WALLA WALLA MATCH

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 75, 29 March 1934, Page 16

WALLA WALLA MATCH

AUSTRALIA V. NEW ZEALAND

■ : ;(Sppciqi; to the "Evening Post.") CHRISTCHURGH, This Day. Tremendous interest centres here in the mile Invitation Match Race to be decided at: the' Metropolitan .! Trotting-, Club's" Autumn; Meeting on Saturday between Australia's • crack pacer Walla Walla • and the best or the Dominion's racing talent. Ihe,visitor is the holder of, the Australian and 2Jew ■ Zealand mile record, and if conditions are favourable some new records "should Jje set. The contest promises to.be a. wonderful lace in all ways, and, eliminating the possible element' of luck in-the running, it seems probable at the present juncture that the Dominion's elect especially Red Shadow1 and Harold Logan, Trill ""prove just that - fraction superior necessary for success. ... ■Frankly, Walla Walla is not considered a;better horse today than when he took his record of 2min 2 2-ssee on a. halfmile', cinder = track in; Sydney" last May. lie was then.eleyen years of age; now he is twelye, and in. the meantime he has had a.big. season at the 6tud. It is. said .that he is not_as good now as he was a ;year ago, a view shared by his owner, Jtr-.1i." S. Martin. But Walla Walla lias ia' his favour the difference between the track oh which he took his ■ record in Sydney and the improved footing at Addingtori. -'■'..■. • Sportsmen who have seen both tracks affirm that'Addington is two seconds faster to, the mile than is Harold Park (Sydney). Taking a line over Walla Walla's record-making achievement o£ 2min 2 2-ssec v he would be expected .to go a mile in 2min at Addington, provided he is as good a, horse today as he was when he went, .his' trial against, time. Students of ■ horses and track work are inclined to.think that Walla. Walla is not as:good as he Tvas this time last year, and a .majority assess hhn to go a mile from a flying start under good conditions at; Addington in 2min 2sec. . That, of course, should keep the local horses very busy, but in a race that has much evidence of being a thriller there is a shade of in favouu of Harold Logan. AT TOP OF FORM. First, of all, it ie certain that Harold Lo|gan is at the top of his form, and he ..will go to the post in better physical .shape than when he raced in November, or." at any previous period oE the last twelve months. Hie mile in 2min 1 4-osee in his race at Addington in February was an. eye-opener; and his work since then has been distinctly satisfactory. He also is twelve years old, but he" is a gelding, and he is a much younger horse in appearance than Walla Walla is. Harold Logan is a quick beginner, and Walla Walla, though good from a barrier, cannot accelerate from a stand' like Harold1 Logan. The advantage Harold Logan, should , thus obtain over Walla Walla at the start may be sufficient to enable him to stall of! the Australian champion at the finish. ' Regarding Red Shadow, it can be said that he has youth on his side, being just half the age of Walla Walla and Harold_ Logan. His glowing achievements in November, when he defeated allcomers, including Harold Logan, are still fresh in the memory of the thousands who witnessed Eed Shadow's overwhelming performances- at Oup" time-" He' is;definitely a.better horse today than when lie won four races in November. If there is one horse in the field likely to "better 2min 2sec it is Eed Shadow,

and on account of his youth and his fitness, he surely is the greatest, opponent to Harold Logan and Walla Walla. ROI L'OR'S GREAT SPEED. Roi lOr is now eleven years old, and, like Harold Logan, he is a gelding. He went amiss.last season, and made his reappearance ia November, when- he failed to win a race. He has great speed, as his best-performances clearly show, and if he can fie induced to begin smartly his chance will have to be respected. In a contest of this kind he.cannot afford to tangle -when the barrier is released, and it is on account of his uncertain beginning that Red Shadow, Harold Logan, and Walla Walla will receive more support on the totalisator. The fifth member of the party is Jewel Pointer, who, too/is in his twelfth year. He is a stallion, and isone of the wonders of: the day. His sensational comeback at Christmas time, and his fine effort at Wellington in January, when he beat a good field over two miles in. 4min 24sec, demonstrated that; he is as good as over he was. In addition, there is his excellent trial of last week to say that he is ready and capable of playing a big part in the great race. But, with all due respect to the Auckland idol, he does not look equal to beating some of his rivals. NOTE ABOUT DRIVERS. Now a word about the drivers. W. McKay, who will drive Walla Walla, is one of the premier reinsmeri in Australia, and his methods in training work at Addington are those of a high-class horseman. He turns the scale at a little under ten stone, and he is a keen, experienced reinsman, who can size up a situation quickly and give a horse the greatest possible help over the crucial stages: of a gruelling contest. J. Bryee, who will drive Red Shadow, has had vast experience. He isa craftsman who knows every move in a race, and he has the ability to get the best out of his candidate. Bryee has driven the winners of four New Zealand Trotting Cups, and has piloted.three winners of the Auckland Trotting Cap. His performances place him in the very front rank "as a horseman, and he is still a handy weight, being only lOst 21b. '■"': . - ' - . _ M. Holmes, who. will pilot Harold Logan, is a member of one of the most famous families of horsemen ,in the Southern Hemisphere. He is the youngest driver in the contest; but he, has had a wide experience of race driving, and. goes to scale at'9st..l3lb. ■ • . -: ' ; " S. M. August, the driver of Jewel Pointer, is also of the lightweight variety. He is a member of an old trotting family, and he has met with considerable success as a driver. He is less than lOst, and is a wide-ayake horseman, who will give his candidate all the assistance possible on the trip. . ;■■ *•" • The driver,of Roi lOr has not been definitely announced, but it is believed that F. Holmes may be engaged to drive him. Holmes is recognised ■■ as.a mastier reinsman, with no peers' in this country^ He is a genius in a race, arid knoAvs every inch of the Addington track. In .weight he-would be very much heavier than any of the other drivers.