FINITO’S OWNER RETURNS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27637, 19 April 1955, Page 4

FINITO’S OWNER RETURNS

NO EXCUSES FOR CUP DEFEAT ■Th. Ptom" Spacial Service WELLINGTON. April 18. He had no excuses lor Flnlto’s delect into second piece in the £13.000 Sydney Cup. Sd the owner ot the horse. Mr P. S. McColl, who arrived back from Sydn Nnito’is to remain in Sydney with M. McCarten before travelling to Queensland to contest big cup races during the winter carnival at Doomben and Eagle r In’his only tour starts In Sydney Finite won £3040 in stakes— £2300 from his second In the Sydney Cup, and the remainder from placings in two weight-tor-age races. Tn the Sydney Cup, according to Mr McColl, Finite was beaten by ,T a better horse at the weights on the day.” This was Talisman, to which Finite conceded Ifllb. Rising Fast found his weight In the going too much, and the other New Zealand horse, Earldom, was beaten by tne track conditions. On Saturday, at his last start, Finite was well beaten into fourth place by Prince Cortauld, Pride of Egypt, and Carloca in the five-horse weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. At the end he had only Prince Morvi behind him. His owner was not unduly concerned about that. He has never considered Finite a true weight-for-age horse. One Minor Set-back The only set-back that'Finite had was a minor one. His skin chafed a good deal early, because of the unseasonable heat and high humidity. What surprised Mr McColl most was the long periods horses spend in the boxes. They are not turned out regularly to pick and move round as they are here, but are fed grass during the week. Mr McColl also remarked on the great difference in class between horses racing on metropolitan and country courses. Very low stakes were offered by the small clubs, and the only chance an owner had to pay his way was by betting. He thought that average horses from New Zealand would do well on the minor circuits.

Mr McColl found that licensed bookmakers were an advantage to the big betting owner, gs he could obtain his own odds about a horse, then tell as many of his friends as he liked what chance he thought the horse had, without affecting its price. This applied particularly to country racing. Mr McColl was able to back Finito in the Sydney Cup for a good sum for a very small outlay, some weeks before the race. Mr McColl intends to return to Australia about the end of May. He is considering taking the Wairarapa Stepfeldt! Stakes winner, Hilili, with him.