ASCOT.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 19391, 17 August 1928, Page 14

ASCOT.

SOME NOTABLE EVENTS. SIfIRPRISE RESULTS. DARK LANTERN OUT TWICE. (rXOM OOR OWU COBBESPOSDENT.) LONDON, July 13. Ascot would not be Ascot without some surprise results, yet, though there were surprises and disappointments more favourites than usual—fifteen, to be exact, out of twenty-eight events—got. home, so that the bookmakers did not have everything their own wav this time.

This annual racing fixture, covering four days, was again characterised by the high standard of the entries, and by the all-round excellence of the arrangements. The going was the Lest that has been experienced on any course for years, and the festival has never been equalled since the war. At this important racing fixture the sum of over £72,01)0 is divided in stakes.

On the first day Mrs George Drum moud won tho Gold Vase, a two-niilo event worth £1950, with her beautiful mare, Maid of Perth (TetrameterWhite Tor), trained by F. Darling at Beckhampton and ridden by J. Sirett. The mare finished very strongly oy six lengths from Lord Blandford's Dancing Floor, with Lord Glanely's Appledore a neck away, third. _ There were twelve runners, and the winner justified her favouritism, though she was inclined to hang a bit. This was the first success of her career.

Colonel Giles Loder took the Queen .Mary .Stakes (£3270), five furlongs, for two-year-old fillies, with Arabella (Buchan-Polly flinders), who is unanimously regarded as the best two-year-old filly of the year. Indeed, racing critics think she is the best two-year-old of either sex, for nothing more impressive could be seen than the manner of her win. She came cantering in by two lengths from a beautiful Lemberg filly called Necklace 11. in a field of twenty-five. Necklace 11. happens to be the first foal of the Oaks winner, Straitlace, for whom, when bearing Necklace 11. to Lemberg, M. Edward Esmond (who has a breeding establishment in France) gave 17,000 guineas. She is, therefore, a daughter of a Derby winner frc-m an Oaks winner, and, of course, essentially Britishbrod, though actually foaled in France. The Hunt Cup. ,

The most important event of the second day was the Royal Hunt Cup (£2045) (handicap), seven furlongs, 166 yards. The winner was Priory Park, Itelonging to Mr J. B. Joel, and the victory was the fourth important handicap' since he passed into his present owner's possession—a Lincolnshire Handicap, a Stewards' Cup, and a City and Suburban. The first three past the post. Priory Park, St. Jerome (Viscount Lascolles), and Knight of the Grail (Sir_ D. Broughton), were drawn respectively Numbers 1, 2, and 8. Naturally the success was most popular. Besides being a public favourite, Priory Park was one of the best-bnciked horses in the race. He won in a common canter, always travelling, with the utmost smoothness. Priory Park's rise to fame has been one of the romances of the Turf, for he is from quite common stock. His sire, Rocksavage, was a handicapoer, and nothing more. His dam, Chatham 11., ran at "flapping" meetings. and once changed hands for 18 guineas. She cost Mr C. Howard (a Chichester butcher) less than £2OO. Mr Howard bad a high opinion of the horse, whom he considered worthy to represent him in the Derby. In this "classic," however, the colt hardly saw the way that "Manna went. It was not long after this that Mr Joel purchased Priory Park for £3OOO. He has since done his bit towards the making of Turf history. His iockey was the Australian, B. Carslake, who later registered other wins at the meeting. This is the able jockeyjs last season in the saddle. He is retiring because he is hungry and longs for three meals a day. But lie intends to train. !

Dark Lantern's Fate. In this same rich event there was the very promising young horse. Dark lantern IT., owned by Mr Boyd Davis. To, his owner-trainer it was a great disappointment that Dark Lantern did notj get nearer the leaders, but he was the most severely handicapped horse in the race (3 years, parrying Sat lll'b), and the course ib one of the most gruelling in the country. Days before the meeting "Ajax" ("Evening Standard'') commented; Three-year-olds do not win this race very often, and Dark Lantern 11. would have to be something out of the ordinary to score with Bst 61b in the saddle. By the way, the true story of the colt's success at Lincoln has never been told. It has been" stated that the owner won something like £30,000, but I can say that only a very small sum was netted It is true tJiat a coup was planned, but something happened—l think the colt did not feed up—to cause an alteration in plans, but what was won over him that day was lost when he was beaten at Kempton. The owner has a tremendous opinion of the colt's ability, and I should hot be surprised to learn that he fancies, the three-year-old, but no second season performer : has ever won with anything like the ' weight .Dark Lantern 11, has to carry. "The colt might even be troubled to beat some of the others of his own age, such as Tuborg. Sunny Trace gave Tuborg 71b alid a four-lengths beating at Lingfield, and I did not think the Beckhampton colt had a great deal in hand. Dark Lantern 11. has to give 281b to Tuborg, so the former would have to be better than Snnny Trace, who has to be reckoned one of the best of his age up to a mile," After the Royal Hunt Cup had been won by Priory Park, the Club Correspondent of the "Daily Chronicle" commented: The most disappointing folk were those connected with Dark Lantern it. I understand that they had a real bet, and the horse's failure to show up hit them, hard."

Sing Edward VH. Stakes. There was further interest for Now Zealanders, too, in the King Edward VII. Stakes (14 miles, 8-year-ofds, £2475), for Mr J. B. Reid's Black Watch (Black Gauntlet—Punka m.) was one of the eleven runners, with C. Smirk© up. In ihe words of "The Times" racing expert: "The Ascot Meeting is invariably the grave of reputations. Horses who have won the Derby or have run very well m that race continually fail at this meeting, perhaps because they have not recovored from their exertions on the Epsom Downs. There was an example of this when Black Watch, who had finished third in the Derby, failed to finish first or second in the King Edward VII. Stakes behind Cyclonio, who won rather cleverly from Sunny Trace, with Black Watch four lengths away third Black Watch had every chance as the race was run, and was always well placed. Tf he was not actually in front when the straight was reached, he was at any rate sufficiently near the front to have won if he had been good enough, but he was quite unable to resist the challenge first of Cyclonic and then of Sunny Trace, of which pair the former was alwavs going the better." The "Sporting Life": "Block Watch was rather slowly into his stride, and did not make headway until they had gone five or 6ix furlongs. Ho came into

the straight second, behind Ironclad, but failed to stay on. finishing third, four lengths behind Sunny Traoe. The Gold Cup. The jockey (B. Carslako) on Invershin rode according to the instructions of his owner (Mr ileid Walker), and brought about a surprise victory; the jockey of the favourite (C. Elliot, on Finglas) also rode according to instructions from Monsieur E. de St. Alaryin, and rumour says this was why his horse was defeated in the last hundred yards. But critical judgment considors that Finglas was fairly beaten on his merits, the bigger and longer-striding horse wearing him down. Inverahiu's trainer,'C. Digby. Stanton, Salop, had ridden over a thousand winners in Egypt, and when., he retired from the saddle and took up training there he turned out 75 winners in two seasons. Mr Reid Walker has owned horses for nearly half a century, and has yet to win a "classic," but, as he remarked to a "Sporting Life" representative after the race, ''l think I would almost as soon win the Gold Cup at Ascot as I would the Derby." Digby has now trained four winners for Mr Reid Walker, his first being Hectare, who carried off the Chester Vase. A Two-Year-Old Smasher.

The New Stakes (£2770) went to Major D. McCalmont's Mr Jinks, a splendid Tetratema —False Piety youngster trained by H. S. Persse, at Stockbridge Mr Jinks had been "noised abroad" for weeks as the best two-year-old trained there, and there was an eager crowd to see him in the paddock. Those who looked over the powerful, strong-quartered, big-limbed oolt were immensely impressed with him, and he quickly became a good favourite for the race. His trainer has had such smashing two-year-olds to train in the pa.«t that his standard of a good juvenile must be n very high one.. He expected Mr Jinks to run well, but the colt did more than that, for he overcame a slow beginning, and won in the style of an exceedingly useful oolt. He is an own brother to Stadacona, who is by The Tetrarch or Tetratema. Twelve months ago Stadacona won the Queen Mary Stakes for Major McCalmont. Tetratema will now, it is anticipated, fill the place at the stud that has been sn unfortunately vacated by The Tetrarch. A Last Day Surprise.

Mr C. Howard, of Chichester, the former owner of Priory Park, took the King's Stand Stakes (5 furlongs) with Chichester Cross (Abott's Trace — Chatham H.). This absolute outsider beat by five lengths a field of seventeen, which included well-known horses such as Canfield, Dark Lantern 11. (running for the second time at the meeting), and Doch-an-Doris. Mr Howard bred and trained the horse himself oh the Sussex Downs. The tour-year-old had previously run eight times without being placed. Last year ho was last but ono in the Derby, and last in the' Stewards' Cup. For Chichester Cross's dam, Chatham 11., Mr Howard gave but £l7O. A half-brother of Chichester Cross is Priory Park Dark Lantern (with 9st 81b) made an unexpected second appearance, but he did not begin well, and was chopped for speed in such a fast affair. Ho finished ninth in a field of eighteen. Unluckily, there was a false start, in which the horse was first away. The event wa3 one of the fastest run races of the meeting. Chichester Cross had never been given a thought; certainly, no one appeared to take seriously the candidature of a four-year-old that had never won. His part in the race was scarcely considered until he, was seen out in front, streaming away from the rest as if the starter had allowed his jockey to help himself to a good start. It was an astonishing sight, and reminded racegoers of the time when Priory Park made his debut at Goodwood. !