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Turf Gossip From Australia 1 By BOB THOMSON I. Special Australian Correspondent for Daily Racing Form. i Victorias autumn campaign was continued at Flemington Saturday, March 4. Conditions were ideal and the large crowd was regaled with some interesting racing. High Caste, fleet two-year-old in the stable of J. T. Jamieson, accounted for the Sires Produce Stakes. Performing under the colors of H. Tancred, the massive New Zealand-bred colt won his fifth straight race and put the hall mark on his ability. Handled in expert fashion by the veteran pilot E. Bartle, the Bulandshar colt carried 122 pounds. After being restrained in the early furlongs, he closed on Royal Sceptre and Muscari rounding the home turn and, displaying phenomenal speed, drew away to win with three lengths to spare. Zonda, the best filly of the current season, had no difficulty in taking second place when she finished with a margin of two lengths over Aurania, which carries the famous Phar Lap colors. Like Zonda, Aurania is by the Manna horse Manitoba, which raced with great success in England as a two-year-old. High Caste increased his stake winnings by ,350, the principal end of the 4,000 prize. The New Zealand coltff stands nearly seventeen hands and is magnificently proportioned. He ran the seven furlongs in 1:26. PREMIER SPRINT RACE. ! The Newmarket Handicap, Australias premier sprint race, run over the "straight six," brought together such great speedsters as Pamelus, Auries Star and El Golea. Starting favorite at 5-2, El Golea, owned by the Melbourne chain stores magnate, A. Crofts, set the seal on his career as a sprinter by defeating Auries Star and Kanuri. The field jumped away to a good start. El Golea and Buzalong went into their stride like a flash. Auries Star, in spite of his top impost of 139 pounds, broke well and settled down behind Unishak and El Golea. With two furlongs to go, Auries Star and El Golea singled out from the field and thence began a desperate race to the judges. Fifty yards from the post, Auries Star began to weaken, and N. Creighton literally lifted El Golea home a neck in front of the Stardrift gelding in one of the most thrilling finishes in the long history of the race. Purchased by Roger Henderson as a yearling for ,000, El Golea won several races in his colors until he injured himself last year. A. Crofts gave ,000 for him before the last spring carnival and the grandson of Lemberg has more than recouped his purchase, price. El Golea netted his lucky owner ,000, which represents the big end of the 2,000 Newmarket prize. Bred by J. P. Arthur, who won the Newmarket Handicap with Count Ito four years ago, he is trained by H. Freedman. El Golea carried 124 pounds and stepped the distance in 1:11. Marauder, winner of the Australian Cup last year, gave an outstanding display of courage and stamina when he came with a wonderful run and- won the coveted Slings Cup, which was remarkable for Spear Chiefs interrupted run over the closing stages. J. OSullivan rode Respirator with excellent judgment, but the Windbag colt was not good enough after leading the field of eleven, others to within fifty yards of the post and had to rest contest with second honors. Pageant, another son of the Magpie horse, Windbag, finished fast in third place. Marauder, which has proved a great money spinner for the Melbourne bookmaker, Wallace Mitchell, shouldered 114 pounds and negotiated the mile and a half in 2:31. The winner earned ,000 of the ,000 prize and paid for in the mutuels. SPECTACULAR RACING. Thrilling and spectacular racing was the rule rather than the exception at Flemington on the second day of the meeting. One of the most exciting contests came with the ,000 St. Leger Stakes, run over a mile and three-quarters, when F. G. Scarfes Tempest and G. Tancreds Respirator staged a thrilling duel over the last furlong. Tempest rushed to the front passing the mile post and was able to steal enough advantage over his opponents to have something left when Respirator offered his belated thrust! The Australian colt Gay Prince saved third from Anpapejo, Kingdom, Netherlea, Ellison and Curt Reply. Tempest and Respirator are sons of the Magpie horse, Windbag 10. Magpie, which headed the winning sires list for Australasia for 1928-29, was by Dark Ronald 9, from the St Frusquin mare, Popinjay. Australias new turf wonder High Caste, seems assured of further success in the rich two-year-old races during the A. J. C. au tumh meeting, commencing April 7. In the Ascot Vale Stakes, which carries ,000, the New Zealand colt so totally eclipsed his three rivals that there is no telling to what heights he will aspire. Aax will have to look to his laurels if -he meets the grandson of Blandford next season. High Caste, which shouldered 117 pounds, indicated strongly that he is equal to a stout finish when called upon. He had Zonda beaten fifty yards from the post and then came resolutely to defeat the Manitoba filly. Third went to Lusson. Aurania trailed his field -all the way. High Caste ran the "straight six" in 1:12. Ajax, starting at 16 to 1 on, the shortest odds of his career, won his seventeenth straight race when he easily took the Kings Plate from his two opponents, Aitchengee and Bourbon. Ajax is a perfectly balanced horse. His measurement from his top lip to the middle of his wither is exactly the same as from the middle of his wither to the last joint of his tail. The champion measures 65 1-2 inches in each instance. Phar Lap was slightly longer from the middle of the withers to the tail than the measurement over the face and neck. Phar Lap, as a four-year-old, measured 16 hands, 2 1-4 inches. Before the "red terror" won the Agua Cali-ente Handicap Tommy Woodcock measured him and he stood 17 hands 1 inch high. The table of comparison between Ajax, Phar Lap and Gloaming is: AJAX PELA3 GLOAM- LAP ING inch inch Inch Length of head center of ears to tip of lower P 32 29 29 Girth 73 79 73 Below knee 9" 9 8 Hip to hock 42 42 39 Hock to fetlock. 18 18 17 Hands Hands Hands Height 16.1 17.1 15.3 Highlight of the concluding day of the V. R. C. autumn meeting was the success of the New Zealand-bred horses Amiable, Wilson and Crojick. Ajax gained the easiest victory of his career in the C. M. Lloyd Stakes. It was his eighteenth successive win and brought his stake earnings to 15,260, a particularly fine record for a horse which has been sparingly raced for only a little more than two seasons. Ajax now requires only one other victory to equal the feats of the Dominion champions Desert Gold and Gloaming, when each won nineteen races-in a row. El Golea and Judean opposed Ajax, but they forfeited their chances by swinging away from the barrier at the start. H. Badger kept the champion under restraint throughout and easily added the ,800 to his already imposing record. El Golea and Judean followed Ajax to the judges at long intervals. Pageant registered a striking victory in the Australian Cup, the longest distance race on the Australian turf calendar. Worth ,000 and a trophy valued at 00, it usually attracts the cream of Australias route runners. Displaying stamina and courage, Pageant shouldered 106 pounds and, after being handily placed behind the leaders Man-olive, Dignitary, Dark David, Ortelles Star and Young Crusader entering the home stretch, challenged Ortelles Star and quickly asserted his superiority. Dark David finished strongly and deprived Ortelles Star of third place. Manolive, after making a valiant effort to lead all the way, broke down at the home turn. The favorite Bourbon came from far back to run fourth. Pageant is a four-year-old horse by the Melbourne Cup winner, Windbag, from the Comedy King mare, Gay Element. Bred by A. G. Hunter, Pageant was purchased as a. yearling for ,300 by his owner, H. E. Spry. He negotiated the two miles and a quarter in 3:52. F. W. Hoysted, who has achieved great success in recent years, trains Pageant. Over the four days stakes amounting to 08,000 were distributed while the investments on the totalizator aggregated 50,435. The annual yearling sales held at Newmarket, Victoria, March 6. and 8, respectively, attracted buyers from all parts of Australia and New Zealand. Among the new sires represented for the first time were Lord Paramount Blandford, Rabbi Paladin, Law Maker Phalaris, and Caithness Coronach. During the two days 197 youngsters were sold for 71,801, an average of 03. This figure is below that of last year when 193 yearlings realized 95,132. Highest price of the sales was paid for the Gay Lothario Gay Crusader, Donna Celesta colt which was bought by G. L. Scott for ,830. The first of the stock of the Phalaris horse Law Maker were greatly admired. Tops was paid for the colt from the Black Jester mare. Miss Meadows, which fell to the bid of F. S. Austin for ,436. Colts by Manitoba sold particularly well, five averaging ,507. F. Musgrave, Ajaxs conditioner, paid ,420 for a beautiful colt from the Magpie mare, Werbelle.
