Turf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 938, 3 April 1930, Page 14

Turf Notes

CONDUCTED BY

"EARLY BIRD"

Waikato Acceptances Acceptances for the first day of the Waikato Racing Club close at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, with the secretary : at Hamilton, or with Messrs. Blomfleld ; and Coy.*, High Street, Auckland. Allowed to Drop Considerable discussion took place ; at the Woodville Jockey Club’s meet- | ing concerning the alleged “language” ' used by a trainer at the recent meeting. ! After the statement of the attendants concerned had been read and a letter of apology from the trainer, it was de- | cided to allow the matter to drop. Another Record 1 Some months ago the Sea Prince , ' gelding Leontes broke the world’s two ] ; miles hurdles record at Moonee Valley. Shortly afterward he was killed at i Caulfield. The figures recorded by i Leontes were 3.36 A. A few days ago ■ the Baverstock gelding Dookie clipped j a quarter of a second off that time. I Dookie went to the front at barrier rise and was not afterward headed. He hung out badly in the straight, but had j no difficulty in defeating Carwoola. Rider’s Trot E. Bartle, N.S.W., leading rider for the current season, eclipsed all his previous performances on Saturday week last by riding six winners and a second in eight mounts at the Hawkesbury Race Club’s autumn meeting at Moorefield. Bartle has displayed remarkable form for several years, but his confidence now lias reached the pinnacle. Backers and bookmakers were asserting after his fifth win that it was “Bartle’s meetihg. ” Instead of offering a quotation about Lebanon for the second division of the Two-Year-Old Handicap, several of the operators called 5 to 4 Bartle!” He won. Woodville Dates The advisability of altering the days on which the December meeting of the club is held was discussed at the last committee meeting of the Woodville Jockey Club. Opinion was divided on the matter, and it was contended that no appreciable difference would be made if the days were altered. Mr. G. Peebles was of the opinion that the public preferred to see the big races, held now on the Wednesday. On the motion being put, “that the dates of

the December meeting be altered from Wednesday and Thursday, December 10 and 11, to Tuesday and Wednesday, December 9 and 3 0,” the voting was even, but on the casting vote of the chairman*, Mr. S. Bolton, it was decided to adopt the new dates. The chairman said there was no reason why they should not give it a trial. Should it not prove a popular action, they could easily revert to the old days again. It was decided to submit February 18 and 19 and February 25 and 26 to the dates committee of the Racing Conference as alternative dates for the February meeting. Potential National Winner One of the most promising hurdlers in commission during the last jumping season was Lancer, and for a novice he did particularly well. It is an accepted fact that a hurdler invariably improves with age and added experience, and for this reason many are looking to the Greyspear gelding to make a bold win in the big events of the winter. In the National Hurdles last year Lancer put up a very lint* effort in running third. Provided that Lancer trains on satisfactorily, it is almost certain that he will again be prepared for the National Hurdles this year. He is to make his reappearance at the South Canterbury meeting today, where he claims an engagement ill the Otaio Hurdles. Not To Start The Wairarapa hack. St. Melba, w ho won two races at Trentham. has strained a muscle in one of his legs and he will not be able to start at the Masterton meeting tomorrow. Nomenclature There must be some optimistic horse-owners in Australia, judging by the names which are figuring on the cards. Just listen: Urunaway, Win All, Hop Out. Some Worth, Nickalong. Carry On. Willowyn and Hilda’s Fortune. Other queer names are: What About It, Go Getter, Cat’s Feet, Cookapint, Clinkafix, Roaring Roger, Determined Tom, My Maa Mee, Tea Fight, Rooster, Boy Scout. Our Spree, Sliillingsworth, Joe’s Gold and Queen's Luck (late King’s Ruin). Dutch Money Out Dutch Money has been sent home to her owner’s place for a lengthy spell. It Is to be hoped that she overcomes her present ailment, but doubts exist as to whether she will race again. She v,as a brilliant filly when at her best, and when retired to the stud she should prove a valuable brood mare. Reading the Rules A good deal is being written still about eligibility for penalties of trial plate winners who score at fixed weights. The southern writer, “Sentinel,” goes into the recent Fair Money case exhaustively. It has been stated that as the weights for the Trial Plate at Waimate were allotted according to age, it becomes a weight-i'or-age race. That is not so. At Waimate the weights in the Trial Plate were as follow': —Two-year-olds 7.2, three-year-olds 8.0, four-year-olds and upward 8.7. The weights at standard weight-for-age in March over six furlongs would be: Two-year-olds 7.2. three-year-olds 8.8, four-year-olds 9.0, five, six and aged 9.0. It will be seen that there is a very material difference between the standard scale of weight-for-age and the weights allotted for age in connection with the Trial Plate at Waimate. There is only one standard scale of weight-for-age, and wher a club departs from the standard figures, as at Waimate, it then become: a special weight race, and so goes outside the rule w T hich allows a horse tc win at weight-for-age without incurring a penalty or rehandicap in £ handicap. Briefly, the rule reads: “No horse shall carry extra weight ir a handicap in consequence of bavin* won a weight-for-ag? race.” Tin definition of weight-for-age race in tin rules reads: —“Weight-for-age mean a race in which the weights are appor tioned to horses according to the! ages, even if there be penalties am allowances, and eve*n if the races b confined to horses of any specified ag ~ or ages.” This applies only to th standard scale of weight-for-ag which is set out in the rules, and whe any departure occurs a race is no run at' w.f.a., but at special weight: A club may include in the condition of a race that “winners of any rac may be rehandicapped,” but this doe not apply to winners under the se standard at weight-for-age, and th Rules of Racing specifically provid : for the exemption, which, however dot not cover special weight races, eve though the weights are allotted accor. ing to age, but not according to tl weight-for-age scale. Fair Money wc nehandicapped for the Hack Handier at Oamaru and some exception w: taken to the increase. The increas j of weight was quite within the la--because the race won at "Waimate a special weight race, and not one rt at weight-for-age. As it turned oi Fair Money won at Oamaru with li extra weight.

Bred On Right Lines Riccarton Trainer J. B. Pearson has Blue Peter training on nicely and he may pay his way among the hurdlers later in the season. Blue Peter is bred from a family of jumpers, his dam, Spanker, by Day Star from Mainboom, being a sister to Compass, the winner of the Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton in 1909. Riccarton Two-Year-Olds Included in the team that J. B. Pear- j son lias in hand at present are several i two-year-olds, of whom more will be i heard later on. Royal Love, by Royal ; Divorce from Orellana, is a very pro- i raising youngster, but as he is grow- j ing, lie may not be seen at his best i till next season, when he should be j useful. Gasring, by Gasbag from Rangi- j ala, also shapes well, as does the Diac- j | quenod—Lovelorn youngster. A I i Shambles gelding from Charmilla, the j I dam of Malmsey, is well grown and j j will be benefited by time. Pomp's Progress ! As was anticipated when Pomp rej turned to Wanganui after his trip to j New South Wales and the disastrous | voyage back, it will bo at Igast next spring before Pomp will be ready for j lacing again. He is making slow pro- | gress toward recovery from the injur- ! ies he received and his legs are still i decidedly enlarged, but his condition is j now suitable for the commencement of j treatment which it is hoped will be efficacious. It will bo June at the | earliest before ho will be fit to go into work, so that he may not be really leady for early spring racing after his severe setback and long spell.

IN DEMAND

SYDNEY JOCKEYS BIG MONEY TURNED DOWN Sydney jockeys are in demand In thq Old World. J. Munro, Australia’s best, has gone abroad to ride the season in Germany, and now W. Cook, who can ride at 7.9, or even under, has been questioned about a retainer for France. One of Cook’s friends cabled to on this subject within the past few days says that the biggest retainer ever submitted to an Australian jockey lias been offered as the bait for this good light-weight to go abroad. Cook has all his Australian career before'him, with the offer of an income that might surpass the Prime Minister’s if luck comes his way. On Figure he beat Greenline, the Newmarket winner, in a race at Moonee Valley. He is smart at the barrier, good In a vigorous finish, and reliable in a distance contest. It remains only for him to keep up this standard 'of form and he can remain among Australia’s leading jockeys even if W. Duncan, Victoria’s idol, recovers form, and J. Munro returns from Germany.

Always Fit Cook, by the way, is a champion boxer of his district, and keeps fit, too, by tennis and surfing. There isn’t a fitter jockey at his weight. * The offer to go abroad was for more than £,2,000; but he has put it aside. Yet it is available for next season, too. With such a paucity of good riders, and particularly light-weights, in the future, obviously it would be a pity to see him go, and a distinct loss to Australia. May Do Better He will remain, anyhow, for some time to see whether it is worth while. And, with a strong demand for his services, he can’t help but profit from his Australian efforts.

CRACK YOUNGSTERS

TO MEET AT RANDWICK THIS MONTH ALREADY ON THE SCENE Thurlstone, who carried all before him in the two-year-old events at the V.R.C. autumn meeting, was among the horses to exercise on the Randwick tracks the other morning. Sir Francis was another Victorian two-year-old on the tracks. The presence of the two horses at the Australian Jockey Club’s autumn meeting opening at Easter should add considerable interest to the big juvenile races. Thurlstone is considered by many to be a formidable rival for Veilmond, Del wood, Chemosh and the best of the other Sydney two-year-olds. In the spring, Thurlstone showed promise by running third behind Green Wave and Comic Song in the Mari by rnong Plate. In the autumn, he struck winning form at Caulfield, and then took the Sires’ Produce Stakes and the Ascot Vale Stakes at Flemington. He is a bay gelding by Thrice from Devonia, and is owned by Mr. R. Turnbull. Sir Francis is a brown gelding by Drake from Lydia Nance, and, though beaten out of a place in the V.R.C. Sires’ Produce Stakes, he ran well. Sir Francis is owned by Mr. N. Mendes. Moabite Colt Chemosh (Moabite-Blue Dome) is the latest Sydney juvenile to enter into calculations for the big races of the autumn. He is unbeaten after three starts, and the fact that he carried 9.8 at the recent Hawkesbury meeting, impressed many racegoers, who had not thought his previous performances worthy of more than passing notice. Delwood has started twice without meeting defeat, and has left no doubt as to his class. Rhonite has won at his only start, but, a better idea of his class will be gained when be next runs, probably at Rosehill or Warwick Farm. T Veilmond’s Record Veilmon (Limond-Veil) was beaten ' into second place at his first start, Can- ; onbury Stakes, but he won on the three ; occasions that he subsequently raced. ' Trenette, the Gimcrack winner, is not - likely to be racing again for some time, but Eulclare and Alberic are J among the Sydney juveniles well > thought of. 5 It is not easy to compare the Sydney t and Melbourne form, and consequently 2 there will be great interest in the first 2 clash between Thurlstone, Sir Francis, s Delwood, Veilmon, Chemosh and | i I others. Several of them are certain j - to meet in the Fairfield Handicap at | c I Warwick Farm. But that race will i s i likely be in divisions, and the principal j p ; clash will be in the seven-furlongs i s event —Sires’ Produce Stakes—at the j c ! Australian Jockey Club’s autumn j . ! meeting.