RISING FAST’S ABILITY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27794, 20 October 1955, Page 4

RISING FAST’S ABILITY

STIFF TASK FEARED IN CUP PENALTY CONSIDERED . LENIENT fFrom the Australian Correspondent of “The Press”) MELBOURNE, October 17. Whether he wins the Melbourne Cup or not. Rising Fast is one of the “greats in Australian racing. How great, none can say, not even his trainer, F. W. Hoysted. or his rider, W. Williamson. Williamson says that whenever he asks Rising Fast for an extra effort the gelding gives it. Hoysted says that on the Sunday after the Caulfield Cup win. Rising Fast could have raced again. Rising Fast’s penalty of 41b for the Melbourne Cup was lenient, in the opinion of most racing people. Originally handicapped at 9-10. Ruing Fast now has 10-0. He is Cup favourite, and is reasonably assured of success. The horse’s owner (Mr L. R. Spring) has told of a plan to take Rising Fast to America. Originally the idea was to start him in the Hollywood Gold Cup. run last June. Arrangements were well in hand, but Rising Fast was so much below form in March and April that the visit was abandoned. .Mr Spring revived the idea in the excitement after the Caulfield Cup on Saturday. But the next day when he talked it over with Hoysted it was agreed that the chances of taking Rising Fast, a six-year-old, to America, getting him accli“atfeed, end then getting him back to lX. fo X'S£^ d * r - "*• There la no chance of Rising Fast being sold to Americans or anyone else. He has nd value for breeding. He will continue to race in Australia, and will then betaken back to New Zealand to be reThe magnitude of Rising Fast’s task tn toe Melbourne Cup can be better appreciated when it is realised that only * weight of 10-0 or more been carried in the long history of the three winners have come from g r ou ,fe Carb l ne . 10_5 - in 189 °: Archer. 10-2. in 1862; and Pcutrel. 10-0, in 1920. There is no way of measuring a great todav with one of the past, except the weight-for-age rale This century-old system of automatically » handicapping horses in accordance wtto their age, sex, distance of the race and month of the j-ear in which the "S? “ run 55 s Stood 311 t<sts boise racing countries. standard is the four-year-old stalHon, who is required to carry 9-0 over all aSl nce . s andl ° all months. The lowest allowable weight is 5-9, which a two fi i Uy ? ouJd in a six furtong "A™ m Außust -' f ever such a race hSPS^ Ver ® stances of two miles and a TKta u? miles in August 15 th £? e stone more than would be given a three-year-old colt.

Piiar Lap’s Record h al * Melbourne Cu P winners, Phar rec °n! of carrying most IsTh^ , r V .' r ,S' elgh .L’ for - a S e - Hewonwhh 141 b l !}? n 016 scale - Carbine had 141 b more than weight-for-age. RlaiSg CeW i f f or-a?? CaPPe<l more ttaf Inr M«»>oume Cup. Blsdren on his back—iuTt £ „ £ hu ‘ have a ndJS Cup I S N^x Sa pVL d . iy f.r 111 run In the W h :‘ and toe Melbourne Cup in the on. S. e Cup the next . wins the Melbourne Cup. he will in te ha X e- WDn ‘ caps stable confidently expects him to do it. Meeting With Somerset Fair is a chance that Rising Fast win meet Somerset Fair in the w. S. Cox ? a f*’ a *^ x Bbt-for-age race run over 10 f or which the first prize fa T air was taken out of work because of tender ffiet caused by toomuch paring of hi, oi She feet ire crowing ...in and there is a chance that -muiiit*^ 1 S’ & £££ •‘"ted, beKite to win iST JEU"’’’* shown a dteS&.„ ~‘ “ 111 Badm

will start, possibly with Jack Purtell again as rider. Ray Ribbon was second to Rising Fast in toe Caulfield Cup under some disadvantage. When he was shod apparently a nail pricked the quick of his right front foot His trainer, G. Barr, is satisfied nothing will prevent a quick recovery from the injury. Historic Era, whose third to the Caulfield Cup made the race an all-New Zealand finish, thrives on plenty of racing —and is getting it This lightly-framed five-year-old is to run at Geelong on Wednesday and toes in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup next Saturday. It is an extraordinary programme for a horse which had such a hard race in the Caulfield Cup, but Australians have ceased to wonder at the methods of New Zealand trainers—toe New Zealand horses win too many races to warrant criticism. Redcraze is fit and ready for more racing, but Swift Gold is in some trouble and for the time being is under veterinary care