TOPICS OF THE TURF

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 164, 13 August 1929, Page 3

TOPICS OF THE TURF

(By "The Squire.")

JOTTINGS DAY BY DAY.

Toxeuina, who lias been liolidaymaking i'or some eonsiderable time l>ast, is to be set going again. It is intended tliat tlie gelding ivill be prepared for the Harcourt Cup (previousJy knoivn as the Champion Plate), i niiles, wliieli will be contested at tlie Spring fixture of the Wellington Racing Club. * * * It is run under. weiglit-for-age conditions. lt_ is intended that tlie attenipts of Toxeuina this season will be niainly in tliis class of races and that I be will not be asked to face tlie severe ea 11s that were featuies of his rhcing last season, wlien he started in 20

evcnts, puttuig up the creditable perfonnanee of never being out of a place, his record reading six wins. eiglit scconds and six thirds, lu's carnings amounting to .L2.310, plac-ing hini in the po.sition of tho biggest winner amongst tbe 13ai' representatives. ♦ * * IMr W. Henderson, of Waipukurau, stnick the bad luck vein lately, as his brace of two-vear-olds, tlie gelding by Lackliani — Ostend and Tving Mark — Delphi, have liad to be put on one side tlirougli suffering from kidney trouble. * * * Amongst the workers on the Waipukurau tracks are Awangawanga and Good Cheer, the latter having recently been placed under the tuition of W. J. Iving. She is a four-year-old mare by Psycliology — Tatau Tatau and last season ran a couple of thirds at the Summer meeting of the Hawke.'s Bay Jockey Club. * * * Valparaiso, ndio scored in the Xational Plate at tlie Queensland Turf Club's meeting on Saturday. is a six-year-old gelding by Valais— Ladv San, and lias some good performances' to his eredit in Australia. He is owned by Alr W. T. Brunton and is under tlie tuition of G. P. Nailon. * * * The New Zealnndcvs, Scatown and Oratrix. were placed in tliat order in second and tliird bertlis. Tlie performanee of Seatown should have been satisfactory to his eonneetions wlien tlie faet is taken into consideration that he was (|iiite a recent arrival in Australia, it being his first- race since he earried 10 stone into first place in tlie York Handieap, at tlie Winter fixture ef the Auckland Racing Club, on June 5. * * * Tio is engnged in tlie A.J.C. Aletropolitan Handieap, 1 mile 5 furlongs, at Sst. Glb., in wliieli Valparaiso is also engaged at Ssfc. 41b. Oratrix lias Sst. olb. in the sarae event. * » * Pairlv good nominations liave been listed for tlie Hawke's Bay Hunt Club meeting. Tlie class in one of the evcnts is particularlv good, for amongst those pagecl are Star Stranger, Rapine. Kaiti, Queen's Choice and Clever. However, tlie handicapper has got sometliing , > say in tlie matter, wliieli niay alter the state of affairs on aeceptance night. * * * At present it appears as if the hunting folks will have a siiccessful reunion, as genarally a great deal of interest is taken in their ventures. No doubt hunt gatherings are a useful aid to racing generally. as many 'votaries of liunting strive to get good horses to follow the bounds and if they do turn out all right they go on with the game in the direction of running them at otlier fixtures of a higher grade. ♦ . ■ & ■ * If it were not for liunting there would he less leppers in tlie land. There are, in all faitli few enough of them at the present time. Witbout the liunting brigade to put many equines tlirougli tlie obstacle clearing sport tliey would further lag beliind. Tt tlierefore behoves all wlio liave the interests of racing at heart to liberally patronise gatherings of hunt elubs, for by so doing the financial assistance that is often seriously required is forthcoming.

* * Tarakete, wlio has been making a name for liimself recently in eonnection with point-to.-point steeplechase meetings, cannot be said.to liave been bred in tlie purple, as he is returnd in the ofiicial volumes as by a Gazeley eolt from an unknown mare. The defection regarding his lineage, however, has not stopped him* from proving a more than useful sort, with the pronn'se tliat he will be lieard of to advantage in tlie none too distant future. * * * Catapult, wlio oecupied second berth to Dainty Mick in the Flying Handieap, at the Moorefiekl (Sydney) meeting on Saturday, is Auckland-bred and owned, being a six-year-old gelding by Catmint — Lightning, who last season won a couple of races for his ownerbreeder, Mr A. E. Tattley. * * * In his first victory, the Toka Toka Handieap, at tlie annual meeting of tlie Dargaville Racipg Club, he beat a big field, his supporters collecting a bagful, as he was one of the forlorn liopes. His next suc-cess, or ratlier liajf success, as he dead-heated for first -place. was olironioled in coniieclion with tlie Pukekawa Hack Handieap. at tlie Winter meeting of the Franklin Racing Club. * ❖ On thc dain's side be eomes from locally-bred strains of blood. Lightning being by Bezonian, from Nerve, tlie latter mai*e having been bred by tlie late TTon. J. T). Ormond, at Karamu. Shc was foaled by Spot to Birkenhead.