NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 66, 19 March 1931, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS

BY " EANGATIKA.^

EASTER AND AUTUMN 816 RiCCARJON DOUBLE NIGH'TMARGH'S Interest -in :the.'-big- autninn handicaps is:advatiee:d. apother:stage'by.;the ; declara : tion of weights for the Canterbury Jockey Club's" "Great Easter and 'Great-Autumn. Handicaps;- -to'!' be', run' on. jEaster -Monday, and Easter ..Tuesday'respectively, and' for the, next fortnight there; will-, be much ,appraising the merits:of : - the; .candidates', engaged;. 'Few;:. North Island era: ;have: been eri'terid?'thr^e'-of w.n'om" are;included as ivelinS the Auckland EnktSf^ritries,' these b^meXiriow'. Lad, Royal^ Routine,-. and Xextigeiti-.:.:}'' •" '■-''&'':''•:.■:■■'..*:■■: .'-■' '• the olmo.us:.step-off for. ea'oh race; arid Mfi "?•■ K-rHeprys has1 taken. n6 undtie risk'in-placing iimlat-iaih.-above weight-f or-age in the Great Easter and at a stone above; weight-for-agefin the Great Autumn. .-In neither- event^.howeve.r, has ho been 'set .an. impossible "task,; for big ■vveigh'tiiiave p.ccasicinally..'breen. carried to . siU\cegs"vi.ii''bothOffice's;.':aii«r;lve .'.is' without doubt one. of tlie outstanding gallopers the PominiQn:h>isha4."WiV'NeV Zealand, Gup victory ■■ prbVed-1 that,-Tor"- he won' under a we'ight:thath.id hot'.'been'borne successfully* -in the ■raec.'. for: iieariy.sixty: .years, atld'nvliich..was the maximum that .can be allotted '.under, the : conditions thatr have, been- attached'itff..the contest since.l92s. " 'On.pMly.-six 'occasions has .a horse with, nine stbne: or.pv'e'r; jsori. the. Great: Easter.. In iSOO, Boreas succeeded, under. 9.12, and subsequent: such p.erfprroa'nces; were' 'registered 'by Cruciform, 9:9, as a /three-year-old- 5n 1902;' Machine Gun/ 10.4; as a f ourveaf -'old in 1905, -•Penates; '93,: in :-1910, Grand' "Knight,: ■ 9:3,, in" 1926;-and. Rere-moana,-tf.9,' in-l?28, = "If-Nightmarph-were' tdscbre,;his':achievement-would naft : rant as' '.high .aCthatsof,^. either, Machine Gun or CruEifor'm;.,:•;;..•- . .:■:: ■■ ~:■,''•■'■:-■ :: ":, ■■-jfightiiwck ,ia likely. tp-rule... aa ot the-pbpulais'«aTly'fancies, .arid^as there is abm'e. ...Wosipecfc of" Kis starting ;m_this event," the- choice has "justification. Those among-:the. others' who, w^l ;enter pre-liminary-.'discus/ons ■ are- Vertigern [\B-a)> A?r6w.-Lad- (fcttfc -Spoon' (7;13)r-True Shaft ft.llOy'Ghafmeuse (7:1) ,'■ and." Just an 3dea; (T-iQfc-It is; of; Course;■■possible,, and even-likely, that^ightnfarph- f ill b.c. reserved ' for.-:the.: Great- jAu.immn, : and True Shaft: be'-the-stable'? representative in the'xa<:e..--,The first acce^t.ance.to.rm.orrow evening .-may; xlear lip this point. ' Success in- the,- East"6K.'.TCP«W r-'. m'^fi'- a/pwalty up to". /K^ittEeVlia.iidic'apper's'discretion.- ■- '•The. list "of'entrijjs in. the- Great Autumn. ii-no.t. -so- n'eai^y;"formidable -as" that.; in the Gi'eat- lEaster1" arid- 'Nightmarch would lead <tb" have' prospects an- this race.-Ipr.'he is" .undoubtedly at-his best over a-aistance of ground.-; To - win with 10,3, '.ie'ven"-assuniing. that ; he earns no pen; alty^aa the-.'result of success at Awapum. br. in the Easter, he would : liave to. establish' .4,. weigit-carrying: ,recpr.d;" but .he is t(uite fcapable oCdoing-tjiisj;.The best previous efforts, were, those of Sasanof, V.ii, in. 1920, Warstep, S.il,: as a- four-year-old m. 1910, .Mer-gaßser, 9.8, asa four-year-old in J893, Hynanna,T9:B,.'as a foiir'year-old in 1928, and Merrie England; 9.1,: as a ~-threeyeafeold in*., 1890; .'but fax numerous other years over nine; stone ha 3 been borne suc-'cewfu-lly. AVhen Nightmarch won two years ago :^s a three-year-old, he. carried 8.5. or'3lb over weight-for-age.' • Hie Afield this year., does not promise to' be a.strong one, and at a glance.those Wno- appear likely:'to prove Nightmarchs principal foes are Historic. 1 (0.8) ;j Verti-kei-n -(B^2),' Mount sßoa f7.8), Eahikatoa (7.3), and Ball Dress. (7;0). v-This...enum-eration .fn iteelf-indieatesv;the, B .Qventy of W'teria.l eniries. :••• -~ , ■ • Horsed that claim the double engagement1 are Nightman*,. Limerick, ■ Verticern -Jaloux, Cha'rmaine, Kahikatoa, Lompris,' Air Laddie, and Semper Paratus. Only three horses; have- ever succeeded in accomplishing-the.. feat. of-, winning both races in the same year, these being Grand Knight : (U926j,- /Lady,Lipan^:a?o3), and Lady Zetland (1894)-; but Vladimir won the races in subsequent years (1904 and 1905): ...Only- once has .a haxse won the Great;' Easter"'twiee;;'tha,f 'being.Nystad (1917 and 1918), and only once also has a horse scored twice in the Great Autumn, tKat';beingoLonglands m'lß7B and. 18(9. ho preylous- win.n.e.r : is,engaged-in ihis jear s Great-Easter., and,,sTightmarch _is th 6 only previous "winnef" m the Great -Autumn:.;