SOME GOOD EFFORTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 85, 7 October 1933, Page 25

SOME GOOD EFFORTS

WEST TOR AND EPIGRAM

There was good 'racing • in,: the minor events at Otaki yesterday, arid the favourites had three wins-in the five events of this class. The form displayed should serve as a useful line to the more important racing at Trentham the week after next. Two particularly good efforts were those of West Tor and Epigram, both of whom are likely to be whining in better company before long. FAVOURITE'S LUCKY WIN. Riotous, making his reappearance after an absence since the autumn, was twice as well backed as anything else in the Kapiti Hack Hurdles, and ho duly won, but he required all the luck with him. He was always well up on the rail, being in second or third place throughout, but had Kimbo not dropped his rider at the last fence he would have had to be content with second money. Even with Kimbo so luckily removed he had to be hard ridden below the last fence to beat Palace home by half a length. The winner, a five-year-old son of Birkdalo who carries the colours of His ownertrainer, L. Knapp, has a good record as a hurdler, for in nine starts Jo date he' has won three times and has been Becond. five times, the unplaced performance being at his first start. He has previously gone well when fresh,'for last season he opened with a win at his only race on the flat during the term.. His jumping yesterday, except for a fault at the stands hurdle, from which he recovered' quickly, was clean. - ■ Palace N jumped in much better fashion than he did at Poxton. He again made all the running, but Kimbo had him beaten before reaching the last fance. When Kimbo,departed he was1 able to make a fight for the honours with Riotous, whom he failed to withstand only over the last fifty yards.' He was iat a substantial place dividend. Paleta was five lengths back third,: but would have been last if the other two had completed. Kimbo was the unlucky horse, for he had run Up from the rear to the front in a couple of furlongs when he dipped on landing over the last fence and lost his rider. At the time he waa going right away from Palace. , Revision, who was running out at her fences, met interference1' from Kimbo, and her rider also lost his-seat, finally dropping to the ground after hanging on her neck for several chains. ■■'.''.' < :• . ANOTHER FAVOURITE. Foxtorti fojnv pointed very clearly to Prostration in the Puhi Maiden Plate and, backed down ■•■to good favouritism .both ways,-he ran an excellent. race to score1 well, if not'with too much in hand, from Te Ua. \ He and Te Ua both began fast, and they settled down behind Arauline and Count Rbuwillon. They passed Count Roussilloa after going .half the journey* and they toT the finish. to . themselves, Prostration'■;• holding on determinedly to keep'Te'Ua at bay by a short neck. The winner is a three-year-old brown gelding by Lord Quex from the Kilbroney mare Termination, so that he is a halfbrother to Stanchion and to Cessation. He was bred by the: late Mr. W. E. Bidwill, and he<- was purchased on behalf of iis present owner; Mr. H. W. Moss, of Wellington, ;for 85 guineas at the Roto'tawai dispersal sale Jast Easter. He is now being trained by T. R. George, of Blenheim, who also trained Cessation., He has had only three races yet, one last season and two, this, and it may not be long before he is winning'again among the hacks; ■ Te Ua, Trentham's "wild horse," behaved vrm at the barrier, where many of the others'were very, fractious, and he was easily second best in the .field. He appears, to hav{> settled down much; better to raring and, a lriajdeij win is likely to coriielyse way-before" long. ■■■■■'. First View, anotheri'renthain aspirant, was a niost; creditable third, though four or five lengths-lack,; sHe was. very, slow to begin, but he improved steadily through; the race, and, after beirigat the head of, the, bunch some way behind Arauline; Prostration,1 Te'Ua, and Count Roussillon at the straight., entrance, he finished'on! still resolutely tq "take* third place and; dividend comfortably off Arauline and Count K0ug5i110n......: V; ■ '

Araulirie was started from behind the line, but she received a-clear run through along the rail and w,a g in front within a furlong. There she stayed to the straigtit,but she then weakened out of a place. Count Roussillon also failed in the home run after being well placed to the straight. The best of the others were Waipiro, Hest, Warehi (all runningon), Prince TJmberto, Raparahara (last away), Stroller, and Misfire. Maine and Maypay, early prominent, did not appear ever to get balanced, and they soon drifted out of it. STABLE'S SURPRISE PACKET. The Blenheim trainer T. R. George followed up the well-anticipated success of Prostration in the Puhi Maiden' with a surprise win by his own three-year-old filly Bettws-y-coed in the Katihiku Hack Handicap. It was tlje filly's first race this season, but she produced ample speed and stuck on well, winning at a straightout price of nearly a double score. Royal Dash, who fought out the finish with her, was at even longer odds than she was' on the place machine. Bettws-y-cocd did not begin as fast as some of the others, but it was not long before she raced up to Wasteland in the lead. Wasteland was steadied and dropped back, but passing. the half-mile Royal Dash put in a fast run along the outside and was half a length in front of Bettws-y-eoed on the home turn, Bettws-y-coed (on rail) and Royal Dash came into the" straight clear of .Pegged Exchange, Wasteland, and Whetuma, and they had the finish to themselves, the filly lasting; the better to beat the mare by half a length. The winner is a well-bred full-sister to the Australian Auto Pay and to Delice, being by Tea Tray from the Bezonian mare La Paix and she was bred at the Elderslie Stud by the late Mr. G. D. Greenwood, at whose dispersal sale last November she was purchased cheaply by George for 35 jguineas. She won two minor two-year-old races last season, and it looks as if she is going to be an even more useful filly this season, for her effort yesterday showed that she can well. Royal Dash was easily second best. She was near • the back over the early stages, and had her rider not been ' so anxious to send her along she might just have beaten the winner. She was not served either in having to beat a wide track over practically all the trip. Wasteland, a length and a half back, finished better than Pegged Exchange for third place and dividend. Pegged Exchange was in a handy position all .the way, but failed to answer the call when asked to go along in challenge. Bonnie Vale put in a speedy late run from the back, just beating Pegged Exchange for fourth, and she should improve with the race. Whetuma went a fair race next, but Manawatu and Kalmuck ran very moderately. Sage was always last. LIKES THh TRACK. West Tor, a double winner at the Winter Meeting of the club, placed his third success in three starts, at the course on record in the Pahiko Hack Handicap. The victory was achieved with the same remarkable final effort as in June, and, as the going was totally different yesterday from what it was at the Winter Meeting, it would seem quite clear now that his form at Trentham subsequent to Otaki was not right. This Australian-bred four-year-old son of East Tor and Korokio's" sister, Regent Street, won like a champion yesterday. For three parts of the race he was bowling along behind Acceptable, Boon, Senegal, Ha\jlbowline, and All Spirit, but when he lodged his claim, down the outside of the leaders in the straight he gathered them up in a few strides and was easing up to score by a couple of lengths from Senegal. He has raced only six times to date and has won four times, his two defeats being at the Wellington Winter Meeting. . Senegal improved with Ins race at I"oxton last Saturday, and he was always well placed. He followed Acceptable into the straight and took charge at the distance, but he wholly failed to withstand the winner's phenomenal finishing effort. Haulbowline, stood behind the field, {rot .1 flying start.and was soon up nmonjs the leaders, and in the homo stretch ho.hung

on well for third money a full length back. Boon, after having every, chance, weak-, ened into fourth place. Acceptable, fifth, also failed to stay. The two-way favourite, All Spirit, was disappointing, being out on the track nearly all the way, then infusing nothing like the dash into his final work that he showed at Foxton. . A TRENTHAM SUCCESS. All the material betting in the Taumanuka Hack Handicap wa3 directed to the Trentham pair, Epigram and Colossical, and. the estimate proved fairly correct, for Epigram woa easily and Colossical was third. The form in the race was poor, and on his Riccarton showing over a mile Epigram certainly looked the justified favourite. The engagement of L. G. Morris to ride him clinched the matter with the majority of racegoers. Epigram began well, ..and, after pulling early, went up to Sanguine King in the lead. The pair made the running to the straight, where Colossical had moved up behind them, with a gap back to the others, and in the dash home Epigram drew out to beat Sanguine King easily by a couple of lengths. The winner is a well-bred, three-year-old colt by' Pombal from the Simond mare Episode (a sister to Honour), and he makes another New Zealand Cup candidate to have won since the appearance of the weights. He was bought for 100 guineas at last year's sales by Mr. 3. A. Taylor, of Wellington, and he was presented to his trainer, J. McLaughlin, last autumn. He won only once as a two-year-old* but he was unlucky on occasions, and he has done well during his recent preparation. . Sanguine King, having his first race since last December, showed himself to be well forward. He beat Plateau in this race last year. ' , Colossical looked like troubling the winner turning for. home; but half-way down the straight he stumbled, and his rider stopped riding him, believing he had broken down. Perceiving alMvas well he got down to' work again and just held third place from Tranquillity,_ five lengths behind the second horse. His effort, exescept for his stumbling, which was due to uneven ground, was good, as he was slow to begin, and had to move up fast to position in the middle stages.' Tranquillity; Walton Park, and Hazoor, always fairly well up, did best' of the others. Platter, Quebec, and Mon Roi went" fair races only. Mercian Prince ran a long way beneath, bis winter form.