DOURO CUP OFTEN ZENITH

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 18, 22 January 1938, Page 22

DOURO CUP OFTEN ZENITH

FEW WINNERS EARN LATER FAME

MARTARA AN EXCEPTION; MISHNA MAY BE TOO

(By "Rangatira.")

It has been rather the destiny of horses who have won the Do'uro Cup, which is.commonly looked upon as the premier hack prize in the Dominion, not to excel greatly in their subsequent career. There have been a few exceptions, but generally the Douro Cup has marked, the zenith of the career of its winners. Intne last twenty years the only five victors who have subsequently done anvthing of note have been Trespass (Dunedin and Feilding tups), Pelham (a crack sprinter), Heremia'(who went to India), Davolo (Whyte Handicap as a three-year-old, etc.), and Martara (W.K.U. Summer Handicap, Taranaki Cup, W.R.C. Autumn Handicap, and Wellesley Plate recently in India).

It is rather a coincidence that two if these winners, Heremia (1932) and Martara (last year), both three-year-olds at the time, should have been sold shortly afterwards for India. They were probably two of the best winners, and each was able to reproduce his form in India. , . ,_. Heremia was early successful m his new home, and he enjoyed a number of wins there before meeting with accidental death. He did much better in India than Karapoti, who was sent to India at the same time. Martara also came very quickly to hand in India. He was sold only last March and shipped the next month. The racing season in -India does not open till November at Calcutta, and early last month Martara dealt with a high-class field in just the same manner as he did twice last season at Trentham subsequent to his'Douro Cup win.

MARTARA IN INDIA.

The following is comment on Martara's success as it appeared in the Calcutta "Sunday Statesman": — "A shock was in store for the public at the Calcutta races yesterday (December 4), when Mas.d' Antibes, winner of the Viceroy's. Cup iji 1935 and 1936 and a great favourite with the public, went down in the ,Wellesley Plate, li miles. Nevertheless, the son of Zionist was hot disgraced, for his conqueror, Martara, was in receipt of 271b from him. Certain -penalties and allowances are attached to this race and Martara got in with a big concession in weight. • .

as Martara won under 9.2 as a three-year-old after going heedlessly over a lot of extra ground, whereas Mishna carried only 7.13 as a four-year-old. But it is believed that Mishna has more than ordinary, quality in him, and that ho will measure up to open class be-fore-the present season concludes. He was running out his hack nominations today under what was a lenient weight, when it is considered that he had only the same poundage as Good Sun, who has as yet won only two small hacK events in his whole career. Misbna might have come good sooner than he has if he had had a little more racing. He reminds one somewhat of another good Rabbi horse, Synagogue, who needed racing, or, alternatively, plenty ' of hard work. But possibly the policy that his owner Mr C. C3. Watson, has adopted with him will have its full reward in due course* In ail Mishna has had only seventeen starts to date, commencing early last winter, and he has eschewed the maiden class for Trentham, Riccarton, and similar company. At his third starf he' ran third to Rival Hit and Old Surrey at Trentham in July, at his next outing he was fourth in the CJ.C. Cashmere Plate, and at his next he beat everything except Mittie in the CJ.C. Woolston Handicap, seven,furlongs. After the Grand National Meeting he was not raced again till Trentham in October, so he was taking..tne difficult course to his first success,

• "I do not wish to detract, however, from Martara's .performance, which was very impressive. He jumped into the lead, led throughout, and won by four lengths. As usual, Mas d' .Antibes lay behind in the early stages and did not run up to his field until rounding the bend. Cotys struggled hard to get the better of Mas d' Antibes and was defeated by only a head for second honours. A.- Higgins sent Martara out in fine condition.

"Two other lightly-weighted candidates in Camping and Will of the Wisp won this race in 1935 and 1936, Punters seemed to be aware of this and Martara came in for'very fair support. Fortunately for his supporters history repeated itself." The class of the field that contested the Welleslcy Plate was the best m India. Besides Mas d' Antibes and Cotys. the other runners included Fastnet. Filter, and Rivalli, all performers of the top grade. It is apparent that Martara was pleasing his connections in his work, as he was sent out second favourite. Ho was racing nrthe colours of Mr. P. D. Boiton, and the weight he carried was 7.3, to the 9.7 that Mas d'"Antibes had to saddle up. The- time was 2min 9 4-ssec, but the distance is noted as about U miles. bo it might have been a shade over the actual iourney.

, MISHNA AN EXCEPTION? In view of the fact that Martara, even by his performances before he left for India, gave fresh lustre to Douro Cup success, it will be interesting to i note the progress of this year's winner, ' Mishna, during the remainder of the season. Of course, Mishna's effort could not be compared to Martara'3,

whiSh came at Awapuni' on Boxing Day in a welter handicap. This chestnut horse has already had some experience in open class. On New Year's Day he took on the Wairarapa Cup and came from the back to finish fourth. On the-second day of that meeting he also ran in,the main handicap, and again he was running on fourth, behind Helen Ford, Lucullus Lad, and Master Cyklon, and ahead of Hazoor Gay Hunter, Boomerang, and Debh'am. It is easy to take a cue from those efforts, verified by his attractive Douro Cup victory, and thus be satisfied that he is one of the most likely recruits to open middle-distance races during the next few months. The name of Mishna, as will be known to some, is connected with'Rabbinical literature. The Mishna (sometimes written Mishuah) is part of the Talmud, the name being derived from the Hebrew and meaning oral repetition or teaching, and ■it comprises 'a systematic collection of religious-legal decisions developing the laws of the Old Testament. The remaining portion of the Talmud, which is supplementary to the Mishna, is known as the Gemara. The Mishna is a more or less careful arrangement of the extant Oral Law. as distinct from the Written Law, the Oral Law having become codified in the Mishna.

As the horse who won the Douro Cup this week is by Rabbi' out of an Elysian mare, Conviction, he has been yery cleverly named. It is a pity that some other good horses at present racing were not similarly endowed. It may be all against logical reasoning, to be sure, but a horse with a bad or indifferent name rarely goes on to famous deeds.