TURF NEWS & NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 May 1939, Page 11

TURF NEWS & NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE & COURSE

Views on Racing Facts and Fancies

APPEARANCE OF SANTOFT AWAITED

(By

“The Cynic.”)

Santoft, who has an engagement in the Great Northern Steeplechase, is to have his (irst race for the winter at the South Canterbury meeting next week. He is reported to have pleased well in recent work and his appearance will be- eagerly awaited in view of his more important later engagements.

Sunny Comet. Sunny Comet will have his first outing as a steeplechaser at the approaching South Canterbury meeting. A winner over hurdles, he has shaped satisfactorily over the bigger fences, and he will be ridden in his immediate engagements by L. Gough, who has schooled him lately.

Looks Healthy.

During recent weeks El Meynell has brightened ’ considerably, and he looked healffij~and well when he raced at Pukekohe. He has been sprinting well in his work and should reach his best in time for the winter fixture at Ellerslie.

Solid Galloper. * Since running two seconds at Whangarei, Aero King has trained on well at Ellerslie. This horse is a solid galloper with a partiality for easy tracks, and he is expected to give a good account of himself at Waikato.

Siegfried. L. B. Berry is working a likely sort of mare by Siegfried from Bay View. She is a five-year-old and is a halfsister to First View, their dam being Bay View, by Leighton from Bayou (dam of Estuary and En Vidette), by Demosthenes or Feramorz from the imported Bayardo mare Bayonne, dam of Murchison and I’m Alone. Speedy. Although he was slow to come in, Bronze Moth showed better barrier manners at Pukekohe, and, beginning better than usual, scored a runaway win. There has never been any question of Bronze Moth’s speed, and as he comes from a family of mudlarks is likely to be a payable winter proposition.

Steeplechaser.

Wexford Bridge’s recent schooling efforts have been confined to the steeplechase fences. He is improving with each experience. Leopardstown. another jumper from the same stable, has been sent home in the meantime. Track watchers were eagerly awaiting the first public appearance of T. H. Gillett’s candidate, but their keenness will have to be abated for a further period. The big Day Comet gelding has now been to Riccarton. twice for short periods. He strained a tendon, necessitating his present easing up.

Jumping Well, Cottingham, who is booked to make his reappearance at Riccarton today at the Ashburton meeting, has not raced since his successes in the Otaio Plate and .Suburban Handicap at the New Zealand Cup meeting in /1937. Three months earlier he had headed Clarion Call out of the Grand National Hurdles race. The Polazel gelding has been working and jumping well of late, and his display in the Longbeach Hurdles should indicate his chances of winning a big race this winter. He will probably be “set” for the Grand National Steeples.

Likes Easy Tracks, Tooley Street did not come up to expectations at the Egmont meeting, but this was probably due to the firm ■state of the track. He finished fifth each day. Well placed throughout in the Mcßae Cup he was beaten for stamina in the run in, but was not far away. On the second day he was asked to take on Wildflower for the last half-mile and, in receipt of a stone, she ran him into the ground. Tooley Street’s form at Whangarei was good and no doubt he will give a repetition of it when he strikes an easier track than that which prevailed at Hawera.

Over Big Fences.

Silver Sight has been doing his recent schooling over steeplechase country, and he is to make his debut over the big fences at the Manawatu meeting 'to be held next week. This most proficient hurdler seems to have taken well to 'chasing, and should do well on the northern trip. He will travel on to Auckland at the conclusion of the Manawatu meeting. Silver Sight is engaged in both the Great Northerns and his showings at Awapuni across country will decide if he will contest the Ellerslie steeplechase. Redolent is also booked for a visit to Awapuni, where he will open his career as a steeplechaser also. His schooling has. been splendid, and although he has never raced over country, he will not be short of supporters even at his first appearance.

Unlucky. The unluckiest of the maiden candidates at Pukekohe was First Gold Money. Failure to get near the first bunch early cost her any chance of success she may have had, but she was going on solidly at the end and may yet atone for past failures. White Horses. White horses are rarely seen on racecourses, but White Foam, who ran fourth at Pukekohe, is almost pure white. She is a four-year-old by Vaals —Rehutai and shapes well enough to encourage hope for future success. New Sire for Canterbury. After the young Blandford stallion Solicitor General had, been passed in at 1700 guineas to the bid of Mr F. Holmes at the Elderslie stud last January, arrangements were made to

send both Iliad and Solicitor General to the Sydney Easter sales. Both were offered at auction, and while the former was sold to Mr W. Glasson, of Queensland, the offer made for Solicitor General was not accepted, and the stallion was returned to Nevz Zealand. Mr Ken Austin immediately opened up negotiations for his purchase, and these were successfully concluded last week, and Solicitor General will now be brought to the re-cently-formed Inglewood Stud, near Flaxton, about 15 miles from Christchurch. Very encouraging reports have come to hand concerning the yearlings by him that were sold at the last Trentham sales, where they headed the averages in competition with the stock of Beau Pere, Tiderace, and Phaleron Bay, and created a very good impression. Southern breeders have lost no time in booking up to the Blandford stallion for next season, and two recent bookings to him are the wellperformed Tizzy and Witch of Erin, both owned by Mr A. H. Fisher, of Dunedin. The latter mare is a daughter of Soldennis, the sire of the dam of the recent good English winner Caerloptic, and was imported by Mr Fisher. Two high-class mares are being sent from Australia, and these bookings were the result of their owner having seen an outstanding looking foal by Solicitor General from a mare sent from Australia in his first season' by Mr P. H. Osborne, who raced Valicare and others.

RACING FIXTURES

May 13, 15—-Poverty Bay. May 18, 20—South Canterbury. May 19, 20 —Manawatu. May 20, 22—Waikato. May 27 —Foxton. June 3. s—Wanganui.5—Wanganui. June 3, s—Napier5—Napier Park. June 3,5, 7 —Auckland. June 3,5, 10 —Dunedin. June 10 —Hawke’s Bay. June 17 —Bay of Plenty. June 17 —Hawke’s Bay. June 17 —Grey mouth. June 24—Otaki Maori. June 24 —Ashburton. June 24 —Waipa. July I—Dannevirke.1 —Dannevirke. July I—Oamaru. July 4,6, B—Wellington.8—Wellington.