ROUND UP AS A STAYER

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 150, 22 December 1938, Page 13

ROUND UP AS A STAYER

(Special to the "Evening Post.")

TAKANINI, December 21. Takanini trainers are busy, at the moment preparing their charges for the Christmas meetingr In most cases Ellerslie will be the venue of activities, but D. J. Burgess is leaving on Friday for Taranaki with Pleuron, Brazilian, and High Sea, while C. Morse, who will remain for the Ellerslie Meeting, is sending Dutch Girl and White Mark also, to New Plymouth. Round Up is undergoing a searching preparatidn for the Auckland Cup, and rarely has the Lord Quex gelding looked better than at present. A fine performer among northern handicappers, his prospects in the big event will depend entirely on his ability to stay the distance. Up to date he has been successful only up to a mile and a quarter, and being a puller in his races he may not quite see out the journey. His pedigree suggests that he should be more a sprinter than a stayer, but he is very well, and it will not be for the lack of condition if he fails.

Anopheles has worked on the last couple of mornings at Takanini, but is not yet entirely free from the rick she received recently. Her trainer is now very dubious about getting her to the post for the Foal Stakes, and she can be regarded as an unlikely starter at the meeting. Bronze Trail, a winner at the last Auckland Meeting over a mile, left the impression that he should stay rather well, and being from March, the dam of a lot of good performers, including Te Kara, he might reasonably be expected to make a name for himself. He will be seen put at Ellerslie and is a prospect for a race like the Waitemata Handicap run over a mile and a quarter. Inquiries been made for him from Australia, but negotiations so far have not advanced to any great extent, the wouldbe buyer and the owner having a difference of opinion regarding his value. Beaten in her first attempt at open company,' Te Poto ran a very good race, and down a grade from the best class she should have no trouble in bridging the gap between hack and open company. A smart filly, she should eventually develop into one of the best sprinters in the. north. Palustre is back to form and is sprinting with her former ■ dash on the tracks. , Eased up after the Waikato Spring Meeting, she has freshened up to such an extent that she is again in favour, and she as likely to be" the medium of plenty of support in the sprint events ( on the later days of the coming meeting. She has yet to win this season, but her turn is not far .off. . ■ . '