THE NEWMARKET A HARD RACE TO WIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1899, Page 3

THE NEWMARKET A HARD RACE TO WIN.

'Reginald,' of Melbourne 'Sportsman' writes: Ms the Newmarket such a hard race to win? Well, it is, and it isn't. The great difficulty in the matter is to find a horse to suit the conditions. But 9ilce get the right sort of material, and you have not to depend half so much on luck or chance as you would, say, in a Caulfield or Melbourne Cup. In other races round turns, a horse with any amount in hand might get into such a position that he would not be able to use his advantage, but up the straight there is no such risk to run.. There you have plenty of room, and if a rider on one of the right sort gets interfered with, it is his own fault. To my idea, you must, above all things, have, a good beginner, one. that will jump from under the machine right into his stride and get galloping- while he is going his own length. Nine Newmarkets out of ten are won in the first couple of furlongs, and the horse who has to fumble to find his legs is of very little use in siich a contest. You remember Resolute was remarkably good last autlitnn, bxit he 'never looked like winning the Newmarket, the reason being that he failed to get going from the barrier With the despatch absolutely required. If Resolute could have stepped it with Amiable, from the jump away, it might have been different, but, as it was. the black mare fairly demoralised hiih %ith her opening dash. When we recollect that Amiable skipped the first five furlohgs of her Newmarket in lm l£s, it will be readily underStood that an opponent losing a couple df lengths at tns start would be taking on a tremendous task. Why, wings, in reality, would be required to make up the leeway with the leader going such a cracking pace! Then you want a free, straight goer, capable of sustaining a clipping rate of speed right through. And the quality of courage is also, of course, necessary for the straight is calculated to find "weak spots," The "quitters" don't like it, high pressure on the collar up a seemingly never-ending stretch being none of their game. They would rather be popping round corners, with the hope of finding home after every turn. There are lieasy" courses and "difficult" courses, and the Newmarket straight is, it may be taken for granted, one of the most trying six furlongs in the world. If you have d, horse that will follow a chalk line, all the better, for there is no time to duck about. There is so much room, too, that a horse inclined to shift a bit, hot necessarily a cur, has more scope than he* Would on a circular track, and the consequence is that he is likely to leste some ground, and the loss of even half a length is a serious matter in a Newmarket. Straight ahead, without wavering-an inch, is the work that tells there.'