IMPRESSIVE FORM

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 4, 5 July 1939, Page 15

IMPRESSIVE FORM

KING REV AS HURDLER

The Trentham Hurdles might be written off simply as a race in which one horse completely outclassed the rest. The horse was King Rey.

King Rey only recently had his first start over fences, when he finished third. Though he did not win on that occasion, his effort was well noted, for in quite a strong field of open hurdlers yesterday he was gent out a pronounced favourite. Earlier in the day the hack hurdles winner, Jewelled Girdle, another Aucklander, had also only once previously raced over fences, so it seems that there are some good recruits coming into this game at present.

King Rey approached the first fence in the lead and he ran it down a bit, which settled him in behind Ellanui and Royal Dance; but that was the only time he did not go straight and true to his obstacles. When Ellanui

fell at tils seven furlongs just in front of him, he skilfully avoided trouble and' assumed control. From there on he had the verdict safe in his keeping if he stood up. He was taken carefully to the final fence, and with only occasional encouragement from his rider's hands he ran home a very easy three lengths' victor. It is seldom that a horse makes more impression than King Rey did. It was fairly obvious that he won with something if not a lot in hand. Among the open handicappers in the north he climbed to near top class, and as he is a most proficient jumper for such a novice he might go on to the highest fame as a hurdler. He is in the Winter Hurdles on Saturday, and he also claims an engagement in the Grand National Hurdles next month.

King Rey is a nine-year-old son of the Martian horse Raceful, and though he has failed to win on the flat this season his previous form was exceptionally good. It was only a little over twelve months ago that he was capable of giving that fine handjcapper Round Up 91b and a beating in the £700 Ohinemuri Cup, 11 furlongs, so that his connections had no cause to complain about the 10.5 he was allotted among yesterday's hurdlers. The public also left no room for doubting that they considered him particularly leniently handicapped for a horse of his proved class. It is perhaps merely a coincidence that he was able to win the Trentham Hurdles with the identical weight that Padishah carried when outclassing the last Grand National Hurdles field as a maiden hurdler. The Aucklanders were well in the ascendant in yesterday's race, for horses from those parts also took the minor places. Loombination was the only horse capable of giving any kind of pursuit !over the last six furlongs and he was an easy second. His jumping was clea*. throughout. Unlike King Rey, he is not engaged in the Winter Hurdles on Saturday. « . Inness Lad, after a faulty jump at the second fence, settled down to his job afterwards and he was third in the running from the time that Ellanui crashed at the seven furlongs. He stayed on without ever threatening-to do better than third. . Fireguard was finishing on fourth, the nearest he ever was to the places. He lost some ground when he got in to the third fence and unseated his rider, but from there on his jumping was without error. Royal Dance, except that he was slightly interfered with by Ellanui, had every chance but tired into fifth Curie was going well in fourth place when he was interfered with by the rising Ellanui, whose bridle became entangled in his, and his nder had nearly to stop him to remove the obstruction. Then he went after the field again and beat Silver Sight and Manawatu home. With better luck he might have been in the money. Silver Sight ran well below form, but he is better .on firm ground. Ellanui, though taking the lead early, was not jumping well, and his second mistake saw him crash.