THREE-YEAR-OLD'S YEAR?

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 106, 1 November 1933, Page 8

THREE-YEAR-OLD'S YEAR?

NEW ZEALAND CUP FIELD

YOUNGER HORSES APPEAL

With the last, payment made and all preliminary racing concluded, the stage is finally set for this season's New Zealand Cup' on Saturday.' Thirteen remain in the race, four fewer than at final acceptance last year, but, although the issue may be regarded as unusually open, it looks withal one of the poorest fields in qualify that have ever graced tlio Cup record. A stayer of good class may emerge from the result, but, prior to the event, there is certainly nothing-outstanding engagedi ;•■ ' THE THREE-YEAR-OLDS. In such a field- the two three-year-old aspirants, Southdown and Epigram, are entitled to more than usual consideration, for a good staying three-year-old' at weight-for-age or under is t3ually to_bc regarded as possessing a better1 chance of success at two miles than even a high-class four-year-old or older horse, unless the latter be an out-and-out champion. No'ctuiform. made hacks of the 1005 New Zealand Cup field, in addition to marching off with the Derby and Canterbury Cup. Another notable example of what a good three-year-old can do was the success of St. Hippo, who followed up his New Zealand Cup win (under 7.7) with victory in the Auckland Cup with no less than 8.9 on his back. Yet in the New Zealand Derby the stalwart son'of St. Leger, such an easy victor in the Cup, was beaten by the Stewards' winner, Stepniak, a good onei nevertheless. All the history of racing goes to prove the invulnerability of a really good"three-year-old at or below weight-for-age. Now Southdown and Epigram have yet to be proved "really good" colts of the age, but they have several pounds each under the weight-for-age scale, and they both look good staying sorts who have the necessarycondition to go two miles. A high-class older : horse might have to be preferred 'to them on the present book, but there "is none in this year's Cup, judged as two-milers. , The argument finally yields the deduction that Soiithdown and Epigram would scarcely have to be even "really good" to win in this year's, apparently, moderate field.. ■ Between the pair Southdown has the rjetter record, "but Epigram's performances have been good, and they have been more consistent and rather more solid. Both are by sires who should get true stayers, and their female lines are satisfactory as ■well. Perhaps on a hard track, as promises to prevail, Epigram may be the likelier prospect. '• , ... It may be said in Epigram's favour that his preparation has been full and well timed,.and his record to date is quite as good as that of Indigo, who in 1914 was capable of sharing the honours with such a grand mare as the four-year-old War-step, who went on to win the Auckland Cup less* than two months later." Indigo was subsequently proved only a decidedly.tenacious battler, and he was probably inferior rather than superior to' the' two three-year-olds in this year's. Cup.. . ■ ■ • STAYING OPPOSITION So much for the-three-year-olds. One needs now search the likeliest stayers among the remainder, and one fin&s Minerval, \Ramo, and Jaloux proved ftpable on the testing ground, and Palantua and Rocket soundly equipped by their- breed-, ing. The first three are not champions, nor probably is Rocket, but Palantua may yet reach a fairly high plane as a stayer. Minerval, by, Arrowsmith from a great maternal staying line, with his grandam' the Great Easter-Great Autumn double winner Lady Lilian and his great grandam the New Zealand and' Canterbury Cup winner Lady Zetland, is bred to stay, and last year he finished a poor second to Fast Passage in the Cup. However, he has not had the preliminary, preparation this year, and last Saturday he ma.de no showing in the Akaroa Handicap at Motukarara. . '"','" '", , Ramo and Jaloux may be grouped together as of the plugging type, with the former possessed' of■ the better finishing ability. Eamo is a Great' Autumn winner, but he has not since lived up to the promise, he gave .in the autumn twelve months ago. Still he woti at Motukarara last Saturday, and he is one' of the Solferinos, who improve with, ages so that he is a reasonable prospect off the minimum in the Cup. Jalous', though, fourth in the last two Cups, also fifth in the Auckland Cup two years ago, and with a second to Ramo last Saturday, hag seemingly deteriorated.with age and he makes no real appeal as a possible New Zeland Cup winner now. , ' '. Palantua is a well-bred four-year-old mare by Paladin (the sire of Chide) from ' a great winning family over all distances, and she is capable of producing a dazzling final run from a long way out. She has not yet. gone above one and a quarter miles', but there is every reason to believe that she will do so successfully.;. On the brief acquaintance that has been made with her she appeals as possibly the most serious danger to the three-year-olds. Rocket, by Day Cornet from a full-sister to Winning Hit, should stay if he does anything, and it is probable that he will be the Cup favourite now on the day. His second to Silver Scorn in the Derby displayed his staying promise, and lie re- ■- cently produced winning form at Irentham, so that he looks to have had his preparation, quite well timed. He comes from the same stable as last year's winner (Fast: Passage), arid he will have the advantage of one of the strongest lightweight riders in the race, A* H. Eastwood, which may count a lot over the final part of the two miles. INFLATION AND OTHERS. The remainder of the field, half a dozen strong, may be treated-categorically. They are a mixed lot, sonre hardly seeming to be two-milerß, and others bred fairly well but not being reliable. Inflation does not appeal particularly as a potential stayer, but evidently he has given satisfaction in trials, and' in his one race test he went a surprisingly good race in the A.J.C. Metropolitan, one mile and five furlongs, last month to finish fifth. He could have had little preparation for such a distance, and he has certainly done rather.more staying work since. He is undeniably, too, the class horse of the - race. As a two-year-old he was always coming at the end, and perhaps that is. why he is now to be sent after two-mile honours. Fleeting, his dam, was by Boniform from the same branch of the Mermaid family as produced Rabbi '(C.J.C. Metropolitan), Cold Steel (Wanganui Cup), and Hot Spring (S.A. Derby), so really there is plenty to suggest that he may stay well. ■ The Smuggler 'has been a fair performer in the far south, but he has really clone nothing to offer him as a New Zealand Cup prospect. His two successes last season were in the Wyndham Cup and the^Riverton Gold Cup,, both at one and a quarter miles, and in three starts this-season he has. been twice third. At Gore last week Palantua, with Sib more than',he had, beat him. into third place, and now the mare comes in at 111b better terms in the Cup. ' The Smuggler,'too, is one of the biggest of 'Balboa's gets, and big horses are generally at a disadvantage over,p. distance of ground. , , Eminent may not have had quite a solid enough preparation, owing to minor setbacks, but he is a'game little horse who is liable to be running on •at the -end of any journey.' Some weeks ago his trainer 1 (S. J. Reid) expressed a lot p£ confidence in him, and was before the good ones-dropped out. ': - _ '.•'"■ Tout le Monde is a disappointing son of Limond who is always liable to upset a class field, but on nothing ho has done could one enthuse about him'as'a Cup pr.osp.ect. The Limonds do not appeal above*,one and a half miles, though with' Tout le Monde there is good staying Berld Or blood through his dam, Aspic, a daughter of Polymelus. ■ ••. - BrambJetom is bred well enough to £9 §x% distance beingrbjj Jnd'!Ac| feire

of Fast Passage) from the Treadmill mare Brambletye (dam also of Thorndale and Prickles), but he is probably an autumn rather than a spring'horse, and perhaps, being a big gelding, he may .be better at a middle distance than at two miles. Chrysology remains. No one who witnessed his performances at Trentham could hold out much hope of his seeing out two miles. He has done better in the south than in the north, but only up to a mile and a quarter. What probably appeals to his connections in him is the fact that he is a son of Desert Gold. So this preliminary review covers the full field of thirteen—a rather premonitory number, be it noted—and the reduction for the present may thin the issue down to Epigram. Southdown, Palantua, and Rocket.