NOTES AND COMMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 91, 14 October 1931, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(BY "RANGATIEA").

RECORD TIME MADE

EPHIALTES AND PAHU

OTAKI ON SATURDAY

A point that .generally escaped notice *t the Otaki Meeting on Saturday was that the time returned for the nine furlongs of the dead-heaters, Ephialtes and Pahu, in tha Teone Makitonore Memorial Stakes was a record for New Zealand, and was only a quarter of a second slower than the Australian record held by Fuji San. Fuji San covered the distance in .Imin 49% see at Ascot, Queensland, and .■Ephialtes and Palm on Saturday did it in Imin Msec. Taking a line through Saturday's other times, the performance of the .dead-heaters was rather remarkably brilliant.

Nino furlongs is not a common journey in either Australia or New Zealand, the mile and a distance being preferred, and no official record for the Dominion is kept by the compilers of the "New Zealand Turf Register." ■As far as can be ascertained, the previous best time in the Dominion was luiin 52sec, which stands to the credit of the then four-year-old Oratrix, carrying 7st 51b, in* the Liverpool Handicap on the third day o£ the .1927 Manawatu Slimmer Meeting. The figures she-improved were those of Vagabond, who, as a. four-year-old in' WlO and carrying Sst (ttalb, registered lmiu 52 2-5 sec in the Autumn Handicap at the Alanawatu Autumn Meeting. Both these performances were on fast tracks.

In Australia an official record is kept for nine furlongs. Gloaming was for many years the holder of the honour as the result of his Chelnisfqrd Stakes victory at the Tatters-all's Spring Meeting in 1018, when, as a three-year-old and carrying tist 101b, he ran the distance in lmin 52sec. Fuji San shortened the. figures to lmin 4fl?isec in the Koyal Stakes at the Queensland Turf Club's May Meeting in 1920. He was four years old at the time, and carried Bst 111b. The going was very fast. Ephialtes must take the honours of Saturday's record performance, as ho was carrying 7st 121b against Palm's 7st 51b, and appeared to be doing it the better at the finish. ' Moreover, Ephialtes is only four years old, whereas Pahu is six years old. It was nevertheless owing to.Palm's breaking away from the others between the half mile and three furlongs that the last time was made. Ephialtes would not have been sent along at the point if Pahu had not forced the pace. While the figures will probably not be officially accepted, they are instructive as showing that Saturday's field could not have indulged in any idling on the way. The chance of at least one favoured candidate was spoilt by the pace.