EARLY FORM

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 301, 15 September 1933, Page 17

EARLY FORM

Juveniles at Marton HOW THEY SHAPED Whenuakura’s Close Call (By “The Watcher.”) One of the most interesting features of iarly spring racing is the two-year-old form. Keen interest is always taken in the displays of the youngsters, for there are good prizes to be won, and trainers are naturally anxious to see how their • charges fare in their early essays, while the public are on the look out for a good one to carry their money. Breeding, judgment at the sale ring, all tho work, care, and attention in breaking in, training, and all-round details, as well as ex- ; pense, are thrown into the melting pot of early two-year-old racing. Racing is the only true test; and many a trainer whose patron has paid a good price for a yearling, who has perhaps also built up hopes in training, discover, on running against opposition, that they have a "dud” on their hands, while on the contrary some obscure colt or filly rises to fame and good winnings. One was almost tempted to write fame and fortune, but with stakes as they are at present fortune would be an exaggeration. All the same, a good class two-year-old can earn a lot of money even in these days of reduced income.. Good Betting Mediums. All good judges of racing declare that two-year-olds, once form is established, are the best mediums so far as betting is concerned. It is easy to realise the truth of this, for a two-year-old, until later in the season, never meets any horses bar those of his own age. Consequently once superiority is established there is very little chance of it being defeated, even in handicaps, for despite weight, a good youngster will carry substantial burdens and still go on winning. In this he is greatly assisted by the fact that two-year-old races are held over short courses, but class, which simply is a matter of speed, seldom varies among the juveniles, and the youngster who reaches .class early is seldom defeated.

It was therefori -with keen interest that racegoers looked forward to the first two-year-old race of the season at Marton on Wednesday. Eleven youngsters went to the post, and result, in which the favourite, "Whenuakura, just beat Bodyline, finishing clear of the rest, has given rise to plenty of discussion. In fact, there is a very sharp conflict of opinion on the merits of the performance. Whenuakura, who is a well-grown chestnut half-brother to Silvermine, and a brother to. Chief Link, by Chief Ruler from Silver Link, has been very much in the limelight as the result of good work on the Hawera tracks, and this impression was deepened when he led the two-year-old parade, home at the recent Taranaki Hunt meeting. Although a parade is not by any means a racing test, the public outing is a great'help to a,green youngster, enabling him to gain some idea of what is required of him, and also assisting him to settle down and lose that nervousness which SO often affects horses at the beginning of their careers. This, coupled with the breeding of Whenuakura, which suggests speed, gave the public a good lead at Marton, and he was a pronounced favourite on both win and place machines. ( That he had. such a hard struggle to win by half a head,, rather shocked those who had been so confident prior to the running, but there were cir-

cumstances that make his performance better than it looks on paper. Drew the Outside. On the tracks in the morning prior to the races Whenuakura’s trainer, J. Brown, who never leaves anything to chance, went over and thoroughly inspected the barrier, at the half-mile where the Juvenile Plate was to start. The barrier is quite close to the home turn, so close as to make it at once obvious that the horses drawn on the outer would be at a big disadvantage. This led Brown to remark that the one that drew the outer wouldn’t have much chance, and then later, as he said, “I’m hanged if I didn’t draw the outer myself.”' This meant that Whenuakura was outside ten horses at the post, and in having to cover so much extra ground it took him the best part of a furlong before he was able to run up into a handy position behind the leader, Bodyline, who had gained a substantial advantage at the start, and Voitre had to ask a lot of his reserve to get there. A little later Whenuakura ran up to Bodyline, and as they turned their heads for home it looked as if Whenuakura was going to win very easily. Half-way up the straight he began to mix his stride, and lose any advantage he had gained on Bodyline. Bodyline did not go any faster, but Whenuakura began to go slower; so much slower, in fact, that consternation reigned among his backers right to the post, and they heaved a great sigh of relief when the judge’s numbers showed that he had, hard ridden, held just enough lead to squeeze home. There has been a great lot of argument since respecting the merits of his win, some holding that it was a fine performance to win after his initial difficulties, and others to say that if he was a really good one he should have gone on and won comfortably. It is too early in the season to form any definite conclusion regarding two-year-olds. It can be said that Whenuakura put up a good performance and he is bound to improve, for he mixed his stride very greenly in the straight. It may be claimed that he'is forward and might not improve so much as expected, but he gave a good start to a youngster who has been showing very smart sprinting form on the Awapuni tracks and showed great courage in doing so. Bodyline is undoubtedly speedy, but he lacks size and this will be against him, while on Wednesday also he gained a distinct advantage in the dispatch. Whenuakura will bo seen again at Eoxton at the end of the month, when a better idea will be gained of his capabilities. In addition, he will get a weight which will enable L. G. Morris to take ' the ride. Form of Others. Outside the leading pair there was not a great deal of merit in the form, but most of them fared so poorly at the start that it would be unwise to condemn. Capitol put up a fair performance and, considering the way he and his stablemate, Morbury, have been shaping, they paid a good third dividend. Morbury was never able to get out of the ruck, but Capitol Was fairly handy .He did not, however, make milch impression in the run home. Gay Blonde, who finished fourth, was the really unlucky runner. She drew No. 1 and was unsettled by the gesticulations of the starter, to whose attention this was drawn by her rider, Tinker. The result was that Gay Blonde, on the re-; lease of the barrier, began to move back instead of forward and she was soon hopelessly placed. Her performance subsequently was creditable, for she showed speed and this sister to Gay Sheila will improve with tho race. Tantara, who finished fifth, was not particularly prominent, but it was a satisfactory performance for a two-year-old who has not by any means been hurried. He is a handy-looking brown (a good

Hunting Song colour), and, being a halfbrother to Otairi, Cashier, and Fiji, better things may be expected of him when he becomes more seasoned. Scholar, is a racy-looking son of Diacquenod and Fillette, the dam-of Headmaster and Headmistress, and- he finished alongside Tantara from a good way back, while his bracketed mate, Life Guard, showed more early speed, but did not run on.

Joy Princess was always well back and finished last, but she .was badly checked in running on the. home'turn. E. Neale.expected u better showing from his Pombal—Damarls filly, Pomard, but she was unable to get off well and her turn may come. Redeem finished seventh. She has pace, but, like Bodyline, lacks size. With Capitol and Morbury she made three Trentham representatives and their inability to do better than a moderate third does not say much for our local juvenile talent, but a stronger horseman on Morbury might See a difference.