WELLINGTON MEETING

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 94, 18 October 1934, Page 10

WELLINGTON MEETING

MINOR RACES IN REVIEW

HACK ISSUES LOOK OPEN

Although ilte main'interest oil the opening, day of the: ■Wellington. Racing Club's ;SpL'ing.. Meeting, next Satui'day■'■will naturally be taken !in the .leading, events—the Wellington,'; Slibfts, : ; ancl: Wuiinil Il'andi-1 : caps>. ; ajjd..tile .Welle'sley Stakes—the minor events-will;, nevertheless- not be ..lucking in:".their appeal :to' the: public, pai'tieulai'ly I ■the two "hack flat contests, for the issues j ih:..these are very open and..tuey.should be. watisfactoTy races-on'%hibh to. collect ning, dividends.. In tlie .past, the .clash of northern and'southern form has often bean very pronounced in these. events', but for j a change" nearly all the .form this year will be nprthern, top two South Is-! landers'now remain in: each of: the two hack:flat events. .. ■ .the bhauge wns made last:; January the hack'flat:events at Trentham meet■ings were generally, .run over seven ~ and ,six furlongs, respectively, but now the six-furlong race has- been extended to a mile. The effect on Saturday's card is that the October Hack Handicap becomes a mile race run as last event instead of third, and the Rimutaka Hack HaMicup, which remains at seven furlongs, is' moved up. to fourth event, : RIMUTAKA HANDICAP. j A big field of 29 made the acceptance for the Rimutaka Handicap, but on present . appearances the number- of horses going-.to the post-is not;, likely .greatly to/.exceed ap score. The only <two foutherriers. engaged, iiolj, so treating the Bleii-: heim-owned ' Conkuramatiou, ' are Dollar Prmce and Elbaiior. . ' : .■ .. | With his l'ehandicap the : grey 'Grand Sport, heads.the: list, and on top of hte recent excellent.form at Ellerslie he should be one .of the hardest to iettle;if tliife event is;-chosen for ■.hiirt' in [preference .to the open sprint. 'His-Kllerslie races wdre his.first appearances thisl.te.i;m,, though tip had previously been accepted for-meetingb in ithe north.- He was down at Trentham in July,,'■jyhe'n in two starts lie. won the sixfui'long/S'eatoiin 'Hack/ Handicap, beatjing Cawbeeiv.and King'.Thoiriond/ and iii>lslied sixtli in the.open.'spi'mt on the finajl day. /• '..■.•■■''.'. '■. :''■'. ■;'.''.'- - ~■,'■, ,' i ,Beiiii;Gallante Avil] nqt attract mucii nbtjic.e, ■ treatise ..of'the'doubt,' abo.ftt liis soundnegs'.aiid ;his ]ong::-spell vfeom racing. Dia.ganoJ"Hvho.. will ;b,e A. .'E'; Ellis's: mount', had to miss the Wanganni Meeting owing to'a setback, -and recent /reports from Ha,werd seem to show that he might not yet be quite back to form. Pladie has not been conspicuous in his-latest efforts, bub he did not begin well ■;on either, day. ap Mastertou, anil he'- has had ' the right amount of- racitig to' bring him cm. , , Dollai' Prince is ]a .good horsewheii fresh, as he showed,in his success first up at the Grand National Sleeting.-' It will b6'remcnibered: that. he. was taken to the Geraldine Meeting jbutyaS relieved .oEhik. engagement;through-injuriug .himself iij his. preliminary., - / The """other southerncK,. Elbahor, liad his first race for tlie seasoii at Wnshdyko last-Saturday, when he was backed down to second favourite but failed to handle the.heavy track. In three starts as a two-year-old. last season thig son Of Eosenor \yas.twice a winner , of novice, events,'so' lie evidently possesses a handy turn of.speed. .-.''•■ ■ Cawbecn is-,one of the form . horsps in the race, but, her consistency in filling minor places has kept her1 up in tlife weights,::. She: is also) engaged>in t}ic open: sprint.!Hest^ was' a;*: winner on the course h%J.jjly^".'.'b.u^.'.h'as.;4aUed,^Biiiee;vwljeii twed; pvci?- a' distance.- Cpurtega s'eems^, to '.tJsfe just too unlucky to* win races this term"/ though there is plenty of time yet. Dora,: bey's recent win at Napier Park first up after a spell had a lot of merit in -it,, even though he might liave been lucky in getting Tip in time to cut down Pukohou.. Hunting Lodge has not gone on with it since her two excellent wins first starts this season, and she failed again at Mas- ! terton. On Masterton form Timorous could, not be given .any serious chance. " ' An attractive effort at Masterton was that of Cherry King, who had not been long in after a spell. In the past he has not retained form too well, but he still must be allowed a definite chance with his Saturday's weight. In the bottom half of t"he list are winners this term in Orby's Last, Arctic King, and Flamniarion, and the first pair i especially are likely to go on with it. With I bettor handling on. the second day Oi-by'.s Last might have won two races instead of one at Masterton last week, and Arctic King's winning effort at ;Otuki was impressive. Horses among the,;remainder who have shown some fair form . in the past ate Gay Boy, Argument, Dawn Princess, and Flamingo recently, and. Consummation, Bay Area, and Balbus last season. OCTOBER HANDICAP. Thera is also a numerous field listed to contest the October Hack Handicap, and it is probable that the final field will be fifteen or sixteen strong. With such class horses as Synagogue and Cyclonic engaged, and another who may not be much their inferior in Sir Nigel, the final betting pools are certain to be very substantial ones. Synagogue and Cyclonic naturally stand out because of their high class. Either horse" might have won the_ principal races on the day's card, and it is safe to assert that had they been in those races they would have been among the favourites. Synagogue, in his three recent wins in line, . has shown that weight will not stop class. He really won easily at Masterton under the same weight as he has lon Saturday, but his opposition now is going to be a much more real test. He ■would need to be a top-class three-year-old to score here with 9.9, but it is believed: that he is. On all that has.been seen of him lie is a true Derby colt, and he is probably easily the be*t of the three-year-olds that have raced in the Dominion this season. Had he been in the Wangauui and Great: Northern Guineas in his present form he undoubtedly would , have won them both, and comfortably at that. Cyolonic, though a class horse and a year older, is in receipt of 41b, so he is I one who is going to be a testing iron for the three-year-old. His winniug performance over seven furlongs at Masterton was most attractive, showing that he has probably only now come into his best form, He looked to have a great chance with 8.0 in Saturday's open mile, and as his owner-trainer has preferred, to take on Syiiagosne betters have this line to yo by. Sir Nigel treated his Holds with contempt at Wanganui and Masterton, and it is doubtful if near the best has been seen, of him yet, so'vastly, unproved is ho now.'.With)B.B he is receiving 61b. morn from Synagogue than he would have had lie started on the first day at Masterton, the pair having been weighted for Mastorton prior to Otaki but for Wellington after that meeting.- Sir Nigel certainly looks a likely one to extend, and probably beat, the class pair. Another who requirel? consideration on * Masterton running is Dorado, for he ran Synagogue to'a neck last week when 12!b closer to the three-year-old than they are now. Still the Masterton race might not offer quite such a pointer as appears, for Dorado's handinuss at the post was .rather accidental than definitely on the merits. The only southerners left in the field are the unlucky Silver Sight, who is also engaged in the big handicap, and the three-year-old Top Coat,' who is still a maiden. Top Coat showed some promise by running a second recently at, Dnnedin. Among the remaining northerners West Tor has rim good place races lately, but he is not quite top class and he has ■• failed before at Trontham. Davistock did not follow up his Foxton form at Otaki, but is always a possible where there is plenty of room in which to work his final -nra;:1 The others as a whole do not appeal at. a mile in this company, but Grand Blow, Purse, and Boudoir have some credentials to. justify lone- flings by those lucky enough to hr-'still holding n't, (ho end of tin: dnr.