A FURTHER CHANCE

Evening Post, Issue 66, 15 September 1936, Page 13

A FURTHER CHANCE

GALLIO IN NORTH

NOTE ON GUINEAS FORM

. The Wanganui Guineas usually has served as an important link to the two Guineas decided at. short intervals following In the north, but this year, except for Gallio. the contenders in the Wanganui classic are not. engaged in next Monday's Avondale Guineas. The Avondale classic may be contested by upwards of ten horses, but Mandamus is the only' horse remaining in who is not trained in the Auckland Province. Mandamus is to represent F. W. Davis's stable, as Karl, who was the runner at Wanganui, was never entered for the Avondale classic.

Gallio will have further opportunity to tell his true worth hext weekend, but meanwhile, he has lost some of the lustre that was associated with his name. It is too early yet to form any. adverse opinion about him, for last season he was not at his best till the summer. .At Wanganui he showed h'iniself far from being so forward as Auckland reports had for over a month past declared, him to be. He looked well in many ways, and in most horses such J': condition as he was in would have been sufficient, but it was apparently not a fitness point with him* His sluggishness on the first day, and his obvious distress as they entered the straight'in the Guineas, were all that was needed for proof that he required some racing to remove surplus condition and to harden his muscles. Karapoti", another son of General Latour, was also a little disappointing _in his first races as a three-year-old. In his two-year-old season he made only two appearances and won at his second, at Te Rapa in November. He was then set aside till the next season. Backed down to second favourite at ,lhe Pakuranga Hunt Meeting, he-ran out of the. money,, and in his next start, in a hack sprint at Avondale, when a strong favourite,' he failed again," finishing only a fair third. Those two races led up to his first appearance in a classic, the Great Northern Guineas, and it was only natural that form followers did not enthuse to his chance, allowing him to go out eighth favourite in the field of nine; but he confounded his detractors by readily beating the Avondale Guineas winner Cylinder, who was subsequently to win the New Zealand Derby and defeat Nightmarch (winner of the New Zealand Cup) in the G. G. Stead Gojd Clip, at Riccarton. Once Karapoti came to hand he went on winning. Gallio might repeat the Karapoti case. Te Kara, another fine performer by General Latour, also would not be hurried. He ran three times unplaced as.a three-year-old, arid disappointed more than once, before winning his maiden race as a four-year-old. Yet when he-struck form he went on to take the honours in two Auckland Cups. The stock of the Soult sire Srobably require more racing than ieir appearance might lead one to suspect. MANDAMUS AND SUREIXA.

On paper Gallio'-s opposition in-the Avondale Guineas should not be so Stout as in,' the' Wanganui Guineas. Two of the probable field, Mandamus and Surella, were minor winners ;at Wanganui, and both of these are improving three-year-olds who might list'their names oh the classic record. Mandamus, particularly has all fl -u? credentials to rise to the ; top jHignt during the present season... • : .-'"■; Mandamus;.v;benejted, a ; .greal . deaj with his.opening-day's race, at Wanganui, when he was topweight in., tne hack sprint field and was prominent lor-half the ■ journey. The race he contested on the second day was-callcd the Trial Handicap/but the'conditions admitted a usefuf class oftimproyjng hack. Mandamus led all-the. way and scored in' convincing style.;, By Limond from-the Absurd—Drax mare Drastic, he' ' is ' 'a --three-quarter ; -relative_ to Spiral, winner of the Ne,w Zealand St. Leger Stakes, and he was one of the best-priced yearlings, at the Trentham sales;'Mri W.H. Gaisford going to top price :ol 600-guineas atoong Dominion owner* to secure him£ Though hardly a 7 forward as Karl sft Wanganui, he should turn out a better performer for the stable this season. , Surella, though so. far he has shown his prowess mainly as a sprinter, has ample strength in his pedigree, to stay a Guineas distance. Not only is he by Surveyor; whose stock -have been good middle-distance horses,_but his, dam was by Day Comet or Archiestown, and she descends from -the famous Manto taproot. Surella, after being unlucky on the first day, at Wanganui, made no race of the nvefurlong scurry on the second day, and he was still going along very .smoothly at the post, lengths clear of others. He Is well forward and will strip .one of .the fittest horses in the Avondale Guineas next Monday. . . ;. \ DEFICIT'S SUCCESS. ;:■ : Although the three place-fillers in the Wanganui classic will not be racing in the Avondale classic, they are all m the Great Northern Guineas - three weeks /later. Deficit should always be too good for Laughing Lass and Kai : l .at a mile, but it would have added interest to see another meeting between ■ him and Brazen King, who could_be accounted-the unlucky horse last Saturday, though.it is not believed he would 7 have beaten. Deficit..Brazen King has no engagement in the.toeat Northern Guineas, and he is also not nominated for the Derbies. Deficit's Guineas win was not a surt>rise on nis recent work at Trentham, tat it came somewhat unexpectedly after his only just fair showing^ the hack sprint on the first day. Though hi was allowed by the public to .go out eighth favourite on the first, day, his immediate connections were quietly confident about him and were disappointed when he did not do bettei. The consequence was that the stable did not support him to any degree on Saturday, though it had backed him for a good win on Thursday. The evidence of the clock was all against any further immediate confidence in the Lackham gelding, especially in an event'such as the Guineas, even when all due allowance was made for probable improvement with the race. In the hack sprint on the first day Dawning Light won in lmin 16 3-ssec, and Deficit (8.5) was back sixth at the post, unable to make any impression in the straight. In the following race Karl (7.9) came out and won the Flying Handicap, an open sprint, in lmin 14 l;ssec, and appeared to be doing it easily, all the way. On these figures it certainly looked as if.Karl would be too good for the "hacks" 3n the Guineas; but not only did Deficit beat him so decisively, but Laughing Lass (second- to Dawning Light on the first day) also finished m front of him. It would seem clear that there was not so much room for improvement in Karl with his race as in the other horses. Incidentally Deficit's rider, S. Wilson, was one of the. few who were still confident that the gelding might win the Guineas He said that the horse had not had a good run on the first day, being out on the track nearly all the way, and he had the additional knowledge of last autumn, when Deficit was always able to finish over Karl and Laughing Lass at the end of juvenile events. If Gallic did not show his reputed form, he thought his mount must outstay the others.