RECORD PERFORMANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 21, 25 January 1936, Page 22

RECORD PERFORMANCE

SILVER RING'S FINE WIN

Easily a weight-carrying record for the race since its distance was increased from 1} miles to 1 mile and 3 furlongs in 1914 was established by Silver Ring in winning the Wellington Racing Club Handicap, yesterday's event of main attraction. Silver Ring Succeeded under the big impost of 9.13, the only other horses to have carried nine stone or over to victory being Star Stranger (1927) and Gay Crest (1932), both of whom had 9.5. In earlier years Achilles followed up his Cup win with success in the 1907 race under 9.11, and on the old Hutt Park track the little champion St. Paul won with 10.2 and Boreas with 9.13, but all those races were at the shorter distance.

Silver Ring was naturally a hot choice with the public for yesterday's event, especially when Queen of Song did not saddle up, and he was at very little over even money to win. On Cup form nothing really had much chance against him, even with additional concessions up to 61b' in many cases. Hunting Cat or Tout le Monde were entitled to the support they received, for they might have ,been*un- slucky in the Cup, but outside of them it almost had to be Silver Ring if form counted for anything. PATIENTLY RESERVED. Silver Ring won the race brilliantly after his rider (A. E. Ellis) had been able to play his game more patiently than in the Cup, chiefly because of the smaller dimensions of the field. He ■was always going smoothly in about seventh place, and at the straight entrance he was still in that position, just behind Hunting Cat. When the latter ran through fast along the fence at the false rail he followed in close pursuit, but always waiting with the drop on this opponent. Hunting Cat had control at the distance, where Might was ranging up on the outer of the favourite; but in the last halffurlong Silver Ring suddenly pounced down on the leader and he won spectacularly by half a neck from Hunting Cat, with Might only a head away third. It was a performance that revealed the high class of the topweight, who is without any question the best older horse at present in commission in the Dominion. He recorded his first success over a journey beyond 1} miles in the mile and a half C.J.C. Metropolitan last November, and yesterday's was his second such victory. Ha I the field not been quite so large in the Wellington Cup, compelling bin. to use up some of his reserve in the middle'stages in reaching an attacking, position, he might have won that' race, too, and this may be said wilh-j out. detracting in the least from.lh.'i excellent winning . performance Queen of Song. j Silver Ring's breeding and record are too well known to require particular note. He has now sU.riod on 63 occasions for 16 wins, and his slal:.> earnings amount to £5946, to which this season's contribution is £1010. Part of his winnings have been gained on his three Australian trips, but his only success across the Tasman was in the A.J.C. Epsom, the Australian portion of his earnings in all being £1760. He is raced on lease by Mr. A. H. Walton, of Greymouth, from Mrs. E. Fraser, wife of his former owner, the victim of the Riccarton Hotel tragedy; and he has been trained since his return from his spring. trip to Sydney by J. Stewart at Greymouth. HUNTING CAT'S EFFORT. In being beaten by a horse of the quality of the winner Hunting Cat was far from being disgraced. He ran a very sound race, on the fence behind the leading division most of the way. It is possible that he burst through with his claim just a little too soon, but for horses in his position it is generally the only safe thing to go when the field leaves the* opening on the inner as they are passing the false rail. The result of the move nevertheless was that he reached the fmnt just too far off the post, so that when a dangerous challenge was lodged near the finish he could not beat it off. ■Might ran truer to his recent track trials than he did in the Cup, but in that race he was galloped on, which undoubtedly affected his chance. Second to last to the home turn, he was then 'sent along round the field to be next after Silver Ring at the straight, though fairly wide out. He sustained his effort to the post, but though he was still running on strongly he could not reach nearer than a close third. Spiral also went in rather better style to finish a good fourth, but he had always been in a more forward place than those who beat him, the actual leader for the first three furlongs, and then third the' rest of the way to the straight. He was the first horse to tackle and bring back the middle-section pacemakers, Silk Sox and Gay Broney, but when claimants came he was powerless to withstand them. Argentic was again finishing on fifth from some way back, but his final effort was lacking in real brilliance. Tout le Monde came from absolute last to be sixth, and Senior, in finishing next, also made up some ground belatedly. Sweet Agnes and Grand Jury failed to go on over the closing section after being fourth and fifth respectively to the straight. Silk Sox and Gay Broney. who took control along the back and opened a temporary gap of a length and a half on the others, were beaten at the straight entrance, Silk, Sox being the last horse to complete the journey.

The time of 2min 18ijsec, while the best for the past four years, has often been bettered in the race, six horses holding faster figures and the race record being Star Stranger's 2min 17sec in 1927. The pace was a sound one throughout, but not quite so solid ns in the Cup. They went the last mile an 3 a quarter in 2min Slsec, the same time as. that section in the Cup, but they took lmin 40sec (compared with lmin 39Jsec in the Cup) for the last mile, and 50sec (compared with 48.isec) for the last half-mile. The slightly easier pace would have assisted the topweight, whose last mile and halfmile, from seventh place, would, of course, have been faster than the figures given.