M. McCARTEN LEADING SYDNEY TRAINER

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25878, 10 August 1949, Page 4

M. McCARTEN LEADING SYDNEY TRAINER

M. McCarten, with 31 wins, easily won the Sydney trainers’ premiership last season from E. Hush (18J) and E. Lawson (17). In the 1947-48 season, McCarten (20 J wins) finished second to the late B. R. Payten (32J wins). N. Sellwood, the leading rider for the McCarten stable, had a lead of 12 wins

in the Sydney jockeys’ premiership over J. Thompsofi, who topped the list for the previous season. The progeny of 108 sires won races on Sydney courses during the season. The imported horse Midstream (BlandfordMidsummer) had an advantage of a deadheat over the Australian sire, Ajax (Heroic —Medmenham) now at a stud in the United States.

High Caste was seventh on the list, with 13 wins, Nizami twelfth with 11 wins. Battle Song and Neptupe were credited With four wins and Foxbridge with three.

Good Staying Performance Elastin, an unlucky runner in the Grand National Hurdles (Australia), in which he ran second to Chatsol, put up a great staying performance in winning the Australian Hurdle Race at Caulfield on Saturday. After conceding the outsider, Faiz Effendi, a start of at least 12 lengths over the last half mile he won in runaway style by four lengths. His time, 4min 521 sec, for two miles five furlongs and 65 yards, cut three-quarters of a second off Latani’s course record.

Latani and Chatsol, which most backers thought would fight out the finish, both ran poorly.