ARGUMENT SETTLED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 99, 24 October 1938, Page 13

ARGUMENT SETTLED

DEFAULTER AND TE HERO

There were some in whom a doubt remained at the close of last season ,as to which was the better juvenile, Defaulter or. Te Hero. Those who had seen Defaulter in most of his races did not share the doubt, but northern critics were still prepared to lay their horse against the southerner. After tfte contest for the Trentham Stakes, the feature event on Saturday's card, all question of relative ability was settled-forythe present. j Defaulter ana Te Hero had not previously clashed, and so there also was no actual line to their respective merits. What mainly stood out was that Defaulter was one of the best two-year-olds the Dominion has ever had, and that Te Hero possessed all the brilliance of his. sire and dam, representatives of twa highly notable lines. Defaulter, may lack the august breeding of Te Hero, but he is the makings of a super-horse. the: barcaldine type. , It may not be too much to assert that Defaulter is one of the best horses ever raced in the Dominion. He has grown into a massive three-year-old, but he has beautiful symmetry of conformation, a perfect set of legs, highlycourageous head, and a smooth, sweeping action that simply devours the ground when he stretches out. He is the real Barcaldine stamp of thoroughbred that Defoe alone among the Hurry Gn horses who have been itaported here has been able to transmit to his better progeny. The pity is that Defoe has as yet not had wider chances than he has received. Very few mares of the better class had been going to this sire till the v last season or so, yet from what he has had he has got horses who are good enough to take the highest honours in the Commonwealth or the Dominion. .

Defaulter outclassed his field on Sat,urday, and this, despite the fact that his six opponents paraded as fine a looking lot of three-year-olds as one c&uld wish to see. It was easily the best field that has yet gone out to contest the Trentham Stakes.

Defaulter began well, but he was not hurried, and when the; field arrayed itself he was running last except for Gay Son. Even on the home turn he was just swinging along on a tight rein. Bounding to the straight, however, he moved up fast on the outer, and so rapidly did he overhaul his opponents that he was assuming charge from Te Hero just beyond the false rail. He was struck by Te Hero's " whip, but this did .not check his progress. When Gay Son challenged and '■ Te Hero came again, Defaulter easily warded them off, and he was again on the bit in the final half-furlong to win by two and a half lengths. Defaulter has now. won two out of his three starts this season. If he had not unluckily lost the sprint on the first ,day at Dunedin through loafing on his rider after gaining the front, he would have had a sequence of ten wins. However, he promises to build up another sequence this season, and the Derby for one event now looks to be at his mercy. He cost Mr. H. D. Greenwood 170 guineas as a yearling and has already earned £3160 in stakes. TE HERO'S SHOWING. Te Hero, slowest away but losing very little ground, had pulled his way to the front at the end of a couple of furlongs. His rider was reluctant to draw the whip in the straight, but when Defaulter and Gay Son threw out challenges it became necessary to do so. Te Hero did not appear to relish the sting of the whip, but in the end he responded and he retrieved second money from Gay Son, who had passed him at the distance. Te Hero is a good colt, but Defaulter is a better. Gay Son finished brilliantly through the field from the rear in the straight, and his brilliance was dimmed only by that of the winner. He was able to come home the shortest way on the fence, and at the distance he appeared from the stands to have headed off Te Hero, but he weakened a trifle over the closing portion and Te Hero regained second money and the other dividend by hall a length. He at least demonstrated, that he is not going to bfe deficient in stamina. The best of the others were the two fillies, Peerless and Homily, Both were well placed throughout, and though they had no chance with the colts they made satisfactory showings in view of their Oaks engagement. Peerless's form was much better than she gave at Wanganui, but Homily is taking time to come back to her best. . Surmount, who was the leader early and then followed Te Hero, tired as was expected, and it i&y doubtful ifhe will ever be anything but a pure sprinter. Coifort was up with Surmount in the middle section, going along well, and, though he finally dropped out to finish last, he was not knocked about, and his effort was a creditable one in such class. The time, lmin 41sec, was not as fast as expected, but the track had been eased by rain. The last half-mile took 49sec, Defaulter, of course, from second last,.doing better than that. In the big handicap later on in the day the last mile took lmin 41Jsec and the last half-mile 50|sec. |