BAD JUDGMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 60, 8 September 1938, Page 13

BAD JUDGMENT

BACKING OF FOOTMARK

t_ Extremely bad j udement was shown £ in - sending .the Western. Australian *' Derby winner,' Footmark, for the True ' ganina Handicap,at Williamstown last r Saturday week, says an Australian ex,j change. .This mountain of horseflesh j never had a chance tostretch out, and he did a marvellous job to run fifth. s Footmark, who is : a four-year-old by c Defoe from Bachelor's Picture, is a _ magnificent specimen of a thoroughr bred. He is wonderfully conformed, i but has a ponderous' action. 'That ' should, have been sufficient to cause f his connection? .to decide that Wil--3 liamstowri-w : as'not. the course for him. they had not .viewed:'the . course^ beforehand, 1 "otherwise ■ they r would not: h'aye entered, let-alorae. acj cepted -for, hini.'"" •■'. .'' ;•-.•. . jv' This course is definitely not suited I for a. horse of his type who obviously ■■■■ requires 'plenty of galloping room. Footmark, would be a two-stone better ~ horse at Caulfield or r Still, : his connections thought other--1 wise, and threw in for a big win. He 3 finished fifth—and a very close one—•. 2 and really1 did. not have the oppor- ,, tunity'of. stretching put in his true } style until the race was all over. Footmark, who has.B.4 in the.Caul--2 field Cup and 8.5 in the Melbourne g Cup, is a class galloper and his form .■•in Perth was excellent. He-won the c Plate, at Belmont (.6 furlongs) with t 7.5 up;, won the W.A. Guineas;' was i second in the.'; Strickland Stakes . .(w.f.a.) with 8.0; won the W.A. Derby; i and was third to Maikai in the Perth t Cup. He will win races, but never I again will, he ber quoted.at the price , he was at Williamstown in any sort ; of race. *■ Victorians have definitely 3 wakened up to his calibre. TURF NEWS IN BRIEF \ The Caulfield Cup will be run on Saturday, October 15, and the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, November 1. ■ Glenvane, who scored in the steeple- ■ chase event on the opening day at ■ New Plymouth, is to revert to the hurdling branch on the second day at Wanganui. , ' Acceptances for the second day of the Wanganui Meeting are due at 9 o'clock this evening. x Otaki did not compete on the opening day of the Combined Hunt Clubs' Meeting at New Plymouth, but ran second to Student Prince, in the Hack and Hunters' Hurdles on. the second day. His.,appearance at Wanganui will again be delayed until the second day. '-. . , ; There was support for Ruling Lady : in the Urenui Hack Handicap on the second day at New Plymouth, but the i Rulanut filly failed to gain a place. ; She is down to have her next outing in the Trial Handicap at Wanganui on ; Saturday. . : Although Coronation figures in the ' Avondale Guineas, the Limond colt . has been allowed to forgo his. en- • gagement in the Wanganui Guineas. 1 However, He figures in the field for the ■ Trial Handicap, to be run on the 1 second day at Wanganui. c , Early last season Royal Choice got . on the winning list at the Combined • Hunt Clubs' Meeting at New Plymouth, but thereafter he had to be content 1 with minor placings. The conditions j of the race have enabled his being 1 entered for the Trial Handicap on the i second day at Wanganui. In-all his racing to date the Gains- t court gelding Le Toqiiet has been re- ( stricted to sprint contests. It is consequently interesting to find him in-} eluded in the list for the HiggieHan- * dicap, the open fnile and a distance event at Wanganui on Saturday. On the Taranaki circuit; Light Comedy showed promising, form and the Whirlwind mare may. be well suited by the distance of the Higgie Handicap on the second day, at Wanganui, for she was finishing on in her races at New Plymouth. At the last New Zealand Cup Meet- -^ ing Elegy ran second to Brunhild in I the New Zealand Oaks. It was then £ stated that she was-'to be retired to t the stud,.but she has rejoined Mrs. J. ] Campbell's active team at Riccarton. r It is not definitely known whether Amelita will be raced again or not, i but she may be mated with Nigger t Minstrel and then raced for a/time. £ Last year she s visited the same horse i but did not prove in foal, and she c later won three races and was placed on nine occasions. P

A southerner who is well spoken of is Haughty. Toti, a three-year-old by Robespierre from Toti dal Monte. She is a sister to Rebel Song, a smart performer, of a few seasons ago who won the; Great Easter Handicap and finished second to the outsider Princess Argosy in the Great Autumn.

lease, but he will probably be found carrying other colours when he is raced. It is unlikely that he will be on' hand for the Avondale event. In.deed, quite a number of the horses at present in the race will be found missing when the field finally lines