TURF NEWS & NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 August 1938, Page 9

TURF NEWS & NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE & COURSE Views on Racing Facts and Fancies SMOKE SCREEN AN UNLUCKY HORSE (By “The Cynic.”)

It is reported from Wanganui that Smoke Screen is again in trouble, this time as the result of an accident in the float while he was being taken to Fordell after galloping at Wanganui. It is probable the mishap will put the brilliant Limond —Curtain gelding out of action for the spring racing at least. Bad luck has dogged Smoke Screen throughout his racing career and, but for this, he might have been the best three-year-old last term. Heroic. During the past season in Australia Heroic had 56 winners of 141 races worth £53,213. Heroic’s stock first appeared in the 1930-31 season, and since then have won 717 J races worth £219,815. He has topped the list of winning stallions for six consecutive seasons, and so beaten the records of Valais, who had a run of five seasons on top, and so did Lochiel and Maltster, but not continuously. The Trump. Australian papers just to hand show that The Trump, the winner of the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup last season, won over six furlongs at Caulfield on August 6 with 9.6 in lmin Msec. He started third favourite, and, after appearing hopelessly out of it, won well by two lengths. This early demonstration of form at once jumped The Trump into favour for the principal events to . be run at the spring meetings. A Poor Stayer. Matchem, who has' been nominated for the Otago Hunt Steeplechase, has been seen to advantage at several flag steeplechase meetings in recent weeks. Like most of the stock of Panmure, Matchem is a great fencer, although he may be inclined to jump rather extravagantly. Stamina has been his weak point, and this is the reason he has been raced very little. He is a poor stayer, and some of those in the Hunt Cup at Wingatui can be relied on to make it a truly-run race.

Derby Prospects. The outlook for New Zealand to be well represented again during this season in Australia appears to be fairly bright, so far as, handicap events are concerned, but so far the critics have not brought forward any prominent aspirants for Derby honours among the New Zealand colts likely to prove dangerous rivals to Pandava, Nuffield, and Fort Regal. Homeric, by Iliad —Quadrilateral, who was bought for 1,900 guineas at the sale of the late Mr J. S.Brunton’s horses in Sydney last January, is credited with being an attractive colt. • So far, however, he has not scored a win. Homeric is a brother to Homer,;.who ran a dead-heat with Allunga fn the Australian Jockey Club’s Derby of 1935. A Last Chance. J. Tomkinson is giving The Masquerader one more trial. It was considered when the horse went out some weeks back that he had finished racing, but as he did well on his recent spell, it was decided to put him into work again. Back Again. Quinopal, who went sore before the Grand National meeting, has made a good recovery and has been nominated for the Otago Hunt meeting. The veteran was in great form early in the season, and his trainer expects to produce .him in the same order at Wingatui. Top Price for Royal Queen. The dispersal sale of Mr W. T. Bailey's thoroughbreds took place at Ashhurst last week. Top price was secured for the brood mare Royal Queen, by Bisogne—En Parole, and in foal to Alchemic. Mr W. Brotherstone, Woodville, bought her for 100 guineas. Renascor, three-year-old-son of Musketoon and Snowshoe was secured by Mr M. Priest, Pahiatua, for 62J guineas. A three-year-old filly by Musketodn from Royal Queen was bought by Mr H. T. Whale, Marton, for 52J guineas.

Galloping Boldly. Silver Court, the colt by Gainscourt from Spare Moment and half-brother to Raratonga, is galloping very boldly at Hastings. Royal Minstrel. Royal Minstrel is reported to have recovered from the last of the series of mishaps that befel him at the end of last season, during which he won four races at from eight to 10 furlongs in seven starts. He should be a good horse to follow in the spring. Grange Stud. The Chief Ruler-Dovelet mare Columba has a brown filly to Phaleron Bay at the Grange Stud and will again be mated with the Phalaris horse. Columba is a full-sister to Eaglet and Mother Superior and a half-sister to Prince Otto, a winner in New Zealand and Australia. Megalo, dam of Golden Wings. Golden Treasure and Golden Chance, is on a visit to Broiefort at the Grange Stud, Westmere. Habit (Thespian-Cowl) has foaled a bay filly to Leighon and is on a visit to imported Broiefort. A full-sister to Mala (Lackham-Luc-retia) has made its appearance at the Grange Stud, the latest progeny of the Lucullus mare being a bay filly. Lucretia is on a visit to the Blandford horse Broiefort. El Golea at 1000gns. El Golea, a good performer in Australia and now four years old, was sold in Melbourne recently to Mr A. Crofts, owner of Valiant Chief, for lOOOgns. The vendor was Mr R. A. Henderson, who is abroad. El Golea is an entire son of Eastern Monarch from the Pistol mare, Versatile. Other gallopers sold at the same time were the four-year-old horse On Time, by Baralong from Belle Shot, to Mr B. Conaghan, for 350 gns, and the ten-year-old mare Lancegay, by Spearhead —Nambrok Belle, by Comedy King, to Messrs H. G. Raymond and H. B. Rankin, for 260gns. Callisto, eight-year-old mare by Great Star —Beppisan, was secured by Mr H. S. Thompson, New South Wales, for lOOgns.

Invercargill Jottings. Mona’s Song has been recommissioned by F. W. Ellis, while he also has the three-year-old Kings Chorus and a novice by Weathervane in work. Mon’s Song has wintered well, and the Songbird mare is in good order to begin a preparation. King’s Chorus, who races for Mr J. Graham, appeared twice last season as a two-year-old. He has grown a good deal during his absence from the tracks, and is built on bigger lines than most three-year-olds. By Nigger Minstrel, he is out of the well-performed mare Queen Balboa. The Weathervane gelding is a four-year-old from Panroyal, by Panmure from Golden Queen. Besides Grand Finale, Gold Course, and Ocean Singer, are recent additions to C. Low’s team. Ocean Singer was out doing light work on Saturday, and he has completely recovered from the bruised foot which put him out of action late last season. It is some time since the Songbird gelding looked as well as he does at the present. He raced very consistently for Low last term. Gold Course is a four-year-old mare by Straightcourse from Kilplaidie. She raced on two or three occasions last season, and her form wsa good enough to suggest that she will win races this term. Grand Finale has been kept going all winter and is to race at the Otago Hunt meeting this months. It is likely that he will contest the hunters’ steeplechase and the hunters’ fiat. Bred in New Zealand. When the third stage of last season’s racing in Australia closed on April 30 the number of successes registered by New Zealand-bred horses amounted to 121. In the interval the list of winners has been increased to 151, which is very satisfactory. The victories registered by Gold Rod in the Epsom Handicap and Sir Regent in the Metropolitan (says “Phaeton”) were the most notable events won by New Zea-lan-bred horses. The successes of the Defoe colt Footmark in the West Australian Guineas and the West Australian Derby are also entitled to special mention The list of New Zea-land-bred winners during the fourth term of the 1937-38 season in Australia comprised the following: Flying Chief (3), Edible (2), Rival Hit (2), Desert Chief (2), Red Rosebud, Fan Tan, Limoux, Whernside, Dutiful, Sunshine, Dannevirke, Gascony, Chief, The Riff, Country Order, Normanby, Maestro, The Palmist, Litigation, North Cape, Reminder, Limond Lad, Shere Khan, Silver Bond and Acheron. A Good Record. Although he won the Beaufort Steeplechase and the Lincoln Steeplechase last week, A. E. Ellis is not keen to continue riding over jumps. It is only in big races that he has been persuaded to accept mounts, and he realised that this is not popular with regular riders over obstacles. Ellis has . a wonderful record at Grand National meetings, one which may never be beaten. He has won two Grand National Steeplechases, on Snowfall and Thurina, in 1931 and 1933; three Winter Cups, on Solferite, Toxeuma and Fast Passage, in 1927, 1930 and 1932, and three Grand National Hurdle Races, on Penury Rose. Wharncliffe and Padishah, in 1925, 1927 and 1938. He has also run second twice and one third in the Grand National Steeplechase. At the same time he has had more than one Unpleasant experience at the meeting. In 1931 he was badly injured when Make Up fell in the Grand National Hurdle Race, and he also badly injured an arm when Snowfall fell and was killed. In both cases he was out of the saddle for months, and in the first instance he lost the winning ride on Autopay in the A.J.C. Epsom Handicap. At still another National meeting he incurred the displeasure of the stewards and lost further lucrative engagements.

RACING FIXTURES. August 27. —Otago Hunt Club. September I.— Egmont - Wanganui Hunt Club, at New Plymouth. September 3. —Taranaki Hunt Club. September 8, 10. —Wanganui J.C. September 17. —Ashburton C.R.C. September 17. —Foxton R.C. September 17, 19. —Avondale J.C. September 22, 24. —Geraldine R.C. September 24. —Marton J.C.