FIRST MONEY'S PLATE

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 51, 1 March 1934, Page 8

FIRST MONEYS PLATE

DIFFICULTIES SURMOUNTED

(From "Vedette.") , SYDNEY, February 23. lhe success of First Money in the Oakleigh Plate on Saturday is voted another example of "it's never too late to mend." Trentham racegoers will remember the wayward brown who exhausted' the patience of 'owners and trainers, but he rose superior to all handicaps at Caulneld. Aot that he is by any means a retormed character at the barrier, for he was sent to the outside at the start a hie disadvantage at the 5%-furlong post at Caulfield. Then in addition he was carrying a 101b penalty for two' wins just previously.. Originally he was handicapped •at 6.7, but.his penalties enabled the successful apprentice H. Skidmore to ride and score narrowly from Pike's mount Heros. It was not exactly Pike's lucky day. tor he was beaten into second place on Heros, Hall Mark, and Heroic Prince, and then won the last race on the unfancied Gordon s Leap. When he was beaten on Mall JUark by Danilo the multitude had something to say. Pike does not receive the same amount of flattery in Melbourne and the disappointed Hall Mark backers were decidedly terse. Apparently Pike did not see Danilo until too late, and when he set Ha I- Mark going. again' it was all over, although the Melbourne Cup winner was going best on the post. The race, the St. George Stakes, also saw lumarch. in action and a bit unlucky. He finished well enough to be noted, although his ■ shelly ; feet are again causing ■J. J.. Jamieson some worry. Dole failed miserably in the Oakleigh Plate after being weir backed on the strength of some excellent track work. At no stage of the race did he flatter, and he has mislaid his New.Zealand form completely. It was thought that he would shape better the left-handed way round in i Melbourne, but it was not at all - a success. '. ■ "■ .-.■■"■ ■ _ The Sydney gelding Bombus, wirtnerat his two starts, was considered such a certainty in the first division of the two-year-old race, the Federal Stakes, • that double figures were.'bet outside of him. He was a complete failure, running wide at the turn as he had done the reverse way in Sydney. The winner. Great Legend, is. a smart Great Star colt. Aztec proved a more reliable favourite in the second heat, winning in good style. The Limond—Veil filly "Visage rattled on into third place. Jamieson started Pasha' in the first division, but 9.0 always had him in trouble. . . - Mr. W. R. Kemball had.hopes with Greenhorn prior to the meeting, but lameness came against the gelding. He ran in the Bona Handicap, 1%-miles, but.pulled up lame again. , , " > Game Carrington can definitely be left out of autumn racing, but it'is.thought he will be right again in the spring.