THURSDAY'S HURLES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 38, 13 August 1935, Page 6

THURSDAY'S HURLES

STAMINA M ESSENTIAU

RASOULI MAY IMPROVE

Steeplechases, .hurdles, and flat events -will :again feature the second Say's racing ;at the Canterbury Jockey Club's Grand National Meeting at Riccarton .on SDhursday, toutf on this day the hurdlers will .hold -the main plat °^? li l .for J he Grand National Hurdles wm then -toe idecided. The big hurdles, as .the second :'leg" of the jumping double, attracts very nearly as much interest -as■■the vG.N. Steeplechase, but ii.-i^6^ sp'spßctaetaar a race, and the-field ;thatihas.made'ithe final pavmeni Jor.ithis year iis scarcely as strong as in'an .average year. i~- ■ '<" _.A Jhorses .-remained' in the Grand National Hurdles at the final acceptance, and, although! today's racing anay result :in an odd^defectiori", it is,probable that ;at.least .ten horses will start. -. Last year there Were thirteen starters two years ago there were only eight' starters, and three!, years ago there were twelve starters] so that the numerical strength this year ..should be up to the recent onean, even if the quality does appear somewhat lacking.XOPWEIGHT'S PROSPECTS. . Today's/racing may have some bearing on the way the runners are backed on Thupsday, but at present it looks with^o SOUIV Vu ho heads the weights witn_/G.9, will ±>c entrusted with the seaviest support. As -a result of his wo at the- Great Northern Meetng an .June Che was ;not entered for the,' Great Northern Hurdles) he was acclaimed even though defeated under solid-weights, -as the-likeliest hurdler T h- e ?*■ Heihardly fulfilled this prediction at the Wellington. Meeting Qast month, for after a good third on the first day 'he failed in the Winter Hurdles but he was involved in an ■earlier .blunder on that .final day which possibly made -.all the difference beitweeri,.a good, and a 'bad effort. At .'least .the backing he received at Trent-•ham-.indicated 'that his connections must have held him :in ihigh regard for.,.hf was nearly twice as well supported as -Revision, and as he has now dropped 41b for that defeat he has every-chance-on paper to make amends rSdaf• c shared favouritism with_Hounslow an Jast year's National, but lost his trader early in the race IRevasion, as star hurdler.of the WelhngtonMeetrng, is-certain to be one of toe ;best*backed a-unners again on .^hursday, :but with dO:4 she is now uo 91b on her hurdles weighty so that Rasouli comes, in * at ■' 131b better terms -with her, a -big advantage. The Riocarton journey is nearly >ihree furlongs further, too, and itris doubtful d^T^ 011 Ould -have be"cii the winner at Trentham if the race! had been wn\ f¥' ■■■?* aeast not An ;the way she wont it—from end to end. It may also be. observed that the Winter Hurdles winner rarely goes on to score at Riccarton. ■ . Hounslow, with 10.3, is one of the proved iNational horses Jn thl field, II he won the race two years. ago off the minimum,^ though he madl a poor showing with 10 9 last year, beating cm?y. two ; horsesihpme.. He is a'hors? ■Whose form is always hard'to gauge, when on his. day he is solidity ithl™+ One.expected a lot better from E?:-^ Vfi asieMiad won" ie highweight 'on the /first; day but &ffE °rt- h proved t0 be a mereflash J-here as, however, some rather more ?vpr^ ng l° rm behind him ttis winter!---1115£ ghHht? not yet w On in his iew starts, and there is no question concerning his stamina for the Na--lonal^distance. In the Winter Hurdles last month he .finished alongside Easouli, some lengths behind the fourth fel (M£ ster Musk)> but'he has gone up 21b, whereas Easouli has come down Valpeen; 10.3, and Dunmure, 9.0,-are Jm 4° +^° dl si's Steeplechase runners t%™Jh c S elA bu! one does not feel inclined to hold out any serious prosSf f^u th! m,if they were started today. The feat of winning the double £nL n£ Ver ;yet Al en achieveoV and many good horses of the past have it.,., -.'A- ;norse who completes ithe arduous country circuit cannot feel very fresh two days later to measure strides with other hurdlers who have not drained so heavily on their resources. A HANDILY-WEIGHTED PAIR. Two .horses nicely placed in the handicap to succeed if they can stay out the distance are Esteem, 9.11, and Jolly Beggar, 9.10, and there is much in their breeding to give them favourable prospects; in. this respect. Esteem ■is one ?i, T , great Eul°gy's offspring, ■ and J°W-. Beggar is but of a full-sister to Oie Auckland Cup winner Fiery Cross besides being by the same sire as Peter Jackson. Esteem has been one of the most consistent hurdlers of the winter ihoughhis successes have so far been m ; unimportant events, and he ran two excellent seconds to Revision at Trentham last month, being accounted by many the unlucky horse of the iWinter Hurdles field, in which he carried 31b less than his National weight. Jolly Beggar has also done well this winter, with hurdling wins at his last three starts,^uicluding-the Longbeach/at the Hunt Meeting, and he will be!racing fresh on Thursday, as, like so many of his relatives, he apparently prefers. He is not so experienced as many of the field, however, and this is aj point that may tell against him. -. Verden, on 9.9, is another horse who was not racing today, and to an Extent this will be an advantage. He;'was a very promising jumper early last sea--11%vu n d he won two important levents at Ellershe during the term, but'Jately he has been making a lot of/mistakes, including falls at'his last three istarte (Campbell at Ellerslie, Trentham at Wellington, and Lohgbeach at the. Hunt Meeting) However, he cannot be overmuch fancied for the Nationial, as besides the doubt about his corimletinH there is also some questioning hisistanv ma for so long a journey. j Among the remaining four horses Lycidas, 9.2, and Master Muslk, 9 0 have the credentials for stamina' but really little more in their favour. Lycidas has on the whole been a shade disappointing, and Master Musks-only race success yet has been in thafcWhweight at .Trentham last month. As the.horses-who finished close third and fourth m the Winter Hurdles they juslfy what measure of support thc;y are The field is completed with Porydora 9.9, and Tareha, 9.0, and unless they performed unexpectedly well:, today they could not be included among the more select candidates. Polvdora is lacking in experience, and one/has not yet been. satisfied, that she (possesses true stamina. It is her clasp on the flat that mainly gives her what chance she has. Tareha will require to be a very much-improved horse;since last month. There was some promise about his seconds at Egmdnt and in the Wanganui Century Hurdles lasjt May, but ;here his promise stopped. .' His being by Cape Horn out of amarfe by King's Guest provides him with certain stamina credentials.' ; .- i 1 ■;■■-. ■ _ The only horses in the field who congested last year's Grand/National, are Kaspuli and Hounslow. ' Esteem was also an acceptor but did riot makethe trip,. Hounslow-was the/ winner two years ago. v None of the' others have yet run in-the National. ' The'winners the last four years have tall come from the lightweights, Callamart, Hounslow and Huntique carrying the minimum and, Membo 9.6. Carinthia had 10 3 lye years ago and the j-fcar before that Mangani had 9.2. The (highest weight carried to success since/ 1920 was 1111 by Nukumai in 192 a, but Gladful (twice), Lockson, and 'Comical all had more on board than the topweight is to carry on Th.ursdax, .