THE USUAL UPSET

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 99, 23 October 1936, Page 13

THE USUAL UPSET

MEETING'S OPENING RACE

Opening events at Trentham are more often than otherwise a pitfall for investors, and so it proved in the Glen Hurdles. Two of the less-fancied candidates, Sporting Song and Brigadore, fought out the finish, from the last fence, and better stamina saw Briga-, dore getting up over the final hundred1 yards to score well by half a neck. It iwas a double-figure win dividend jmd two good place prices for the first j Brigadore was one of the definite form horses, but though, he had weighed in at his previous five, starts he had been off the winning list since the season before last, though actually he had started only half a dozen times in I eighteen months. In yesterdays running- he was never far behind an a field that did not string out, as the hurdlers often do, and, racing up to join the leaders* the tiring Royal King and Sporting. -Song, between the straight entrance and the last fence, he ran on top.solidly for Sporting; Now seven years old, Brigadore is a younger half-brother by Polazel to Invictus, another good jumper, and he is owned'by his breeder, Mr. E. C. Hadddck, who now does his own training at Marton. Three winters ago he looked like developing into a leading light among the hurdlers, but subsequently he was dogged with misfortunes. Last winter he went amiss very early, pulling up very distressed with kidney trouble at a Marton Meeting, and he resumed racing only last month at Wanganui, where he ran second, and he was later also second at Marton. Sporting Song ran up to his good gallop early in the week. Always among the leading group, he assumed charge from Royal King before the last fence, but he found himself thus in front just too soon. He fought back when challenged but was beaten some distance from the post. Wexford Bridge, who dropped back in the early running, moved up again Hearing the last fence, but he had to be satisfied with a moderate third placing three lengths back. He is liable to improve on the effort at the meeting, as his backing suggested he had the confidence of his party. Royal King, the pacemaker, weakened into fourth, and Red Rufus, after going up after the last fence, did not continue on and was fifth alongside Royal King at the post. Lord Val dropped out on the home turn, apparent!y beaten by his weight. Redolent and Salt-Spray went just fairly. The big disappointment was the Aucklander Merry Lap, who was mpre, than twice as well backed as anything else, but who jumped badly all the way and finished at the rear. The lefthanded going might have been his trouble, for when he did attempt to make a run approaching the second last fence he crashed right through it. Verden's rider lost .his iron at the second fence and he parted company at the next fence, near the seven fur-, longs. -