TWO DEFAULTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 91, 19 April 1939, Page 13

TWO DEFAULTERS

TRIUMPH AND ECLIPSE

(From "Vedette.")

SYDNEY, April 14.

Defaulter's triumph on the opening days at Randwick was in the Autumn Plate' and his eclipse in the Sydney Cup. ' ;

No colt could have come through the Autumn Plate more courageously. His was an all-in affair ahd entirely discreditable to Randwick: Three furlongs from home : Defaulter and Allunga were disputing the lead, when Spear Chief attempted to come up on the inside of them. Suddenly Spear Chief went up in the air as the other pair closed the gap. Then from the turn Allunga and Defaulter settled down to a bitter struggle. Allunga had Defaulter pinned on the rails without one extra inch of galloping room. Allunga obtained a half-length advantage, and finally L. J. Ellis was able to raise his whip and Allunga gave ground. Defaulter, desperately ridden, forged ahead and won amid spontaneous and deafening applause. The reception was remarkable, the onlookers appreciating, the gameness of the colt in winning from a desperately-ridden horse in Allunga, who had D. Munro in the saddle.

There was an immediate . inquiry, which was twice adjourned; and then the stewards issued a remarkable statement, that, while Munro did to some extent crowd Defaulter, Defaulter was running erratically in the straight. Munro was reprimanded. It is again pointed out that Defaulter was pinned on the rails all through the last two furlongs. Defaulter, however, did run most erratically in the.Sydney Cup, and was not a possible winner at any stage. It is alleged that he met with interference, but it appeared to be only of his own making. He ran like a horse who had no experience of a field. He was a hopeless case at the half-mile and cantered past the post a well-beaten horse with only Respirator behind him and half a furlong from Mosaic. The stipendiary stewards have been most inconsistent at Randwick, for they whitewashed all concerned in the rough-house Autumn ' Plate on the opening day, yet, for a minor breach on Wednesday, W. Cook was stood down for two months. Either Cook was desperately unlucky or at least one rider in the Autumn Plate was extremely fortunate.