RACING NEWS.

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 68, 22 March 1933, Page 4

RACING NEWS.

(BY "EANGATIEA.")

A FIRST-CLASS FILLY

BRILLIANT LA MODERNE

HER RECORD AND LINES

If any horse merited success in this year's New Zealand St. Xeger Stakes it was ..the honest and consistent La Moderne.and it is little wonder that her decisive victory last Friday was very popular with the public. The St. Leger was the only main three-year-old classic in ■which she was able to avoid. Silver Scorn, who had not been entered, and it gave her the well-deserved opportunity .of placing Jier name against at least one of'the premier three-year-old "rapes-of'the season.

. La Modeine" ia' a really brilliant iilly, and she must be considered very unfortunate to have ran up ugainst such" a superlative champion ad Silver Scorn in her own je.'ir. With Silver Scorn'out of the why, she might have .wo.oyed .'.lie classic pool (for Rocket might not have liiiisued-ahead pt her in the Kew Zralaiid :Derby), -and she would then have been ranked as one of the best "three-yeiirVM'.Jiliies that had ever, raced iii the Dominion., iiven though lier merit has to an extent been dimmed by a star of superior -iMgiiUnde she is one of the brightest stars u; iirst magnitude in the Dominion's racing.firmament.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

KNOWN TO BE GOOD

The opinion that she was developing into ao outstanding performer was held by more than one Awapuni trainer prior to the New Zealand Cup Meeting. One such trainer sctually concentrated on her the little betting lie .allowed-himself .at Rict'arton,' iv'ieving she was unbeatable, and lie wag »pry much perplexed when Silver Scorn j>rovoj more than her match. Following the Derby he declared a very definite opinion that the tables would be reversed in the Oaks, but, of course, they were not. After Silver. Scorn's easy defeat of the New Ze&lnnd Cup winner, Fast 3'assaije, in ihe Canterbury Cup on the fjn.i! ony, h? was rather more a! ease that )i:% judgment after all <<>jghti not be quite so much at fitalt as he v.-^s beginning' to Le;:«v(;. , - ,''

; After that haru taehig ?.t KkcMrloß, following "a fall in .1 he. Avonusle Guineas, La iloderne's form shower? ti slight■-lapse, for Bt Feiidteg and Woodvi'Se sha appeared to liave every., chance at reasonable weights in the principal, handicaps, but registered a sequence of fourths after being well r.iacwi all the .way. A fortnight's rest followed WoodvilleJ, and ■ she was a different filly altogether at Ellerslie.

EXASPERATING RECORD,

. La Moderne had a run 'of. exasperating luck as a two-year-old last season, finishing five times on end in second place before registering.her first win',in the Pioneer Handicap at the New Zealand Cup Meeting, but beating nothing of account. I'ive more placings and a few fourths followed before she closed the : season with lier. second win in the Manawatu Stakes, surprisingly defeating Golden Wings and her strongly-supported stableiiiate, Inflation.

Severe! of her pWetl performances were in the most select company in the principal two-year old Events of the year. She ivas second 10 Lack in i/ne W.R.C. Welles3ey Stakes and C.-I.C. Welcomq.-Stakes, tlead heated .with Midinetie for third'-be-hind -Inflation - and Tea Trader in the G.N. Foal Stakes, was second beaten a ]iea,d by Tea Trader in the A.R.C. Royal Stakes, and was third "to Cricket Bat and in tbe North Island Challenge Stakes. She was also placed in several handicaps, and she "was right up behind the placed horses in the G.N. Champagne Stakes. The day prior to her Manawatu Stakes' win, however, she had failed to run into a place in the Sires' Produce Stakes, won by Midinette. !

This season she resumed racing at the Wanganui Spring Meeting in September, running second to View Halloo in the Flying Handicap at her initial, appearance. She was again second (to ,'Orapai) the next day, and ,at her third start lor the term ran another second to King's Archer in the Henderson Handicap at Avondale. She fell in the Avondale Guineas on the second day when Gold Trail came down, and, her, off kind leg swelling as a result, she had to be allowed an. easy-time for a week or so. She missed the Wellington Meeting, but her injury soon repaired itself, and her trainer was able to tune her up for the New Zealand Cup Meeting. Her record since November is now well enough known. Perhaps without the fall at Avondale she might have provided Silver Scorn with even more opposition than she did, but, of course, it,.is.only remotely likely that she would have done more ,-than that. At Feilding and Woodville she was probably -still 'feeling the, effects of the Kieearton travelling on top of the Avondale fall. Her wins at.Ellerslie were in the Queen's Plate and King's Plate* and she subsequently won the January Handicap, one mile, at Trentham in January prior to her St. Lcger success last week Her full record is as follows:—' . , Starts. Wins. Places. Stakes. At 2 years JS ■> l 0 030 At ;; years ... Xi; i • U 1300 Totals • 34 G 10 52320 La■ Moderne was bred by the late Mr. »V. G. Stead at the. Flaxmere Stud, and she was purchased as a" yearling by her present owner, Mr. A. F. Ml Symcs, of Hastings, at the dispersal sale of the stud in January, 1931,. for 525g5. • Mr. Symes was apparently not altogether satisfied that she was a ohampion _ of the first water, and he had her on the market for several months early this season. Mr; W. R. Kemball, of Wel-: hngton, would have taken her in.September, but she had a doubtful leg at the. time, and failed to pass a veterinary test. Then in January Australian buyers were nibbling, but still no- deal came off. ' It may have been purely coincidence that an earlier offspring of La Moderne's dam was named Horoscope, but Mr. Symes may now see some significance in the fact and hold on to his filly. A SUCCESSFUL FAMILY. The family, responsible for La .Moderne has been a very successful one in recent years, and among the first-class horses it lias • produced have beou JVu Moderne's fii!l : sisler, Gay •Ballerina, also Cimabue, Uieul. and Xonetle, as well as numerous .irood-class performers of the calibre of Horoscope, lUdiant Light. Gallant Light, JJeligli.t; I'rosty Muni. David's Day, Stagliuin. etc., most of whom have raced mam y m Australia, whither the lute Mr. htea.l used to send the best of his yearlines for s;i!e. • . Gay Ballerina was the best two-year-old of lier y«ar in the J).jii)iniun, tupping not only the juvenile winners' list but also the Dominion winning list in the 1928-29 reason. Her £3050 in the stake earnings for seven wins was some hundreds of pounds better than the sums, earned, during the same term by the then tlnee-year-olds Prodiee and. Nightmarch. She was jmrehased for Australia in the' middle of her .two-year-old season, but. finished the racing season here. In Australia later ou she won such races as the Tatfs Carring- ■ S» akeV\ A-T- c- Aflrian Kn<>x Staked and Boselnll Flying Handicap, also ran second to Amouiiis in'the- Rosehill Stakes bhe was returned after a long absence this Benson but failed to stage a: come-back'! .La Moderne's full lines are as follows:—

Sre: Lord Quex, bay horse sired Id Engnd. >n 1917. by Lemberg (son of Cyllene In Bend Or line), from Lady Quex, by Flnrlzel II (son. of St. .Simon and brother- to- Triple Crown winner,'Diamond Jubilee), from Gav Duchess, by Rosicrilcian (son of Beadsman) from Bonnie Kate, by Klne of Tramps " (son of \elocipede). Family No. 31. Dam-.-Lady Ball, brown mare foaled In 1910 by Demosthenes (son of St. Simon horse Desmond) from Sunlljrht (half-sister to Client and.dam of Delight, Kadlant Llsht,. Good Day' nnd Frosty. Morn), by Blrkenhead (son of Orrrie) from Bonheur (sister to Nonette winner of A.R.C. Cham);atrne,"Wamganiil Cup.and A.R.C; Easter), by Seaton Delaral .- (son of 3lelton) from Charent.e, by Noxdenfeldt (son of 3iusl<et).' Unnumbered (f) family.

The excellence of tho family is-.seen from its recordt It has no Bruce Lowe' number, but it has produced, and is still regularly producing, horses of the best class. .La Moderne. besides being n full-sister to Gay Ballerina, is n half-sister to Horoscooc (A..T.C. Nursery. V.A.T.C. Minook V-.R.C.- Farewell, «tc). The Earth, and Wedded (kept for the stud). Lady Ball, her dam, wofi races" as a two-year-old before being returned to the stud. .-. - ■ • .It is understood to be quite on the card:

that La Moderne will be seut to Sydney after the Awapuni Cup effort-today to race at the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting at faster, bneli ..a'. trip was planned with' Inflation, and the; two .three-year-olds may now' go together. Peter Pan would certainly riot look to beany harder a proposition, than bilver Scorn would be at tilerslie. ..•:. .■■;■;'■■ ■•.'•.. ■;■■•■■ ■