HORSES FOR COURSES?

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 61, 14 March 1939, Page 13

HORSES FOR COURSES?

Several other horses in this field have good records on the. .Trentham track, among them Counterblast, -rLady Ina, Amigo, Haughty Winner, Mittie, Rakahanga, Top Row, Russian Ballet, Florence Mills, Density, and Diamond Cutter, who have all won there previously. This leaves only Lady Leigh and Valimeen yet to succeed at Trentham. Lady Leigh has been-fourth in each race she. has contested on the track and Valimeen has not yet visited Trentham. .

It is thus hardly a case to apply the rule of horses for courses, but it,may be mentioned that horses such as Counterblast, Haughty Winner, Lady Ina, and Density have gone their best races at Trentham. Haughty Winner is also in the Thompson field, and it would seem on his record that a mile would serve him better, though he is no mean sprinter should he be reserved.

Counterblast's full salvo of victories had been fired from Trentham till she recently won the Publicans' Handicap at Dunedin under 8.9. She was successful under 7.9 on the final day in January, "beating Florence Mills, 1.4, and Lady Ina, 8.9. Whether she can now give a pound to Lady Ina is a moot point. At the last two Wellington fixtures she has won on the later, days, but she scored only time out at Dunedin. ;

Lady Ina was beaten into third place under 8.8, her Trentham weight, at BullSj but the distance then was seven furlongs and she is a better mare on the big tracks. She failed under 8.5 last year, but won under 8.4 on the second day, and "she< carried 8.0, 71b more than Counterblast (who was third), when scoring again on the middle day in January.

Rakahanga was surprise winner of the Telegraph Handicap, the principal sprint at the January fixture, when she carried 7.3. . > She is now up 101b, but on that day she woul,d have succeeded with that extra weight, for she romped home by four lengths. This filly is at her best when fresh.

Other three-year-olds in the field are Amigo, Homely, Russian Ballet, Density, and Valimeen. Amigo is class and he won ; well recently at Wanganui, though he failed to concede,a stone to Laughing Lass on the" final day. Homily stays on, but the distance might be a bit short. Russian Ballet won when fresh at New Plymouth last week, but she has not always held her form too well. Density won a hack double at the January meeting, and, though she has yet to face open class, she has lately been galloping brilliantly on the track at Riccarton. Valimeen's best effort this season was a second to Llangollen at Rotorua at her last start, beaten only half a length after making the pace but in receipt' of over two stone from her victor.

Mittie recently failed to run into the money at Bulls, but she looked as if the race would improve her, as she was a bit big. She is also,in the Thompson, but her sprint record is better. Top Row, winner at Riccarton last month and third in the Hazlett Gold Cup at his only subsequent outing, looks to be on the way back to his best. Florence Mills ran Counterblast to a length on the final day in January and now comes in at 101b better terms. Lady Leigh is a speedy mare who beat. Top Row at Dunedin in December and has not raced since, and as she is usually able to be prpduced fit when fresh' she is a prospect off the minimum. Diamond Cutter would require to have improved even more than he showed in January, when he won one of the highweights, even to enter calculations in this company.

The Fitzherbert Handicap will without much doubt find Suleiman a good favourite if he is on hand. Among those who may be best backed against him are Rakahanga, Amigo, Lady Ina, Mittie, and Counterblast, with Density and Lady Leigh a couple of likely prospects on the minimum. •