GOOD ONES TO NOTE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 89, 12 October 1938, Page 13

GOOD ONES TO NOTE

HASTINGS FORM

WOTAN AND PADISHAH SOON

The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club's Spring Meeting ivas notable for many distinctive features, chief of which was the undoubted promise shown by bmany of the two-year-olds. The club was favoured by brilliant sunshine, and this naturally tended towards keen racing, the public in several instances being raised to a high pitch of excitement. The club is to be commended for the promptitude with which the races were dispatched. The meeting passed off ; without the slightest hitch. j The two outstanding gallopers at the meeting were Hagen and Nora ; Gregor, who were not required to do j their best to defeat the opposition in their respective classes. Nora Gregor was backed, down to a ridiculously shot price in the Empire Nursery Handicap, but she proved every bit as good as the price suggested, for she soon established a lead of four lengths on the field and her rider was easing her a furlong from the post. As it-was, she won-by six lengths, and this will give an indication of how superior she was to the remainder.

Nora Gregor was having her first start, but she had previously shown a brilliant turn of speed in track trials. . She is a half-sister by Bulandshar to that capable three-year-old Ivar, and she will have only to make reasonable progress. during the next week to cause the field in the Wellesley Stakes at Trentham a lot of bother. She is a brilliant beginner, and although she will probably be. seen to best advantage over short distances there is no reason Why she should not develop stamina with age, for she claims some fine staying blood in her pedigree. She was turned out in great order by S. J. Reid. FUTURE IS BRIGHT. • It is doubtful if there is a more promising hack galloper in the North Island than Hagen, and the easy manner in which he accounted for the Imperial Plate at Hastings .was impressive. He ran to the front at the end of a couple of furlongs, and his rider held, him under restraint all the way down the straight to win by a length and a quarter. This colt had a race at Marton earlier in the season, and although beaten into third place on that occasion he impressed then as an early improver. Hagen is a heavy-topped colt who stands over a good deal of ground, but he is every inch a galloper. He is a half-brother by Siegfried to Shu and Hest and is trained at Hastings by J. Olsen. He is to make the trip to Trentham, where he will be a competitor in the Trial Plate. On the form he displayed at Hastings he looks like going out one of the best-backed horses in this event. Another novice to impress was Stern Chase, who was having his first start 'when he competed in the Imperial (Plate. He began well but soon driftled to the rear, from which, position I his chances were negligible. However, ihe put in some telling work from the turn and was handy in fifth place at I the post. The race is sure to work much improvement in him, and there is every reason to expect him to develop into a class performer. He is a splendidly-moulded colt,. and the next time he faces "the -starter- he will not be at any fancy price. He'is by Lord Quex from Enchantment, a daughter of' Smoke Concert,. and a full-sister to two good performers in Ringing Cheer and Gallant Fox, Two New Zealand Cup candidates lin Wotan and Padishah "spdrted silk at the meeting, and their appearance left the impression that ;t.hey. areTprogressing satisfactorily in their prepara- '. tion for the big Riccarton event. '.. Padishah was raced out of his dis- : tance, and with his natural slowness ' in the first few furlongs he was sbon '. tailed off. However,.he pulled up well J on each occasion and will probably s fine down a lot as.-. the : result of the outings. Wotan was having his first race this season when he paraded on Saturday, and he appeared to be carrying a little surplus condition. In the race he was always back more than five lengths • from the leaders, but when asked to : sprint -abOUt a furlong: frbm home he . responded splendidly, and had the J distance been a little further he ; would probably have won comfort- 1 ably. The racing he will have at Trentham, on top of the run at Hastings, should find him in tip-top condition for Riccarton, where he will have only to strike a reasonably good track to figure prominently in the decision of the major staying events. : j : RAKAHANGA'S EFFORT. l Two promising two-year-olds of last ( season who raced at the meeting were Rakahanga and Ivar, and the former j in particular shaped most encourag- j ingly.. She was ridden by an appren- { tice having his first mount in public, < but this did not stop her from slipping ( the field, at the turn in the Homewood ] Flying Handicap on the first day and \ winning easily;. She came home full f of running,, and she. should experience j a good-season.- Ivar' left the impres- £ sion that, he was a trifle above him- \ self, and there was no disgrace in his useful fourth. The high-priced Areas was given a run in the juvenile event qn the second day,.but owing to his.failure to begin smartly he was never in. the picture and no line could be gained upon his ability. He is a well-grown youngster l r with a splendid conformation, and i when he becomes properly matured he . may turn out more than useful. He is \ related in blood to Te Hero, being " by Hunting Song from Callisto, a E daughter of Prodice, the: dam of Te „ Hero. f Another two^ear-old of whom more : will be heard is Charing Cross, who I finished with a rare burst of speed to x fill fourth place on Saturday. She is nowhere near her best, but the ex- I perience will, benefit her considerably * and later on she is sure to more than pay her way. Jazz Boy is a much-improved gal- j loper, and the manner in which he t accounted for the open sprint on the z. second day was convincing. He was j; undoubtedly assisted by a good begin- t ning, but on the other hand he simply / ran away from the field in the straight and won very easily. It has been dur- : ing the past month only that the son v of AraUsio has been competing in open r company, but he has already gained y two successes in this department and J there are more to come.

Soho was a class above the jumpers at the meeting, and his victory was gained in very easy fashion on Saturday. No doubt there was not a great deal of merit in the win on Friday, owing to five of the eight starters falling, but he came up better than ever in his second, outing. It is a pity that this horse* is slightly touched in the wind, for there is no doubt that he is a class fencer.. As it is, he has had four starts over obstacles for three firsts' and a second.