ROYAL ASCOT

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 27, 4 August 1928, Page 23

ROYAL ASCOT

USUAL SURPRISE RESULTS (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 27th June. Ascot would not be Ascot without some - surprise results, yet though there were surprises and disappointments more favourites than usual —fifteen, to be exact, out of twenty-eight events —got home, so that the bookmakers did not have everything their own way this time. On the first day Mrs. George Drumtnond won the Gold Vase, a two-mile event worth £1050, with her beautiful mare Maid of Perth (Tetrameter—White Tor), trained by F. Darling at Beckhanipton, and ridden by J. Sirett.. Tlu mare finished very strongly to win by six'lengths from Lord Blandford's Dancing Floor, with Lord Glanely's Applcdore a neck away third. There were, twelve runners, and the winner justified her favouritism, though she was inclined to hang a bit. This was the first success of her career. Colonel Giles' Locler took the ' Queen Mary Stakes (£3270), five furlongs, for two-year-old fillies, with Arabella (Buehan—Polly Flinders), who is unanimously regarded as the best two-year-old filly of the year. Indeed, racing critics think she is the best two-year-old of either sex, for nothing more impressive could be seen than the manner of her win. She came cantering in by two lengths from a beautiful Lemberg filly, Necklace 11., in a field of twenty-five. Necklace 11. happens to be the first foal of tho Oaks winner, Straitlace, for whom, when bearing Necklace 11. to Lemberg, M. Edward Esmond (who has a breeding establishment in France) gave 17.000 guineas. She is therefore a daughter of a Derby ' winner from an Oaks winner, and, of course, essentially British, bred, though actually foaled in France. THE HUNT CUP. The most important event of the second day was the Royal Hunt Cup (£2045), -seven furlongs 166 yards. The winner 'was Priory Park, belonging to Mr. J. B. Joel, and the victory was the fourth important handicap since he passed into his present owner's possession—a Lincolnshire Handicap, a Stewards' Cup, and a City and Suburban. The first three past the post, Priory Park, St. Jerome (Viscount Laseelles), and Knight of the Grail (Sir D. Broughton), were drawn respectively Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Naturally the success was most popular. Besides being a public favourite, Priory Park was one of the best-backed horses in the race. He won in a common canter, always travelling with the utmost smoothness. DARK LANTERN'S FATE. In this same rich event there was the very promising young horse Dark Lantern 11., owned by Mr. Boyd Davis. To his owner-trainer it was a great disappointment that Dark Lantern did not get nearer the leaders, but he was the most severely handicapped horse in the race. Days before the meeting "Ajax" ("Evening Standard") commented: "Three-year-olds do not win this race v very often, and Dark Lantern 11. would have to be something out of the ordinary to score with 8.6 in the saddle. By the way, the true story of the colt's success-at Lincoln has never been told. It has been stated that the owner won something like £30,----000, but I can say that only a very small sum was netted. It is true that a coup was planned, but something happened—l think the colt did not feed up—to cause an alteration in plans, and what was. won oyer him that day was lost when he was beaten at Kempton. The owner has a tremendous opinion of the colt's ability, and I should not be surprised to learn that he fancies the three-year-old, but no second season performer has ever won with anything like the weight Dark Lantern 11. has to carry. After the Royal Hunt Cup had been won by Priory Park, the club correspondent of the "Daily Chronicle" commented: "The most disappointed folk were those connected with Dark Lantern 11. I understand that they had a real' bet, and the horse's failure to show up hit them hard." KING EDWARD VII. STAKES. There was further interest for New Zealanders, too, in the King Edward 11. Stakes, a mile and a half event for three--year-olds. (_2475), for Mr. J. B. Reid's Black Watch (Black Gauntlet—Punka III.) was one of the eleven runners, with C, Smirke up. In the words of "The Times" racing expert: "The Ascot Meeting is invariably the grave of reputations. Horses who have won the Derby or have run very well in that race continually fail at this meeting, perhaps because they have not recovered from their exertions on the Epsom Downs. There was 'an example of this when Black Watch, who had finished third in the Derby, failed to finish first or second in the King Edward VII. Stakes behind Cyclonic, who won rather cleverly from Sunny Trace, with Black Watch four lengths away third. Black Watch had every chance' as the race was run, and was always well-placed. If he was not actually, iv front when the straight was reached, he was at any rule sufficiently near the front to have won if he had been good enough, but he \was quite unable to resist the challenge first of Cyclonic and then o£ Sunny Trace, of which pair the former was always going the better.' THE GOLD CUP-A SURPRISE RESULT. The jockey (B. Carslake) on Invershin rode according to the instructions of his owner (Mr. Reid Walker) and brought about a surprise victory; the jockey of the favourite (C. Elliott, on Einglas) also rode according to instructions from Mods. E. de St. Alarym, and rumour says this was why his horse was defeated in the last hundred yards. But critical judgment considers that Einglas was fairly beaten on his merits, the bigger and longer-striding horse wearing him down. Inversion's trainer, G. Digby, had ridden over a thousand winners in Egypt, and when he retired from the saddle and took up training there he turned out 75 winners in two seasons. Mr. Reid Walker has owned horses for nearly half a century, and has yet to win a "classic/ but, as he remarked to a -porting Life" representative after tho race, 1 think I wOuld almost as soon win the Gold Cup at Ascot as I would the Derby. Digby has now trained four winners for Mr. Reid Walker, his first being Hectare, who carried off the Chester Vase. A TWO-YEAR-OLD SMASHER. The New Stakes (£2770) went to Major D. M'Calmont's Mr. Jinks, a splendid Tetratema—False Piety youngster, trained by Mr. H. S. Persse, at Stockbridge. Mr. Jinks had been "noised abroad" for weeks as the best two-year-old trained there, and there was an eager crowd to see him in the paddock. Those who looked over the powerful, strong-quartered, biglimbed colt were immensely impressed with him,, and he quickly became a good favourite for the race. His trainer has had such smashing two-year-olds to train in the past that his standard of a good juvenile must be a very high one. A LAST-DAY SURPRISE. Mr. C. Howard, of Chichester, the former owner of Priory Park, took the King's Stand Stakes (five furlongs) with Chichester Cress (Abbott's Trace —Chatham II.). This absolute outsider beat by five lengths a field of seventeen, which included wellknown horses such as Canfield, Dark Lantern 11. (running for the second time at the meeting), and Doch-an-Doris. Mr. Howard bred and trained the horse himself on the Sussex Downs. The four-year-old had previously run eight times without being placed. Last year he was last but one in the Derby, and last in the Stewards' Cup. He is a half-brother to Priory Park. Dark Lantern (with 9.8) made an unexpected second appearance, but he did not begin well, and was beaten for speed in a such a fast affair. He finished ninth in a field of eighteen. _ Unluckily there was a false start, in which the horse was first away. Tliei event was one of the fastest run races of the meeting. Chichester Cross had never been given a thought; certainly, no one appeared to take seriously the candidature of a four-year-old that had never won a race. His part in the race was. scarcely considered until he was seen out in front, ■ streaming away from the rest as if the starter had allowed his jockey to help himself to a good start. It was an astonishing sight, and reminded racegoers of the time when Priory Park made his debut at Goodwood. On the last day Finglas ran again; and did something to redeem his reputation when he won the Alexandra Stakes of close on three miles, just as he had done a year ago. Beyond a doubt, his task was ever so much lighter than it had been on the previous day for the Gold Cup, and had ho been fresh the odds on would have beeu considerably more than tile actual return..