N.Z. CUP HANDICAPS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 75, 26 September 1933, Page 4

N.Z. CUP HANDICAPS

AUTOPAY'S HIGH POSITION

REASON FOR HIS RATING

No more intriguing .list of handicaps makes its appearance in the Dominion each year than that'for the New Zealand; Cup, premier: distance honour to be attained during the season, and this year's assessments have been more eagerly awaited than ever, because, besides the individual'handicapping, there has been the mystery of what horse would set the- obligatory 9.0 mark for the moderately-performed field engaged. Mr. J. E. Henrys has selected 4utopay, and he has rated him so far above the best of the others that one might now wonder how there ever could have been any doubt about what horse would be at the top. Still there were many prepared to see Autopay assessed little, if any, higher as a potential two-miler than some of the proved stayers in the field—and,. whatever may haye1 been written,, there are definite stayers of more than mean ability engaged, even though such horses may not be stamped with the hall-mark of champions. Considering that Autopay failed so miserably in February in the mile and a half Dunedin Cup, won by Silver Scorn, being the very first horse to be beaten and finishing'last of the eleven runners, it is really a little breath-catching to find him now so superiorly rated over his New Zealand Cup opposition. A comparison with the weights awarded some of the other Dunedin Cup runners, is all that is required to be made to reveal how clearly Mr. Henrys has refused to be drawn into possible blunder with one of the only horses of class in the New Zealand Clip field. The Dunedin handicapper (Mr. A. L. Canter) took a risk, which was noted at the time,, in setting Autopay on 8.7, for a

t Trotting Notes and Handicaps < J ► Will -be Found on Pa.ge 14. * '

month earlier lie had won the Wairarapa Cup, IV* miles, under 8.13, in good time. Autopay won really well at Tauherenikau, but lie had had the li<ck, pmadomal as it might seem, to be left, and thcietoie of being able to bo kept in restraint till the closing section. His being left was probably the main factor contributing to his success. The running of the Dunedin Cup gave the needed proof of this, for, after holdiDg a prominent early position at-Win-gatui, he failed completely to stay. Mr. Canter must; now be given credit for correct analysis of the Wairarapa race. But Mr. Henrys, who was at Tauherenikau and witnessed it, apparently still believes that "real staying possibilities were then shown by Autopay. WORSE TERMS NOW. Reverting to the Dunedin weights, Autopay was assessed 161b above The Smuggler, 131b above Shatter, 141b above Jaloux, 81b above Great Star, and 161b above Mount Boa. The Smuggler finished second, Shatter third, Jaloux fourth, Great Star seventh, and Mount Boa tenth. In the New Zealand Cup Autopay has lo concede these opponents respectively 201b, 111b, 281b, 141b, and 231b, so that he is now asked to meet all except Shatter (favourite for the last New Zealand Cup, though he failed, be it noted) at definitely worse terms. All the hoises mentioned, excepting Autopay, have given evidence of being able to stay, and, \iewcd from this aspect, Autopay appeals hatdly to li.iyo ueen handed any enthusiastic invitation to attend. One, however, cannot find any serious inconsistency in Mr. Henrys's own handicapping of Autopay. Mr. Henrys was the Waina-apa adjuster, and there he asked Autoiiay to concede 271b to Eminent (who finished second), ,161b to Retract (third), and ,21b to~Cluny (fourth). In the New Zealand Cup the respective concessions to these three horses ore 211b, 201b, and 221b. Eminent subsequently won the Taranaki Cup and Wanganui Handicap, and those efforts necessarily affected his New Zealand Cup weight. Retract has been a disappointing horse for some time past, and he has become justifiably entitled to a small easing 'off'in his handicaps. Cluny has been' slipped down a lot, but at Tauherenikau he was weighted for his win over Fast Passage in the Wellington Handicap (11 furlongs) in the" spring, a performance that subsequently . has been proved tohave been probablyrather lucky, and theiefore not meriting overdue attention. BUT BRED TO STAY. Autopay, in spite of his Diuiediu Cup showing, is moreover bred along hues that suggest staying possibilities, and it seems obvious that'"Mr. Henrys has considered this factor too in assessing him so highly as he has. It is only inference through tlje Dunedin Cup that leads to the possible conclusion that he is, not a stayer, but such inference by itself, especially when there is definite contradiction irom the Waira-rapa-Cup, must be dangerous to accept as anything like conclusive prdof of a general proposition that the horse cannot i possibly win long-distance races. . | The fact that Autopay is by Paper Money, of course, doea not necessarily relegate him to the sprinting class. Paper Money himself was third in Grand Parade's Derby, and his sire, Greenback, was second beaten a neck in Lemberg's Derby.. xVt the stud, when suitably mated, j he has sired horses who could manage a distance of ground successfully, among 1 them being Circulation, Pink Note, Over- ■ drawn, Moutoa Treasury, Cashier, and Otairi. Overdrawn ran third in Count j Cavour's Cup, qn<i Pink Note was among the favourites for the' Cup in one of the years he started. ' Still brilliance rather than .staying ability is admittedly usually the maik of the Paper Moneys. The point that- arise* with Aiilopuy is whether his dam (Xrcbclli IT) Ims been such a suitable mate as1 might result in a staying offspring. The evidence of her pedigree is certainly that she could be. Sbpra, her first offspring, left Reonui, who could stay, and more recently Smother daughter of Trebelli 11,-- Toti dal Monte, has given us the brilliant Rebel Song, winner of the last Great Easter and probably a good thing beaten into second place in the Great Autumn. Close inspection of Trebelli's pedigree is_ even "_more: enlightening. - This mare is nicked-.in' her linesb'somewhat' : sinvilarly td.England's great stayer. Brown; Jack; Browjv Jack is :by Jackdaw, a. son ■'■ of Thrush, and Trebelli II is by Thrush hiinr. self. "Now looking'-J at the distaff side-i Qucrquidella, the darii of Brown J^ack j: has a i>afernal: line -of St."Simon; and so has Trebelli1 ;11, whose dam (Dramatfca) is by St. Simon. /The resemblance does' not end. here,, either, for Querquidella's dam (Garganey) is '{ by, Tragedy s ' son: Wildfowler, ,and . Trebellils :, data' (Draniatica) is, herself a daughter.of the.: same Tragedy. Why, therefore, should Trebelli II notleave high-class staying stock? She is without much dqubt a; suitable mate for Paper Money, if it is a Paper Money stayer that is the aim. - -. Mr.' Henrys must have given all these factors consideration in placing Autopay 011 9.0, and they look to have been amply sufficient to' account for the weight.. Perhaps a mistake that many, will hold has been made, however, is that Mr. Henrys has so far separated Autopay from the rest of the field. It does seem hard on the brilliant little horse, and it is most improbable that his joint owners.will now consider for a moment running him at Riccarton. But hatadicappers have to'avoid giving owners of other horses in a field cause f6r complaint, as well as satisfying owners of particular horses, arid this, .afteriall, is just one.thing that no handicapped: can possibly do. Before . leaving the matter -,of tlie ». top weight, it- may, be interesting- commentary to note that riot only is Autopay,at the head of the scale, but another son of Paper Money in Inflation is second on the list, and still another son of Paper Money in Guarantee is rated most highly of the three-year-olds nominated. Such an honour for Paper Money in the chief staying event of the season must seem almost incredible—but here it is, all in plain black and white/ And there is no otHer Paper Money except these three in the whole entry list.