BRIGHTER OUTLOOK

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 11

BRIGHTER OUTLOOK

HUNTINGMORE IMPROVES

(Special from "Early Bird.")

AUCKLAND, This Day. Although many were prepared to see the Awapuni jumper Ika crash when she got on the hill at Ellerslie in the opening event last Saturday, she fenced really well, albeit a bit slowly, and she completed the course to finish an indifferent third. It was a poor field, but the southerner may improve. Mana gave a somewhat erratic display in the Greenmount Steeples, but he at least kept the public interested in what was a very poor contest. He ran off. sharply running to the first of the double, but when sent at the fence cleared it nicely. Then, where the field cuts across the grass and sand track to get on the course proper going out of the. straight, he cut across and jumped the rail dividing the course from the inside tracks, yet with this extra fence thrown in he completed the trip. Under the circumstances his showing was a good one. They were an indifferent lot of hurdlers that Floodlight defeated at Ellerslie and there did not seem to be a prospective Great Northern winner among them, although, of course, one cannot not definitely predict it. Floodlight gave a fine showing, however, and now that he has opened his account he may be more than useful. He started again in the Hunt Cup, but fell a mile from home when travelling very well. This completed the hat trick, for he has now fallen three times on end in steeplechases. , Impasto jumped fairly well until he dipped and dropped his rider at the third fence in the Harris Hurdles, and one will have to await a further trial before either dismissing or commending him as a prospective winner over the sticks. Bass, however, disgraced himself, for after being prominent for a time he ran down the last four hurdles. He promised so well fifteen months ago that his continued failures must be disquieting to his ownertrainer, and the gelding may be brought back to flat racing for a time. Flash Bye and Hopalong gave easily the best display of the novice hurdlers at Ellerslie last week. The latter was always handy and it is probable that he will win in the spring, for it was only in the last few strides that Flash Bye cut him out of the money. Flash Bye had revealed a glimpse of speed on the flat and, as he has just turned four years, he is one of the youngest jumpers in commission and thus will have every opportunity to make a name for himself. Very speedy as a two-year-old, Huntingmore lost practically all his form last season and in consequence he has had a couple of changes in domicile, his headquarters at present being Te Aroha. For a first-up of the season he ran a fine race in Saturday's hack sprint and although he was some way behind the winnei*. Jan Ridd, his effort indicated that he may not be long in getting back to his best. Had he gone on right after his two-year-old successes he would have been in line for the classics, but he turned out to be very disappointing. However, a more profitable season may now lie ahead. It was a fine performance on the part of El Meynell to make all the running and then succumb only to Long Span when conceding him 231b in the hack mile. He is still eligible for hack events, but may be given a chance in open company at Avondale. Long Span confirmed the previouslyexpressed view that he was unlucky in the distance hack event at Matamata a month earlier, for he scored really well and is capable of improving on that effort. He is a six-year-old gelding by the Martian horse Raceful from an unnamed mare by St. Paul, so one may later expect to see him doing well among the jumpers.