DECISIVE VICTORIES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 92, 20 April 1931, Page 4

DECISIVE VICTORIES

SATURDAY'S MINOR RACES

KOZAN IN GREAT FORM

Although victory in all the minor events at the Hawkcs JUay Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting on-Saturday was decisive, the finishes. nevertheless were not without thrill, iiiitl the public-' was on most occasions: in -suspense till the very closing stages of the races. A feature of the clay's racing' was the double victory of Kabbi's half-brother, Kozan, who, as a result, has now lifted-himself out of hack class. There was no occasion for inquiry during the day. . BETTORS START BADLY. Kirkbeek, who had not raced since he contested the . Napier Steeplechase last winter, opened the day's sport in the Mangatarata Hurdles Handicap with a sharp surprise for bettors, lor the price he returned was; over double figures, lhere were constant changes early in the race, but Birkbeck went to the front just alter the field entered the back, ami it was not long in being evident .that only a fall could bring about:his undoing. Timbridge and iiymgreat were some distance away from him at the last fence, and once over he went onto beat'Hynigreat by six lengths, with two ■ lengths back to Tunbridgc. Princes;; Jii'i.zalicHi was a. poor fourth, lollowed by Caflaniart, Kopje,' and Money Mint. :-. i ;.' ■' Hy.uigrca't," a. firm .favourite, might have troubled the winner had he not been allowed to drift over the early stages of the race; However, it is very doubtful if he could have beaten him, in any ease. Tunbrldge, also well supported, was never far from the front, and the race will improve him.' ' Ex- Dono, Spcaropa, and Kopje were the horses, following Birkbeck at the second-to-last fence, but they all made bad. jumps, and. any chance that they liad vanished. Lncrctia, last at the time,"-blundered .and fell at the same fence. Callamart, wlieii a place possibility, did riot measure the last fence correctly, and crashed through the top, but did not fall. Princess Elizabeth will bear remembering. . . KOZAN'S FIFTH WIN. In view of his recent excellent form, Kozan,. the-..brilliant half-brother by. Tea Tray to.ltabbi, was sent out at a surprisingly good .price;..iu the Poukawa Hack Handicap^-a : nd::ttiqge: who; held to his worth were, well:-i'ewaVded, for he.won decisivolyt: 'ia'dyv'.Ko.Bald, led on .to the course: proper-.from;vKozan;- False Scent, Ephialtes,: Glen "Kpssic/'-Wallaruh,.Blacksmith, and Tobacpolahd, bii.t Koz.au hit the front just beyond the- false rail, and thereafter always had the race won.. He. did not appear to. be fully extended to take1 victory by three-parts of a length from Glen Kossie, who ' finished" strongly along ' the rail, after being disappointed earlier,' to beat Lady,fepnald f6f' second money by a head. Ephjalte's was' a moderate fourth, ahead ' of- Wallaruh, ■ Blacksmith, Lady Rene,:Leyland,:; False. Scent; Tobaeeoland, and'.\Kin}gchV:.'.::.■'-'■,• ;. '' \ ... " ' • It' was: -somewhat unexpected, to tain Epnialtes'beiiig ;made : A 300-ticket: better favourite than--'Kozanj but he showed/ although defeated, that the support was not altogether astray. : Glen Eossie,. also confidently backed, did. not have quite so good a run as the winner, but it "was not that so much as the winner's definite superiority that kept first stake out of his reach. Wallaruh, awkwardly placed behind the leaders /early, could, not' use an opening when oiie :did ; present" itself, but he is capable of a" better effort than this. RICHBOROUGH COMFORTABLY. Iticliboroughjthe full-brother to Tenterdon, who'won the'Hawkes. Bay Stakes, has had plenty pf,. experience this season, and this was one of the factors that stood to his "stead in the Nursery Handicap. He was sent out more than half as well again supported as anything else in the race, and he.amply justified the confidence plated in.'him.' ;:Acis was , the first to show out, and -led: . Richborough, Gay Court,,' Movietone, Parkland, Innuendo, and • Zeebrugge on: tb: the course proper. Richbotbngh- challenged just past the false rail, and, after gaining the upper hand at the distance; Tame "OTi to beat Gay Court by a, length, with Acis weakening into third place :ih the last strides. Zeebrugge finished Very frtst into fourth place, just ahead of Innuendo and Movietone, with Waratah, Parkland, and Granado next. Richborough has now won three two-year-old races this season, and he has been placed on several .other occasions. Appearance and .performance point to his turning; Out: -probably a better racehorse than .the useful Tenterden, and he is likely to take;:a':-deciding part in the shorter three-year-pld . i'aces_; next season. • Two others to give the impression of being above^average class-.were Gay_ Court and Zeebrngge. Gay Court, who paid more for second than, the winner, showed great determination when he tackled Acis, and he: wore him down in manner that indicates 'definite staying possibilities. On the other hand, Zeebrugge finished with a great butßt-of speed, and his best distance may • prby.e vto be-somewhat shorter than the longest -journeys. .. SPEARFUL HITS FORM. The Sun attempted to win the Highweight Handicap from end to' end, but he had not quite the ability to carry the gamble through; and he was beaten into third place at the end. Spearfiil, who has been out of the dividends since he won a double brilliantly' at Marton at the New Year, but whose, showings •at Feilding recently indicated that he. was returning to form, put in a dazzling run', along the outside of the field.in the. straight, and quickly'settled The.Sim, and when Cessation came -.at hini'later he- had plenty in reserve to. hold her off, though for a moment it looked'as though his rider (G. Ridgway) was going to be caught off the alert. Spearful ran an excellent race all the way, and he. fully deserved the win, for he 'was off the course at the straight entrance, and Ridgway had some trouble in bringing-him back. Cessation began her improvement from the half-mile, and over the final furlong she finished over everything-, except the winner. Best among the 'others were Peep, Zephyrus, Conjurer 11., Air Laddie, and Saltpot. The favourite was Cessation, who showed again- just how good is her present form, but she-struck something in exceptional galloping mood in the winner. She is likely to turn out a worthy sister of Stanchion, and good races appear to be well within her reach next season. The Sun reproduced his recent track form, but it was not. quite to a standard to match against the pair who beat him. This was the best race he has run since being trained at Trentham. Saltpot went well to the straight, but failed to finish on. Spear Lad caught the tape in his mouth at the start and very nearly came down, but afterwards ho ran a particularly fine race without ever having a chance of being iv the money. . . KOZAN WINS AGAIN. Backers made no mistake with Kozan in the Akitio Hack Handicap, and they sent him out a firm favourite, though the support also accorded Tea Queen resulted in his dividend being quite a fair one. The conditions of. the race did not make provision for the winner of an earlier event being penalised, or rehandicapped, and he thus started at his originally declared handicap... He led on to the course proper from -Tea Queen, Ephialtcs, Eminent, ' lloyal -Bengal, Little Thrush, and False Scent, and in. the run down to the post nothing had a chance with'him, the margin in his favour-at. the end being two lengths over Tea Queen, with a neck back to Ephialtes. Eminent was a poor fourth, and Royal Bengal, Nimble, Master of Arts, White Doe, and Hystride • followed. Kozan has now won six races, and with this success he left hack ranks. His rise has been almost phenomenal, for he had his first race less than two months ago. It was a coincidence on Saturday that he drew the rail..each.start. T-ca Queen and Ephialtes boUi Vveht: excellently, and they had everything except the winner well beaten. Eminent showed a lot of pace in the straight, but he was not pushed for 'his best at the end. Nimble finished

strongly, and so did Master of Art?, White Doe, and Hystridu. 'Little"Thrush and K.'ilse Scent, who drew wide marbles, could not sec the race through, while Bnskier, usually a fast beginner, was never sighted.