Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 925, 19 March 1930, Page 12

Turf Notes

CONDUCTED BY “EARLY BIRD

Racing at Tauranga The annual race meeting of the Baj I of Plenty Jockey Club is to be held a' j Tauranga on Saturday next. Excellent acceptances have been received, and I the indications point to the club reI cording a record fixture. A boal leaves Auckland on Friday night and returns on Saturday night after the races. A special train has been arranged for the convenience of Waikato ! passengers. This leaves Frankton : Junction on Saturday at 6.10 a.m., Hamilton 6.16 a.m., Morrinsville 7 a.m., Te Aroha 7.37 a.m., Paeroa 5.28 a.m. | and Waihi 9.2 a.m., arriving at Tau- ; ranga at 10.25 a.m. and Strand at 10.28 j a.m. This train leaves Strand at 6 : p.m. on the return journey after the last race and is due at Frankton Junc- ! tion at 10.56 p.m. This is a good scri vice an:l will no doubt bo largely , availed of. In the South ! There will be racing at Waimate tomorrow and at Oamaru on Saturday and Monday. Next Big One The moat important meeting of those scheduled for the remainder of the present month is that of the Manawatu Racing Club, which comes off on Wednesday and Thursday or: next week. Acceptances close next Friday. Twice Unlucky Maori Boy, after his two Te Aroha disappointments, made amends by running two very solid races at Paeroa. He was forced into the role of pacemaker in the Ohinemuri Cup, and it was only over the last bit that he went under to Desert Glow, while Royal Doulton just cut him out of a dividend. On Monday Maori Boy ran very wide going out of the straight, and was second into the home stretch, when Sir Russell carried him out wide in the run to the post. Smart Sprinter | Avvarere produced his real form I when he beat the sprinters at Paeroa •on Saturday. He was bowling along i nicely in the van crossing the tcp, ! and although he hung out in the j straight he lasted long enough to get ! the decision. Raised a stone for this i success he again nearly pulled it off | the second day. His defeat was un- : doubtedly brought about bv the same j hanging-out tendency, for ;t gave | Branson a clear run on the rails, and I the latter got up to beat him a head. ! Awarere is again in good form, and perhaps another stake will come his way before the season ends. Next Time Out? After meeting with a good deal of interference in the Ohinemuri Sprint ! on Saturday. Lucy Rose was finishing i fast in second place. She was most ; unlucky, for with a clear run it looked j as if she would have scored first prize. | She was produced in the handicap on i the second day, but failed to run up |to expectations, a moderate fourth j being her portion. Lucy Rose is now at her best, and perhaps she will not ! be long in again bringing home a stake, j The Te Rapa course should see her | racing prominently next month.

At Waimate At the Waimate meeting, to be held tomorrow, Gala Day appears to stand right out in the hurdle race, and at the weights he should head Antrim Boy. King Balboa reads best in the Waimate Cup, in which Master Clar- , ence, under a cloud, may be missing. With a strong rider, Nightlad would be a danger. Arrowmir has been doing brilliant track work in view of bis engagement in the sprint, the President’s Handicap. Others likely ! to be in demand tomorrow in their engagements are Royal Limond. Quinopal, and Honeycomb. Opotiki’s Annual The annual fixture of the Opotiki Jockey Club is to be held at Opotiki on Wednesday next. The Best Peformer By virtue of lus success in the Ohinemuri Cup on Saturday, Desert Glow took pride of place among the performers at Paeroa. His was a good effort, for he was% hampered in the straight and had to come round the leaders. On Monday he again had every chance, but failed to make much impression on Sir Russell and Maori Boy, both of whom took anything 'nut a straight course to the judge. Whangarei Fixture The keenest interest is already being evinced in the autumn meeting" of the Whangarei Racing Club, to be held at Whangarei on Thursday and Saturday, April 3 and 5. Handicaps for the first day are due to make their appearance on Monday next, and acceptances close at 5 p.m. the following Friday, March 28. Won Easily Despite the fact that he ran very wide in the final run in the big event at Paeroa on Monday, Sir Russell was an easy winner. He was well rid Jen, being kept in hand till three furlongs from home, when he hit the front. When he nung out badly in the home stretch he certainly interfered with Maori Boy, but it is doubtful if the latter would have beaten the chestnut. Sir Russell's return to form was decisive, and he should score again shortly. Consistent

In her last four outings Royal Doulton, has notched a win and three consecutive seconds, so that she hau been most consistent. In the Ohinemuri Cup she was a bit unlucky, for she was asked to cover a bit of extra territory. At the half distance she looked to be beaten, but over the last 50 yards she began to fly and was only half a head away from the winner, Desert Glow. Royal Doulton was not produced on Monday, and it is probable that her next outing will not be until Ellerslie at Easter. Branson’s Return In the open six furlongs the first day at Paeroa Branson was standing the leaders a good start, so that when he finished right up behind the placedhorses his performance augured better things. In that race Branson was about sixth - but as there were about seven horses all within a length and a half of each other at the winning post, it would be seen that he was not far °ut of it. On Monday he put in one of his well-known finishing runs on the rails, and just got up to defeat Awarere. Too Much Weight? ! The weight appeared to stop Leitrim i ut the Ohinemuri meeting, where the ! Valkyrian gelding contested the sprint events. On the opening - day he was right up in fourth place, and on Monday he moved up one. Had not Awarera carried him out a bit he might have paid a dividend, but all the same it was the weight that prevented him from showing all his brilliance shown under a lighter impost. When ho gets t down a bit, and even in good company, i Leitrim should make amends.

Squeezed Out When Porapeius moved up to Maori Boy approaching the home straight in the Ohinemuri Cup on Saturday his victory was being proclaimed. Perhaps it was that his rider moved on him a bit too soon, for at tlie finish he , was beaten into fourth place, but even : then lie was not much more than a j neck behind the winner, so close to- | prether was the quartet. In addition j his rider must have been hampered i when Desert Glow closed in on him ; on the outside and Maori Boy was on ; the inside. It looks as if Pompeius will get another stake on the flat before he is put over the big fences. Ran Well Under Difficulties Snow Prince was made a good favourite for the Hack Cup at Paeroa on the second day, and he was favoured ! with a nice run on the rails. As the j field began to make the turn into the j hack stretch he was knocked back with a bump, but he came again tind was still handy on the rails at the home turn. At the half distance he made a, good effort, only to fade out and finish fourth. Snow Prince ran a good race under difficulties, and if taken to Tauranga next Saturday should give a good account of himself. Ohinemuri Jockey Club ! For spectacular racing and hard | finishes, the recent meeting of the Ohinemuri Jockey Club was said to be the best ever held. One can quite realise that the fixture just concluded was remarkable for its thrilling sport, and following on the really excellent racing seen at the preceding gatherings on the provincial circuit, the handicapper must be congratulated on such a remarkable sequence of stirring contests. The meeting was splendidly conducted, everything going off with that smoothness to be expected when the organisation has been perfected. Since the previous year’s meeting, many improvements had been undertaken for the convenience of patrons, and these were fully appreciated. The small increase in the totalisator returns was further supplemented by greatly increased gate receipts. The club faced courageously the necessity of curtailing the lavish issue of complimentary tickets, and although this move was not over-popular, naturally, the public met the situation by freely paying the reduced admission charges. With such great sport provided,. the two-days racing would have been at twice the price of admission. The Ohinemuri Club m, i„ a measure, S w m holding dates that clash with the ellmgton R.C., although the ,®. h m „f ea t ll . t y affects one Paeroa race onl\. That is the Ohinemuri Cup. In this event on Saturday there were seven runners, and had not the Wellmeetin S been on, it is expected that theie would have been ten or a so°me n This would have dlfE , e , r< - nce . even if the actual finish could hardly have been improved upon. On the other hand, the sprint events drew extremely well, and fur-m-hed very close finishes. The club holds a strong card by retaining a steeplechase on the programme each ! FuiV i° r th f contests furnished were lull of incident, with close finishes for a climax. Altogether, the Ohinemuri officials and members e eYeij iea&on to look back upon their recent meeting with feelings of pleasure and pride.