FIRST-CLASS RACING

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 106, 7 May 1931, Page 8

FIRST-CLASS RACING

""■Ra'eing was excellent in the minor events on the opening day of the Egmont Racing Club's ..Winter Meeting yesterday, aud the finishes in the flat events were "all well contested. There were two accidents during, the. day, Kopje:being killed as a result of a'fall in the Hack Steeplechase and his rider (A. Skipper) being removed to hospital severely shaken, and the Awapuni apprentice, W. J. M'Dowell, being also badly shaken when Cuticle threw^ him on turning for. a preliminary in the Flying Handicap''-and having to be substituted by A:'.''Miicdotii(lrL ■-: ;■■.'■' : :.. ■•.--;■- A THRILLING FINISH. A. thrilling finish, was staged iv the Telegraph 3.l.ack Handicap, the first four horses passing the post practically in line,

and the result being iv doubt until the numbers wm-u hoisted. Alanifcsto shot out from the .start and early "led Criincstor, Moatoa, Orby's Choice, (Singer, Goldzone, and Derry Belle. At the straight entrance Crimestor was right up with Manifesto, who was hanging out badly, and hu came through on tiie .rail with Orby's Choice, Singer, and Derry Belle in hot pursuit. Orby's Choice shot' ■up to take charge a hundred yards from the post, but Derry Belle came .with a desperate challenge and beat him home by a head. Siuger was only another head away third, and Criinestor was a.similar distance back fourth Next came Koyul Bengal, Goldzone, Gurrick, uiuKMiss Sh.ef.

' Tlie winner, who was eighth favourite at'well over double figures, is a four-year-old .mare by 'Mountain Knight from the Quinh . Abbey 'mare Mystical Hose, and she is owned and trained by Mr. L. G. liutler, of Manumii. Early in the season she won a division ( of a maiden race at Dannevirke, but until she reappeared at Marto'n last week she had .done practically M> racing since::.' She was. ridden an cxceV.ont race by K. Voitrc, who obtained the mount only shortly before the horses were. saddled up. .Orby's Choice, who was ridden by 11. Gray, and was favourite, looked a winner a hundred yards from the post, and he had everything except the winner at his mercy at the end. Crimcstor was weakening at the finish, but he had been kept up to the bit all the way. Singer again ran without any of the luck. Moatoa did not finish on after being prominent to the straight. WINTER DAY'S SURPRISE. There was a turn-up in,the Hack Steeplechase, "Winter Day, a live-year-old gelding by Winterbourne from a maru by Ulioorka, winning after v- good exhibition of jumping and paying nearly a score. Kopje, who was trained by A. IU. Wright, the owuer-tra'uier of Winter Day, was easily twenty lengths in, front at the second-to-last fence (a. hencoop) and was a certain victor with a stand up, but when hu fell VVinter JJay, who had followed him practically all tlie way, was left eieur in charge, and he stuck on to ivin comfortably by two lengths from Kowhatu, who was linisliing veiy last. i<'ivo lengths further away was (Jail Again, withKaokaproa.rjght..iijj, Day Luss and Fiduciary, also completed the course. ! ■ ■ , ' , Kopje b.roke his neck wheu he- fell."' His jumping to the point had been excellent, (jilt he failed to dear the top of .tuu heiicoop. Had he managed the course he '-must have won by at: least twenty lengths.. His rider (A. Skii^per) lay stuhued bn the ground after tliu crash, and wus-reilioved. uy ambiiJancu to tlio hospital. I Jluin Jaue was the oulyjuth'ur liorse to fall,', coming down, at tho; poist-and-rails, the second obstacle in the course. Her rider . :'(M. Aloran) had: his shoulder .- ."dislocated. Kowhatu, • the favourite,., was kept. in a 'rearward' position! early, and was hut called oil for hitrelfort till nearly halt a milo from home. From that point he came . very, strongly, and was closing on the leader last at the finish. His performance was easily the most promising in the contest, and he will be very hard to ibeat next time he starts in a hack steeples. Call Again and Kaokaoroa. jumped safely and should improve. ORAPAI VERY EASILY. ;, Orapai wou' the Elyiug Handicapl practically from-end to end, and, although the margin ia his favour at the finish wiis less" thau , a. length,'".there was more, in the success '■' thau ' that. 'He was' one of the most promising of the season's three-year-old sprinters, arid is probably the best son yet left by the Absurd horse Thespian. In the. race he led Chief Link, Blue l Japer, Kidgemouut, Cuticle, Kichtield, and Gold Dawn to the straight, and in. the"run home easily withstood chalJenges. Kidgeihouiit linished strongly for second money; with Kichlicld a neck behind'him,1 ahead of the fast-Jiuishirig Koyal Eiuanco.: Next were Chief Link, Gold Dawn, Hopwood, /and 'Green 'Linnet. Orapai. was always favourite, and the price he paid was not much bettor tliuti evens. Gold Dawn and Chief Link, the next in popular-fancy, were well enough placed early to win, but neither was good eiiougli. . il\idgemouut, at a much better p'ncolbaii^tho winner, fan with his cuslipjiiiij'y':co]ifeis<lcncyi btit again struck somoithliig too gooiiior/him. Kichfield Went his .-'Vest rucb'; fpr isoiiierthuo. Koyal Finance ■Ssreturiiiiig. •iohlp'i'm.vaiid it will, probably : pay to l^iiicnibei'lrei'; . '" 'DIVIDEND.OF THE DAY. Gufliiuppoi-;is;.a-good hack on his day, ami whon lie is successful his followers iisuully collect a good price. It was his 'day '.in.'.:thp:.Xawhiti Hack Handicap, and the. dividend; he returned was over a third of a-'ceutury-.- Actually he was-rank out-sid6r,;jofi,jthe-.'fiel.d-.-:of eleven, with only ;£ls;;iny'ested .on.his. chance. He ( led from ■the - release;1 of tlie tapes, and, urged to do his. utmost',by..:-his: youthful rider, the. Hastings apprentice, A. Macdonald, he responded gamely in the straight and hung on just long enough to hold out Takahue, Crenna Town,.and Little Doubt, who finished in. that order right up. alongside him, with only heads separating the quartet. Merry Melody was next, also finishing fast, -and i after him -came Malahat, Green Patch, and .Corwen,'who all failed in'the run home/v-:i :•:;:,;. :. The start was. a very ■ ragged one, and two horses - wliose .prospects practically disappeared at" the dispatch were Banbridge and:Bon:Eve. ■ Malahat," a somewhat better favourite than Little- Doubt, had every chance had he been .good enough Little Doubt, as usual, was not sighted till the closing stages, but he came through strongly. Bear the end. On the other hand, Crenna Town, who was ridden by the hurdle horseman, IT. Foster, was much better placed throughout -the - race than he often:.-is,- and'.'hatf-wuy. down the straight itiooked as though he was going to be successful. Takahue was alongside Crcuna Town practically all the way and finished more" stoutly over the last few yards.