ECLIPSE STAKES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 39, 15 August 1939, Page 13

ECLIPSE STAKES

BLUE PETER LAZY

MEETING WITH PHARIS II

[By Air Mail, from "The Post's" London

Representative.)

LONDON, July 17,

One of the mos§ gileasant racing venues near London is Sandown Park, Esher. It is indeed seldom that any untoward incident occurs in that delightful centre to disturb the order of the sport. But last Friday and Saturday thrills were provided fo.r the numerous spectators on both days. It was the "Eclipse" Meeting. Two "certainties" in Lord Rosebery's Blue Peter and Lord Glanely's Rose of England colt caused anxious moments. The former did win, but the latter, after arriving first past the post, suffered the penalty of disaualifica.tion for crossing. FULL OF RUNNING. In the field of eight runners for the valuable Eclipse Stakes, of U miles, established in 1886, all the horses were first class, but Lord Roebery's Blue Peter seemed to overshadow the others. He went down in the parade like an aristocrat of the Turf, but his reputation for laziness manifested itself in the race, and there were not a few spectators who expressed anxiety as to the coming result, which proved to be victory by a length and a half. By the end of the journey the Derby winner was so full of running that E. Smith had difficulty in making him stop. All the Turf experts agree that Smith will have to ride Blue Peter differently in the St. Leger if he is to defeat the French champion Pharis 11. To quote the "Sunday Times" Turf writer: "Before the Derby, Lord Rosebery said to the jockey, 'Now, Smith, there s only one Derby, so take no chances; go and win as far as you can. Smith took no chances, and Blue Peter won by four lengths. A furlong on the straight at Epsom, Smith lairly set the handsome chestnut horse alight, and he never stopped riding till he had passed the post. In 'the Eclipse btakes Lord Rosebery naturally did not repeat his orders, and Blue Peter entered the straight cantering over his rivals and Smith allowed him to continue to canter, or to quote his jockey's words, he was just lobbing along as he does at exercise.' "Just under two furlongs from home the pressing attention of Glen Loan made it imperative for Smith to get extremely busy, and for a dozen strides the race appeared to rest in the balance, but in the last hundred yards Blue Peter gradually began to draw away, and he was drawing steadily further away when the winning post was reached. So strongly was he going at the finish that he galloped fully three furlongs before Smith could pull him up. When a lazy horse is "lobbing" along, it takes a little time for him to get into top gear; hence those few pulsating moments when Glen Loan drew up to Blue Peter's girths. MOMENTS OF DOUBT. "As the race was run, it appeared that Smith took a risk in not asking Blue Peter to bestir himself a little earlier; and, had he done so, *ye should have been spared those moments of doubt. In the St. Leger, Smith will have to revert to his Derby tactics if he is to beat Pharis 11. There must be no dallying in the straight, and Blue Peter must be given to understand that "lobbing" must be reserved for his work on Newmarket Heath. I have seen Blue Peter run in all his races, and I have seen Pharis II take part in two of the three races in which he has run, and I am certain that Blue Peter's chance of success lies in opening up a big lead and defying the Frenchman to catch him. "Pharis II can undoubtedly 'quicken' in more sensational style than any horse I have ever seen. When Elliott asks him a question it has the same effect as when you put your foot on the accelerator of a high-powered car. We saw at Sandown that Blue Peter is now endowed with exceptional powers of acceleration. We can only hope that both horses will go to the post fit to run for their lives, and if they do we may well see the race of a lifetime. Great as is Blue Peter as a three-year-old, I believe he will be an even greater four-year-old, for even now he is not really furnished. When that extra physical development takes place, what a grand colt he will be." Blue Peter is undoubtedly a very fine colt, and his value must be substantially enhanced as the result of the Eclipse. No horse has won the Two Thousand Guineas, the Derby, and the Eclipse Stakes since Diamond Jubilee accomplished the feat for King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) in 1900. Diamond Jubilee also won the St. Leger, which will be Blue Peter's next race. So far Blue Peter has won £31.413 in stakes. Thirteen years ago Lord Woolavington's Coronach won the Derby and the Eclipse.