WANGANUI GUINEAS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 60, 8 September 1934, Page 23

WANGANUI GUINEAS

SEASON'S FIRST CLASSIC GOOD FILLIES IN FIELD

In recent years the classic races for three-year-olds in the Dominion have hardly had the interest taken in them that they have merited, possibly because horses of champion calibre have riot graced the New Zealand Turf for quite a period of years now, but the pendulum appears at last to be swinging back, and the public are likely to find the three-year-old contests regaining their popularity during the next phase of-the cycle. The classic programme will be opened for the present term by the old-established Wanganui Guineas next week, and the field of ten that remained in after the recent forfeit promises to provide a race that should do much towards rehabilitating the classics on their pristine plane. One requires only to peruse the record of the Wanganui Guineas to note what splendid three-year-olds have had their names enrolled as winners. Renown, Danube, Bon Reve, Estland, Gloaming, Duo, and Cylinder all won both the Guineas and the New Zealand Derby; Renown, Danube, Counterfeit, Bon Reve, Reputation, Estland, Gloaming,, and Red Manfred were also Great Northern Derby winners; and Bonny Helen, Counterfeit (both), Razzle Dazzle, and Damaris were Oaks winners. Several of Hie Wanganui victors also have St. Leger successes to their credit. Last year's winner Red Manfred was beaten by Nightly in the New Zealand Derby, but he subsequently won both Great Northern Derby and the Great Northern St. Leger, and the New Zealand St. Leger 'was won (in Red Manfred's absence) by Spiral, who ran second at Wanganui. Twelve months ago eight horses survived the forfeit for the Wanganui Guineas, but there were only five starters and Red Manfred completely outclassed his opponents. The field .was far from being so even as it looks for next week. Only two of the horses had been two-year-old winners of account,'and Porotiti failed to make a stayer. Spiral and Copyist had barely broken their maiden status and Snowball was still a novice. Yet that field contained the horses who subsequently to/ -win the Great Northern Derby and the two St. Legers. . GOOD CLASS ENGAGED, Next week's field certainly possesses a greater array of quality on the book, and as the classic winners of the present season promise to come from North Island centres the race should give an invaluable line to the later classics. As the fillies were the dominant two-year-olds last term it is only natural that they should appear the regal stars in the present firmament. Indeed only three' of the ten horses remaining in next week's race are of the masculine sex, all colts, and Synagogue • may be the only one to worry the fillies. ■ Synagogue was successful in three handicap events at Trentham last season, scoring with ease in two of them, but beating Variant, to whom he was conceding 41b, only by a head in the Pacific Handicap, 6 furlongs, at the Autumn Meeting. He subsequently failed in the North Island Challenge Stakes and the C.J.C. Champagne Stakes, 6 furlongs, which, Variant won from Custodian and him, bfit despite these later showings the impression he had ' made was strongly in favour of his developing into a good staying three-year-old. A trip to.Australia had been planned for him this spring, and was cancelled when he ran disappointingly at the recent Grand National Meeting, but he is certain to have benefited with those two races and ;n this respect he will hold an advantage over most of next week's field. His .trainer, (T. R. George) is confident he will come good this season, and he is certainly bred along stout lines. . _ • _'^_ The other two colts in the field Pin Money and Inveresk, both of whom had a race at Marton on Wednesday. Pin Money, whose only win last season, was the C J C. Welcome Stakes, in which he beat Variant, was hardly top class on his sub, sequent form, and his pedigree reads rather-like that of a pure sprinter who will probably find a mile beyond him as a three-year-old. He ran a good race in the open sprint at Marton, revealing forward form to finish only a head and a neck away third, but that distance was quite far enough. He has not the class übout him'that Fred Davis's winner of last •season, Red Manfred, had, nor-is he so " brilliant. Inveresk, on anything he has done to date, has no chance, for he was one of the last home in the Maiden event at Marton, and the only point he has in his favour:is that he is a half-brother to the little-fancied 1921 A.J.C. Derby winner Cupidon, who, however, was by Martian. FILLIES DOMINATE. The fillies in next wetk's Guineas are a .much more. likely-lobking lot than the colts, and among them are the two best : juvenile winners of last season, Mother Superior and Burnish, who appear to stand out in the race., ' The- favourite for the Guineas will probably be Mr. G. M. Currie's Burnish, who improved as last season progressed and who has been showing the retention of all her best brilliance'since she returned,to the tracks. This filly had'five wins last season. Her first came in a Nursery Handicap at Woodville in December, and .she went on to Ellerslie to win the Midsummer and Sylvia Park Handicaps, both 6 furlongs. She next won the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes, 7 furlongs, in lmin 27sec, beating Variant, Morbury, and Mother Superior, giving slb to Variant and Morbury, but being in receipt of 91b from Mother- Superior. In her final start she dead-heated with Gay Blonde in the Great Northern Champagne Stakes, 7 furlongs, in lmin 26 3-ssec. She is, a fullsister to Epigram, who was at his best last season at a mile, and she is bred along classic lines, being by the Pommern sire Pombal from the brilliant Limond mare Episode, the best two-year-old of her year and a sister to the Derby winner Honour. Her owner has previously won the Guineas with Lysander and Damaris, also members of Eulogy's notable family. BEST WINNING JUVENILE. Mother Superior, who is owned by Mr. 'lt. Grace and trained by F. Tilley, was, on stake winnings, the crack two-year-old of last term, but she won only three races as compared with Burnish's five. Her main success was in the-mont valuable juvenile event of.the season; 11 '-eat Northern Foal Stakes, and she only twice subsequently, being second .. .Julderi Hair in the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie-.and unplaced in the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes. Her Awapuni effort may be discarded, as she was not herself after a set-. back in the late summer and she was conceding a lot of weight all round to opponents in seasoned form. Prior to the Foal Stakes she was successful in a handicap at Trentham in October and in the A.R.C. Welcome Stakes, beating Whenuakura, who had taken all before, him up M then. In all sh« had only half it dozen starts, so her record was a fine one. She is a full-sister to Eaglet, who won the Guineas in 1920, ntep the Great Northern Guineas and the l!mw Zealand Oaks. , It is interesting to note that the AVanganui handicapper appears to have rated Burnish as the better filly of this pair. In the Seafield Handicap, 7W. furlongs, on the first day he placed Mother Superior 21b under Rereatu and 19lb under Cadland, and in the Flying Handicap, 0 furlongs, he set Burnish lib above Rereatu and only 101b under Cadland." The remaining five fillies in the Guineas are on performances a long way beneath the class of Burnish and Mother Superior. Superior, the Wanganui Debutant winner last year, subsequently wont amiss, and, reappearing last week, she was twice beaten into minor places among the backs at New Plymouth. Evasion failed to gain a place in .several starts, but being by Night Raid from that good mare Mandane she is liable to do much better with age. Nevertheless, she appears overshadowed by her Btablemate Mother Superior. Namakia was fairly consistent in handicaps on the Auckland country circuit, winning ■ four small races, _ but she beat nothing of any class. She is one of

A. Cook's team, whose runners have usually/ to be respected, but she appeals' as hardly classic standard on what is known of her. Hunting Queen, a daughter of the dual Derby and Oaks winner Enthusiasm, has breeding credentials if.any of them have, but it is a long step from a moderate effort in maiden company -at Marton last Wednesday to Guineas aspirations. , Astarth had her only start to date at the Rotorua Hunt at the back end of the season, and although fancied she mis unplaced. She also has breeding, however, to commend her, as she is no other than a naif-sister to Amnion Ra (A.J.C. Derby) and to Prodice (G.N. Oaks), and she will carry the colours of her breeder, Dr. E. 11. B. Milsom.