A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE

Evening Post, Issue 113, 10 November 1930, Page 6

A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE

«GHEST WEIGHTED WINNER FOR 54 YEARS

- _, (By Telegraph.—From "Rangatira.") 1 CHRISTCHURCH, BLh Novembei. fti The hottest favourite cj*.cept Noctuiform evci to ha\c gone out i«-. - foi a New Zealand Cup, Nightmarch, tiiumphed in one of the greatest contests that have yet heen fought for the historic prize, and there was the wildest acclamation when he came home the s^; winner at Riccaiton. to-day after one of the most brilliant peif ~ formances of his whole caieei. :'.( His victory was lemaikable in many ways, and he had emulated ■and. equalled the perfoitnance of Sasanof in winning the Melbourne and New Zealand Cups in successive yeais, with the "' honours all on his side, because he was much more heavily bui- #, dened, He had carried the biggest weight to victory since Guy Vy Fawkes won in 1876, when the race had the less pretentious title C t of the Canterbury Jockey Club Handicap. He had given his sire, of" Night Raid, the honour of being the first horse to have siied the /s,.' winner of the two big November Cups in the same year, and, of /■; less note, he had given the lie to the belief that so many possessed ;7 that his fruitless chasing of Phar Lap had had a deleterious effect on his constitution. His time was just a fiaction faster than Phar ', r *! • Lap's in the last Melbourne Cup. Nightmaich has won £27,948 in -: ' slakes, which places him fourteenth in the list of Commonwealth and New Zealand winners. Befoie the meeting closes he may go up ahead of Trivahe and Manfred, who die only a few pounds „-.> -ahead, of .him. He impioves the wondciful lecord of Maitian in """• the Cup, for his dam (Maisa) is a Martian mare. Martian himself j ■ sired winners in Warstep, Aidenvhor, Menelaus, Sasanof. Vagabond. -{- ; and Royal Star.

In the race My Own was early leader from Gay Crest and Black Mint, but after passing the stand Black Mint ran, to the }~, .front and led Giy Crest, My Own, Desert ,-' Glow, Merry Damon, Count Palatine, * !3Tightmarch, Concentrate, Star Stianger, • Frodice, In the Shade, Dtfellona, and •^ C'fcu^agcous. Prodicc and Concentiate ■", v improved at this stage, and passing the - she furlongs weie up ahead of Nightmarchy * , who was dropping back momentarily to y i get clear of those ahead. Blacjj Mint -r- -withdrew at the- half mile, and-Gay Crest '''- arid-Prodice led into the 'straight from Count Palatine, Courageous, In the ' Shade, My Own, Concentrate, and Xight- "'■ march (wide out). Concentrate and "J Jsightiharcji were now doing jt better than v, - any of the otheip, and drew away at the *.',, distance, Jfightmarch wealing his rival \v down tp win by half a length, In the •- <■ Shade was two 'lengths furthei aw a}, a i<j ]6ngth in front of Courageous, with My c-~'Oyfn close up, and Gay Crest, Count Pala--4i tine, Duellona, Star Strangei, Merry Damon, Desert Glow, 3?rodice, and Black t . Mint in that oider. ' xc ,X]ghtmarch. paid well under even t ; money. In tno Shade and Count Palatine were evenly backed nest, with Merry y Damon, pot carrying liaJf. as much as t ,'either. Concentiate returned four times lather pi ice that the winner did. In tho Shade and Courageous^ Tooth 'finished '"' and My Own was far from disgraced, but Gay Orest, Count Palatine and ''■=■ Jleiry Damon failed to stay as well as " their connections expected. Prodice was also disappointing, for she did muck beti" ter last year. Concentrate's forward run- - mfig was surprising m view of his Tientliam effort, but stamjna stood to his """ steati at the end. Half way" down the straight it looked as though he might pull >rj -off victory, but Xightmai'ch showed su- * preme gameness over the final half-fur-j 1 }png, and Concentrate could not withstand - him. Nevefthelesa it was £ highly meri- ,- tonous performanoe on the pait of the -, Treotham horse.