TURF NEWS & NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 March 1939, Page 11

TURF NEWS & NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE & COURSE

Views on Racing Facts and Fancies

SMOKE SCREEN FOR THOMPSON.

(By

"The Cynic.”)

A carefully planned itinerary has been made for Smoke Screen in view of the Thompson Handicap at Trentham and the connections of the For-, dell four-year-old wisely chose the Taranaki Stakes for the winding-up gallop of the New Zealand mile record holder. Smoke Screen fulfilled expectations by easily accounting for Oratory and so escapes a penalty for the big mile on Friday. Smoke Screen is the logical favourits for the Thompson Handicap and, at this juncture, it is hard to visualise his defeat. He is not over-burdened on the score of weight; he is in winning form; and he is racing over his best distance.

When Smoke Screen brought the New Zealand mile . record down from 1.36 to 1.35 3-5 in the King’s Plate at Christmas he carried 9.0 and was doing better than Stretto' and Gay Son over the last fifty yards. That success had been, presaged by Smoke Screen’s fast finish’ with 8.12 two days before in the Railway, Handicap and it is a high-class miler who can take part in the finish of such a race as the Railway Handicap.

Smoke Screen has the brilliance to be in a winning position at the false rail and, as he is a strong and solid gelding, the rise of 51bs. to 9.5 should not seriously trouble him on Friday. The 1939 Thompson Handicap has drawn a great field and it should be a great race, but it is hard to pick anything likely to lower the colours of Smoke Screen. He should improve on his second in the race last year to Oratory.

Should be Hard to Beat, Beaulivre has not raced since the Wellington Cup meeting,-where he won a double, and his next start will be in the North Island Challenge Stakes on the second day of the approaching autumn meeting. That he is a fit colt he proved at Tre’ntham one day last week, when he was always clear of Globe Trotter in a five-furlongs gallop, covering the last half-mile in 48secs. When he won the Wellington Stakes he.carried 7.81, and cut the five furlongs out in 59secs. On the second

day ho carried 9.7 in the Nursery Handicap, and ran six furlongs in Imin. 1.1 .'secs.

Play On is GoodPlay On likes the sting out of the going and he had conditions made to order for him at New Plymouth last Saturday, the surprising feature of his win in the Paul Memorial being the false price he was allowed to pay. A little-raced gelding, Play On leaves the impression that he is likely to win some good stakes for his Palmerston North owner, Mr Maurice Millar, and he is still on a handy mark. At the Manawa'tu meeting next week Play On has 8.8 in the King George Handicap and it will surprise if he does not prove the hardest to beat. Play On had not done much galloping between his Wanganui victory and his race in the Taranaki.

When Ephialtes Scored. Carterton holds at least one important .Dominion record. Back in 1930 the maiden race was won by a horse named Ephialtes, who was having his first start, and the dividend he returned, something over £5OO is still the largest that has ever been paid on the totalisator for a galloping race in Nevz Zealand. As it happened, many Trentham track-watchers had ticked this son of Thomond off for an early win; but he had suffered a cold a fortnight previously, and nothing much had been done with him. The holder of the solitary ticket on. him (there was no 10s totalisator at that meeting) was a local farmer, Mr C. Jensen, who backed him because he remembered the dam (Rose of Athens) winning a race some years previously at Trentham. .

Imperator.

It is reported that the four-year-old chestnut gelding by Sargon from Bonnie Mabel in W. T. McLean’s stable at Ellerslie has been named Imperator. This half-brother to Scotland and Odtaa has plenty of size, and should eventually develop into a useful sort, judged by the speed he has shown on the few occasions that he had been sprinted.

Owner’s 111 Luck.

Melfort Star, who was the top-priced colt at the last. Sydney yearling sales at 2800gns., died recently at the stable of his trainer, F. Dalton, from inflammation of the bowels. He was a magnificent colt by Melfort, but he suffered several reverses when being prepared, and he never had a race.

Good When Right. The hard tracks prevented Skerryvore from resuming racing at the Napier Park meeting, but he is fairly well forward for the jumping season and the improving track conditions will enable more work to be put into this dashing ’chaser. Skerryvore has only to remain sound to win some good steeplechases this winter, when he should be more experienced than he was last year. Skerryvore’s sister, Lady Stella, has had an easy time since she raced so promisingly at Wanganui and Bulls, and her next appearance will be at the Hawke’s Bay meeting. Lady Stella is a clever jumper, but her racing experience will do her a lot of good and it appears likely that there will be some good races fpr her this winter.

Great Improvement. Te Huia has made a wonderful improvement in the past few weeks, winning a double at Wanganui and another at New Plymouth, beating the brilliant Wanganui filly Russian Ballet in his last start. An own brother to Silk Sox, who ■ showed good form both-on the* flat and* over hurdles, Te Huia is a six-year-old gelding by Royal Divorce from Ribbonwork, ■by Camp Fire from Fancywork, by the Workman. Te Huia showed promise as a three-year-old when he won in the winter at Hawera and Wanganui, but he then lost form until the end of last season until he ran a brace of seconds at New Plymouth in July.