Durf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 930, 25 March 1930, Page 12

Durf Notes

CONDUCTED BY

Best Ridden Lo Choucas owed his success in the Tauranga Cup on Saturday to the fact that lie was the best-ridden horse in the race. Bagby had him tucked in on the rails just behind the pace- j makers for most of the way, and ! stayed there until a furlong and-half from home. Then he made his move and quickly gathered in the leader, going on to win easily by a length. It was by no means a good field, even allowing for the fact that it was the best that has ever contested this particular race, but the performance of the winner was rather impressive. For a first favourite his price was quite a good one. Ran Herself Out The Ellerslie owner-trainer N. Cun- j ningham has his horses in pretty good • nick just now, and they should make ! their presence felt at forthcoming ! meetings. Cynthia N. was made second j favourite in the Tauranga Cup, and had j she not run herself out she might have i won. Recently the English-bred mare | beat all but Eaglet at Pukekohe in the j open sprint. At Tauranga she was al- j | ways in the van and was giving W. IT. ! j Jones a big job to hold her in check. | j She had to give way to Le Choucas over the last furlong, and at that stage she had liad about enough. Over seven furlongs or a mile Cynthia N. will be worth keeping in mind. A Brief Respite • It is remarkable how High Pitch rej tains his form. He ran a very honest race the first day at Te Arolia, finisht ing just behind Eager Rose, Taneriri | and In the Shade. He shaped fairly j well at Paeroa, too, and on Saturday j last he got in the money in the Tauranga Cup. Fie lost his position at the half-mile, but in the straight he was finishing on again to get third, a couple of lengths behind the winner. His owner, Mr. J. Irwin, stated after that race that he would now wait for the winter meeting at Ellerslie for the Sarchedon gelding, for the horse is one that loves rain and mud. Recently he has been racing under conditions that have not been in his favour, and he has rarely run a bad race. Rawhetu's Return After racing for some time with more or less success in Australia, Rawhetu made his appearance in the Tauranga Cup on Saturday and, considering that this was his first appearance | for some time, he ran quite a respectable race. He moved rather stiltily in his preliminary and raced accordingly, but he flashed into the picture at the home turn and was not far away from the placed horses at the judge. The future appearance of Rawhetu will be awaited with interest in view of his Australian winning form. Fie is trained at Te Rapa by A.. P. Brady, and races in the same colours as Pompeius j Ran Moderately j Transformer and Flying Prince raced badly in the Tauranga Cup, the former finishing fifth, when he was closer than at any stage. For a three-year-old Flying Prince was a rank disappointment, for he was last practically all the way. Perhaps it was that the hard ground found him out. Tinokoa raced fairly well, getting fourth position, and it should not be long before more is heard about this fellow. j Improving At Rotorua and Te Arolia Mosaic j gave somewhat inglorious showings. It was obviously nothing like his old form, and therefore it was pleasing to sec him show some improvement on Saturday when he was contesting the Tauranga Cup. He was never far away from the pacemakers and maintained his position to the home turn, and from this point he could not go on, with it. Nevertheless, on this running Mosaic cannot be referred to as a has-been. At Last

Town Bird has made several attempts to win since he scored his last success, which was at Te Kuiti in the spring. He contested the open seven at Tauranga on Saturday, and finished fourth after being prominent right up to tlio distance. He came out again in the open sprint and claimed the full allowance. Ho was always in front, but was kept well in hand until actually landed into the straight. Then young Chandler got to work, and before the others knew what was doing Town Bird had increased his length advantage to one of three lengths. This did the trick, and Town Bird scored by a clear length. It was smart riding that did it, for the horse, with a little bit in reserve, was enabled to steal ail advantage.

Hard to Ride Takutama finished second to Page Boy in the Greerton Handicap at Tauranga on Saturday, and was then saddled up again for the sprint. lie was made favourite, but lie was a handful for his rider, who had the whip out before the straight was reached. Takutama got to within a clear length of Town Bird at the box, so that he did fairly well, although he failed to reproduce his Paeroa form, which would probably have won for him. By the way, tlio sprint was contested by five horses, one carrying 7.5 and the others, aided by apprentice allowances, were on the minimum. Best of the Day It’ one were asked to name the most impressive performer seen out at the Bay of Plenty meeting on Saturday, there would have to be two names submitted. One of them would have to bo Page Boy, who won the Greerton Handicap in the easiest possible fashion. 11c was not too well placed in the early part, but Keesing was not worrying. He made a move half a mile from home, and apparently ’ without any effort Page Boy was actually in the van coming to the home corner. From this out it was not a race. Page Boy winning very easily. An open handicap is not beyond Page Boy, who is one to keep an eye on for future engagements. A. Tinker turned him out in great order on Saturday, and it was his appearance, no doubt, as much as the fact that he was unlucky in both starts at Paeroa, that was the cause of him being sent out first favourite. Making Good It was distinctly bad luck for the owner of Snow ITince that that horse should have been put out of action when favourite for the Hack Cup at Rotorua last month, the horse receiving a kick just before the start of that race and having an artery severed. F'ortunately, Snow Prince made a good recovery and was raced at Te Aroha, when he showed some pace again. At Paeroa he finished a good fourth in the Hack Cup. and was then taken to Tauranga. His owner was again unlucky in bumping up against an unbeatable hack such as Chromadyne, but a few races later he made amends by capturing the President's Hack. The previous success scored by Snow Prince was in the mud at Thames, when he spreadeagled his opponents, so that with the tracks likely to become softer from now on the Snow King gelding shuld be heard of again.

“EARLY BIRD

Well Related Fifteen months ago Nancy Lee won the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie from the class sprinters, but of late months very little has been heard of her. At Tauranga last Saturday two relations of Nancy’s were seen in action and, although by no means of the same class — : as yet—they both showed some of the family pace. They were Squadron (by Feramorz) and Golden Pennant (by Autumn), and perhaps with age they should be capable of better things than they showed on Saturday. Successful Meeting The Bay of Plenty Jockey Club is probably the only club in the Dominion that can show a record of a regular totalisator increase during the past four years. Here are the machine figures for this period: 1930 £ is 07s 1 920 Cl 6.236 1928 £14.112 1927 £10,022 This indicates that the club is progressing, and with direct rail communication nowadays with Auckland the meeting should in future take a much higher place among the fixtures on the Auckland provincial circuit. No doubt the increased revenue from totalisator and gates will result also in better stake-money and consequently better horses participating. At present there are one or two races contested by horses of whose speed the public arcmore or less in the dark, and with the betting confined to one or two runners the returns on these races suffer. So it was on Saturday. The club holds a good course with its natural slopes to give the public a fine view of the

racing, and with its present energetic secretary and executive it should continue to make great progress. A Good One The popular Cambridge sportsman, Mr. R. Hannon, has really got hold of an extra good one in the hack Chroma - dyne. His easy win at Paeroa and an unlucky second on the second day there indicated that he was abovo the ordinary. But it was left to his outing at Tauranga on Saturday to make one ask impulsively, just how good is he? He did not have a good lot against him in the Maunganui Handicap, for which he was at odds on, whereas a Gloaming dividend should have been his price. When the barrier went up Chromadyne, carrying 9.5, was out like a shot, and in a few strides held an advantage of three lengths. He was allowed to bowl along easily, at an apparent half pace, and nothing got nearer than this three lengths until he was being eased up on the post. It was a most impressive performance, and it made the racing game look ridiculously easy. Chromadyne has size end quality, and as he is a full brother to Wedding March he should be heard from in later years as an outstanding jumper. F'or the next season or two he will be among the best on the fiat, however, and it may not be long before he picks up a rich stake. Hawke’s Bay Fields The following arc the entries for the principal events at the Hawke’s Bay fixture at Hastings on April 11 and 12: Hawke’s Bay Stakes. 6i furlongs.— Flunting Song—Sunny Roe br f Chrysology, Hunting Song—Matalote br g Jenny Diver, Te Awlia, Toxeuma, Cylinder. Hawke’s Bay Cup Handicap, 1£ miles. —Balloon, Don Quixote, The Hawk, High Court, Duellona, Tall Timber, Mothplane, Mountain Heath, Spearmiss. Porangahau Handicap, 6 furlongs.— Crown Jest, My Own, Great Charter, Tea Lady, Head Serang. Royal Parade, Cuticle, Kaihoro, Aston, Moepai, Atholspear. J. D. Ormond Memorial Gold Cup, one mile (second day).—Star Stranger, Admiral Drake, The Ilawk, Te Awlia, My Own, Keen, Toxeuma,, Great Charter, Duellona, Royal Parade. Lincoln and National This week, at Lincoln and Aintree, those two keenly awaited events, the Lincolnshire Handicap and the Grand National Steeplechase, will be decided. The Lincoln will be run tomorrow, and the great steeplechase on Friday. This double is probably the most discussed of the English season, due probably to the fact that for nearly three months it is really only the one combination of races for wagering upon. This year, according to reports, layers were increasingly generous in an effort to make more popular a form of speculation with which the totalisator could not compete. After first forfeits were paid for the Lincolnshire Handicap, there was an unusual state or' affairs in that the first six horses in the handicap were French, and five of them in training in France. Of the National horses, Gregalach showed lumself in good form by running a good second with 12.3 to a seven-year-old gelding, Gib, 12.9, at Ling-field on February 8. Gib. a dashing fencer, who is not in at Aintree, scored his eighth consecutive victory.