ON TO GREAT NORTHERNS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 115, 18 May 1938, Page 17

ON TO GREAT NORTHERNS

ASSESSMENT OF THE JUMPERS

SEVERAL HORSES CLAM DOUBLE ENGAGEMENTS

(By"Rangatira.")

Although Uis yet rather early in !be session to b<s able n form any true judgment on the prospects of the jumpers in the big cross-country and hurdle races that are to be decided in the Dominion during the next three months, beginring with the Grest Northerns and concluding with the Grand Nationals, interest has already been stimulated by the preliminary minor steeplechases and hurdle- events during the past fortnight or so and by the appearance of the weights for the leading events at the Auckland Racing Club's Great Northern Meeting on June 6, 9, and 11. The recent racing has brought to light no new stars, but the Waikato Meeting at the weekend, where many of the horses destined for Ellerslie are engaged, may be more instructive in pointing to the horses who are likely to play leading roles in the Great Northerns. Meanwhile one may take a brief course over the weights for the Northerns and consider how the Auckland handicapper, Mr. F. J. McManemin, has estimated the prospects of the horses whose form and prowess he has had to balance.

■ The first impression that one gains. from a perusal of the Great Northern handicaps is that the quality of the material this year is below the average. Several well-known names are in the list, but, with few exceptions, they are not names now to conjure with, and there is an apparent dearth of promising new blood in the fields. It .is of course nothing unusual to decry the present, and also nothing unusual to find later on that the estimation has been wide of the mark. It is done almost every season, particularly with such grades as the two* year-olds, the distance handicappers; and the jumpers.: Yet it does look as if this winter is going to prove weak in its jumping talent. It is therefore to be hoped that once again subsequent events prove that the earlier view is erroneous. , ■ A ■ The Great Northerns are the first of the winter jumping features. When they are decided one knows more about the quality of the material that will compete In the later events, and in particular the Wellington Steeplechase and Winter Hurdles at Trentham and the Grand' Nationals at Riccarton. As far as is known at present there is very little strength to be added to the northern array. ELLERSLIE DIFFERENCES. '• The Great Northerns differ in one important aspect from the Trentham and Riccarton doubles. At Ellerslie the Hurdles is decided on the first day and the Steeplechase on the second day. Therefore it is easier for a horse to take on the Great Northern double than for the Trentham and Riccarton doubles, where the Steeplechase is the earlier event. ' There are no fewer than ?8 horses with the double engagement this year, more than half stheTlelds at nomination, and they comprise Jolly Beggar, Clarion Call, Tudor, Royal Mimic, Huskie, Erination, All Irish, Royal Limond, Riotous, Windsor Lad, ing Song, Irish Comet, Bryce Street, Count Roussillon, Valpeen, Mio Lume, Mana, and Artful Dodger. Another difference with the big steeplechases of the : season is that there is a maximum weight restriction to "the"Wellington (12.0) and Grand National (12.7), but none to the Great Northern. However, the Auckland handicapper does not often go.above the 12.0 mark to commence his list. The highest impost that has been awarded in the Great Northern Steeples during the last dozen years has been 12.7 to Billy Boy in 1933, and the.only-.other.jair .in the period who have received over 12.0 have been Beau Cavalier (12.2 in 1928) and Valpeen (ISA-two years ago). Last year Tudor started off with 11.13. Mr. McManemin SaTdeclded that 11.8 is high enough for this year's field. AGAIN ON TOP. Tudor again "has the honour of being No 1 in toe list, sharing the position with Clarion -Call and Jolly Back near his best Tudor would be well in, but he is an unsound horse and it is said to be very unlikely that he will see the post. Clarion Call, on the other hand, has been the outstanding performer oyer the country this winter, the Egmont and the Wanganui Steeplechase!, the latter under has therefore earned his weight This brilliant jumper, has only .to stay the distance to be in the fight for the honours, and on his.efforts oyer the hurdles—he was winning a Great Northern Hurdles easily when he dropped his rider at the fast fence two years ago, and he was beaten only a August—he really should compass the distance. Nearly, three years ago he ran second over the Ellerslie country in the Onehunga; Steeples. 3 and he has not since faced the Great Northern obstacles. __ „, nmm Jolly Beggar is stM, an unknown quantity as a steeplechaser, but he lias schooled with, promise recentlyat Riccarton. There is no question about his stamina for the long trip of 3f miles, and, as a hurdler, he was a very safe and clever jumper, even if not always keeping a straight line. Mr. McManemin has rightly taken no undue risk with a horse who has. won two Grand National Hurdles. He is engaged in neither of the steeplechase events at Waikato next weekend, so, if he starts in the Great Northern Steeplechase, he will be Making his debut ..in the role. It is'a mighty undertaking under top weight ROYAL LEWOND'S MARK. There is a substantial drop in the weights from these three to the next on the list, which indicates the opinion Mr McManemin has formed about the quality of this year's potential 'chasing material. Royal Limond, a previous winner under 9.8, has 61b less than he was awarded last year with 10.12, which is-a reasonable weight for a horse who has won both the Great Northern and Grand National Steeplechases. But it has been doubtful for a long time if he Would ever be the same horse again—without taking into account the difficulties his various riders have had of preventing him from running off—and so, with Tudor dropped in the weights, he has also been entitled to come.down. All Irish, on 10.10, is one of the Improvers in the field who is expected to be a better horse this season than ever before. He has shown that the country has no fears for him, as he won the Hunt Cup on the course last winter and then the Pakuranga Hunt Cup. under 11.0, in August. He also indicated his future possibilities by running second to Burglar m the July ■ Steeples at Trentham last July, and recently he was an easy winner over hurdles at Avondale, carrying 11.4. At present he is one of the main fancies for the race in the north. Among the other experienced steeplechasers in the field are Irish Comet, who won the Great Northern-Winter Steeplechase double last winter, Riotous, Forest Glow, another winner of the Winter Steeples, Neil, Windsor Lad, Lucidus, Mio Lume, Kmkle, Wykemist, Bryce Street, and Valpeen, Irish Comet is well up in but it was not till last season that he won his first race, and at 10.7 he is not by any means out of this year's Northern. His rising 15 years, however, may be his anchor. Riotous and Forest Glow will need to improve a lot on then latest efforts. Riotous seems a forlorn prospect, but Forest Glow cannot be left out of account •over, Ellerslie country. Valpeen's handicap is the astonishing feature of the weights, for he is down on the minimum, though he ran second with 10.5 last year; bu the Auckland handicapper would nol have taken such a risk unless he had very sound, grounds for believing thai this one-time champion will never come back. . ... None of the others, except possibly Huskie, are likely to enter present calculations. Huskie has had his first .experience in the role and has com 'pleted * course, and tf ho were safely

to jump tne Northern country his stamina would help him out at the end. Erination might be another who is capable of succeeding before long as a steeplechaser, for he got safely round in the Autumn Steeples at Easter and finished fourth. Eleven of the Great Northern Steeples aspirants are due to compete in the Te Rapa Steeplechase on Saturday. They are Clarion Call, All Irish, Riotous, Forest Glow, Huskie, Neil, Valpeen, Lucidus, Mio .Lume, Bryce Street, and Wykemist. The form of these horses may throw a more illuminating torch on the Great Northern. WIDER RANGE OF FORM. The Great Northern Hurdles, which is decided on the opening day, affords a much wider range of likely form this year than the Steeplechase does. The Hurdles is recognised as the most difficult race of its kind in the Dominion, with the fences requiring more jumping than the country, because of their solid. nature and the pace at which they have to be taken. It requires a safe jumper to win the Hurdles, and the lighter weights, on the record of the race, seem to have a general advantage over this 2& miles Jolly Beggar's entry left the handicapper in no'doubt as to what horse should start off the list. It was just a question of what poundage Jolly Beggar should be given. At 11.11 he is set 21b less than he had last year, when he ran third to Sandy Dix (9.9) and Huskie (9.0). The feat of winning under this weight is still a difficult one, as only rarely has a horse with over 11.0 succeeded, and one has to go back to the days of St. Simon and Liberator in the nineties for a winner under such a weight as Jolly Beggar has. ■■' After winning two Grand National Hurdles, the second time under 11.4, Jolly Beggar was disappointing last August under 11.12, when his usual stamina was missing; but his clouting a fehce might have been mainly responsible for that. If he had not fallen at the second last fence at Ellerslie two years ago he would probably have already been on the record as a Great Northern Hurdles winner, assuming that Clarion Call had still lost his rider. It may be that Jolly Beggar is not quite so good now as a hurdler as he was, and if this view be correct his prospects next month cannot be the brightest under his present impost. His racing at Waikato on Saturday, where he has 12.2 in the hurdles, will afford a better line on his Northern chance. DOUBLE IN VIEW? Clarion Call will be favoured if he competes under his 11.5. So far he has been kept to 'chasing this winter, but he is a very capable hurdler, and only last August he was twice second at Riccarton, carrying 10.12 in the Grand National. When he lost his rider in the Great Northern two years ago he had only 9.7, but he won on the second day under 10.5 in record time for two miles. Royal Mimic, who won the two big hurdle events at Ellerslie at .the Summer Meeting, is one of the present ruling fancies for the Great Northern. In his second success at the New Year he carried 11.5 over the two miles and scored easily. The ground was then firm, but he can handle soft tracks as well. After a double at Manawatu twelve months ago he was looked on as one of the brigthest Northern hopes, but he went amiss just prior to the race. Though he has gone up in the weights from 9.4 to 10.12 this year, he has earned the extra poundage by his successes during the summer months. Erination, who has won the Brighton Hurdles at Ellerslie the last two years, carrying 10.9 last month, is fairly treated with 10.5 in the Great North,ern. Like Clarion Call, he is a horse who might essay the double. He carried 10.10 in last year's Great Northern and was sent out third favourite, but, after being prominent for two miles, he failed to carry on. He is not partial to ground that is too heavy, and his chance this year may therefore depend on the state of the going on the day. The best of the recent improvers in the field is probably Iddo. On his day Iddo is a very hard horse to beat, and when winning he appears to possess the attribute of stamina. He seems best when the pace is kept on, and in this respect he should be suited if taken to Ellerslie. One horse who looks nicely handicapped is Journet, who is a stayer of the first water over fences and set up Dominion record time for two miles when winning at the Grand National Meeting last August. He then had 9.2, and now he is weighted at 9.12. This certainly brings him 101b closer to Clarion Call, but 101b is not so severe at his position in the list as it would be higher up. The doubt about him is that he has, not kept recent engagements, but his stable produces its horses fit and ready without much preliminary racing. Donegal and Silk Sox would need to improve on their Wanganui showings, but they are liable to do so. Compared with Iddo, . each comes in on .some pounds better terms. They are both horses who should get the distance. Silk Sox is a Cup winner on the flat who ran fourth in the Grand National Hurdles two seasons ago under only 31b less than he now has. The numerous successes of the lighter weights in the Great Northern turns attention to their prospects this year. They comprise two-thirds of the handicap, and there are several among them capable of winning over the Northern battens. The racing at the weekend may sort them out better, ; but in the meantime half a dozen worth keeping in mind may be Mas- ! ter Musk (who forms a bracket with 1 Erination and Count Roussillon), Celtic Lad, Siwell, High Star, Kilberis, and Bryce Street.

WIN FOR DISALTO

. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) SYDNEY, May 17. At the Tamworth Jockey Club's Meeting today, the Tamworth Cup, £600 and gold cup valued at £50, 7 furlongs, was won by Disalto from Heroic Faith and Red Thespian. Eighteen started, including Aladdin and Limoux. In the Visitors' Handicap, £60 and trophy valued at £25, 1 mile, the Chief Ruler gelding Housemaster ran third. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Gloaming."—L.L., £2 2s and £1 17s. Second Innings, who won a double at the Marlborough Meeting, is a most capable galloper, but he suffers from recurring soreness, and it is only on rare occasions that he stands a searching preparation. Prior . to. Blenheim he had not started since he scored at I the corresponding meeting last year.

HOSTILE RECEPTIONS

ACTIVITY SCORES AGAIN

(From "Vedette.") SYDNEY, May 12. Demonstrations on Australian race-| courses are becoming unusually prevalent and are often ill-founded. Rand-1 wick had its hubbub last Saturday, and at the Moonee Valley Meeting in Mel- j bourne there was a similar occurrence. In Sydney a small but noisy section took exception to Red Rosebud winning at forlorn odds, and in Melbourne the judge caught a hostile reception because he decided for Beau Roi in a close finish. , , J. King, trainer of Red Rosebud, is not exactly popular with the readers of that section of newspapers which deal entirely with racing, in passing it must be said that New Sealandevs when they read some of the comment in these publications are more than amazed. Red Rosebud, a Chief Ruler —White Tulip mare, was hopelessly beaten at Hawkesbury, where her performance was the subject of inquiry by the stewards. King told the officials that since the mare had had a broken pelvis she had not been a good beginner and the turning course at Hawkesbury did not suit Tier. W. Cook rode her then, but the successful apprentice A. Harvey won on her at Randwick. At Hawkesbury she was well In the market, but at Randwick was a definite outsider, although a prominent book-maker-punter who had been backing outsiders all day did-support her at long prices. As the stewards had heard King and exonerated him at Hawkesbury naturally there was no action of any kind at Randwick. The Moonee Valley incident was even of less import. Five horses went past the post locked together with Beau Roi placed first by the judge. The finish was so close that backers of each of the five thought they had won. A Press campaign in Melbourne for the magic-eye camera as an aid for the judge has been responsible largely for recent outbursts there against officials in the box. However, installation of the camera is unlikely. • Some months ago the V.R.C. charged one of its members, Mr. Eugene Gorman, to investigate the camera procedure on courses in U.S.A. On Mr. Gorman's return he would make no statement and the V.R.C. was very silent. It was known, however, that a conference of Melbourne racing clubs had been held. Last week the news came out indirectly when Mr. Alister Clark, presiding at the annual meeting of the Moonee Valley Club, said that evidence .brought back from America indicated mat the apparatus so far was unsatisfactory. J T. Jamieson followed up Activity s surprise success at Randwick with another winning effort by that, two-year-old last Saturday, but on this occasion no fancy price was on offer. Activity started a hot favourite and won impressively. Me equalled, the course record of lmin sisec for five and a half furlongs, but the Windbag filly Talkalot registered the same tune when she won the fillies' division. She was at a good price in the ring, but on the Itotalisator was rushed— according to all reports on account of her name— by | women backers. . rr „ v ,^ s „ ari Hamurah won the Flying Handicap at TattersaU's Meeting at Randwick last Saturday, an effort «uE«wfftf anything to her Doncaster Handicap win. She carried 8.8, although handicapped at 8.13, and her. apprentice, J. Ryan, handled her admirably. She just caught Heroic Faith on the post and beat him by inches. King's Head, topweight with 9.8, was backed for a small fortune in this event, but he was never a likely winner. . Edible (Limond— Aspic), after a number of disappointments, carried, top weight, 9.0, and wop over a mile and a quarter at Randwick. She came with a determined finish, the dash being emphasised by the weakness of his opponents, most of whom were very tired and beaten to a walk. Disalto, who had not won a raceior over a year, carried 9.4 and. took: a division of the Flying Handicap at Kensington. He was a class above the opposition and' won ";easily at Perimond gave Veilmond an adver-tisement-in the Three- and Four-year-old Handicap at Kensington. He carried 9.0; giving weight and age away, but led into the straight and won going away. He is a useful three-year-old, just missing top class.

TRANSFER OF TEAM

Owing to the alterations that are being made to the course at Te Awa.mutu, where his establishment is located, it 3s probable that A. Cook may transfer his team to some other training centre for several months. Ie Hero, one of the trainer's team, is reported to have almost completely, recovered from the injury he received at Ttentham in January.

TURF NEWS IN BRIEF

Single-pool betting at Awapuni on Saturday and win-and-place at le R AIT Irish should test Clarion Call in the Te Rapa Steeples at 51b better than Great Northern terms. Although usually given in race cards as geldings, Brazen King and Rhodesian are understood to be still entires. , . . The Bigot is at present enjoying a spell at The Grange, Westmere, and he looks in great order to start on his next preparation. The failure of Silk Sox at Wanganui has evidently not discouraged his connections, for he is an acceptor for the Waikato Hurdles at Te Rapa on Saturday, which points to his being sent north for the Waikato and Auckland Meetings. ... It is reported from Awapuni Catalogue, who has won £2060 in stakes this season, has been turned out for a well-earned spell. Flashlight, who showed promising form among the jumpers at Riccarton last month, figures among the acceptors for the hack steeplechase at Washdyke. With his speed and jumping ability he should be one of the prime fancies • Phalanx had his first attempt m open company at Ashburton last week, but after leading for the greater portion of the way he failed to come in the straight. He will return to the hack ranks at Washdyke on Saturday. Studley Royal was well enough placed at the straight entrance in the Ashburton Cup but did not come on in the straight and was one of the first beaten. On his day he is a most capable galloper, but his form is not always up to his best efforts. . With three wins to her credit in the last month, Lady Leigh will be keenly sought after in the Kingsdown Handicap at Washdyke, but it will need to be remembered that she will be having her first test over a middle aisAccording to northern reports the race Gay Rebel had at Pukekohe has improved him, and he is expected, to make an early return to the winning list, especially as the tracks will be to his liking from now on. Haut Monde, by Lord Quex, from D'Oro, who has been racing in Australia for some time past, has been sold by Mr. T. H. Lowry to Mr. A. Higgins, of Bombay, and will De shipped to India at an early date. . After a defeat at Nelson, Mother-in-Law, the half-sister to Windward,. has been racing very solidly, havmg gained two firsts and two seconds in her last four starts. She is a hardy customer, and may develop into a useful perMishna gained an overdue success when he scored in the Flaxbourne Handicap at Blenheim on Monday. He had previously filled the role of runnerup in three consecutive outings, so a victory was not out of turn. He appears to have regained his best, and may be worth remembering. Esperance Bay is proving a very costly proposition to backers, and it is unlikely that he will again be supported with the same confidence as at Nelson and Marlborough. The effort of Earl, Colossus in open comnany at Blenheim on Monday. when he finished behind Mishna and Roy Bun in the Flaxbourne Handicap, was most encouraging, and he should not be hard to place to advantage during the next mouth, or two*