TOPICS OF THE TURF

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 205, 30 September 1929, Page 3

TOPICS OF THE TURF

(By "The Squire.")

JOTTINGS DAY BY DAY.

The Spring gathering of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Ciub was held under the mobt unfavourable circumstances, from the climatic iDoint of consideration, a keen, biting wind, accompanied on many occasions by stinging rain, being the iot of patrons, who. liowever, rolled up in fairly good force. ^ * Tliey witnessed a good day's sport, for tlie racing in the major number of instances was of the exciting variety. De&pite the weather handicap speculation was fairly brisk, a. fact that was t'orcibly illustrated by the tote investments, whieh were £13,479 as compared to £15,374 last season, when fine weather was experieneed. * * * Had the conditions been similar on Saturday, it seenis fair to assume that an increase instead of a decrease would have resnlted. * ❖ "With four first favourites winning and some second positions gained bv tliem in events, whiclx did not help the accuinulation of cash, the returns being a decrease of the purchasing price of tlie tic-kets, followers of the highly estimated competitors would, with a ticket taken out on each of them, have liandled a winning margin of nearly the price of a brftte of tickets. * -n * Hard Gohl, a stable chum of Nukumai and Fine Acre, who hails from the establishment of A. M. Wriglit, of Foxton, was elected a solid favourite in the Tomoana Hurdles, lie liaving £203 more invested on his nnmber tlian the second ehoice, Boyal Elm. Hard Gold provecl a great disappointment, for ncvcr at any stago of the running were his prospects inclicative of succcss. ifa s(s * Eoyal Flm, who lookcd in great nick, had it easv nt the later stago of the contest, winning without a great deal of oFort from Tresham. who made up a lot of ground over the last. # « * Jen, who was paying a great price for a win, was a moderate third. Pesliwa wlio, at the bottom of the .straight, seemed likely to play a prominent part in the stake distribution, was fourth. * •;« * Tanagra, who showed a lot of pace in the earlv stagcs, killed his opportunities by fencing badly at the obstacle adjaeent to the caretaker's liouse. AYhen he settles down to the business properly the chestnut gelding sliould pay his way in hurdle races, if properly placed. * * m In a big field of eighteen competitors that lined up for business in the Trial Stakes the money came in liberal fashion, for I'm Alone. Mr Stead's representative had the assistance of li. Goldfinch. The next to come into consideration was Auda, with £100 less.

* * * The favourite, who had drawn a bertli on the outside, was slow to gct moving, and when tlie runners had settlcd down was giving the field a big start. Naturally, over a five furlong dash, his chances were thus obliterated, the winner turning up in tlie Awapuni trnined King Acre, a three-year-old gelding by Acre from Svlvia March, a stahle associate of Mister Gamp and Co. * Jj: ^ The runncr-up, Tea Taster, also hails from the same preparing grounds, being one of the pupils of L. Knapp. He is well-bred gelding sired as he is by Tea Tray from the Australian bred m are Graceful. * 4: iManifcsto. owned and trained at Taradale by P. P. Neagle. who occupied the third position, would liave been the producer of a great dividend had lie been able to capture. as there were only 33 tickets taken out on him. He is out of that one-time good performer, Sarah Grand, 'who foaled him to imported Lackliam. •c * * King Acre paid a fair dividend, while had Tea Taster mastered him, his followers would have liandled a dividend severn 1 shillings in advance of wliat was paid out on King Acre tickets. * # ' * As might have been nntieipated from the size of the field, several of tlie eompetitors were standing at hig prices, but it was liardly imaginable that the paltry sum of but a .couple of sovereigns would liave been invested on one of the runners. Suc-h, however, was the ease, for there were but a couple of tickets taken out on Whakatue, a four-venr-old half-brother by King Mar to Grattus (Lord Quex — Eartbsbine), trained by V. H. C'ollelo. for Mr J. A. MacFarland. * % * The bulk of the betting in conneetion with the Glenaray Handicap was monopolised by Masher and Ohopin, who ranked that way as first and second favourites, the foraier having a fair pull over the "Waipawa-owned and trained son of Lord Quex, Tuneful. * * =H Tlie estimates of their abilities were accurately foreshadowed, as IMasher won hy a nose from Cliopin. The latter had a bit of had luck at the start, as immediatelv the cord fiew up, he went down on his nose. His pilot, that eapahlo apprenticc, K. Voitre, retaincd his seat and Jifted him out of the difiiculty. Had the misliap not occured, probabl.v a different version of the race avouUI liave been recorded, as Chopin lost a good deal of ground at tlie sendoff, and had to be asked early for his best to g.iin a sitnation. which naturally took away some of his resevve force. * * * Arrowhead was nn indifferent third Clarendon and High Heatlier were lilce a pair of mules at- the startig harrier their misbehaviour causing a lot of delay and upsetting the tempcrs of several of tlie contestants. * » Onlv a brace in ITunting Crv and Admiral Drake were supported in the Guineas, the former liaving over a centurv mor© registered against his number tlian was the c-ase with Mr Frank Armstrong's representative. >i« •* '}: Tbe opinion of the majority worked out succ.essfully, as Runting Crv won well from Admiral Drake who had to be stirred up to secure second place from My Oivn. Tbe race was run at a slow pace, until half-way up the straight, when steam was put on. with the result that tlie sprinter, Hunting Cry, asserted himself. Had Admiral Drake, well placed to tlie distance post, been made more use of. it loolced as tliough a different hapnening would liave had to he chronicled. * -e * That the pace was not on for the major portion of the trip can be gauged from ihe time record, lmin. 43 2-5secs., nearly a second slower tlian Masher took to get to the end of the journey in the Glenaray Handicap. * * * It -was the slowest Guineas covered during the past nine competitions, Humbug,. in 1920. having taken the same time for the race. * * * Had My Own been equal to the task of silencing Admiral Drake, her partisaas would have received a divi-

dend about sevcn times as much as was collected b.y tliose interested in Admiral Drake. * * * The win of Hunting Cry made it the first time that his owner has had 1ns name enrolled on the winning owners' list in regard to the event, and also the first occasion upon whicli H. Goldfinch has had the seat 011 a victor in the Hawke's Bay classic. * * * Kick Off led lving's Jest by over a hundred for tbe prenuer position in tlie speculation for tlie Spring Handicap. with Blimp tliird pick. It was good business as regards Kick Off, but very poor when referring to King's Jest and Blimp. the latter finisliing la.^fc. while King's Jest was a poor fourth. Kick Uft got there by a lengtb from Queen's Choice. who, like his conqueror, got a good run from the bottom of tbe straight. * * * High Court rau a good race. and he sliould be expected shortly. Kick Off looked in great beart and was not in the least distressed after finisliing his job, despite the fact that he carried nine stone, thus giving the runner-up 19 pounds. He looks good for a lot more victories, does tliis ancient son of All Black and Fair Rosamond. * * * Another win to the bearer of the McLeod tartan ivas recorded in tbe Nursery Handicap, by the aid of Simba, who, 011 aecount of the solid support forthooming for Chrvsology, returned his fanciers a better dividend than could have naturally been anticipated after the victory of Simba iu the Debutante Stakes at ^Wanganui. * * * . Simba won easily from the favourite, who was having his first essay in a race. He rau ahout, as miglit have been expected from a noviee, but when steadied down sliould be heard of to greater advantage. * » * Tbe surprise of tlie race was the great run that one of the outsiders, in Wai* Worn, put in from the distance. Prior to that he had not been in sight. At tlie finisli he was only a length back from tbe favourite. He is one of tlie Quin Abbev tribe, beintr by that sire from AVarplume. who is trained by R. Gooseman for Mr Frank _ Armstrong. He was paying a great price even for second, with a liatful had he heen able to score. * * 4 Plain Sailing saw a shor- price in the Flaxmere Hack, investments for her coming with the steady flow from the opening to the closing of the machine, Bernera a good second favourite. Althougli the consistent little niare put up a good fight, she met a better one on the day in one of the oustide contingent, in the Stratfordtrained Potency, a four-year-old gelding by Potoa, out of a gravitation niare. He was always handy and in a good sct-to, all the way up the straight, managed to liold the favourite whom he silenced hy tliree parts of a length.

-»» *J* . Te Awha, who would also have paid a good price, was third, the long-priced Repay fourth. * * * The backers of Potency had the pleastire of handling the only two-figure dividend of the gatbering. * * * Parl, a stable comrade of Masher' s, was well up early in the contest, but he subsided before the lioine bend was reached. * * * There was not niuch between Great Chavter and Royal Lineage for the position of favourite in tlie Flying Handicap, Mr Lowry' s gelding having under a hundred the better of the Taradale-owned son of Limond and Royal Excliange. The latter had every chance to win, but was not quite good enough,- going down at the finish to Great Charter and Arrowlad. >:« * The latter, who finished second in the event last vear to Lipsol, was only a lieacl away from Great Charter as the deciding line was crossed. He will be benefited hy the race and next time out will be one of the difliculb ones to overthrow. * * * The top weiglit, Toxeuma, never gave a glimpse of a winning chance. He was third in demand. However. he was none too capably handled and with a better general cn top be should assuredly improve 011 his effort on Saturday. The winner showed decided signs oi' lameness when he returned to the paddock, and mayliap tlu intended trip to Ellerslie may he abandoned.