TURF NEWS & NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 April 1938, Page 5

TURF NEWS & NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE & COURSE

Views on Racing Facts and Fancies

AN IMPRESSIVE TWO-YEAR-OLD.

(By

“The Cynic.”)

No classic race on the New Zealand calendar contains the names of so many outstandingly good horses in the list of previous winners as the Champagne Stakes won by Defaulter at Riccarton on Tuesday. Some of them are Multiform, Cruciform, Treadmill, Martian, Achilles, Golden Slipper, Autumnus, Kilboy, Desert Gold, Gloaming, Razzle Dazzle, Limerick, Reremoana, Silver Paper, Cricket Bat, and Silver Ring. Gloaming won this race at three, five, six, and nine years old, and Multiform at two, three, and four years old.

A two-year-old that made an impression at Matamata and Avondale was Kaspian, a son of Vaals and Light Step. In each race Kaspian finished stoutly and even if he fails to win this season he should make an early start as a three-year-old.

The success of a three-year-old in the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie did not come out of turn, Francis Drake being the first to win since In the Shade in 1928. The last three-year-old winner prior to In the Shade was Grotesque in 1922. Grotesque carried 8.1, compared with Francis Drake's 7.6, and he won by a neck from his stablemate Gasbag, who had 9.0. Grotesque and Gasbag, both owned by Mr A. B. Williams, were coupled on the totalisator and the bracket started favourite, although Gasbag was the one in whom most confidence was placed.

The Opotiki mare Llangollen has done a lot of racing since the New Year and she has stood it well. She was prominent most of the way in the Foley Memorial, but did not finish’ with her usual dash and this was probably due to the trying nature of the ground.

The Riverton Cup winner Wild Career was bred by his owners, Messrs Price, of Invercargill, who formerly raced his dam, Full Fling. Wild Career, who is practically a pony, had previously been a rather unlucky horse, as some of- his best efforts had been produced under difficulties and

had resulted in narrow defeats. He is now five years old, but as the stock of Balboa are generally very hardy he may have many successful seasons still in front of him. Night Hawk, with his advantage in the weights, should go close to opening his winning account at Amberley. His finishing effort behind Disdain, Kilrobe and Scuffle on the second day at Riccarton was full of promise and now that he has had the necessary racing experience he should not be long in winning. The two-year-old colt Improvident sold at 240 guineas has joined C. C. McCarthy’s stable. Swordstick, who was galloping particularly well prior to the C.J.C. autumn meeting but dropped out of his engagements owing to bruising a foot, is amongst the nominations for the Amberley meeting.

Lady Golightly, by Lord Warden from Vintage’s dam, Quality, is being put through her preliminary paces as a jumper at Dunsandel where she was bred. The big mare is reported to be shaping in a pleasing manner and no doubt she will be sent down to Riccarton for the winter.

Stretto has been sent out for a spell on her owner's property at Te Awamutu and will not be seen out again until the spring. In 14 races this season she has been only three times out of a place. She won seven races, including two sequences of three.

Wildflower, winner of the Waverley Cup ran two fairly good races at Ellerslie for two seconds, and her Marton owner was again unfortunate in that his other horse, Forest Glow, was beaten by inches only in tfie Steeplechase on Monday. Wildflower’s starts for three seconds, two of them in classic events, was rather'bad Ijick, but the filly was just a bit unfortunate in meeting good improvers in Icing and Francis Drake. Perhaps next season she will make amends by proving herself a better handicap and cup contender than she has been this term.

Pandava, the winner of the A.J.C. Champagne Stakes, was got by Brazen from Ring Again, by TonbridgerTinkler, by Bezoniau —Snowball, by Clanranald—Safeguard, by Maxim.

Dainty Sue is to have her first race in New Zealand at the Dannevirke meeting this week. She has been in work for a fair time and last week worked a good half mile in which she showed that she can handle soft ground. Dainty Sue was a winner in Australia before coming to New Zealand.

The appearance of the last Great Northern and Winter Steeplechase winner, Irish Comet, at Ellerslie last week lent interest to the cross-coun-try event, and although he failed to get in the money, he showed up sufficiently to indicate that he will be in nice order for the Winter Meeting at headquarters early in June. Smiling Thru’, a stablemate, finished third in the minor cross-country contest last Saturday, and, as she is only a five-year-old, she should improve sufficiently to win a steeplechase or two this coming winter.

Another cross-country performer who may have a successful winter campaign is Lucidus, who of late has m'ixed hurdling and steeplechasing with success. After finishing second ’ to Neil on Saturday, he looked like winning on the second day at Ellerslie, for in the early stages he had opened up a big lead. However, fie tired suddenly and- finished well back, but he had shown sufficient to sjjggest that he will win when the company is not too strong and the journey not too far. Taken all round, the north should be well represented when the important cross-country races come along in the next few weeks, and later on at Trentham and Riccarton. Since his arrival at Ellerslie last month, Collision has been started several times on the flat, and he will be in good trim for hurdle pacing when required. Towards the end of last season this horse won several hurdle events in an impressive manner, being successful at Te Rapa, Ellerslie and Riccarton. As Collision revels in soft going W. Goscomb should be able to place the chestnut to advantage during the next few" I months. 1 I The Myosotis—Spotlight colt bred by Mr A. S. Higgs was sent to Melbourne just before Easter. The youngster, a fine type and good advertisement for his young sire, was purchased by a Melbourne sportsman some weeks ago. The cable message about New Zealand purchases on the second day of the Sydney sales did not give the dams of the yearlings. It was interesting to observe both Mr W. H. Gaisford and Mr H. Bawly going for The Buzzard colts. Mr Bayly no doubt is looking for a successor to his Auckland Cup winner, The Buzzer, but ' without information regarding the i dams it is impossible to discover which yearlings were purchased. Most i likely one was the bay colt out of 1 the Seremond mare Salvia, who is a ' descendant of Clanranald pnd the i Wallace mare Happy Valley, out of 1 Faraway by Bill of Portland,, while I the other may have been out of Culfort by High Force—Culture, by Boni- ! form—Culroy, by Wallace. Cir.lfort is a half-sister to the dam Lough Neagh. This is The Buzzer’s own family. There were too many colts by Constant Son to hazard a gueiss as to which pair came to New Zealand. The name Fitzjames, under which , the Master Colossus —Likely gelding has been racing, has been changed. He will race in future under the name Reay Bridge. I