NORTHERN ASPIRANTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 56, 4 September 1934, Page 6

NORTHERN ASPIRANTS

AUCKLAND'S MARTON HAND

(Special from "Early Bird.")

AUCKLAND, This Day

Not a great many northern horses will commence their spring campaign at Marton tomorrow, Auckland stables being represented by Gay Slieik, Lady Ruler, Gallant Knight, Tray Bit, Flying Prince, Solarium, Landlubber, and King's Knave. There are eight of them, but Landlubber broke down so badly at New Plymouth the first day that he may not race again, unless he makes a remarkable recovery.

Landlubber's race last week followed on a good showing at the Pakuranga Hunt Meeting, this making his first appearance after a lengthy spell. He was not sound, but the hope that his new owrier might have won a race or two before the horse had to be turned out for good now seems a forlorn one.

Flying Prince is another Auckland gelding that is under suspicion. He contested the sprint at New Plymouth last Thursday, going down very sore in his preliminary, and ho was soon tailing the field, staying there all the way. His engagement was in the Marton Handicap tomorrow and it remains to be seen if he has recovered sufficiently to encourage his owner to produce him.

If any horse can be ready for early spring racing the To Awamutu course is the place to prepare it, for the tracks there, like those at Wanganui, Foxton. and Ricearton, stand up remarkably well in the winter. Lady Ruler, one of A. Cook's team at the northern centre, is engaged tomorrow in the Juvenile Plate, and she seems-to be-the one of this trainer's quintet of 'two-year-olds chosen for the early classics. Cook does not always hurry his youngsters for early racing, but if the filly has cOiiie to hand quickly the spring classics at Ellerslie and Avondale are too valuable to be overlooked. On the other hand, it is probable that Lady Ruler is being travelled to Marton and Wanganui more for experience than for stakewinning, and while it is known that the filly is in good order she may do better with a race or two. When he was paraded at the Ellerslie Meeting over a- fortnight ago, the colt brother to Gay Sheila and Gay Blonde, now named Gay Sheik, looked very big and thick in the middle-piece. However, he showed enough speed out of the barrier to lead for a. furlong, when he ran very wide on the turn. It was enough to indicate quite clearly that this splendid colt has the family pace, and he may be more robust' than, the fillies. With eighteen days to gain further track education lie may be forward enough to hold his own with the southern youngsters tomorrow. A speedy two-year-old of last season was Gallant Knight, who is in the Maiden Race tomorrow. ..In .his case it was often an illustration of uncontrolled speed. He did not race very much, his best effort being a dead-heat for second: witlr \V ahroonga at Ellerslie in the spring. In this contest Gallant Knight displayed his waywardness by boring right over to the outside fence and finishing under the judge's box. The three-year-old has not raced for a long time and so there is not much to guide punters, but if he is as forward as he is said to be he will go just as fast as anything else in the race. Also in the Maiden is another Takanini three-year-old in Tray Bit, a very promising gelding who has yet to race, but who has been galloping well. Solarium is a fair handicap performer, and as he has won and been placed in : open company he may be hard to beat in the Spring Hack Handicap. He has top weight, which might be against him if the track were soft, and in addition his manners at the barrier are not of the very best. He failed badly on one, two, or three occasions when expected to be hard to beat, but perhaps on those occasions he was caught off colour. King's Knave, like Lady Ruler, is one of A. Cook's team at Te Awamutu, and track reports state that this fine handicap performer ha 9 been galloping well. However, although in receipt of a liberal concession in weight by virtue of the fact that he is a stayer and not a sprinter, it might be asking too much of him to expect him to beat the speed merchants in the Railway Handicap. King's Knave may do better after two or three races. In any case he has never showed up as a sprinter. Two ex-Takanini horses are also engaged tomorrow, these being Rereatn and Rerepai. The former introduced himself to patrons of the Manawatu Racing Club by running Foreign Queen to a neck over seven furlongs six werks ago. Rerepai may develop into a splendid three-year-old, for as a two-year-old he looked likely to improve considerably with age. He won a race at Takapuna last December, displaying a lot of pace.