N.Z. CHAMPION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 89, 17 April 1939, Page 12

N.Z. CHAMPION.

HIGH PRAISE.

u BEST THREE-YEAR-OLD."

COMMENT BY F. ROBERTS.

SYDNEY, April 16.

Defaulter was described in the Sunday Press as the best three-year-old and weight-for-age stayer at the Randwick meeting. Ajax .was . declared the best eprinter, and juvenile honours were awarded to High Caste and Reading. Defaulter leaves for New Zealand next Friday, but will return to Australia for the epring meetings. The New Zealand trainer F. Roberts told the "Sunday Sun" that Defaulter fulfilled every expectation yesterday, when he scored a runaway victory in the A.J.C. Plate on the concluding day of the Australian Jockey Club's autumn meeting. Roberts emphasised the fact .that Defaulter had ample room to stretch out on this occasion, whereas in hie two previous starts at Randwick he had received "a rough passage," arid had ibeen so severely knocked about that he instructed L. J. Ellis to take him to the front yesterday and stay there. At one stage of the race Defaulter was five lengths ahead of the field, although the time was not faet. The "Sydney . Morning Herald" eays Defaulter showed his real class .when he won the A.J.C. Plate on Saturday. Many thought Spear Chief and Mosaic delayed their runs against Defaulter for too long, but they overlooked the magnificent judgment displayed by Ellis. The time was the second slowest ever taken for the race. Defaulter will return to New Zealand recognised as one of the best three-year-olds ever bred there.

J. H. Abbe, headed the list of winning trainers for the meeting with £7070, for which Mosaic was mostly responsible. Mr. H. D. Greenwood won £2075.

JOCKEY'S DECISION.

TO LIVE IN AUSTRALIA. RIDER OF DEFAULTER. (Received 11.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The "Daily Telegraph" states that the New Zealand jockey L. J. Ellie, rider of Defaulter, ibae decided to settle in Australia.

ROUGH RIDING TACTICS.

SYDNEY, April 12. That the Handwiek meeting just concluded was marked by some of the roughest riding tactics in the history of local racing ie the verdict of several critics. Apart from what happened to Defaulter, other good horses received severe cute and abrasions, several nearly on their noses.

Limulet is badly scarred and Cardinal Puff has a., broken hind fetlock, but may foe saved for the stud. >

Undue crowding at the barrier spoiled the prospects for heavily-backed candidates. Even A]ax 3iad a narrow- escape ■and limped to the weighing enclosure with. one'shoe hanging by one nail and α-eevere cut on another foot.

The jookeye W. Oook and A. Podmore have been suspended for two months for careless riding.