COPEY STOOD RIGHT OUT

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 105, 6 May 1933, Page 21

COPEY STOOD RIGHT OUT

GJ. STEEPLES PROSPECT

SIDELIGHTS ON HAWERA

Horses claiming important engagements at the A.X.C. Great Northern Meeting at Ellerslie next month showed up at the delayed opening of the Egmont Kacing Club's winter fixture on Thursday, no less than eight horses eligible for what is known as the Great Northern treble finishing in places. It was a very interesting day's sport for those racing enthusiasts who are able to look far ahead. Furthermore, it indicated the importance of the Egmont Winter Meeting as the jumping-off fixture for the strenuous end of, the season campaign, towards the close of which big •weights have to be carried through very sodden turf. WINNERS ALL ROUND. That the form last Thursday was illuminating in a Great Northern connection is evident from the fact that candidates for the Great Northern Hurdles, Great Northern Steeplechase, and Cornwall Handicap were returned winners. Consent set the ball rolling by clearing out and winning the Tongahoe Hurdles from end to end. He led at one stage by a dozen lengths, and passed the post six lengths ahead of the nearest horse. Consent carried 10.3 on Thursday; he has 0.1 in the Great Northern Hurdles. Then two races later, Copey scored a very clear-cut decision in the Egmont Steeplechase, giving a fine display that caused many to think that he will go very close to repeating his last year's success in the Great Northern Steeplechase. He had 10.6 at Hawera, which is 31b more than he was awarded in the valuable Ellerslie cross-country event next month. HACKS IN THE CORNWALL. It was rather strange to find that Aga Khan, winner of the principal handicap at Hawera, was never entered for the A.X.C. Cornwall Handicap. Yet there were two Cornwall aspirants who succeeded in getting on the winning list on Thursday,'these being the very promising hacks Beacon Fire and Fairway. Aga Khan defeated the Cornwall Handicap entrant Carfex rather comfortably, although the actual winning margin was but a head. Another satisfying success was that achieved by" Beacon Fire over Instalment

in the five furlongs hack event, the former scoring very comfortably. Then again Fairway accounted for Pango in similar fashion. In the case of Fairway it may be a case of .history foiling to repeat itself. Twelve months ago this hack won a valuable hack event at Marton, and was then labelled for the Cornwall Handicap. Unfortunately he went wrong, and he was riot "produced" again: Until' the Feilding Meeting last month. Then Fairway finished a good second to Takakua, and going on to Marton he won the same hack cup event that he had captured twelve months earlier/ Now he has won at Hawera again, and in his present form one could not altogether designate an important race like the Cornwall Handicap as being beyond his reach. FIT FOR GREAT NORTHERNS. From all of which it will be gathered that there was plenty to interest in the racing on the opening day at Hawera. In addition to the horses already named there was Callamart, who finished third in the Hurdles and held out indications that he would be a very fit horse for the two Great Northerns—Hurdles and Steeples. - Then there was Okopua, whose good second to Callamart at Marton indicated that he might be a good lightweight to .be kept in mind for the big event over the hill at Ellerslie; He was nearly down at the second to last fence in the Egmont Steeplechase, and when he actually filled third berth it Was as a broken-down horse. His case may be a serious one, so he cannot enter into serious caculations for the Great Northern Steeplechase. Jayson was going along very nicely when he crashed at the half-mile post, and he was sore when he picked himself up. Fine Acre, from the same stable as Okopua, gave a rare exhibition for a horse having his first outing over the big fences, and .it may not be long before he salutes the judge. While probably not quite up to the standard of Okopua, he has very bright prospects as a 'chaser. The Cornwall Handicap candidate Seatown (twice winner of the big Ellerslie flat race) was going well half a furlong from the winning-post on Thursday, and .with track conditions becoming worse all the time he way prove himself something better than a has-been. • All the horses mentioned above impressed on Thursday in an Ellerslie connection, but undoubtedly the outstanding equine personality was Copey. It is not often that a horse wins a race of the importance of the Great Northern Steeplechase twice on end, but Copey is recommended as one likely to accomplish this feat.