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9 i 8 9 8 6 5 8 i 8 7 i i . i.i . . i i in , J9HK"9lJH ij|w ■jB" iiiiiMiMiiiinmii m ** ** IhE afBr *JHT *v *. * jCLi I FOXBROUGH — Is in training again preparatory to launching a comeback. _ i 5 | i • — Turf News From Australia I . . i I » , J i j ! | j I 9 . I a 3 7 j i j • J j , i i 7 ■ , l i [ , I 8J j I ; i , 1 j MELBOURNE, Australia. . Australian racing between the spring and I autumn meetings is never of the highest t class, even in normal years. Summer fix-! . I tures often have marked the advent of a 1 I 1 few brilliant sprinters, notably that fine » I mare Waltzing Lily, Blue Cross and Sunburst, . each a winner of the Newmarket -1 Handicap, run over the straight six at j famous Plemington. The Victoria Amateur Turf Club had a [ most successful two days meeting in Feb-| ruary. Attendance confirmed the opinions ! that the sport of kings is enjoying a boom 1 J j period, for there were almost 55,000 at Flemington on the opening day and a cou-» | pie of thousand more were present to see Australias greatest turf classic, the Caul-j field Futurity Stakes, on the last day. Primarily, the Futurity Stakes was designed j as an event to encourage and reward the J I I j local breeder and likewise to stimulate and i j foster the best blood lines by offering a further incentive for the importation of i I young horses who could be regarded as j I j potential sires, English-bred horses boast a fine record in this turf prize. J. "Baron," the Newcas-I tie magnate, paid a high figure for the Sir Hugo horse Sir Foote, who won the fifth running of the Futurity and later became sire of the Melbourne Cup winner Prince Foote. Other Britishers successful were the Carbine mare Playaway, Antonio Prisoner i I — Padua * , Comedy King Persimmon — Tragedy Queen, Eudorus Forfarshire — Pennywise, Flash of Steel Orby — Blakes-1 town, Lucknow Minoru — Omphora, Top Gallant Swynford — Galante and Gothic Tracery — Sundrilla. Owner Has Beginners Luck Melbourne sportsman L. Stockberry experienced the proverbial beginners luck when Millais. the first horse to carry his colors, emphasized his class among sprint-j ers by downing Australias fastest mare, j Zonda, and Law Student in the ,200 Oak- leigh Plate, at five and one-half furlongs, on opening day. The race this year attracted 34 of Victorias best sprinters. Mil-I lais shouldered 118 pounds and ran the distance in 1.6. Sired at E. A. Underwoods Warlaby Stud, Victoria, Millais is an unsexed four-1 year-old son of imported Portofino Sans- I sovino — Fifine, from Fission, by Valais or| Chrysolaus, from Hypolite, by the Wolfs Crag horse Linacres. Fission, who un-i j doubtedly throws to Valais in quality and | I type, was a brilliant galloper, and her first j i seven foals are winners. I The most sensational happening in the ! j first week of autumn racing was the failure j j of Tranquil Star in the St. George Stakes, j a weight-for-age event run over nine fur- | I longs, and it was worth ,261 to the winner. , It was looked upon as a further oppor- | tunity of adding to Tranquil Stars rapidly | mounting stake total. The stylish Manitoba horse Sun Valley carried 128 pounds and brilliantly defeated the 1940 Australian Jockey Club Derby winner, Pandect, and last years Oaks victress, East End. Tranquil , Star was fourth, but the way she faded when pressure was applied almost indi- I j cated that she has at last begun the down-ward grade. Zonda, bonny six-year-old daughter of! • Manitoba, triumphed in the forty -sixth running of the Futurity, at severWurlongs. Runner-up to High Caste in 1941 and similarly placed behind Burrabil last year, G. R. I I Nicholas sprinters victory was popular. All I the highest traditions of the rich classic were upheld by Zondas great finishing run. Galloping strongly with her delightfully smooth action, she defeated Manitobas greatest son. Sun Valley, and Art Union. j | I Others under colors were Tranquil Star, I | Millais. Plica Australias tallest horse; he 1 stands 17.1 and Reception. Zonda carried. j . I t . I 1 I 1 » I . -1 j [ 1 J j ! | j J I I i j j i I j I j i I j I j | I j i I ! j j j j | I , | 123 pounds and stepped the distance on a slow track in 1:27. She earned ,491 of the ,625 added purse for her owner. The club allotted 7,145 for the meeting. The sire honors were taken by the horses of the Manna line. Manitoba, son of the Phalaris horse Manna, headed the list with 0,013, Zonda and Sun Valley being responsible for that d!mount. High Caste Leased to Israel High Caste, one of the greatest gallopers New Zealand has produced, has been leased to Lionel Israel, who bought the famous Segenhoe Stud from Alan Cooper. High Caste will be bred to a few selected mares in his first season. The gigantic Buland-! shar horse ran his last race in the All Aged Plate at Randwick last Easter. He started favorite, but although he struggled gamely, his old finishing dash was missing and he ended up a moderate third to Yaralla and Evergreen. As jockey Ted Bartle slipped from the saddle — he is the Mack Garner of Australian riders — he gave High Caste an affectionate pat. Bartle, who had ridden High Caste in all but one of his Australian races, showed no outward ostentation, for he entertained a wealth of feeling for his old mate. Bartle and High Caste were not jockey and horse; they were friends, understanding each others ways, an understanding which helped them to that split effort in the last few strides which won them many an important race. Horse of Lazy Habits High Caste had only one peculiarity — like many great horses, he was lazy when he hit the front in races. "Ive got it won, why exert myself any more?" he seemed to ask himself. But give him an almost insurmountable obstacle — set him to catch and beat good horses from an almost im-1 possible position — and he did not loaf. Bartle never had to whip High Caste into increased speed. The horse himself knew when extra exertion was required. Like many champions, High Caste objected to the whip. Perhaps consciousness of his own greatness made him consider it an indignity. "Only time I have ever had to hit High Caste was when he was loafing in front, and then one cut was enough," said Bartle. Solstar, three-year-old gelded son of the English performer Solar Bear, returned a dividend of about ,250 for a win and 88 for a place when he captured the Stanley Plate at Flemington, Victoria. Odds for a win were approximately 2,783 to 1 and 233 to 1 for a place. Solstars win dividend is an Australian record, the previous best being ,336 to .23 in a New Zealand trotting race. Two of the lucky investors on Solstar for a win were American soldiers.
