TURF NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 September 1939, Page 9

TURF NEWS AND NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE AND COURSE Two Vital Important Questions for Racing Men BREEDING FROM OLD MARES: EXCESSIVE EARLY RACING VIEWS OF VETERAN AUSTRALIAN TRAINER

(■BY “

“CARBINE.”)

“The veteran, James Scobie, who has had a long lifetimes distinguished experience among thoroughbreds, had something interesting to say,, on the occasion of his 79th birthday, on a question of first ’ importance to the bloodstock industry,” states a well known Australian writer. “He referred to the early racing of immature horses and the fact that such a large percentage of them failed to train on.

“He is credited with saying that “owners unwisely race youngsters that have not developed substantially, too early in the season, and too often with the view of trying for rich spring events. Often this resulted in horses’ hearts being affected and they are thus of no use at three years. Those kept in light work, or raced moderately, until the autumn, have nearly always shown better records.” “From time to time a horse docs early racing and carries on over three or four seasons without losing his form, but if the matter is considered in the light of the inexorable law of averages, it will be found that the veteran trainer is substantially correct. These exceptions do not affect the case as a whole. “Commonly enough intelligent, experienced trainers and owners give young horses a fair chance to develop ' their powers' without imposing too great a strain on them. They realise that your cannot have it both ways with Nature. “If young horses are growing rapidly the strain of early training and racing may well prove too much for the majority of them. “In the human race you cannot make a baby, or a child, do the work of a grown-up without doing irreparable harm to the physical and nervous powers of those concerned. It is much the same with horses. “Of the horses that are made to race early in the spring and to continue through the season, how many are found racing with any prospects of worthwhile success at three and four years? Every year more than 1000 yearlings are sold in Australia. A large percentage of them win races early in the season and give much promise of developing into first-class horses. In their second season the vast majority of these horses have ceased to be of real value to anyone. 'Many of them are useless at three and four years. If they are mares, and have . had any “doping” they may also have harm which unfits them for 'tb.c stud. “But doping is not done iri Australia,” some people will say. On that point a very serious' allegation was recently made by a Queenslander. He declared that many mares were ruined from the breeder’s point of view through being artificially stimulated when racing. Similar statements have been made in America. In that country the authorities take a very grave view of doping. It is properly regarded as an outrage against real sportsmanship and against humanitarianism. “One of the reasons why. so many horses fail to train on is that they are lacking something in the matter of constitution. This constitutional weakness may be more or less inherited, it may be intensified by doping, or it may be aggravated by excessive early racing. ' “It is idle to argue that because a horse that has been severely raced at two years has trained on for three or four seasons it is right to treat all horses, in the same way. For every severely raced two-year-old that trains on, and wins at four or five years or more, there are (at a conservative estimate) 50 that fail to do so. This case is in some respects parallel with that . of breeding from very old mares. “Whenever it is pointed out that the odds are against an old mare (say 20 years or more) producing a really good horse, someone with limited knowledge and illogical or foggy mind comes forward to remind us that old mares have produced Derby winners. “They entirely ignore statistical records, which show that when a man buys a yearling put of an old mare (whose vitality has been drained by age and the strain of years of breeding) the odds are about 500 to 1 that he will not get a first class racehorse, possessed of stamina, constitution, and capacity to stand up to his work over three or four seasons. Very old mares cannot impart vitality to their progeny if they do not possess it themselves. The position is much the same where the question of excessive early ~ racing comes in. “One swallow does not make a summer.” When a racing man buys a yearling he wants a reasonable chance of gettings a good horse, with soundness of constitution and all the vitality needed to enable that horse to stand two or three season’s training. “If a mare is very old it is 500 to 1 that she will not produce a foal endowed with the essential qualities of a valuable race horse. The vast majority of the first-class horses in Australia have come from mares of from G years to 12 years. It is the same where excessive early racing comes in. Very few heavily raced mares have been valuable producers at tlie stud. Added to that is is the fact that only a small percentage of early raced two-year-olds of either sex train on. As Mr Scobie says, the training and racing of immature horses, which are growing rapidly, imposes too great a strain on the heart, and also on the constitution.

RACING FIXTURES September' 23.—Marton Jockey Club. September 30.—Otaki-Maori Racing Club. September 30, October 2.—Ohinemuri Jockey Club. October 5, 7 —Dunedin Jockey Club. October 5, 7.—Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club. October 7.—Bay of Plenty Racing Club. October 9—Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Hunt Club.

FAVOURED RUNNERS AT MARTON. (By “Carbine.”) The following horses are favoured in their various events at the Marton Jockey Club’s spring meeting on Saturday:— JUVENILE HANDICAP: Miss Hallowmet, Taitama, Uvedale. MAIDEN RACE: Race Away, Wings of Song, Royal Show. HACK HURDLES: Chat, Hunting Lore, Earl Colossus. TUTAENUI HACK HANDICAP: Colincamps, Shining Hours, Sudan. HACK AND HUNTERS’ STEEPLECHASE: Lady Callaghan, Blue Steel, Potoa Lad. MARTON HANDICAP: Homily, Dainty Sue, Solaria. SPRING HACK HANDICAP: Kaiwaka, Glenthawn, The Ring. FAREWELL HACK HANDICAP: Liberal’s Mint, Le Toquet, Golden Hawk. i GERALDINE RACES CUP WON BY ROY BUN. GAY PARADE SALUTES JUDGE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) TIMARU, September 21. The Geraldine Racing Club’s spring meeting opened in fine weather, with a fair attendance. The course was in splendid order. The totalisator handled £7873 10s, against £9400 10s on the corresponding day last year. Results:— First Hurdles Handicap, Im, sf: 6/6 Jewish Lad, 9.12 (Hibberd) 1; 1/1 Pink Robe, 11.0 (Anderton) 2; 3/4 Travenna. 11.13 (Ridgway) 3. Also started: 2/3 Mount Vai; 8/8 Contract; 7/7 Ballad; 4/2 Bit o’ Blue; 9/9 Comus; 5/5 King Icel; 10/10 Fundy Bay. Length; two. King Icel was fourth. Time, 3.4.

Ohapi Hack Handicap, Gf: 5/4 Don, 8.7 (Spratt) 1; 1/1 St Cloud, 8.10 (Hibberd) 2; 6/5 Nigella, 8.7 (W. Ellis) 3. Also started: 1/1 Fascinator (coupled with St Cloud); 3/3 Swingtime; 10/11 Astronomer; 14/13 Craiglea; 8/7 Dark Agnes; 11/8 Guspini; 8/12 Great Night; 7/9 Lord Ouyen; 2/2 Muriet; 13/15 Midguard; 12/10 Pink Lad; 4/6 Racewell: 15/14 Sam Brown. Two lengths; two. Fascinator was fourth. Time, 1.15 2-5.

Geraldine Cup Handicap, l.jm: 6/4 Roy Bun, 7.7 (W. Ellis) 1; 9/7 The Sandwich Man, 7.9 (Connor) 2; 3/5 Second Innings, 8.10 (Jennings) 3. Also started: 15/14 Rabble; 11/12 Passaform; 5/9 Night Wings; 4/3 Night Dress; 13/15 Valantua; 8/6 Balmenter; 1/2 Wine Card; 10/10 Gay Rebel; 16/16 Cape Gabo; 7/8 The Wrecker; 12/11 Glenogil; 14/13 Silver Slipper; 2/1 Spartan. Length; length. Passaform was fourth. Time, 2.7. Geraldine Trot Handicap, lm, 3f: 2/1 Marque, scr (R. Townley) 1; 4/4 Kansas City, scr (Therlow) 2; 1/2 Star Ace, scr (Hooper) 3. Also started: 11/11 Credence; 6/8 Happy Man; 2/1 Lady Truman (coupled with the winner); 5/6 Ludlow; 7/7 Manawai; 10/9 Mahoe; 3/3 Passing By; 8/5 Tokalon; 9/10 Waikari Chief. Eight lengths; neck. Lady Truman was fourth. Time. 3.10.

Raukapuka Hack Handicap, 7f: 4/4 Ferriby, 7.13 (Stokes) 1; 2/2 King Gustavo, 7.10 (Spratt) 2; 6/3 Donadea, 8.12 (Caddy) 3. Also started: 9/9 Aggravate; 3/5 Phenomenal; 5/6 Ohmaha; 1/1 Flame Queen; 8/8 Brilliant Boa; 10/10 Sunny Dawn; 12/12 Prince Ruenalf; 11/11 Improvident; 7/7 Ngaitama. Three lengths; two lengths. Aggravate was fourth. Time, 1.28.

Belfield Hack Handicap, 9f: 2/2 Shanghai Lily, 7.8 (Messervy) 1; 1/1 Capricious, 8.11 (Wilson) 2; 3/3 Wardress, 9.7 (Mackie) 3. Also started: 7/7 Master Dingle; 6/6 Merry March; 4/4 Night Pal; 5/5 Knight Commander. Half a length; two. Knight Commander was fourth. Time, 1.56. Orari Trot Handicap, Ijm: 1/1 Axspear, 12yds behind (Berry) 1; 4/5 Jerry Parrish, 12yds behind (Bryce Junr) 2; 3/3 Glenholme, 12yds behind (Tatterson)‘3. Also started: 12/13 Clive Brook; 2/2 Tiny Axworthy; 11/11 Allen Wrack; 9/9 Equerry; 10/10 Erin’s Lad; 5/4 Pursuit; 6/8 Royal Thread; 7/6 Sabu; 8/7 Lady Milne; 13/12 Cirrus. One length; four. Equerry was fourth. Time, 2.48. Squatters' Handicap, 6f: 1/1 Gay Parade,7.2 (Spratt) 1; 9/8 Queen Dorothy. 7.12 (McKerrow) 2; 5/6 Toro Koura, 8.9 (Humphries) 3. Also started: 4/4 Silver Streak; 8/7 Top Row: 7/8 Swordstick; 2/3 Paper Note; 3/2 Skyrena; 6/5 Jan Ridd. Three lengths; neck. Skyrena was fourth. Time, 1.14 1-5.