SPORT OF KINGS OVERSEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1939, Page 11

SPORT OF KINGS OVERSEAS

PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE.

The oldest existing race in the British Empire is run at Newmarket, England. It is the Town Plate, instituted by King Charles 11, and run on the second Thursday in October. Strangely enough, it is timed to start at noon, and is not included in the ordinary race-week programmes. The only rule as to riders is that, “No groom or servicing man” may compete. In recent years many of the riders have been women. Prizemoney is small, but as it ’is the only English horse race in which women are allowed to compete, it always attracts a large crowd. Rules in Australia preclude women from riding in registered races. One of Sydney's suburban trainers, whose ticket is almost brand new, fell for an old trick the other day. An as-,

sociate of another stable promised to get him some “real dope” and said that the man who was to supply the "go fast” stuff would do so for £l. The brand-new trainer fell for the tale. The "dope” man arrived on race day. ! produced two tablets and asked for some water. Without any trouble the horse swallowed the pills and the trainer reckoned it would bo "just a shame” to take the money from the books. His horse is still running. The tablets were those universally used for headaches, and at two for £1 they proved expensive. Inbreeding or a return to a successful taproot has been a proved success, and it occurs in Blatherskite, who should nick well with mares giving ;. return of Stockwell and St. Simon. Distant Shore is the grand-darn of Cyllene, to whom Blatherskite is inbred. Cyllene got Cicero. Minoru. Lemberg and Tagalic, a quartet of English Derby winners. The same sire line got Derby winners in Pommern. Fifenella. Humourist. Manna and Cameronian. Through Desmond the Cyllene line is linked in Blatherskite to St. Simon the greatest sire of all time. Mares giving a return of the above, strains, preferably also with an infusion of Musket blood, should nick well with Blatherskite on the general principle that multiplication adds strength to strength. The sire line in Blatherskite has provided Cicero. Friar Marcus, Minoru. Polymelus, Phalarus, Fairway. Colorado. Lemberg. Manna, Sickle, Pharos, Prath, Pommern and others who rank amongst the most successful at the stud in England. France. America. Australia and New Zealand. Hence the strains of success in Blatherskite’s pedigree do not represent a fluke or freak success, but rather a widespread source of proved merit. Australia has not yet adopted the successful idea originated at Trentham placing the judge well back from the track and in an elevated position. At Ascot, Hawkesbury, and Menangle Park the judge occupies an elevated position near the track, and a wire marks the line to the post. The Warwick Farm meetings have now fallen in line with the meetings named above. Oracion, winner of the two miles Brighton Northumberland Plate in England. is a 4-year-old bay mare owned by Major D. McCalmont, whose colours used to be carried by The Tetrarch. The good stayer. Winnebar (WinalotTabaris) was second and Irish Stew (Irish Battle —Sweet Scent) third. Oracion is by Apelle out of Ojala. by Buen Ojo, a son of Chili II or Craganour, who finished first in the Epsom Derby but lost the race o.i a protest. Apelle was a big .winner in England and on the Continent and has done well at the stud. One of his sons was Cappiello (Grand Prix). He was at the head of the winning sires’ list in France in 1933. At the great Ascot meeting in England the young sire, Hyperion, had winners of the largest amount of stakemoney. His winners were all three-year-olds, from his first season —Heliopolis, Admiral’s Walk and Hypnotist. Hyperion is by Gainsborough out of Selene, by Chaucer. The Two Thousand Guineas winner, Flamingo, was second through the agency of Flyon. winner of the Ascot Cup. Flyon is rather leggy, but his owner, Lord Milford, says he “can stay all day.” The horse is said to resemble Hurry On (sire of his dam) more than Flamingo. Another young sire, Colombo, was third on the winning list, followed by the French horses, Asterus and Vatout. with Cameronian in sixth place. Figures compiled recently in South Australia show that for the year ended June 30 the Government in South Australia received from betting taxation in that State a record sum of £227,-095, bringing the aggregate in a little more than five years to more than £1,000,000. From the time the betting laws first came into operation in 1934, the return to the .Government has gradually increased. For the 12 months ended June. 1935, receipts were £158,-' 460, compared with this year’s figures of £227,095. Brantome, the French champion of a' few years ago, and undefeated till beaten in the Ascot Cup when not himself, is now doing well at the stud, and at the recent Ascot meeting one of his first crop, the filly Alix, was winner of the Windsor Castle Stakes. The Goodwood meeting in England resulted in another great staying triumph for the Tracery line of Stockwell. The four-year-old bay horse,. Dubonnet, won the Goodwood Stakes (2m. 3f.) and followed up his success by taking the Goodwood Cup (2m. sf). In the latter race Senor (who is closely related to the N.Z. horse, Siegfried) was second and the French-bred Concrevent third. The well-known American racing man. Mr Wm. Woodward, won the London Cup at the Alexandra Park meeting with the 4-year-old Olympus 11, carrying 8.7. The race is run over 13 furlongs. High Rank (by Ut Majeur out of Rose of Jericho) was second and Orphan Duckling (by Polyphonies out of Fatherless Duckling) third. Olympus is a chestnut horse by Gallant Fox (sire of Omaha and his brother, Flares, winner of the Ascot Cup in 1938) out of Periwinkle 11. Gallant Fox is a son of Sir Gallahad 111, and is the world’s 3-year-old record stakewinner.