THE WHYTE HANDICAP

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 8, 9 July 1931, Page 6

THE WHYTE HANDICAP

I+EAVY GOING 'IS LIKELY

HORSES GOOD IN MUD

The Whyte Handicap, the principal tint race on the opening day of the Wellington Racing Club's Winter Meeting, lias a history or., only -five- .years, though prior- to 192G there was often a mile flat race on • the opening day. I« lOi'i there wan such a. race, known as the Members' Handicap j there was none in 1924; in 1023 there was a-rnile race known as tho "Welcome Cup; - in 1922 it was. called the Charity Cup, and there .was again no mile event in 1021, Tri 192G(itnd 1027 the race was'named the Why to-Memorial Handicap, . The record of the mile race since-it was ■resumed tinder changing iu-:-;l(t's, that year called the Members' Handicap, shows that in-the six contests f ouly, one favourite has been,'successful. ■; That WHS , Paddon, with O.iO, in" "1020. I»-the ' previous year the winner, Black Mint, 10.7, was Second favourite, and Inst year s victor, Best .Friend, 9.0, l was also second i favourite. The favourite in 1928 was Nukuniai, 10,7, wlio 'finished•. second, "and last year it was Mondip, 10.0, who was third. In 102 V Nukuinai. 9.12, won when fourteenth favourite, ami the thirteenth favourite, Queen Arch, 0.0, was second, the favourite, Master Doon, 10.5, being implaced. The year previous the winner turned up in tho eighth favourite, Kapler, ,1.0, with the thirteenth. favourite; Rmicx, 'J.VA, ■ second, and the favo.uritc,. Passionate, 9,5, third, Passionate, 9.0, at tweltth favouritism, had been" successful, a year earlier, when the-race, was galled the Members' Handicap, the sixth favourite, Potoanui, 9.0, having been second, and the favourite, Zircon, 10.2, unplaced. THIS YEAR'S RACE.

In this year's race it is not easy to name tho- probable' -favourite, particularly as the going -is now almost certain tobe heirvy. Thoro are several-who will be snipported, :' and among the number are Taiioriri, Royal ' Saxon (if reserved), Mount Boa, J.own -Major, Kahikatoa, Mahora, Ephialtes, XLittle Doubt, -..Red Ron, and Rascal. . Taneriri; Mount Ron, and Ephialtcß appear .-■' .at present to bait-he ruling selections..': : '.-' Taneriri'H claim for support hinges on ' his good form prior to and at the Auck'Viand Winter Meeting, and also to the fact /. that H. Gray,, who rode Best Friend to i victoryv.in thp race last-year, will;.bo in the: saddle.: Ho was favourite for . thp ' Cornwall Handicap, one and a quarter '. ; . miles, in which ho finished right un fourth; 'then ho won the King George Handicap, - -seven furlongs, on the second day, and, with 10.10, he was second to Valroe in ■'-.' the York Handicap on the final day;.. He ..-•■ has a big task before, him to., win-with ''10.11 inthe heavy going that isteaw almost V sure to prevail on Saturday, and "it, is .unlikely that ho will now go out:, among the first two or three in public, esteem.'

Royal Saxon has been racing .success- ■ fully from six furlongs to beyond,,'a mile ■this winter, but his best distance iisgen- ■',' erally conceded to he the sprint.: ..He is ■: also in the Stewards' Handicap,-.six i.ur- .'•■■ longs, and this is the event in-, which lie ' : will probably bo found taking : hisv jdace. :'- Nevertheless should, ho start in-the Whyte .-';" Handicap he has to be ranked •among.the ft prospects, for ho rarely goes -.a..,ba,d.race, '< and moreover ho is stated to ; be iin- evfen ft. better form than Ije has been ut'anyio'ther ' part of the season, ft-ft'ft' ":■''. '.'.'■ Mount Boa has now .become..a "regular ," "visitor to Wellington meetings,"-aiid he is ■' very popular with tho public, ', Helms at-. '•'■ tended the three meetings so far;held-tliife season, and in January was twice second 'over miles. During the last month lie ; has been twice successful, in tho principal race, run over a mile, on tho second day :; at AVingatui, and a" fortnight'later': in a , sis-furlong race at Wnshdykc. He is'right *t home on a heavy, track,- and with a, 'ft"better run than he has sometimes received >', at Trentham he is likely to bo up in the firing lino when : tho main tussle ; starts, ft' His chance, if'anything, reads somewhat •:, better than that of any of those above ; • him in the weights. "ft Town Mapor was at top form at the \ .'• last Wellington Winter Meeting, and ho proved then that he was up to the best • • open winter class by contesting tho Winter I. Oats on the final day and just failing by ■' a half head to beat Taboo. He returned i- to the winning fold at Rivertoh at Easter, 'and although he has failed twice since thero will be many willing to manifest their faith'in him again this week. The going will also suit him, and it will not surprse to find him producing ono of his very, best efforts. If- he does ho will not ft be far away at the finish. Kahikatoa revealed his form by his con- ';■' sistent showings during the past-fort'- , night in Hawkcs Bay. Ho won the Stewards' Stakes, one mile, at Napier Park,, carrying 9.8, and at his next start, ■ after a bad beginning, finished strongly , out of a place in the Heretaunga Handi-i ■■■;. cap, six and a half furlongs, at Hastings last Thursday. Then on Saturday, carry ft ing 10,2,- and-again losing ground at the start, he was beaten only by Manifesto in 1 the Pinal Handicap, six.and a half fur.ft longs. However, ho is only a three-year-..old, and 10.1, or even 9.10 if his recent .rider, tho apprentice C. Elers, is again put up, may be just too .much for him in the going that is likely to be encountered. MAHORA AND EPHIALTES. The next two on the list, Mahora and Ephialtes, are sure to be among the best backed. candidates. ' Between them preference must be for tho four-year-old, ; 3fahor'a. Ephialtes decisively beat his year older rival in the Raukawa Cup at Otaki recently, but on the second day of that meeting, with 31b the better of the ..; weights, and over nine furlongs, Maliora was just as decidedly superior. Now he ;■'. meets, Ephialtes at 41b worse terms, but ho is.-a better constitutioned horse and it: is believed that ho will again prove more than the three-year-old's match. . Both horses can handle bad going, as they demonstrated at Otaki, and Ephialtes may : be the, better between 'them in this"ro-| -' spect; but .Mahora has experience, age, and solidity on his side to offset any small J ft advantage Ephialtes may thus have, and he has already impressed 'as-a horse of whom the best has yet to be seen. Little Doubt, a four-year-old son of Antagonist, has been one of the most discussed horses in the race since the weights appeared, and, although he has : receded somewhat over the first few days in the market, nevertheless it. is freely anticipated that he will go a fine race. He was unlucky not to have done better than fourths at his two starts at Ellerslie, and subsequently in his only two -rates ,;. .since he won very easily on both days at the Waikato Meeting. The mile and a . quarter of the Parliamentary Handicap on the second day may suit him better than the mile on Saturday, because he does not always go too well at the beginning of his races; yet it would be very risky to leave him out; of Saturday's calculations. On. the track'this morning he looked a picture of fitness. Red Boa, a candidate from the South, , has been performing well recently,'and he will also have a measure of support. Carrying 9.1 in the 7.13 minimum Winter Handicap, one mile, at tho Dunedin Meeting, he scored comfortably, and in his last two starts be has been second and third respectively. He also excels in heavy going, and with his relatively light weight he is likely to be running on when several of his more heavily burdened opponents have had enough. Another prospect among the lightweights is the consistent Rascal, a veritable mudlark, but also a good performer on any winter track. In his last five starts Rascal has been four times second and once fourth; and last Saturday,' at Oamaru, it was only in the last stride that he succumbed to Glenrowan after having to make all of his own running.] The track at Trentham should suit, him, and as he has been improving for some time he should be capable of producing a much better effort than he did in his races at the meeting last year. ■ ' ....-■ The rain that has fallen has .playeel into the hands of those who know-how''to handle a very heavy track. As it is now certain that firm going is out of the question, for Saturday, the wisest present choice may, prove to be for Mahora,: Mount 800, Bphia^^ittle^l^Lb r t,4To.sni''3§ijor; andißaseuljj .-..--..--.

tho four-year-old,