"ERRONEOUS IDEAS"

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 151, 28 June 1935, Page 6

"ERRONEOUS IDEAS"

PETER PAN'S CUP WEIGHT

The cabled opinions in connection with Peter Pans weight for the Melbourne Cup, declared to have come from the owner and the crack rider J. Pike, will not stand the test of analysis, and indicate a, shallow knowledge of handicapping, writes the southern critic "Sentinel." According to the opinions expressed the greatest danger to Peter Pan may come from a good staying three-year-old in at about weight-for-'age. If a three-year-old in at about weight-for-age—and they very seldom get more—is dangerous, then it is a logical deduction that a four-year-old with little more than th£ burden allotted to a three-year-old must be even a greater menace to the. success of a heavily-weighted topweight. ■ ' A common and most fallacious opinion very frequently expressed by critics shows a lack of, knowledge based on a close study of handicapping, , and it consists in applying the weight-for-age scale to a handicap, "Sentinel" continues. A handicaps is supposed to be framed on the racing merit of the various horses engaged in a race. Once a horse starts in public he becomes a racing- tihit and so must be judged by comparison with others holding public performance. Form is based on. facts. On the other hand the weight-for-age scale is an imaginary idea of balancing the chance of horses of various ages. The fact that the weight-for-age scale cannot measure merit is proved conclusively by clubs being forced to make efforts to balance the standard scale by the introduction of penalties and allowances into races of so-called, but most erroneously styled, classic events. The only classic events are the One Thousand Guineas, the Two Thousand Guineas, the Derby, and St. Leger, and they are at special weights. s The introduction of penalties and allowances is a compulsory recognition of the fact that the weight-for-age scale fails, and fails lamentably, to balance merit. If it were otherwise why should an outstanding horse of any'age completely sweep the board when at the top of form? Three-year-olds when racing over a distance, where weight tells, completely dominate results under the weignt-for-age scale. This is proved by the results in such races as the Canterbury Cup, the Australian Cup (a handicap), the Eandwick Plate, and Champion Plate, and other events decided at the standard weights, which all go to prove that a really good three-year-old is almost unbeatable. A specific instance is supplied by the success of the number of three-year-olds winning the Melbourne Cup. Newhaven, Merriwee, Lord Cardigan, Poseidon, Lord Nolan,. Prince Foote, Patrobas, Sasanof, Artilleryman, Trivalve, and others of the same age were practically unbeatable in an ordinary handicap field. Let it be said in passing that Kilboy was considered a 141b better three-year-old than Sasanof, and that Artilleryman bolted away from his field and Won by twelve lengths. The real danger to a topweight in the Melbourne Cup does not come from a three-year-old. Take the case of Statesman, who finished close up to the placed lot in Trivalve's year when racing; as a th«-ee-year-old. Statesman was then put by and converted into the proverbial <rrod-in-pickle" for the following year. It is a fact that Statesman did not win a race as a three-year-old. His only placed performance at that age was a second to Trivalve in 1 the Victoria Derby. In the spring of the following season Statesman finished third in the Warwick Stakes to Limerick and Winalot, and after twoi-nn-. I placed performances he won the Sydney. Handicap with 8.7. He. was unplaced in the Cox Plate, and then ran ia good third to Gothic and.Amounis in the Melbourne Stakes. Then came his win in the Melbourne Cup" with 8.0. in 3min 23Jsec, with Strephon, a really high-class three-year-old, who had won the Victoria Derby, second, lour lengths away; So much for the (chance of a high-class ' three^year-old when, bumping against, a rod-in-pickle only one year older. ' -AurumI'was? claimed, and justly claimed, to be the greatest three-year- ! old. eser1 'seen -in':-Australia; He j was handicapped at; racing pierit and, carried B.C, of 141b over weight-for-age. lie met Gaulus. the winner, a six-year-old. at 7.8. and The Grafter, a four-year-I old, carrying 7.7. This gave Aurum an impossible task and was emphasised when The Grafter won the following year with 9.2 and afterwards displayed good winning form in England. These facts clearly show that the greatest menace to a topweight does not come from a three-year-old. ■ It is a remarkable fact that the rich Stake attached to the Melbourne Cup does not tempt more owners to provide a rod-in-pickle when they have a proved stayer such as- Statesman. Gaulus and The Grafter were handicapped on their apparent racing merit when they ran first and'second, but under ,the weight-for-age. scale had a tremendous pull in the weights. What has happened in the past may occur again. Other horses seasoned by age I but unexposed in, form could make it next door to a certainty to win the Melbourne Cup, simply.because weight will anchor the best horse that ever carried a saddle. Even a really highclass three-year-old such as Strephon had no chance with Statesman and Noctuifomv whoj had ho form as a two-year-old but, trained into, one of the best three-year-olds ever, seen m I the Southern Hemisphere. ,_. " What chance would Peter Pan have with a Gaulus, The Grafter, a Statesman, or a Noctuiform, a Sasanof, an Artilleryman,i or a Kilboy? , About a million to one, unless the Plimsoll mark was not introduced to prevent a ship •flora sinking by over-weight! ' . i The New Brighton Trotting Club I made a loss of £24 0s 6d on the season s operations. A sum of £4610 was distributed in stakes, being an increase !of £160 on the amount given during the previous racing period. The club s finances are satisfactory, however, for assets are shown at £13,696, and there are no liabilities. „■,■.» I They tube them early in England. The winners at Epsom on April 23_mcluded a two-yeaiiold named Sky Pioneer. Costing 650 guineas as a yearling, he AvenT amiss in the wind at a very early stage, and was tubed. It did not affect, him adversely/as he van nwnv with the Warren Plate.