Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 896, 13 February 1930, Page 14

Durf Notes

CONDUCTED BY

"EARLY BIRD'

Today's Racing There will be racing today at Gisborne, Wanganui and Wingatui (Dunedin). The concluding clay at each centre has been fixed for Saturday, on which day also the annual fixture of the Rotorua R.C. opens. Leased Mr. J. C. Gleeson has leased Red Lion to the Ellerslie owner-trainer, Mr. J. Lambess. It. is probable that the Solferino gelding will be raced over the battens. Stormy in Work The well-known New Zealand-bred gelding Stormy, by Quin Abbey, who has been off the scene in Australia of late, is reported to be? coming to hand again and is likely to be ready, for racing this month. Chief Link Out That promising two-year-old Chief Link has been fired owing to lameness developing after a gallop recently. He will naturally not be seen out again for some time. Related to Hard Words The Auckland-owned two-year-old Hard Words has two half-sisters known to fame in the pony world in Sydney, viz., Little Mart, by Martian, and Millimeter, by Solferino-Maza-buka. Plenty of Talent This year’s Newmarket Handicap at Flemington is expected to provide a clash of champion sprinters. Seldom have so many good horses appeared in the nominations for an important race. Greenline, the Sydney crack sprinter, is doing well since his arrival at Caulfield, and Figure, who ran second in the Newmarket and Oakleigli Plate last year, also looks in good heart. The Queensland craek, Wise Force, is in work at Mentone, and it is understood that he is pleasing in his efforts. J. Holt has High Syce and Highland among his representatives. Recent winners in Aga Khan, who scored in Sydney, and Birdcage, who won the Standish Handicap at Flemington, ore likely to be well in the picture, while Gay Ballerina, Merab, Habashon, Amounis, and Ramulua represent interstate form of the very best order. It would be no surprise if, with favourable conditions, the Newmarket record of lmin lOisec, ’ held by St. Ardent, was shattered this year. Magna Charta Back T. IT. Gillett has recommissioned the King John gelding Magna. Charta, who has been spelling at Riccarton for about six months. He made his last appearance in a race in June, running in good style over hurdles, at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s winter meeting. Sister to Phar Lap Phar Lap was such an outstanding three-year-old in the spring that it is little wonder that a great deal of attention is being focussed on his two-year-old sister, Nea Lap, who is at present under the care of J. M. Cameron, at Hastings. The filly is said to be a promising sort, and though she has not been set any solid tasks as yet, it is anticipated that she will gallop fust when, required. If Cameron takes a team to Sydney this autumn it is more than likely Nea Lap will accompany her stablcmates across the Tasman. Ozone Promising Ozone, who has been nominated for the Lyttelton Plate, at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s summer meeting, is an Australian-bred two-year-old by Saltash from Aries, by The Welkin, purchased by Mr. G. D. Greenwood at the Sydney sales last Easter. He is a very well-grown youngster, who has not raced yet, but he has shown a good deal of speed on the tracks, and he may develop into a useful performer, provided he stands up to solid training.

For Rotorua Auckland lforses for the Rotorua fixture on Saturday and Monday are booked to go on the express tomorrow morning - . Among the doubtful travellers are Footrule. The Lover, Bells of Shandon (who has a cold) and Parfait Amour. A Reappearance Regarded last season as a very promising three-year-old, Gay Duke proved very disappointing and he was given a lengthy spell. From the fact that Gay Duke claims engagements at the Te Aroha meeting on March 1 and 3 it is gleaned that he is due to make his reappearance in public very shortly. From Hawke's Bay The Hawke’s Bay three-year-old I’m Alone lias been nominated for hack events at the Te Aroha meeting next month. At New Plymouth last Saturday I’m Alone beat all but Treasury in the five furlongs maiden class, and if brought north to compete on the Auckland provincial circuit, the Lord Quex gelding should pay his way. Jaleux and the St. Leger When the Demosthenes gelding Haze was trained by R. J. and P. V. Mason, he showed promise of some day winning a big handicap. But after running second no fewer than six times as a three-year-old, it was not until he entered on his five-year-old career that he managed to score a win. The Mason stable is at present sheltering another three-year-old that has yet to lose his maiden certificate. This is Jaleux, but it may not be long before he reaches the winning list. Jaleux ran fourth to Honour in the New Zealand Derby in the spring, beat all but Hunting Cry in the Great Northern Derby at Ellerslie, and at Trentham had the misfortune to strike a particularly smart maiden in Waterline. In most of his races Jaleux has displayed stamina, and in the absence of Honour and Pink Coat he may play a prominent part in the decision of the Great ■ Northern and New Zealand St. Legers. Will See Strephon Race

The well-known Australian owner, Mr. Sol Green, will leave for a trip to England on March 18 to see his horse Strephon run in the Ascot Gold Cup. Windbag’s Progeny At the forthcoming Sydney yearling sales Windbag will be represented for the first time. The descendants of the Magpie-Charleville (N.%.) horse will number 16, including 10 colts and six fillies. It will be very interesting to see how the progeny of a colonial sire fare. BROKEN BONE Prickles, who broke a bone in one of her legs while working at Riccarton prior to the New Zealand Cup meeting, but was saved for stud purposes, was sent to the Trentham sales for disposal, but was not quitted under the hammer. Later, however, she was handed over to Mr. Gaine Carrington, to be mated with Hunting Song, under the condition that her owner, Mr. W. J. Blake, is to get the first colt foal from her by the English horse. The Hunting Song - Oratress Colt Although Randwick Trainer George Price was not present at the Trentham yearling sales, lie was represented at the ringside, as the following extract from a Sydney paper shows: —“When Randwick Trainer Georg© Price was in New Zealand recently he was much enamoured of a chestnut colt by Hunting Song-Oratress. He gave instructions to a sportsman to go to 2,300 guineas. At that figure it looked as if the colt would come back to Sydney; but Mr. R. J. Murphy was keen, and the owner of Concentrate and Oratrix secured the colt for 2,400 guineas. This equals the record for a yearling sold at auction in New Zealand. It augurs well for the future, and Dominion breeders may look forward to reaching the record price, which is held by Dominant, by Saltash from Weltea, which fell to the syndicate comprising Mr. E. M. Pearce (owner of Mollison), R. E. Hope, J. Fell and F. Robinson at 6,750 guineas. Prior to Dominant fetching that figure, the highest-priced yearlings sold in Australia were Avant Courier 5,500 guineas. Gilt Edge 5,000 guineas, Sion 4,100 guineas. Magnifico 4,000 guineas, Glengariff 3,800 guineas, Glendew 3,300 guineas, Orcus 3,050 guineas, Varallo 3,000 guineas, Murthong 2,750 guineas, Carat 2,700 guineas, King David 2,600 guineas, and Bouveret 2,400 guineas.” It is significant that of these Sion has been the only one to justify to any degree the big price paid for him, and he made good only when resold at a m,uch-reduced figure to another owner. To Australia

Wright, Stephenson and Company, Limited, have disposed of the four-year-old filly Banket to an Australian client. This speedy but non-staving daughter of Psychology and d’Oro, which was recently a member of Mr. Charles Elgar’s team, goes to West Australia and was shipped via Melbourne by the Maheno on Saturday last. A yearling colt by Grandcourt from Peg o’ My Heart and a yearling colt by Arausio from Matty, which were purchased at the recent Trentham sales on behalf of a Tasmanian racing man, were also shipped at the same time, and will be transhipped at Melbourne and forwarded to their destination. A large number of yearlings, and also several brood mares, were shipped to Sydney by the Ulimaroa on Friday last. The yearlings were as follow: Limond-Homage filly, Tea Tray-Ful-some filly, Pombal-Anklet colt, LimondMakepeace colt, and Tea Tray-Gaze-worthy colt. The Limond-Full Swing colt, the Chief Ruler-Prophet’s Mark filly, and the Paper Money-Rebokah filly remain in New Zealand. The former two have been placed with E. Murtagh at Trentham, and the Paper Money filly with H. Telford. They will probably remain in New Zealand for at least six months. It is hoped that the Paper Money filly will be ready in time for early spring engagements in Sydney, and the Chief Ruler filly will be given a similar opportunity. The Limond colt will not, however, be hurried. The two mares. Warstar and Merry Tiff, both of which are now considered to be safe in foal to Night Raid, were also shipped to Sydney by the same boat. Warstar has a well-grown filly foal at foot by Colossus.

Stood Up To It The following yarn has attained a good deal of celebrity since its first telling at a dinner-party. An AngloIndian colonel used to breakfast off neat whisky. One morning his servant put oxalic acid on the table in mistake, and discovering his error after the “meal,” rushed into the room expecting to find his master a corpse. “Beg pardon, sir,” he stammered, “but did you know you’d been drinking oxalic acid?” “No,” replied the colonel. “I did not: but now that you mention it, I noticed that when I blew my nose a moment ago, I burned a hole in my handkerchief.”

WEAK FIELDS

VICTORIAN W.F.A. EVENTS

PHAR LAP IN Entries for three of the four weight-for-ago races at the Victorian R.C. Autumn Meeting ale below those of last year, the C. M. Lloyd Stakes being the one in which there is an increase. As Nightmarch will be racing in Dunedin this month, his absence from the lists was anticipated (writes “Pilot'’), and if Amounis is started for the Essendon Stakes in preference to the Newmarket, High Syce will be his toughest opponent. Highland is in the race, but the Newmarket the same afternoon may be chosen for him. Jeypore, Viridis, Mondiaga. Parsee, Temoin. and Cosy Rug also figure in the Essendon Stakes, but have yet to anything to make them weight-for-age possibilities. Her Best Chance Lineage is an Essendon entrant, which suggests her owner has an idea that she has a better chance of beating the older horses at weight for age than of downing Phar Lap in the St. Leger. Phar Lap’s w.f.a. engagements are the Governor’s Plate and King’s Plate. He is not in the C. M. Lloyd Stakes, which is run the same day as the Governor’s Plate. At Caulfield he is in the St. George Stakes on the opening day, and as

another engagment is the Futurity Stakes on the concluding day, he will not be short of a run when he starts in the V.R.C. St. Leger. Limber Up, Temoin, Sinetre, and Strogoff must be expected to show form in the NewmarkeJ, and, on that possibility have been nominated for the C. M. Lloyd Stakes. Parkwood is also in that race. Surprise entrants for the King’s Plate include the jumpers, Kentle and Mosstrooper. Both are in the Australian Cup, Kentle with 7.8 and Mosstrooper with 7st. If their respective owners seriously consider them w.f.a. possibilities, both should be worth supporting for the Cup. As a Brisbane Cup winner, Kentle’s credentials as a flat racer are superior to those of Mosstrooper, and a few fair sized Newmarket and Cup doubles have ended with him. In Only One Second "Wind is in only one w.f.a. race at Flemington, the King’s Plate. It is strange Holt did not put him in the Essendon Stakes, but he probably reckons that a run or two at Caulfield will give him all the racing necessary to fit him for the Australian Cup. Mollison is not in any of the weight-for-age races or minor handicaps at Flemington, but while his scratching for the Newmarket suggests that he has gone wrong, he is still, in the Futurity. When F. Foulsham 'was in Sydney recently, he expressed doubt whether the gelding would be racing in Melbourne this autumn, and said he might be given a long rest. It all depended upon how he responded to treatment he was receiving for general soreness. He is still in the Caulfield Futurity Stakes. The fact of being in nothing else either at Caulfield or Flemington suggests non-fulfilment of either of those engagements.

NOT A CHAMPION

GAY BALLERINA’S DEFEAT Victorious careers of two winners of the hat-trick, Gesto and Gay Ballerina, were brought to an end in the Rosehill Stakes, but it was no disgrace to be beaten by Australia’s best horse, Amounis. In this the owners can take some consolation in defeat. Evidently Gay Ballerina isn’t the champion she was thought to be when she gained sprint victories and., triumphed in her own class with a recent sequence of three wins. It would have made no difference to the result, no doubt, except to make Amounis’s task slightly more difficult, but many keen watchers though Bartle might have got a little more out of Gay Ballerina if he had ridden more shrewdly. In the small field of five, she was always outside a horse. At the home turn Bartle made his run outside of two others, and in a little scrimmaging with Gesto at _the top of the straight the little New Zealander came off worst. Then, although she passed her other rivals. Amounis gathered her in a stride, and made her look very small potatoes in the run home. In the circumstances, Gay Ballerina did well, however. But the form definitely disposes of any hope indulged in by her admirers that she is a really outstanding performer.

HOBART CUP Z iiitcd P.A . —Cy Telegraph—Copyright HOBART, Wednesday. The Tasmanian Racing Club's cup meeting was held today. The leading event resulted: HOBART CUP TARAPUNGA, 8.10 (Phillips) 1 WOODCHATTER. 7.7 (Coutts) " l A'JOLItCIST, 6.7 (Woods) . » Twelve started. Won bv a" lemrth and a-half. Time, 2.35 2-5. enstll

DARGAVILLE ACCEPTANCES Acceptances for all events to be run on the first day of the Dargaville Racing Club’s meeting close tomorrow, Friday, at 5 p.m. Acceptances may be -lodged either with the secretary, Mr. J P. Stanway, Dargaville, or with Messrs Blomflela and Co., High. Street, Auckland.