn At Awapuni, S. Watson is supervising the training of a five-year-old geldi ing by Callaghan from the MartianI Torquato mare. Martial Dawn, who i was no mean performer in her day, one , of her best performances being her ; victory in the Wanganui Stakes in i 1922. when she had Kilrush, Rude, j Ngata, Trespass, Foo Chow and others | behind her. As a four-year-old, she j filled minor placings in the Alison Cup I at Takapuna, Te Awamutu Cup, Roto- ' rua and Nelson Cups. The youngster | in question, who is a compact, solidlooking sort, was her first foal. ! On the Alert ! The name of Prince Alert has been ! claimed for the Bisogne-Fidelio geld- • ing in W. Bailey’s stable at Awapuni. ' Although small, he is very compact, ! and shows considerable determination lin his work. As he goes under the 14.1 j scale, he should prove a good proposi- | tion for the ponies across the Tasman, i This trainer has several promising youngsters under his charge, and once the tracks dry up there will be considerable activity among the younger section, G. W. New having no ess than 10 to educate. Some aye already showing distinct promise. However, in common with the older division, they are all restricted to pottering about on the inner grass tracks or doing pacework on the sand. With the Hawke’s Bay Hunt and the Dannevirke Hunt and R.C. meetings preceding the Marton fixture, Southern mentors will have plenty to engage their attention for the next month. Novar’s Rider C. Robinson has been engaged to pilot Novar in his Grand National engagements, while he may be found up on Fine Acre. Robinson is no longer attached to R. E. Hatch’s stable, and is looking after a Rangitero gelding, the property of a Manawatu owner. The newcomer is a very fair looking sort, who might mould into something good. Plenty of Chances

Mr. J. B. Reid’s four-year-old Black Watch, who ran third in last year’s English Derby, and is out of the Aus-tralian-bred Cooltrim mare Punka, is getting first-class stud opportunities in England. He had a full list of good mares this season. Black Watch’s dam, Punka, was mated with Call Boy (1927 Derby Winner) this year.

May Need a Race At the Hawke's Bay meetings Vesperus was showing decided signs of regaining his best form, and had he been fit to take to Trentham, he could hardly have failed to pick up some of the stake money. As he had a short let-up, he may now require some racing to bring him to his best, for he is one of the gross kind, but it is predicted in the Wairarapa that he will pay his way at Riccarton. He is not engaged at the Hunt Club’s meeting, so that his first race should be in the "Winter Cup. If lie fails in that event the mile and a-quarter of the Ileathcote Handicap should suit him well. Types of Racehorses

Lxcessivo length or excessive height is not necessarily an essential characteristic in a racehorse. Obviously excessive length would be a disability from a weight-carrying point of view Of course, horses gallop in all shapes, but a well-balanced individual will, it is strongly argued, usually have a great advantage over the more irregular type. Writing on this subject. Lieu-tenant-Colonel P. L. Rickets, D. 5.0.. M.V.0., in “The Modern Racehorse,'* says that “at four years Ormonde and St. Simon were higher than they were long. Persimmon and Spearfelt were about square, Cyllene and Bay ar do were longer than they were high, and many another almost equal celebrity could be added to each category. For this reason it is foolish to dogmatise or to lay down any exact proportion as being the absolute test, but I venture to say any wide divergence from these proportions would be most unlikely to benefit a horse —rather the reverse, he would far more probably suffer unless compensated in some other way. If, for example, a horse is unusually long, , his length must bring extra work on the loin muscles in holding up the force-end at the gallop, and these muscles will have to be more than averagely strong, and probably wider. Bayardo and Cyllene were, I believe, broader for their length than Ormonde or St. Simon, who were both rather on the narrow side, especially the latter. Pretty Polly who was longer than she was high, was wider than Sceptre*, who was higher than she was long at the same age. There is-a belief that as the thoroughbred increased in size his height off the ground, i.e., his length of leg, has increased in greater ratio than his length of body, and he is. therefore, proportionately taller than he was formerly. Certain, the long, low horse, which presumably did exist in the old days, to some extent is hardly ever seen now. On the other hand, the very tall, leggy horse, which was not uncommon 25 or 30 years ago. has become scarcer, and the balance- be- j tween the two may fairly be said to ; have been reached. There is a. more I general lovelncss than there used to be i —the natural result of care taken by j

For the Hurdles Although Uralla has been taken out of the Grand National Steeplechase, she still holds her ground in the Grand National Hurdles. Failed to Stand Up? The dropping-out at acceptance time last night of Lady Limond from the Winter Cup suggests that all is not well with this useful daughter of Limond. Still Strong Despite the failure of Uralla, Glendowie and Young Thurnham to pay up for the Grand National Steeplechase, Auckland still holds a very strong hand with the three at the top of the list —Kawini, Wiltshire and King's Guard. Warming Up Many good judges, and old hands at that, won't have Lord Ranald as the winner of the Grand National Steeplechase next Tuesday. They say the horse is not experienced enough, and that the National simply can’t be won by a horse whose racing career has not exceeded six weeks. Nevertheless, Lord, Ranald looks like being the exception that but goes to prove the rule. Convalescing D. Moraghan, owner-trainer of Kamehamelia and Master Doon, lias been confined to his bed through illness, but his many friends will be pleased to learn that he is rapidlj' recovering and is up and about again. Ready For the Fray Mountain Guide showed to advantage at Ellerslie yesterday, when he beat Tukunoa over five furlongs in 1.11 2-5, while Bizarro had a shade the best of Diamond Queen over a furlong further in 1.25 1-5. Odin, who is to contest the Pakuranga Hunt Cup, was sent once round, returning 1.28 1-5 for the last six furlongs. He is looking very bright and already is ticked off as one likely to play a leading part in the principal steeplechase event at the Pakuranga meeting. Not Impressive

Only two were seen out schooling at Ellerslie yesterday morning, these being Chelone (L. Husband) and Master Clements (A. McGregor), who were partnered over three of the schooling hurdles. Both jumped particularly high at the initial fence, took the second in good style, and then Chelone got into the last obstacle and sent his jockey out of the saddle. Master Clements shaped satisfactorily and is improving, but Chelone disappointed, for he had previously demonstrated his aptitude for this branch of the game. Taneriri Favourite?

Taneriri and The Lover, two candidates for the principal flat event at the Pakuranga meeting, separately covered at Ellerslie yesterday a round of No. 3 grass in 1.55 and 1.51 2-5 respectively. In his last few starts The Lover has proved a failure. The winter scale of weights may not agree with him, and. it will be interesting to note if he performs better when a return is made to the seven-stone minimum. Taneriri, a promoted hack, ran a rattling good race into second place in the Whyte Handicap at the recent Trentham meeting, and as he has done all that has been asked of him since in a pleasing manner, it is likely that he will firm in favouritism for the mile and a-quarter race, the Jellicoe Handicap, as the day draws nearer. Has Few Superiors

Kilbroney has sired winners of about £200,000 in stakes during his stud career in New Zealand. His progeny have won at all distances, so that he has been a greater success than sires who have left only a preponderance of sprinters. Baulked

A couple of the local heads did Jockey Murrell a good turn unknowingly recently, .says Sydney “Sportsman.” The day when Mosstrooper completed the hat trick at Moonee Valley by winning his third race over fences there, they picked up a chap from the country and represented themselves as the owners of Mosstrooper. They must have put a pretty good tale over, as they got him to put a pony on for the jockey. After Mosstrooper had won they were all jubilation, and went along to the mug for their chop. To their surprise he refused to cough up. He reckoned that he had put the cash on to give Murrell a present, and that he would be tickled to death to meet him and shake him by the hand. In the circumstances there was nothing for the heads to do but to get Murrell. He came along, met the mug, and then the latter coughed up. I-Ie handed Murrell quite a decent present, and after a few amiable exchanges drifted away. When the heads suggested to Murrell that he should share up they found that ho was even tougher than the mug. Aussie’s Final Gallop

It might be as well for Sydney backers to know that wet tracks don’t come amiss to the New Zealand crack, Aussie. In heavy conditions at Randwick last Thursday (all this according to a Sydney writer of August 2), he maintained his reputation for recording the best sprint of the morning with five furlongs in 1.55. It was a long way better than anything else registered. Aussie has done so well since his arrival that he seems fit already to show his best form, over a sprint course at any rate, and his appearance at Warwick Farm tomorrow should prove a strong attraction. On track work he looks the winner. Yesterday he gave Clarifier four lengths’ start from the four furlongs, and caught him before the winning post, running that section of his gallop in 52. The heaviest part of the track was round the home turn. Flags that kept the gallopers 50ft out from the inner rails added considerably to the distance, and it was a slick customer indeed who traversed the furlong from the three to the two in less than even time, so slow were the conditions. Thus Aussie’s gallop was full of merit, particularly as he carried Jim Pike, who represented well over 9st. Evidently heavy track conditions don't worry Aussie. The nearest to Aussie's figures was the 3.62 recorded by Ramulus and King Conray, who galloped round the back of the course. “Glorious Ascot”

Unexpected little touches happen in racing. At Ascot a lady, who knev/ less than nothing about "form,” took a fancy to the name of a certain horse and went to a bookie to back it for a tenner. It was just about the “off,” and the bookie leaned down and whispered. “Don’t you do it, ma’am. E's goin’ to be a nice, easy last.” So the lady refrained from betting, and 'e was a nice, easy last!

It was also at Ascot that a tipster approached a prosperous looking lady, saying. “Madam, for a trifle I can give you the winner of the Gold Cup.” “It’s very kind of you. I’m sure,” replied the lady, "but we keep a ear, thank you.”