THE TURF

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 18, 20 July 1918, Page 10

THE TURF

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(IT "SIR LANCELOT.' )

Handicaps for the principal events at- the Grand National Meeting were i made available to owners yesterday. , Mr. Henrys was unable'to attend tho : Wellington Meeting, but appears to have taken full note of the form at Trentham, and it should prove a reliable guide. In the Hurdles, two miles a,nd a half, Gladi'ul, Art, and Sleight-of-Hand are on the 11.9 mark, 41b above Sir Fisher. In the Final Hurdles at Trentham, Gladful, Sir Fisher, and Sleight-of-Hand had 11.12. Art was not engaged in that event, and did not compete in the AVinter Hurdles, in which he was asked to concede Sleight-of-Hand and Sir Fisher 31b, and Gladful lllb. The latter certainly did the best of the hurdlers who competed at. Trentham. Art fell in the last Grand National Hurdles when asked to concede Sleight-of-Hand and Sir Fisher 161b each. Now in meeting them on level terms the South Island horse, cannot be said to have any the worst of it. He has an excellent record at Riocarton. Pursefiller (10.13) has gone wrong and will not run. Gang Awa (10.2) gets in much better than in the Winter Hurdles, in which he had 10.10. He has only won one Hack Hurdle race, and the journey at Ricca-r----ton is a long one for a beginner. Still, on the flat, he shaped like a stayer, and i he is a, half-brother to The Native, who won the race. There was only 41b between Gang Awa and Gladful in the Winter Hurdles, but there is a stone and a half at Ricoarton, which makes all the difference. Another thing in favour of Gang Awa is that he will have the services of an experienced- rider. Colorado (10.2) has been a great disappointment so far this season. His owner attributes it to the state of the ! ground, and only sent the horse South | in the hope that tho track would be. in | good order on the day. Mr. Bull informs me that on top of tho ground; : Colorado has shown him a mUe gallop on the flat as good as The Native could ! do. Sir Solo (10.1) will be having his third try in the race. He has 71b more than he carried into second place last August, and meets Sleight-of-Hand on 101b and Sir Fisher on 61b bettor terms respectively. It is stated that the owner I of Kauri King (10.1) is keen on winning | the race and will probably send the gelding. South. Other Auckland horses considered likely to take part are Gluetan us (9.10) and Thrace (9.8). In the Great Northern, Gluetanus was placed within 21b of Sir Fisher. Now there is j 231b between them. The figures also point to Colorado as being well-treated. He meets Sir Fisher on a stone better terms than in 'the Century Hurdles. Another Aucklander well treated is Fisher, who is in. with the 'minimum. Gluetanus and Fisher finished fourth and fifth in the Great Northern with 109 and 9.8. Parisian Diamond, who ran second in the last Winter Cup with 10.6, heads the list in the mile race with 11.9. Re- ' cords of the race are against the topweights. Only on four occasions in \ eighteen years has a horse carried over ■ 10,0 to victory. Vladimir won with i 10.12, and the writer considers he was a I better horse than either Parisian Dia- I mond or Volo. The latter is in receipt of - 41b from Parisian Diamond, and has lib I less.than he got in the Winter Oats on j the second day at Trentham. On his last appearance at Otaki he won with 9.8, and as he has already won nine races this season it is hard to say how good he is. j He should certainly be" well tried out in j the Winter Cup, on which race his connections are said to have set their mind. | Last year's surprise packet, King Star, ■' has 9.8, and meets Parisian Diamond on I 91b better terms. Brambletye, the other j place-getter, is in with 9.11, and meets ' the top-weight on a stone better terms: j Sir George Clifford has another representative in Adjutant. The stable has had a lean season, and as the race has not yet gone to Chokebore Lodge, .Brambletye may break the spell. After his display at Trentham it was expected Form Up would get some weight. The Gisborne horse Gazique reads as well as anything among the top-weights. When he ran second to Parisian Diamond in the Easter I Handicap at Ellerslie the weights were ■ 7.11 and 7.13. Now Gazique is receiving ; a'stone. _ He won on the second day of j the meeting, and afterwards scored with ' 12.5 at Gisborne. Ho won down the Ric- j carton straight at the Easter Meeting be- i fore last. The Trentham winners Bagdad and Sir Agnes read attractively. The first-named was successful at the C.J.C. Autumn Meeting. Bedford appears well treated with 9.13. In the Winter Oats, on tho second day at Trentham, he was | on the same mark as Adjutant, and now meets the latter on 101b better terms. Auckland owners want some inducement to bring horses such a long way. Hydrus may be one of the fancied candidates with 9.4. No fewer than twenty-three horses are in with the minimum weight. They include Fleetham, Hiero, and Kiltess. One of the best treated of the light- I weights on performances is Majestikoff (9.3). ' She has won half a dozen races ' this season. At the C.J.C. Midsummer Meeting she won at a mile and nine furlongs the same afternoon. She also won the Ashburton Cup, beating Adjutant, who is now allowed 81b for the head beating. In tho Grand National Steeplechase more than half the horses handicapped are in with the lightest weight permitted by the rules. Probably the names of most of them will be missing when the ' final acceptance becomes due. After the splendid performance he put up at Trentham it was expected that Master Strowan would get the maximum (12.7). He allows Waimai 51b for the beating here. Both have won at Riccarton, and Master Strowan may again demonstrate his superiority over Waimai. Sleight of Hand (11.3) meets Master Strowan on 101b better terms than at Trentham. It is reported that Sleight of Hand will run in the Hurdles and that Yellow and Black (10.1) will be the elect of Shears- : by's stable on the day. Crib (11.11) is evidently not the horse he was twelve months ago. He has a stono less than ho carried here, but' does not appear dangerous, even with that allowance. ' ((Collector (10.9) is a possibility. His per- ' formances at Ellerslie, Napier Park, and Trentham give him a place among the '. probables. Yellow and Black may trouble the top weights, and St. Elmn, if he would stand' winding up, would have an excellent chance with 9.11. When he ran second last year he was receiving 91b from Master Strowan. Now the difference is 381b. On Tren- : tham form, where Master Strowan conceded 361b, the top weight lias the best : of' it. The Foxton representative will ' be hard to dispose of. The stallion Flavus, destroyed in New South Wales recently, had a couple of representatives in the Dominion in Jingo (.'» three-year-old), who has been placed a conple of times this season, but has not yet won a race, and a gelding from Many Colours. Both are trained at Riccarton by A. M'Aulcy for Mr. A. W. Rutherford. Some of the North Island horses engaged at tiie C.J.C. Meeting will be racing at the South Canterbury Hunt Club's Meeting next week. They include Black Heath, Seville, and Hiero.