NEW ZEALAND DOUBLE

Evening Post, Issue 98, 27 April 1936, Page 13

NEW ZEALAND DOUBLE

CUDDLE AND SILVER RING

(From "Vedette") SYDNEY, April 18.. Highlights of the third day's racing at Randwick were-the successes of the New Zealand pair Cuddle and biiver Ring in the two weight-for-age races and Gold Rod's unfortunate defeat in the Champagne Stakes. Mostly Mr. R. J. Murphy has been unfortunate at Randwick, Oratonan being his only previous winner prior to Cuddle, but he has made amends this time. Cuddle's All-Aged Stakes success was amazing and a further demonstration of her unusual vitality. She certainly appreciated the bad track, but she beat a good field pointless as in the Doncaster Handicap. She had the race won at the half-mile, settling the pacemaker up to that point, the smart Hadrian, with the greatest of ease. From that she gave McCarten an armchair ride. There was a good struggle for second place between Regular Bachelor and Gay Blonde, the Queenslander, after again being slow to begin, just beating Gay Blonde. Hall Mark a very pronounced favourite, could not go at all on the track. As Cuddle sandwiched her. two victories over a mile with a defeat into last place over the two miles of the Sydney Cup, the performances were certainly remarkable. . '„ GOLD ROD'S ILL LUCK. McCarten's experience on Gold Rod supplied one of those remarkable differences so common in ■ racing. . The big colt was at long odds on, in fact, most bookmakers simply bet on a i <s basis, accepting Gold;Rod-as the winn<Gold Rod, a wonderful beginner, tried to dive himself out with those poweiful hind-legs at barrier-rise, but they slipped right from under him on the greasy track. He lost lengths and was naturally quite unbalanced. This caused him to travel badly ;all through the race, and. it was obvious a long way from home that he was not going to fill a place. He suffered no serious injury so far as could be seen but was hit in one eye by a flying, clod, having the organ practically closed. The race went to Tonga, the Rampion colt raced and bred by; the studmasterMr. H. A. Taylor. Tonga.-.was runnerup to Gold Rod in the Breeders' Plate, carrying a 51b penalty, whereas Gold Rod was unpenalised. Tonga did not begin overwell in the Champagne Stlkes and he had to be a, good colt to score. Valicare's daughter Syren led to within a few yards of the, post, but Tonga caught her for a head victory. THE RIGHT TACTICS. A E. Ellis adopted the right tactics on the day to win .with Silver Ring in the Cumberland Plate The^rack was cutting up badly and mostly horses in ov near the front were winning. Accordingly Ellis allowed Silver Ring to stride along. He had mattes mostly his own way until reaching the half-mile, when Lough Neagh closed on him. The New Zealander was always going better, however slipping right away in the straight to win easily Master Bnerly, who had been last early came through in the straight to defeat Lough Neagh, proving himself to be still a good mudl£lThere is a 3.15 time limit on the Cumberland Plate, but Silver Ring set such a good pace that he won in 3min ijsec for the P mile and three-quarters. Before the race there was some agitation to reduce ;the time penalty on account of the heavy track, but the officials declined, rightly as it proved The'stake of £1250 is reduced to £500 if the race is not run in 3min 15sec or under. This was.-done-to make the -event'a-test and-not:-a burlesque of a crawl and half-mile sprint.