WELLINGTON RACES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 15, 19 January 1932, Page 4

WELLINGTON RACES

TO-MORROW'S OUTLOOK

PINE FIELD IN CUP

There is> promise of great racing on the opening day of the Wellington Racing Club's Summer Meeting at Treutham tomorrow, for the fields carded in all events are strong both in quality and in numliors, and the conditions from the public's viewpoint are likely to be ideal. The track may be rather, on the hard side, but this should mean that form will work out well and that the winners in: most cases will come from the well-favoured division.

The main attraction is the Wellington Cup, for which a fine field of the Dominion's best stayers in ' commission are carded. Nearly every horse among the acceptors has won a race recently, and both the New Zealand Cup and the Auckland Cup winners are in the field. Other attractions will be the Telegraph Handicap, for the open sprinters, and the Wellington Stakes, for two and three-yar-olds at weight-for-age. '■ •' .There Will be a regular . train service from Lambton Station to the course, the first special leaving at ■• 10.15 a.m., and being followed by trains at short intervals till 11.26 a.m. Ordinary trains leave at 8.47 a.m., 9.55 a.m.,1 and 12.15 p.m. fepecial reduced fares of 5s and 4s (including admission to the outside enclosure) are announced.

A review of. the fields and summarised prospects are appended. ; .

TRENTHAM HIGH WEIGHT,

Recent -winning form" in the Trenthani Highweight Handicap is possessed by the tbpweight, Royal Limond, also by Jayson, Banbridge, Countermarch, and In Vain, and the probable'favourite looks to be in this group. Royal Limond has evidently, come right after patient handling, and he may be one of the hardest to,beat. ■ The improvers, Banbridge and. Counter-

march; inay>be his; most serious opponents, particularly the latter, who scoietl very decisively at Oamaru carrying o\er lialf a-stone; overweight; Others with definite ... chances, "are. Royal, Songster, Retract,' Pixie Gold; Actaeori,' aiid Babel, I the.nioat likely to upset .the form horses i probably being the last-named pair, despite the. fact that they are both still maidens. /,A pair who should lace well are Royal Limond and Countermarch. WELLINGTON STAKES. Best of -the three-year-olds in the Wellington States is probably GoMen. Wings, and he' will be especially suited by the distance, as he is a great, horse away f«)m the barrier, and is very fast over the early stages o£ his races. Hv> will find plenty o£ opposition from the improving Tea Chat, but if he is defeated it is more likely to be by one of the two-year-olds, who ace strongly. represented, The younger .section have in recent years had the better success in the race, and,, although there ;is no outstanding twb-year-rold- iti .to-morrow's• jCea > Trader, La Itlodetrne, Rulatnit; - Prince Pombal, and Headlady are of quite good class, and all should go a. fepeedy five furlongs. Among them it- is not easy to . discriminate, brit on performancea Tea Trader and La Moderne may be allowed to hold the likeliest prospects. Tea Trader's Royal Stakes win was a good effort, though he beat La Moderne only by a head. A pair who will be supported are Golden Wings and Tea' Trader. T APPRENTICES'PLATE. 1 The special-weight Apprentices' -Plate * offers its usual difficult problem, and the issue is without doubt one of the most open in the day's programme. Three-year-olds have every chance in such races, but the form of Worses of the age engaged to-morrow is good throughout, and it is a- question only, of; attempting to declare;,whose is the best. Ad. Humbug, Beacon Fire, 'Grand Lahn, Rilling Light, Heremia, and Oratorian have recently been racing well, and all will be sup- • ported. Judged on the class the.y have been competing against, Beacon Fire, Heremia, and Oratorian may be accepted as possib]y: the likelibsf prospects. The older division is also strongly represented this year, and among them very definite chances must "be allowea Joie de-Val, . Princess Argosy, Ganpat, and Trek. The ,' Southern pair are worthy of note, as the Irish^bred Princess Argosy defeated a field atTEhvercargill receWly Tjy a taargin off eight lengEhs, ;.and Trek, ated a winner at that ;in&etrrig,' is Nijjhtmarch's half-sister. It loots..like one of/the three-year-olds; nowever^.and two who may be expected to make creditable showings are . Heremia and.Oratovisn.. .1. FITZHERBERT HANDICAP. The best form in the Fitzherbert Handicap is naturally held by those at the top end of the acceptance, and it looks as if the winner will come from there.

If Headlady is reserved for ".this race she will take a lot of beating, as:;lier Winning efforts at Awapuni and: Foxton-were fob good to pass by lightly .iiir'-sifite. of hef; failure in her second i'start'.it. Awapuui. Those who may pr6ve,,-lier'mqst'; sefipus. opponents are Courtyard; 'friticess; ;Bell, Late Jest, Copper King, anil' -Clangor, among whom tthe preference.Vis : for- the first pair. ■ Courtyard, won! tin.'the first day and was beaten into third place on the second day at Hastings recently,but his gallop'yesterday pointed'to.ithe efforts haying.'; improved ■ him.-. Princess Bell ran well 'through the- Ellef-s&-Meeting; ,ahd will, be1, assisted', by.having H.'Gray's :'sel>* vices.: Others with;' remoter '. chances* are MisteV Quex,- Mielfeel Atige'lb;!aiii^ArelriiU A pair who will be supported "a'rb," Head-' lady and Courtyard. ."-■■'

WELLINGTON CUP,

This year's Wellington Cup has drawn a most evenly-rnateheVl ■ Jotj 'and it is difficult toforecast .even;' v\vh6the favourite will be. .'Judged ou;the ■handicaps one of ' the best-weigh ted horses in the race, is the "New .:>teiil&nd:.toip;'.winner,Spearful, and nothing' has recently happened to conflict with the view that he is going to be. one ni: the .toughest ,to hold out of the running honour. Admiral Drake and the three-year-old's, Peter Jackson and Esteem, also read well, and they may offer,the greatest fight to Spearfui. Admiral Drake is wonderfully well at present, and it seems that he races best when fresh. His 8.8 is a handy weight, and should not trouble him. The three-year-olds are both, in at much below weight-for-age, and' it is because of this that they must appeal. Peter Jdekson has probably the better form; Credentials. Others whom the . public will' watofc include Gay -Crest, Compris, Arrow Lad, Great Star, and Jaloux, all of wfem-]iave recent successes to their creditI.* ■'-'< Weight may stop the first pair, but the .. remaining': ... three nicely placed .in this respect.'-:; Arrow Lad may do the best of' theni,: and his connections are very optimistic about his prospects. Royal Saxon and Royal Love are another southern pahvwhqi /may make a. great fight for,,the /stake under, their light imposts. Weighing 'all form one is

inclined to declaio foi Speaiful, Admhal DiaKe, ,and Peter JacLion. • ' 'ANNIVERSARY HANDICAP. ■An c\en iidld is set to contest the Ah-' niveiKaVy Handicap, and the open mile should *nrpvide its usual keen i«iee One of the favourites 13 likely to be the southerner, <3old Pit, who struck a rare patch of foim during the hohdajs, and has evidently improved a lot lately. Those who may prove of greatest menace to her aie Don Jose, Desert Song, Spear Lai, and Nightmare. • Don Jose resumed racing only at the beginning of the month, and the run evidently bi ought him on a lot, I for he has.put in some great gallops at Riccarton during the past week It will be .remembered- that ho was second m last year's Wellington Cup. Desert Song lis on the upgrade, and Spear Lad is improving every week, but Nightmare maj find the track a little too hard. Othwrft with fair chances are Ball Dress, Chrysol--085% Teller, and Minerval. Ball Dicss was at-her best this time last jcar, and hei ■winning effort recently at Tauheremkau was suggestive that she I*l approaching ■such form again. It will be a close betting race, and two who are likely to be among the elect are Gold Pit and Boa Jose. • ■■

TELEGRAPH HANDICAP,

The class in the Telegraph Handicap may not be quite so good as it sometimes is, but the material is there for a close fight. The favourite is likely to ge t *£?' tppweight, Cadland, und he cm ■pe-relied'on to' make a great showing It is m his favour that he is m at slight ly all-round better terms than he was m the Railway at Elleishc, whpie he appe.lis to have- been'unlucky not to ha\e hnished .than.; fomth. If he is defeated" those who read the likeliest to bring about his downfall aie'AnsuS, Gee ture, Autopay;, Rpjal Routine, and High C6)nedy. Arisus is a much-improved sprinter, and is .probably among the best in the land at present. Gesture has to be taken somewhat on tiust, as she has yet to prove that hei Wnuarapa effoits were more than ; a flash, but she looks better now than ever sho has. Autopay's dash in his .latest woik his bpen most impressive. Rojal Routire hcis greit speed, and High" Comedy an near his best form on the hnal dnv at Ellerslie Among the : others who will be suppoited 'are Aston, Sih'ermme, Paleuno, and Leisure. The issiic is quite open, nnd a surjjrise is possible,. but one feels inclined to>.lialt with the top pair, Cadland aiid Autopay. ,'

ruapehu Handicap.

In spite of its isiie, the Ruapehu Handicap is hardly up to the standard of the best hack sprints at Trentham, the element lacking being the presence of outstanding gallopers of the class. Betting, on this account, is certain to take a wide range, and it is unlikely that there will be any pronounced favourite. Amoug

those at the head of the handicap the principal fancy will probably be for Hampden, Solitaire 11., and Grecian Prince. The best of these may be Solitaire 11., who is one of the speediest hacks in the country, and is possibly better than is yet reahsod. The bunch among the seven stones is also full of prospects, the likeliest of whom are probably Royal Amphora, Miladi, Weatherstep, Mataa, and Niggerhead. -Royal Amphora is a tip from the handicapper off 7.4, for he has hardly been made to bear the penalty of having won thrice in succession, even though admittedly, in very ordinary class. Miladi struck form again during the holiW*. .niid'. Mataa'. was a good winner on tlie,:,West Coast, "Even with these eight horsesr named the! winner may well not . avf, bfs! n,'faentioned, so even is the form 9t ihe-field. Perhaps'the final hoist will ■include the- numbers: of JJbyal Amphora and: Solitaire 11. . .