form review

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 100, 22 January 1936, Page 19

form review

Wellington Opening Day CUP AND STAKES Usual Problems For Public

(Bt

The Watcher.)

The postponement of a day in the opening of the Wellington meeting will be unfortunate for the club financially, as the holiday of Anniversary Day is one of the best days of the year, but it is unlikely to affect form to any extent, though trainers have naturally timeu their preparations for to-day. A lew horses may need an extra gallop, while others mav benefit from the extra day, Provided the weather remains fine, which it has every appearance of doing, the fixture promises to be very successful, and the acceptances are good enough to provide keen racing. The usual clasn of form from widely-separated districts is iu evidence.

Highweight Event.

The highweight horses are not an outstanding lot, as can be gathered from the fact that Ethiop is carrying No. 1 saddle-cloth. Early in his caieer Ethiop promised to be more that! useful, but after being beaten by Hest in the Trial Plate at h winter meeting he went oft and it is only recently that he hhs been staging a return to form. He was a winn_er on the opening day at the Marton New Year meeting and was narrowly beaten by Royal Papa in the Duke ot Gloucester Cup on the second day. H e looks like running well, as he should be improved. Manifesto has no recent form, but Blue Tiger showed up during the holidays, and he looks the type to carry weight. Brown Pearl was a good hack wheji trained iu the south, but she has had no racing for a long time, aUd is now in the stable of T. George. At her best she would be a good prospect. Royal Papa won on the third day at Awapuni and also scored in the Duke’s CUp. Ho should run well, but he does not appeal as a really good horse. Contract raced well on the Taranaki circuit. He was second at New Plymouth after getting left and won at Stratford. Pie sticks well and is a useful sort, but backers • run a risk with him owing to his liability to get left. Shy won a maiden race at Levin in November and has run well since. The extent of his capabilities still has to be discovered, but he has pace and should run well if started. Wonderful beat all but Padishah in a similar event at Riccarton, but his subsequent form is not good and he has been lame on the tracks. A repetition of his best would see him prominent. Sky Pilot showed a lot of promise in November, but he ran below expectations at Awapuni.. However, he met with more than his share of bad luck there, and he looks like being one of the hardest to beat. Conception and Sunder have moderate form only, but might improve. Petrarch beat alt but Red Sun on the opening day at Manawatu, and this was good form, but lie has subsequently failed conspicuously. It he runs to Ms form of Boxing Day he will be in the money. Speedy Ones in Stakes. The two-year-olds in the Stakes will find some difficulty in beating Symcony. She is exceptionally brilliant and will run a merry five. Silver Sail has had only, one recent race and will have to improve. Of the two-year-olds Paper Slipper has been lame, but he ia hot likely to be started unless his connections fancy hie chance. His form here in the spring and at Riccarton wae good class. Deficit is on the improve and may surprise, but Gay Chief. Mala and Noiiuin are likely to carry more support. Guy Chief w seasoned and has run well in good class without being quite equal to it. Mala hue created a very favourable imprewnon in the little Hint bus been seen ot him, and the win at Mamiwatu in his last start was impressive, and solid. He does hot, however, tippeal its a colt likely to do his hest for a light boy. Notlurii has had plenty of racing. He is a speedy colt and will approi-idte the drop m weights, while the feiv pdtiuds that Wiggins Will put up in overweight is not likely to affect his chance. Notiuni Mis a reputation. There is no doubting his pace, blit he does not appeal as a really good class solid dolt, though he may be equal to this. Cerne Abbas and Moquette will have to improve. The latter has not maintained the promise of her spring win at Wanganui. ApiirOhtiefcs’ Event

Riding exerts such a decided iiiflueii.ee in apprentice races that backers eagerly scilti tub board in the plate. Form is plentiful from the well performed and improving Darecourt, fresh from bis.successee tit Awapuni mid Tauhercnikau, back to Begorriih, who has not done much since lie won at MitMerlon ill the spring. Golden Dart has very good back form on the Coast and llevival won unexpectedly at Wairarapa. Whether that was a flash in the pan remains to be seen. .Silver Jest raced well at Manawatu and Stratford and is a possibility, and Solaria appeals. He has not done

much recently, but earlier he was showing very good form at Avondale and Ellerslie, and is iu on the set weights on much more liberal terms than would be the ease in a handicap. Corroboree ran very well at Woodville in December, and although he failed at Auckland he took on very strong company there. Blue Garter has fair form in his own district. Hine Ra has improved greatly since her arrival in George's stable, and has won two races. She is still on the improve and may go far. She is a hard puller and is almost sure to pull her way to the front, while her speed will be equal to anything in the race. She may stay there, for this is the right type for an apprentice. Two-year-old Event. There is a very large field in the two-year-old handicap, but a lot of them have no form and will be new to racing. Among them are some well-bred lots from families that produce winners every year, so that they may contain a surprise packet. The form horses are Brabant, two wins and two starts, though not against anything substantial. Still this colt has improved a lot. Laughing Lass has done well since she started rneijig at Feilding, where she won, and she won again at Manawatu. She was beaten at Marton, but the tracks may have found her out. She has the advantage of being a good beginner. The two southerners, Studley Royal and Double Gift, will carry a lot of money. The former was a winner at Dunedin last month, and Double Gift ran prominently iu the same races while her earlier form especially on a soft track was good. She is an improved filly. Brilliancy showed tip at Auckland but he will have to improve on that. Of the others Cricket and Custos may show up, and Impersonator and Sea Wrack may improve on their holiday showings. . Cup Possibilities. . The Wellington Cup has been freely discussed, and nothing has transpired recently to make one get away from the first expressed opinion, that the handful of class horses in the race should provide the winner. The handicapper has made a very equitable adjustment on recent form and the only factors that may upset his calculations are (1) the luck of the race, (2) superior horsemanship, and (3) false running. The first two often operate, the third, sometimes, but not so often, and witfi the multitude of lightweights in this year’s field there is surely the material for a fast and truly run race.

As stated the problem of the Cup has two aspects, the class horses "and the rest. The class horses are the three topweights and the Derby winner Lowenberg, while Sweet Agnes must also be taken into account.

With 9.11 Cuddle will be attempting a severe task, one that a mare has not accomplished nor yet any cup winner at Trentham, but as she is to run, and that on the eve of a departure for fresh fields iu Australia, it is a fair indication that her party incline to her chances. Cuddle has been markedly'consistent all through the season and has run under any weight and distance practically to the tick of a second, making allowances for track conditions. She is unlikely to have matters so much her own way in the Wellington Cup as at Riccarton and Auckland but she is a good mare and while one expects her beaten under 9.11 she will be in the firing line for a long way. In view of Silver Ring's recent track Work we must: assume that he is a fit hbrse, and at his best despite tile fact 'that be has not had a race since the Metropolitan Handicap. He is real class and it may be worthwhile reminding hackers of some of his performances, apart from his win in an Epsom Handicap, which was the effort of a really good lioi’se. In Match, carrying 10.1 on a heavy track, be was beaten a head by Gay Sheila, anil a few days later ill the Awapuni Cup be just cantered away from Red Manfred and Sporting Blood-—two good Horses as their subsequent form indicated. In Australia he won over a mile again in good company, carrying 9.7, and he rilu 1.37. With a couple of races at Ricciirldn lie wou the .Metropolitan Handicap under 9.5, conceding Cuddle a pound and running away from her at the finish by three lengths. A beating by a pound and three lengths is going to take it lot of the improvement Cuddle has milde to bring Silver Ring back to her. She w:is at the .peak of Her form at Auckland, and she cannot be expected to improve much more; indeed she may not be quite so good. Kinnoull is another horse she might find hard to beat provided be runs to form. He has twice beaten her at weigllt-for-age, and with the difference at this stage 151 b.. she is asked to concede 201 b. Kinnoull has 8.5, and Rapine is the only three-year-o.ld winner at Trentham when lie carried 7.12, but the class is mot so strong now, and a further factor is that iu Rapine's year the minimum weight was 0.7. From this point of view Kinnoull is not asked to do more than Rapine did. Neither. Silver Ring iidf Kiiindllll, also, is likely to stiffer from inferior liorsl’iiianship. The difference between Cuddle and Kiunoull has been fairly well decided by actual test, but the summing up between the three-ybar-old Mill Silver Ring is much more difficult. They are separated by the w.f.tt. margin. Strictly on form the balance lies in favoub of the older horse by merit of his defeat of better horses, but it must iiot be overlooked that on the scale a three-yeiir-old holds an advantage over older horses. The difference ot 121 b. betweeh Kinhoull and Loweiiberg in the handicap is startling in vidw of Derby running, but discarding the Derby and also (he Great Northern Derby ill which Lowenbet'g eoiild not act i'iglit-haiided, as proved earlier in the Guineas, and in which Kinnoull did not ruii, we' can go back to Loweiiberg's Spring Plate form, which was very good, aiid gave an indication of whiit he might do ovfir the Derby journey. However, it may not be up to wiiiniug a Wellington Cup. Reverting to the Derby, the English opinion may be of value. They always say when arguments crop up: .“The best horse may not have won the Derby, but it is never won by a bail horse.”

Dilvolo is a horse that has come into prominence on the strength of track work. He has had very little racing, but he ran ■second in the Stewards’ Handicap, and it would appear that he does best oil d not too solid preparation. He has to be taken on trust over twelve furlongs, but he has won well over a mile and a quarter, and there is no reason to expect inability to see out the Cup journey. Sweet Agnes has her class form fairly well back, but it must be reverted to in discussing her ehiinees, and it is good, while her late showings have been very encouraging; She won the Pearce Handicap here in October, and recently on the Coast gave Knoeklin several pounds and ran a creditable second over a mile. Sweet Agnes makes a strong appeal, as she ie in at a very reasonable weight on her best form.

'The opinion has been expressed that this will be a lightweights year and the rest can be included in that category, but when pressed to name the winner or the likely winner the supporters of the lightweight theory beeoirie rather vague. One cannot wonder, for there is ample materia] in which to make a choice. It boils down to a question as to whether at the wejghl.s they have been given the chance to make up either for tlieir absehco of ckiss or lack of leading form. Hunting

Cat, Gay Broney, Tout le Monde, the Wellington bracket of Red Sun and Sunee, Queen of Song and possibly Kona Bay may be the surprise packet. Tout le Monde improved greatly during the holidays. His history hardly justifies confidence. but there is no doubting his improvement, and his second at Stratford under 9.0 was a good effort. Queen of Song is another improver from the south and southern critics are enthusiastic about the way she won the Invercargill Cup. Mr. Coyle has not been impressed with this form to any great extent, but it may be better when put to the test. Some Smart Hacks. The hacks in the Ruapehu Handicap represent recent form such as Whyte Melville, Boomerang, Erua, Chief Ranger, Vinco and The Sandwich Man. Violenta ran very well in the south in the spring and last winter Colombo was showing form worth remembering. He had a race last month at Hororata and may possibly be a bit short of his best. Roaming ran fourth to Stretto and Co. in the Royal Stakes at Auckland. There may not have been a great deal of merit in the fourth, but it looks good for hacks. The Sprinters. It ie not a particularly strong field of sprinters iu the Telegraph Handicap. Silver Streak won on the last day at Riccarton, but on actual figures Ron Tray Should beat him. Silver Streak ran good races at Auckland without winning, and while he is a solid little horse and sure to run well he has been kept up to his best in the weights. Knoekfin is a brilliant mare whose win in the Stewards’ was convincing, but although ijot badly treated on her form she is close to the topweight. Princess Doreen is an improved mare and one likely to win again any day. It may not be over six, but she cannot be left out of calculations. Diatomous was running well iu this race last year when both he and Princess Doreen met with interference. Diatomous won at Woodville last month, but it was not an impressive effort and he failed at Ellerslie. He has the pace to win if he caii run on. Bon Tray’s form both here in the spring and at Riccarton give him a good chance on the figures. Great Star is a hard wearing veteran. He has a chance, but the younger horses should now be too smart for him. Queen of Song will probably run in the Cup. Variant has been “knocking” for a long time and is overdue. She had placings here ,in October, was fourth in the Stewards’, fourth again on the last day, and third in the Railway, so that her efforts, While not quite successful, have been very consistent and against the best company She is not a good beginner, but she appears to run better at Trentham, where there is it fall of several feet in the six* furlong track. Acceptable has improved, and liis hack performances during the holidays suggest that he will not be our of place in this class. Copyist has form on the Coast, and if back to Ms best would be hard, though he is a bit touched in the wind. The rest do iiot look class enough. The Open Mile.

The field in the concluding mile is of just the right size to provide a good race without the undue crowding that occurs in large fields at this post. Rebel Chief showed a return to form during the holidays, and at his best he has a good dash of class. After Money is an improving mare who looks like going one better than her recent string of placed performances, and Plato on his best showing when he won at Auckland Will be in the picture; in fact, tile two three-year-olds, Plato and Superex, will be hard for the older brigade. Superex is a low set, very solid colt, who looks better than his record suggests. Tunneller is a solid galloper, never beaten for courage in a tight finish, but he is set up to, his. best form here, though it may not stop him. Round Score iriay be it possibility, though he will have to improve. The four on the minimum will also need improvement, though Full Throttle ran well in his sprint races at Tauhercnikau.