TURF NEWS & NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 November 1938, Page 9

TURF NEWS & NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE & COURSE

Views on Racing Facts and Fancies

SLY FOX SHAPES LIKE STAYER

(By

“The Cynic.”)

Sly Fox, a promoted hack this season, has entered right into calculations for the New Zealand Cup following his two wins in open company at Trentham last week, but whether he will stay two miles the day alone will tell. A four-year-old brown horse owned and trained by Mr A. Mclntosh of Gisborne, Sly Fox is by Hunting Song and Gazie, which is not in the Stud Book.

Gazie is by Gazeley from Cheddite, by Soult from Lyddite, by Tasman. Foals from Lyddite which raced were Soultite, by Soult, Cheddite, by Soult, Cordite, by Soult, and Lady Lyddite by Penury. They were all winners with the exception of Cordite. Cheddite had two daughters at the stud and they have both done well. Natalite, by Multifid, was the dam of good horses in White Fang and Hunting Cry, while Gazi, which never raced, is the dam of Sporting Blood, a winner of the New Zealand Derby and a disappointment since; and of Sly Fox. She is also the granddam of Hunting Blood.

Hunting Song, sire of Sly Fox, has met with great success at the stud, and last season headed the list of winning sires in the Dominion for the sixth year in succession when he was credited with £19,761 10s in stakes. Though he has sired many good horses his stock has not been noted for their successes over a distance. Hunting Cry, Gaine Carrington, Pink Coat, Hunting Day, Sporting Blood, Maori Song. Stretto, Master Cyklon and Clarion Call are but, a few of the horses which have done excellent service for Hunting Song. Clarion Call, at one time reputed to be a non-stayer, won the Grand National Steeplechase convincingly this season while some of Hunting Song’s other stock have stayed on fairly well without winning over two miles. Sly Fox has carried all before him so far and shapes as though he will run out the extreme distance. The manner in which he finished on to win two races at Trentham has satisfied his many admirers and as far as they are concerned the race is all over. Defaulter’s Class. For the time being there should be no further argument concerning the relative merits of Defaulter and Te Hero. Trentham racing conclusively proved Defaulter to be the better. Since they were two-year-olds, Defaulter has developed the more satisfactorily. He is a powerful, smoothactioned horse, and probably will become one of the best we have had for years. Distance should not bother him; he should be a fine stayer. He beat Te Hero and Gay Son with ease, and was much superior to the older horses he met. It is most unlikely that any three-year-old will improve sufficiently to prevent him from dominating any of the classics he contests. Te Hero, though defeated, and a disappointment to those who saw him race last season, demonstrated that he is a game colt. He should improve yet, especially if he ; becomes more composed temperamentally. ; Gay Son is doing better than he did earlier in the season, but he may still ( be feeling the effects of last season’s . illness. Surmount is speedy, but is not shaping like a stayer. ( Homily is a racy filly. Public out- ( ings should settle her down, and if ] she is at her best on Oaks Day she j should be one of the favourites. { For the Stud. i Soliad, who broke a bone in a fore- } leg "at the Dunedin Winter meeting, is f at present running out in the paddock ( at her owner’s farm, and there appears ( no hope of her ever racing again. The 5 Iliad mare displayed great promise I over middle distances last term. It is < likely that she will be mated with Nigger Minstrel. < Paper Slipper. * Paper Slipper is reported to be shaping well on the track, and may be dangerous, although common opinion doubts his chance owing to not being j raced since the Grapd National meeting. The “want of a race” opinion i has been proved most fallacious on j many occasions. J

Polo Pony. Little Briton, the winner of the Hunters’ Hurdles at Cambridge, was a member of the New Zealand polo team which won the championship in New South Wales last year. Little Briton was got by Little England from a Maniapoto mare. Not Eligible For Stud Book. Gazi, dam of Hunting Blood andi Sly Fox, is not eligible for the Stud Book. She was an unraced mare by Gazeley from Cheddite, dam of Natalite, who produced Hunting Cry and White Fang, by Soult from Lyddite by Derringer from Leisure Hour. The pedigree stopped with Leisure Hour, who, it is believed, was imported from Australia, but whose breeding was obscure. The Buzzer’s Breeding. Though bred at the Lyndhurst stud in New South Wales, The Buzzer, winner <bf last season’s Auckland Cup, and one of the favourites for this week's big race at Riccarton, has New Zealand blood close up in both sides of his pedigree. By The Buzzard, a son of Spion Kop, by Spearmint, by Carbine, his dam, Eastern Belle, was by Syce from Culture, by Boniform from Culroy, by Multiform. It is interesting to note also that Eastern Belle is a half-sister to Terentia, the dam of Lough Neagh, and her dam, Culture, was a half-sister to Culprit, who was the best two-year-old of her season in New Zealand, winning over £4,000 in stakes. One Race. The Trentham two-year-old, Beau Livre, by Beau Fere from Passbook, is not being set a very heavy programme. He was not produced again

at Trentham, after he won the Wellesley Stakes, and a similar programme will be followed at Riccarton, where he will run only in the Welcome Stakes. After that he will be reserved for the Great Northern Foal Stakes, to be run at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

Paving The Way. In 1916, Ardinvhor won the Spring Handicap at Gore, and Palantua won <he same race prior to winning the New Zealand Cup. This.year Valantua has won the Spring Handicap at Gore, but his performance does not compare with those put up by Ardenvhor and Palantua. Ardenvhor 8.4 won the Spring Handicap by six lengths in 2 min. 9secs., and then went on to win the New Zealand Cup from end to end with 7.3. Palantua won the Islington Handicap at the Grand National meeting with 7.0 f in 2min. 6secs., ran third in the" Heathcote Handicap with 7.10 to Cricket Bat 8.11 and Ranelagh 7.0, won over six furlongs at the Kurow meeting with 8.3 in Imin. 12 4-ssecs., was unplaced in the Ranfurly Handicap, second in the Waikaka Handicap with 8.10, and won the Spring Handicap with 9.4, and then won the New Zealand Cup with 7.2 in 3min. 22 l-ssecs., an Australasian record put up against one of the weakest fields that has ever started in the race. This year Valantua won the Spring Handicap with 7.12 in 2min. Bsecs„ with Milford 9.11 fourth. In the New Zealand Cup Milford meets Valantua on 201 b. better terms, and the figures seem to extinguish the latter’s chance at Riccarton.