RACING & TROTTING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 7 April 1926, Page 4

RACING & TROTTING

On and Off the Track.

A BUDGET OK NEWS AND VIEWS. FIXTURES. RACING. April 7. —Westland R.C. April 10—Grevinouth >l.O. April 10, 12 —'AvowlaloyJ.C. Aplif 1-I—Reel toil J.C. April 15, 17—Wellington R.C. April 21, 22—Alanawatii R.C. April 22 —Waipapakaurr R.CApril 21 — ; Waug;irei R.C. April it,'), ‘Aay 1 —S.C.J.C. April :10, May. I—Ha'wkF.s Ray J.C. 31 ay 1, J—Waikato ICC,, May s—Waverlev5 —Waverlev R.C. Aln’v 7, 8— Marlborough IRC." Alav B—Ambcrlcv8 —Ambcrlcv R.C. MaV l:?, 15—Egmont R.C. . - 'Way 15—North Canterbury R.C. .May 20, 22 Wanganui J.C. June 1, 11, s—Dunetlin- .1 .C. June. 3, s—Otaki Alaori, R.C. June 3,5, 7—Auckland R.C. TROTTING. April 7—sX.Z-: Metropo'itan T.C. April 17 —Ellesmere T.C.' April 17—Cambridge T.C. April 22—tWainmte T.C. April 21—Ashburton T.C. April 29, May. I—Korbury Park 1.0. May 22 —Oamaru T.C. June 3, s—Canterbury Park I.C. June 12 —Ashburton 'T.C. June .19,. 23—Auckland T.C.

Champion Stakes at Addington toDarknito went a slippery mile in tho saddle race on the'openiug day at Addington', registering 2.12 2-5, and still sulieriug deioat. Fashion (Jneen seems to have become incorrigible. at the barrier, and the Gore-trained mare must have proved a very expens.ve proposition this season. I-; ;; liokl of 26, with a -Isec limit,

Good horses have had a rare innings in big handicaps during the .summer and autumn, and it was pleasing to see Keremoana and Grand Knight placetwo more races to tho credit of the topweights on Saturday am! .Monday. Los Ambus looked as if he had shot his bolt in the Sockburn Handicap, when he was collared at the distance, but favoured by his lightweight, he Lung on gamely enough and struggled home with half a length to spare, Projector bolted tliriVj times round the track at Riccartou on Monday morning and consequently was withdrawn from the Kildare Hurdles, for which he wuuhl probably have started favourite. it was inevitable that many ol the horses contesting the Wilkin Handicap at Addington ipoultl get an interrupted passage, and no surprise need be ovine- ’ ed if the form shows some reversals in future events. The iinhoppled. pacer Silk 'Thread is rather a disturbing element in a big field. The American horse is inclined to mix his gtiit under pressure, and there was nearly' a . collision when he put in a skip commencing the final lap of tlie Belfast Handicap. Becky Logan continues to race conI sistently but rather unluckily, too I many seconds having fallen to her lot I lately. She went about her best race to date in the Flying Handicap at the .Metropolitan meeting, and was a bit i unfortunate in encountering such a. fiver as Waitaki Girl. 'Countryman, it seems, may be struck off the list of prospective champions. . Ho had everv chance in the Faster Handicap at Addington, and. cracked up badlv when the pressure was on. ll'lie big "gelding is too sour to become one of the elect. Sun Up’s close second in the Faster Handicap at Auckland indicates pretty clearly that even with ball a dozen pounds more oii bis baelt, lie wonid have been extremely dangerous had he. been kept at home tor the Great Easter. The shorter..distance at Riccarton would have been more to ids liking. Waitaki Girl' stuttered for a stride or two at the start of the Flying Han.dicap last Saturday, and was a length • behind Minton Derby at the end ol a. ■ dozen yards. She struck her gait i quickly, however, and soon ran into a handy position, and over three furlongs from home appeared to have the measure of her opponents. ' Happy Rosa was responsible for an•liber if.sappointiug display at the Metropolitan meeting. ‘Sue lelt the m'trk sniartiv enough, but broke alter going a hundred yards, and lost about live seconds. Tomkinson got her going again, ami she turned on a lot ol 1 speed, but faded out of the picture j u hen the deciding circuit was entered upon. ' Black Admiral made no impression on the field m tho first mi e ol the Easter Handicap-, and commencing the last lap had made up none of Ins Inin- j dicap. but he put in a slashing run from ' the last bead, and rogistoied about .1.39 for the full journey. There was a good deal ol speculation [ concerning what ni.ght have been had I no accidents marred the two mile trotters’ race at Addington oii Faster Saturday. Whisht s mud gallop after he got rid of his driver manitestlv perturbed one or two reinsnien in the race, but none of- tin: oilier starters sobered more interference ilian did Roll Oak, ami it is extremely unlikely that, many of the lied could have clipped more than seven seconds off their iiandicapped times. . , , J. J. Kenuerle.v has had a rather lean time Witu ids team lately, but with a- living start N.iLive Cl.iel slum d give the' Belfast tra.uer a pleasant ■drive in the Champion Slakes to-day. Nantwich is a brilliant Idly, Imt ionu does not point to her delcating the Chief at• 19 lurloiigs. and William the Great, the best-performW ol the others would receive several seer,lids stall from the crack, in a handicap. Back Jala, wnose path to victory m tlie !>: Hast Halid.(ap at __ Addington . was sinuuthfd .bv Silk I bread s uiisteadiness, ivon tin- f\ydney ’I hnusand a couple ol seasons back.- After winning at Auckland, she was given a -1.31 l'aliim- .by the northern liamlicapper, and on’that estimate was well treated on ■1.37 at Christchurch. She had, however, to show 1.32 J-5 to win. Yalieure’s win in the Doncaster Handicap with 8.8, will rank as one of the b“st performances ever credited to a. 1 three-year-old filly m Australia. She | i has won all the sax races lit which she j lias taken pa'rt, anti her record is such j I an attractive one that she is entitled J jto -tart favourite lor the A 1-Aged j Stakes (one mile) coda'.'. II she sue- j ceeds in duwning such accomplished I miters at Topgallant, Tim .Night. Patrol I and Heroic, tier claims to greatness will be unassailable. Author Dillon and Our Thorpe, joint holders of the mile and a quarter record, would have.had their names erased from the book had anything been, capable of extending AYaitaki Girl at the end of the Flying Handicap... at Addington. In comparing her time with that of the record holders, it is worth noting that each of the latter registered' 2.11 2-5 from a moving despatch, while the Harold Dillon mare took a fifth longer from a standing start. Retention of her present form will make .Waitaki Girl a formidable opponent in future Free-for-Alls. 'Granite City's .victory in the Wilkin Handicap at Addington was richly deserved. At the Timarn Trolling Chib’s spring meeting W. Bryce's four-year-old was unfortunate enough to 3.30 or thereabouts against bis name for a, second in a Trial Handicap, and at. a. Metropolitan fixture lie arrived a stride too late to defeat tbe -peed.v Nanfwich. Granite City-is a soldi customer, who may win again over a iwo-milc trip. To credit bis owner-framer with 259 sovereigns last week be was called upon ii, step 3.38 olf a 3. i I mark. Sea Pearl I .ha was a pronounced favourite, re- | dueci.i luir time bv 5 -l-osce. and hall J to be content with second ~-y

i Among the vunimrs in the Autumn Plate at Riccartou >viis. Clare Crag, a rather nice looking Irish mare, who looks as if she might i.tay rather well when acclimatised. One reason for the poor held in tin' Kildare Hurdles on Monday may have been a stortage of riders. North Island, and southern horsemen had plenty to occupy Lliwiattention .n their own districts,' and.half a dozen Canterbury jockeys who perform over the sticks: do not hold licenses at present. Rosenor looked much lighter when saddled for the Great Faster than when lie won at Riccartou in February. 'I lie English colt is not uactly a boy's horse, but it is not imprnbab'e that he would have met with more_success had he been given more ti.no in which to become acclimatised. Grand Knight was responsible for an impressive performance in the Great Faster. The English horse was one of the unlucky runnel's at. Riccartou in tho spring,, but lie has won six races since Christmas, and Air V. Riddiford can have no reason to regret having prevailed upon bis i rother to lease the horse. Centrepiece was going so well for half a mile in tlie Courtenay 'Welter that it looked to he all over bar the shouting. It was, however, .inly after a severe stirring up from his rider that Mho Ace gelding cam? on to secure second place, and quite evidently he is n, .horse of moods . Reremoana is one of the plainestlooking good horses we have had in Hie Dominion, and he lias rone of the appearances of a weight carrier. Act with Gloaming off tlie scene the flying chestnut ronks as the speediest sprinter under big weights in this country, and it would take a miracle horse to present him with a. stone, the concession he received from Topgallant in the weights for the Doncaster.

Blue Thorpe’s tangle near the, tanks in tho Preliminary Handicap Addington apparently" cost the Washdykotrnined gelding tlie race. Frisco Beau, who defeated'him by 1 1 alf a length, was popularly supposed to have something in reserve, but-.there was room for suspicion that D. Withef's was not so confident as lie pretended to. be, and was glad wbeh the. 'winning ’post .• was readied. Blue" Thorpe's mistake cost him several lengths at'a critical stage, and it is extremely doubtful if Frisco Beau had that much up liis sleeve. The A.J.C. inv'eting will be eon- | tinned at Raijdwick to-d:(.v. The events I of most importance are tbe All-Aged I Stakes, which is virtually the, mdc I championship of .the Commonwealth, and tho Cumberland Stakes, run over a mile and threoqunrtors. Valieare, Tho Night Patrol, Heroic and TopI gallant are probable placegotters in the former, and Pilliewinkie and Windbag claim engagements in the long race. A harder track will assist l Pilliewinkie more than was the case oil Saturday. It is not often that imported horses figure so plomiiiently in the prize list" ns they did last 'Saturday at- Adding- ’ ton. Frisco Beau, Dick Dillon, Blade* Lila, all won races: Silk Thread, Dark-, liitc, Fight Ever and John Mauritius', returned second dividends; and Jack Potts, Escort and Billy Whizz collected third money. In the Express Handicap the three places were filled by Australian-bred, pacers. Tbe Flying Handicap was the only, event of the day in which New Zealand horses accounted for all the money. , Shortly before the Afetropobtau meeting, Minton Derby was credited, with stepping two furlongs iu .28sec, during a. mile work out,, which was completed in 2:12. 7n the Flying Handicap, Waitaki Girl was so much too good for the brilliant Australian, that the latter’s driver accepted defeat a J furlong from home. The winner’s dis- j play 'made such an impression on Air .Brinkman that in ensuing the handicaps. for a. similar event for to-day, he asked her to .concede l lnvu seconds to the black, whom -lie met on level terms last week. The imndienpper also sent her hack to 4.25 In Hie two-milcr (she was not accepted for at 1.26 on Saturday), and even from that marl: she is likely to start favourite. Black Admiral may prove her strongest opponent. A southern writer, referring to the action of the Forbur.v Park Trotting Club iu changing the dates of its autumn meeting to coincide with fhosc of the S.C.J.C., says that the latter would be doing the sporting thing if it avoided a clash, as it could .secure a. suitable (Into-in A lav.' That the clash' lias been caused by the Forbur.v Club ‘ is so obvious as to need no comment. | On May 8 there will he a meeting at Riccartou. and A!ay 15 is allotted to tlie Rangiora fixture. The Oamaru Trotting Club races on Ala.v 22, so that the on!v- available Saturday in tlie month is the 29th. As -.he Dunedin winter meeting is scheduled to 'conn-' mence on the lollowing ’luesday. it would be suicidal for the Timarn Club I to attempt to hold a meiding with four j jumping events on the 2/tli'and 29th. j All this information was in the pos- ! session of the Forbur.v executive when j it decided to usurp or to clash with | tlie South Canterbury racing dates. A ; northern paper makes the suggestion [ that Timarn meeting should he advanc- ' e-J a week, but the writer’s know- j ledge cf Canterbury is deficient.' as he does not seem to realise that the Ashburton Trotting Club’s meeting on April 24th, is only 50 miles away.