HARDER THAN USUAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 108, 3 November 1937, Page 13

HARDER THAN USUAL

WHANGAREI'S HACK. SPRINT

(Special from "Early Bird.") AUCKLAND, November 1'

Usually the hack sprints at Whangarei fixtures do not take a good deal of winning, but the Kensington Hack Handicap on the opening day, Friday next, is going to present a real problem, for recent form and track trials suggest that Huntingmore, High Star, and Prival should have a battle royal. Then there is the Waikato Hunt Club open sprint winner, Mangakaha, who on Labour Day was aided by the heavy track, but he has some weight to give There ere possibilities about Huntingmore, who is now approaching his peak, if one can take his Ellershe trials as any criterion. Early in the autumn this two-year-old won both the juvenile events at Te Aroha, leading all the way.,, and winning in the gamest possible fashion. Royal Vaals and Bachelor King tried him out toe first day. and on the second day he had to be good to staff off Aiwai and Trilliarch. He was then put aside until the present season, his trainer A. Cook saddling him up in the open sprint at the Pakuranga Hunt Meeting two and a half months ago. In this event he led the field to the home turn and retired. Since then he has | been trained at Ellerslie and has not raced. . • , High Star is the horse that made history when he won a hack race at i Avondale just twelve months ago, | his near two-century dividend being the cause of a woman, an excited backer, rushing the birdcage gate and implanting a kiss on the surprised animal, who wouldn't -kiss a horse for that price? Later this hack was put to hurdling and gained place money on several occasions. It was not surprising that he should be tried so soon as a jumper, for he carries the [same colours as Were borne to victory tin a Grand National Steeplechase by Peter Maxwell some years ago. He returned' to flat racing at Avondale (scene of his former phenomenal dividend) last month,, and after finishing fourth to some smart sprinters he won on the second day. A brilliant beginner, he will be suited by the Whangarei track, i , ' ■~. Last, but perhaps not least, of these prospects for the Kensington Hack is Prival. >It matters not that he is still a maiden, for one of his recent efforts stamped him as a really good hack; and in any case maiden races are sometimes more difficult to win than hack handicaps. Produced for the first time at Avondale in the early, spring, he showed a lot of pace out in frorit and so it was not surprising to find him prominent on the same track a month later. It was in the closing stages of the Spring Hack Handicap, after Palustre was looking all over a winner a hundred yards from the post, that Prival put in his claim. tunately there was not room for him to get up on the inside of Palustre, and when half-way up on the rails he had to be checked and was finally beaten half a length, with daylight back to the remainder of the field. The form was subsequently proved first class, for Palustre won again on the second day, making three on end for her, and High Star, who had been fourth, also won on the second day. Actually on form, therefore, Privaland High Star should be preferred to Huntingmore on Friday, but Huntingmore represents very good class. Perhaps the issue as among them will be decided by the draw at this barrier, which is a very awkward one.