REVIEW OF FORM

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 96, 20 October 1937, Page 17

REVIEW OF FORM

TRACK IN GREAT ORDER It has been usual in the past to pr< pare for the worst at Wellington Sprin Meetings, but' racegoers have ever reason to expect the best oh this occ; sion. The early opening, on the Thuri day instead of the Saturday, with thre days instead of two, appears to hav madt the season more like summc than the old-fashioned spring, and th institution of the extra day in Octobe is undoubtedly a popular move. Patrot age from owners is near the best tn club has ever had for any meeting. Follow:- " the recent settled spell th tracks arr in splendid order, firm, witl out being hard, and fast. It would tak a deal of rain to soften the going befor the meeting concludes, and therefor Trentham may give a better line i Riccarton next month than it one ha in the past, for rain is rare at New Ze ..and Cup Meeting, though th exception was the order last year. , Further im roved facilities will E available for 'we public tomorrow fc the Wellington stewards still befcej, that 5 t is possible to do better than tn superlative service that has been rei dered at recent meetings. Raeegoir at Trentham sets a standard that would be difficult to surpass in an part of the world. . .. The usual convenient transport facil ties will operate. Race trains forvtr course leave Wellington frequent intervals from 10.30 a.m. till 11.25 a.rti., and ordinary trains leave at 8.45, 9.55, 10.8 a.m., and 12.15 Similar services are scheduled for the 13 A r summary of the form is as follows: GLEN HURDLES. The set against the favourites in opening events at Trentham is well illustrated by the h ' story tuils Hurdles, which, under varying became opening item ofthe spirmg oard twelve years ago and has stui 10 be Von by the public's first. choice. However tomorrow s will be the tmr teenth contest since the tw^ Taita Handicap was ousted from ttihonour of starting the October proceedings in 1925, and the superstitious may see some significance m this fc*#. The last two winners, Brigadore last year and Manawatu the previous year, have dffficulMo ££?& favourite for tomorrow, but might brand Journet with this stigma, twelve months ago Tnnmet won on' the second Gay Trentham, and a couple 0^ n m °" t I h u s (; ky o n back after finishing an uniucsy SuSin'theOrgdtMonjl SS on the final day in New Zealand record corresponds to otLr been particularly happy on.the Tren sssssfe's Donegal. Redolent uacKra*Actors, Spender may |. vi(Jend if there is the customary h Journet BSS and bBS Tlser.and Hed s " n <pl "S!ta handicap. There i. K mmm ontintf This record of recent years naturally attawts rangi any of whom may be a leading Senile before the season runs its course Lord Cavendish, though he is said to be still developing, has been declared by none less than breedernwner to be the best of beau reri. s> first crop. The Australian-bred Prime Quality from the same stable, has not ™w made the trip. Taurangi is a Reau Pere filly for whom a good price wal given at the sales by a sound "KSvrirfe&S'ffi closed, Diana Tetrix and Twenty Grand read likeliest on paper, but Rarotonga, Nordic Song, and Ra£ a " hanga are possible improvers. The betting may furnish further clues, but likely propositions are Lord Cavendish (both ways), and Taurangi and Ni„ht Attack (places). WAINUI HANDICAP. '•r nok for the three-year-old" is a slogan well justified by the history of the Wainui Handicap, and there is only one member of the age m this years field the Chokebore representative St Dress. On the. last two occasions three-year-olds in Wild Chase and Greek Shepherd have been victors, and two years further back Croupier and Love Song won at the age. What Wild Chase did for his stable last year under 8.1, Night Dress looks capable of repeating this year under 7.8, which is a favourable impost for a colt who at his final start last season ran Royal Chief to a length in the C.J.C. unau lenge Stakes. Night Dress reappeared in hack class over a mile at Ashburton last month, and though he was then beaten into fourth, the first time he had been further back than second he was finishing on fast at the close The Chokebore stable has a higii opinion of this' colt, as is instanced b> the way he has been nominated ir preference to Haughty Winner in th< weight-for-age events at the cominf New Zealand Cup Meeting. Amonf the older horses the one who is like lier to be' first choice, and probablj also favourite above the three-year-old is Kinnoull, who won last week un expectedly first up for twelve months Catalogue and Queen of Song, witt their penchant for Trentham, ari others who will be favoured, and Bii Dook is due for a winning turn, as hi looks as well as ever he did. The pub I lie favours may be bestowed on Nigh Dress (both ways) and Kinnoull an< Big Dook (places). RIMUTAKA HANDICAP. With its big field, the Rimutaka Han dicap will set investors a major pro ! blem; but the wary bettor may tak heart of grace from the records, whicl

1 show that outsiders have rarely been ; successful in the hack sprints in October, with a weighty preponderance of victories by the first or second selections Last year, for instance, Ben Braggie was both-way first choice; and the two previous years Shu and Grand Sport were second win favourites, ' Grand Sport going on to win the C.J.C. ° Stewards' The favourite for tomory row's contest may now be the southi- erner Top Row, who beat Dictate in • r open class at Washdyke last Saturday; e it may be that Dictate was unlucky, e but winning form is always risky to r pass over, particularly when revealed e in superior class. That brilliant filly r Geira, one of the dead-heaters at Masi- terton on Saturday, Son and Heir, who e is after the stocky, never-die Arrow Lad stamp, and Card Sharper, a wine ner at his last start in the north, are )■ Speed merchants whom the others will e require to conjure with, if they are at 'C all satisfactorily drawn at the barrier. e Nearer the top Middle has solid recent 0 winning form and Alunga is an imn prover; while further down are possi- ® bilities in Dawning Light, Maestro, Diamond Cutter. Aureus, Mishna, and Suleiman, the last-named, a win- ® ner first time out last week, possibly !p being something out of the usual. The „ only horse in the field engaged in the C.J.C. Stewards', as Grand Sport was, a is Alunga. Those in favour will init elude Geira (both ways), and Top Row y and Suleiman (places).

WELLINGTON HANDICAP. Consideration of the form in the unusually big field that has accepted for the Wellington Handicap has already been given, and little has happened in the last week to cause any material change of view. The class of those near the top may be conceded, but one falls back on the record of the race, which shows that generally it has been won by one oi the I group below the 8.0 mark. Even i Argentic, at 8.4 last year, was only !an apparent exception, as the mimI mum was then 7.7. In the lower half I of tomorrow's field are some excellent form prospects, to name among them ! Small Boy, Cerne Abbas, Boomerang, Might, Sunee, Shy, and Soho in, particular. If Small Boy runs he will be one of the favourites, for he is fighting fit at present and there was no fluke about his Mitchelson Cup victory. Cerne Abbas, second in the Mitchelson Cup, is also in great heart, and in the absence of Small Boy she and Sunee might be the toughest propositions of all. The half-brothers, Might and Boomerang, are real stayers if the pace is true, as it is almost sure to be, and Soho looks better than ever he has before. Fersen too may be on the way to staging a return to form. As one glances to the upper half of the list one notes others in good form, and on dry ground the higher weights will be at an advantage they do not ordinarily have in the spring at Trentham. Lowenberg, who is suited by the course, is a likely one who may be at a useful price, and Arctic King is well enough to repeat his performance of two years ago, as Argentic, last year's winner, must also be. Cuddle , will go a good race, but the records r are all against her and also against ; Wild Chase. The betting will take ' a wide range, but a trio who may be ! popular are Cerne Abbas (both ways) and Sunee and Small Boy or Boom- [ erang (places). WELLESLEY STAKES. i There have been some unexpected ! results in the Wellesley Stakes, but > generally this is a race m which the ■ public have been able to sort out the k winner, Tor two-year-old form is disI closed by the season's earlier classics. The Francis Drake of tomorrow s field is Protector, the half-brother to Shatter, and who has won the last three - of his four starts to date, including - the Avondale and A.R.C. Welcome : Stakes. It is probable that investors l will once again send him out favour-

ite, a post he has occupied at every j outing he has had. Yet it is quite easy to envisage Protector's defeat, particularly at the hands of the Surveyor | colt Surmount, who beat him at Wanganui in a way for which no excuses could be made and who has not raced j since that outing. Of the others, Gay Son and Amigo are winning represen-1 tatives of Beau Pere, the former par-1 ticularly creating a most favourable impression when scoring at Masterton, and Peerless and Russian Ballet are fillies who may take a share in the result. On form one must turn back to Surmount (both ways), and Protector and Gay Son (places). SHORTS HANDICAP. As with most open sprints at Trentham, there has usually been,a nigger in the wood pile in the Shorts Handicap, a race in which only three Javourites, to wit, Tigritiya (1919), Paganelli (1929), and View Halloo (1932), have succeeded in avoiding the common fate during the last twenty years. Twelve months ago Plato was a surprise to most, and so were Bon Tray I and Copyist the previous years. There | is room for an upset again this year, as the field is evenly matched and many of the runners are endowed with great brilliance. Paper Slipper, with No. 1 saddle, is sure to be in steady request, though having his first outing this season, and his exceptional speed will take him a long way, if not actually to victory. He was the favourite last year and failed, and, though he won his first race at Trentham, the course has since" been an unlucky one for rrim. Debham's Wanganui form must set him in line for a good chance, despite defeats since in the north; and Maori Song, a winner on the track in the winter, comes down again with a I bigger reputation than ever. Perhaps, however, the winner will be_ found in the lower group, and here it is difficult to pass by the consistent and solid little stallion Joviality, unbeaten in four starts this season. Down among the lighter weights, Joviality is always tough to bowl. Laughing Lass looked particularly well when working this morning. Pakanui, Clessamore and Greenwich were winners at their last start, and Black Thread is from a stable that has a good Trentham record. In an open issue those at main request may include Joviality (botn ways), and Laughing Lass and Maori Song (places). OCTOBER HANDICAP. The hack events at this meeting, though drawing big fields, have generally been much easier to sift out than the open items, and the October Handicap is likely to produce the winner from among its- better-fancied section, though there may not be anything quite so good in this years numerous lot as Trench Fight was twelve months ago. Indeed, it does not look a dim cult race to win at all, allowing always for the possible element of surprise. The Bigot, who scored so impressively at Hastings recently, has generally been regarded more .as a sprinter, but he should stay on breeding, for his half-brother, Young Crusader, was win-

ner of last year's A.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap, 13 furlongs, and his sire (Baralong) was a good stayer himself. These credentials may be sufficient to install this Australian-bred horse the favourite. Another who is bound to be remembered by Wellington racegoers for his sensational success oyer the same distance on the opening day of the Winter Meeting is Tidewaiter, who impressed on the tracks this week as looking a fit horse, though it is known that he does not always run as kindly as desired. Improvers among the others are Lucullus Lad (unlucky at Masterton), Quadroon (unlucky at Wanganui), Good Sun, and Galteemore, among whom the first pair may be likeliest. Lazybones, Royal Minstrel, and Lustral have recent winning form to back up their claims; and Miracle, Bluffer, Lickem, and Malibu a'-e due for improvement. On his surnrise forward showing at Otaki recently Royal Romance is an outside Drosoect for a place. There will be strong backing for The Big°t (both ways), and Tidewaiter and Lucullus Lad or Quadroon (places).