TURF NEWS & NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 September 1938, Page 9

TURF NEWS & NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE & COURSE f Views on Racing Facts and Fancies ORTYX DOING GOOD WORK (By “The Cynic.”)

Ortyx, who will reappear at the Dunedin meeting, has been doing good work at Riverton. The Lord Warden filly has not grown a great deal, but she has thickened out. She behaved rather waywardly as a two-year-old, but is now a much more sober worker, In the same stable the two-year-old Dark Flight, a half-brother by Nigger Minstrel do Ortyx, has been taken up again. He was injured a few weeks back and has made a good recovery. Engaged in New Zealand Cup. All of the three placed horses in the Canarvon Gold Cup run at Foxton on Saturday are engaged in the New Zealand Cup. The winner, Happy Landing, is a six-year-old gelding by Siegfried from Tressida, an Australianbred mare who has left good winners in Polly Peachum, Runnymede, Raasay, and others. -Quadroon, who ran second, is a five-year-old horse by Nigger Minstrel from Liaison, by Lord Quex, and the third horse, Siegmond, is also- a five-year-old, by Siegfried from Lilimond, a Limond mare. A Well-bred Pair. Phalanx has rejoined the fast workers, and he sprinted three furlongs recently in fair time. This Nightmarch gelding furnished a lot during his winter spell, and is one likely to win some good races this season, A three-quarters two-year-old brother to him, a chestnut, has been broken in by F. Roberts, and was on the tracks for the first time yesterday. He is by Night Raid from Wink-a-Peep, and, like Phalanx, is to be given plenty of time by his owner, Mr D. Spence, who will shortly take him back from Roberts and train him himself along with Phalanx. A Good Looker. The two-year-old Kobi received a knock in the Debutant Stakes at Wanganui, and it was decided that he would not accompany his stablemates Francis Drake and Coronation to Auckland for the Avondale meeting. Kobi, by Bulandshar from Lucinette, was one of the best-looking youngsters produced at Wanganui, and he should do better when more matured. Not Hurried. J. A. Rowland has not hurried Ardchoille, who is engaged in the New Zealand Cup. He came in from his spell in great order, and not until Saturday had he done any faster than three-quarter pace. On Saturday he beat Mona’s Song home over six furlongs and pleased by the manner in which he did it.. .Ardchoille has never been in better order and will reappear at Wingatui next month. Promising Juveniles. The Paper Money—Royal Silk colt in T. E. Panckhurst’s team has attracted attention in recent sprint tasks. He will be given a run in the two-year-old races at the Dunedin meeting and has been named Royal Money. Another two-year-old in the same stable, who is showing herself to be possessed of a brilliant turn of speed is a filly by Nigger Minstrel from Mudlark. On Saturday morning she beat the two-year-old Bulldog over two furlongs in 24 4-ssec, a smart performance, as she did it comfortably, and the -track was slow.

Stud Items. At the Glentruin Stud, Otautau, Roman Lake has produced twin foals, a colt and filly by Salmagundi. Both survived and have done well. The latest foaling at Chelandry Stud is a filly by Colonel Gygnus from Fleet Lady, dam of Spendthrift. Eight mares from the Chelandry Stud will be sent to Salmagundi and three to Man’s Pa]. Mares for Salmagundi are Flicker, tnree-year-old by Colonel Cygnus from Dazzling Light, Surge, Kindly Light, Lucky Light, Ruling Lady and Fleet Lady. Those to be sent to Man’s Pal are Strong Light, Glad Light, and Dalzur. Now in Australia. Four horses nominated for this year’s New Zealand Cup —Queen of Song, Floodtide, Catalogue, and Conveyor—are at present in Australia, and likely to remain there until after the big jwo miles race at Riccarton has been decided. Half Brother to Alma? The three-year-old gelding, Denis Dowling, who finished last in the first division of the Novice Stakes at Ashburton, was shown in the racecard as being a chestnut gelding, three years old, by Tractor from Ravenna, but the Stud Book shows that Ravenna’s foal in 1935 was a bay colt by Paper Money named Boloyna. Daughter of Good Sprinter. x In her day Miss Camouflage was a sprinted above the average, but her early progeny have not shown any of her speed. Miss Bluff, who won the first division of the Novice Stakes at Ashburton, is a four-year-old daughter of Cockpit, and was bred by Mi’ A. W. Douglass at Waikouaiti. She was having her first start in this race, and gave promise of developing into a smart sprinter. Engaged in-Both Cups. The New Zealand-bred horse Footmark, who was second in the Mentone Cup on Saturday, won the West Australian Guineas and the West Australian Derby last season, and who was subsequently transported to Victoria. ' has so far failed to extend his winning record. Although he ran unplaced in a recent race at Williamstown, that did not stand in the way of his being singled out for special notice, in which he is referred to as “a magnificent specimen of a thoroughbred.” The son of Defoe is said to be wonderfully conformed, but he has a ponderous action and requires plenty of room to enable him to stretch 1 out properly. —Footmark is credited with training on very satisfactorily, and he is expected to contest the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, in which races he is weighted respectively at 8.4 and 8.5, well below weight-for-age. Racing Two-year-olds. Some breeders who are against racing two-year-old until the autumn point to Gloaming as an example of how much better horses turn out who are not raced until they are threeyears old, but that was a case in which a virtue was made of necessity. First named Celestial, he was put into work as a two-year-old, but developed chronic soreness, and it was decided to geld him. The Hawk commenced in October, and went to the post pretty frequently, yet he was a champion until well into the aged class. Menschifoff and Cruciform started out at the beginning of November, while Warstep and Desert Gold made their debut in October. Gladsome was another October beginner. Multiform, Seahorse, Winning Hit, Wild Chase, Limerick, Nightmarch, Stretto, and Count Cavour, starts of different periods, all faced the harried at October meetings without sustaining much apparent injury. Carbine, Trenton, Stepnak, Commendation, Gold Light, Star Stranger, Ammon Ra, Bronze Eagle, Gaine Carrington, Royal Chief, Amythas, Concentrate —most of they stayers —were other noted horses which commenced their turf careers during the first half of the season. Metropolitan Favourite. Royal Chief galloped his way into favouritism for the Metropolitan by his decisive and spectacular win in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick, says a Sydney correspondent. J. Holt regarded Avenger as a certainty, but Royal Chief was too good. The luck of the race was with Royal Chief, who jumped out first at the barrier and had a perfect run on the rails all the way. In the straight Young Crusader came out from the fence and E. Bartie shot Royal Chief through to victory. Avenger had been forced to go a trifle wide on the turn, but actually headed Royal Chief a furlong from home. In the final furlong Royal Chief went two to one to Avenger and finished brilliantly. He and Cooranga promise to dominate the Metropolitan to the exclusion of all others. Masterton Racing Club. Racing clubs with days fixed for October 15 were placed in a very unfortunate position by the Government's decision to hold the general election on that day. Opinions are divided upon what effect it would have on the attendance if a club decided to race on that day. It might not seriously affect the local patrons, but a club depending very largely on visitors from other centres would probably suffer. The Masterton club has solved the difficulty by transferring the days to Wednesday and Thursday of the same week. The loss of a Saturday is most unfortunate for a struggling club, and Masterton is to be complimented upon keeping faith with owners and trainers, many of whom had not raced at other fixtures, but were relying upon a run at Opaki. It is to be hoped that he club will be well supported. Nominations will close at 8 p.m. on Monday next with the secretary, Mr Norman James, Box 145, Masterton.