FLEMINGTON MEETING

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27919, 16 March 1956, Page 5

FLEMINGTON MEETING

NEW ZEALAND HORSES FAIL IMPROVEMENT LIKELY AT RAND WICK (From the Australian Correspondent of "The Press’*) t MELBOURNE, March 12. i The New Zealand glamour horses in Australia seem to have come to the end , of their successes. But this may be only temporary. On Saturday, at Flemington, Somerset Fair silenced critics by winning the Queens’ Plate, weight-for-age, over 10 furlongs. A little later Cambridge forced his way to favouritism for the Australian Cup by winning the Moomba Handicap, one mile and a half. Then today Somerset Fair failed dismally in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the £lO,OOO weight-for-age feature race of the carnival, and Cambridge ran almost as badly in the Australian Cud, at two miles and one and a half furlongs. Harry Lime (Pictavia —Day Spring) saved the day by winning the unimportant Essendon Handicap, but at present a a horse like'Harry Lime scarcely counts. Never were there more disappointed men than Mr A. Millen, part-owner of Somerset Fair, and the horse’s trainer. T. J. Smith. So certain were they of the horse’s chances that Somerset Fair was given the task of running in front all the way. Smith considers that, “lobbing” along in this effortless fashion, Somerset Fair could be made to run any distance. Smith had declared that Somerset Fair was in reality a stayer, and not merely a horse to be trusted up to, say, 10 furlongs. Many people were prepared to listen to this view too, but after today’s failure, opinions have been revised, and it now seems that Somerset Fair will have to concentrate on the Doncaster Handicap (one mile) if he is to get a share of the plums in Australia. For this reason it is very disappointing for Mr Millen, who had come to beileve that, with Rising Fast out of the way, it might be his turn for big Australian winnings. Smith has not altogether lost faith in Somerset Fair, because the Queen Elizabeth Stakes represented one race when “lobbing along” in front was not permitted. When Somerset Fair went to the front shortly after the start, other horses went with him, and a really fast pace was set from the start. The distance was run in only one second less than the Flemington mile and a half record. No Rest in Front When a chance came to give Somerset Fair a breather —between the six furlong and the five furlongs—Electro was sent with a burst to join him in front. Again the pace went on, with Electro going a bit better than Somerset Fair. Electro, which had run Somerset Fair close in Saturday’s race, moved clear completing the turn and for a time seemed to have a good winning chance. Somerset Fair dropped back, obviously unable to maintain the pace set when the St. Leger winner, Sailor’s Guide, and Cromis joined in. It was a grand race from then to tne post. Every stride of the two furlongs was keenly contested. Sailor’s Guide ran past Electro; Cromis joined Sailor’s Guide, getting his head in front at the one furlong; and Sailor § Guide fought back to win a hard finish by a bare three inches. Tesla could not start in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes because of trouble in a tendon. The gelding had just begun to stride out in his trials after a scratchy beginning to his training programme, and prospects looked bright for the Sydney trip, when this new complication showed up. Now it is probable that Tesla will be returned to New Zealand without any racing at all. The failure of Cambridge in the Australian Cup can be dismissed from calculations to a degree. Just as the Australian jockey of Cambridge, A. Mulley, excelled in his tactics in winning the Moomba Handicap, he erred gravely in his riding of Cambridge in the Australian Cup. In the Moomba Handicap, Mulley kept Cambridge near the rails all the way, cleverly extracted him from a pocket with about three-quarters of a furlong to go, drove the gelding hard for the post, and found ready response to his call for more speed. Raced Wide Out In the Australian Cup Mulley allowed Cambridge to drop too far out of the race in the early stages. Then, as though realising his error, he sent him round the field on the bend near the six furlongs. At least that is what he set out to do; but he began the run when the field was bunching up. and found himself about 10 horses out from the rails. There was nothing for it but to keep up the run, and on the turn into the straight, Cambridge was still at least six horses out from the rails. After the horse had covered so much ground it was impossible to win, especially as the pace was still on. Cambridge made a run which lasted for a time, but at the furlong post he was beaten. It was not surprising that he should be, because the winner. Pushover, which beat Oxley in a photo-finish, with Acquilla third, set a course record of 3min 41Jsec. Cambridge might have covered the extra ground successfully if it had been a slowly-run race. But because of the record pace, he had no chance of giving away so much ground. Therefore consideration of the run should be discarded. Perhaps Cambridge is not a real stayer. Only racing will show that. Any chance he had in the Sydney Cup before the Australian Cup has not been impaired by Monday’s failure.