ORATE DOING WELL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 64, 13 September 1939, Page 13

ORATE DOING WELL

HIGH CASTE'S RELATIVE

(Special from "Early Bird.")

AUCKLAND, September 12,

Quite the most interesting two-year-old working at Ellerslie is Royal Descent, for he ranks as a half-brother to High Caste, Stretto, Mazir, and Arvakur. This youngster is by Beau Pere, and, as he is not being hurried along, it may not be till the Auckland Meeting at the end of November that he makes his Turf debut.

Nothing worked better at headquarters' last week than Orate, and it is apparent that he is taking a new lease of life after his lapse from winning form last spring. Of late he has been finishing on in his races, and, as he will have a big straight to work in at Avondale. he may be capable of winning.

| Namara is continuing to show that he is much improved by his race in the sprint at last month's Pakuranga Meeting and he ought to strip very nearly at his best at Avondale. It is somewhat surprising that he is being kept at sprinting, for his latest Taranaki effort suggested that he would be more at home over a middle distance.

An Avondaie sprint candidate who is revealing improvement as a result of his race at Ellerslie last month is Birthday Boy, who soundly defeated Gamos in a track gallop a few mornings ago. The latter is one of the most promising of the northern hacks, so the effort on the part of the older horse was full of merit.

# In the past form at the Grand National Meeting has proved a good guide to the Avondale Cup. In this year's event there are two horses who performed well at Riccarton, these being Tidewaiter and Lowenberg, both of whom figured in the triple dead heat on the middle day. The former won the last Avondale Cup and indications are that he and Lowenberg will be the hardest to beat on this fine big track.

Of the thirteen horses remaining in the Avondale Cup six are from stables outside the province. There are also six nominated for the New Zealand Cup, Ned Cuttle, Lowenberg, Tidewaiter, Kena, Gay Mimic, and The Cardinal. The Avondale Cup is the first of the big spring meeting handicaps and as it takes a stayer to win here the race may_ be a guide to the Riccarton two-miles contest.

Several Auckland youngsters are fairly forward for their Avondale Stakes engagement, among these bei: g Merrymeer. Happicoat, Queen City, Beau Leon, Stratford, Kentucky, Belle Femme, Lovaals, and Payette. Of these Beau Leon is the only one to have raced, his parade and fifth at Wanganui in the Debutant Stakes suggesting that he will strip a better colt on Saturday next. Miss Hallowmet, third in the Wanganui Debutant Stakes, is also engaged in the Avondale classic, and so too is Belle Cane, an unplaced runner at Wanganui. While Beau Leon seems at this juncture the logical choice, provided he has come through his racing and travelling beneficially, a recent gallop by Happicoat, three furlongs on a soft track in 38sec, was undoubtedly good and will bring her into prominence. This pair, and in addition Kentucky, would seem to be the pick of the province's two-yaar-olds at present.

Lord Moutoa. a winner at Wanganui last Saturday, is due to have his final' race among the hacks at the Foxton Meeting next Saturday, and with 9.4 he is not badly treated, as only s* few months ago he ran into the money in hack class under 9.12 with the minimum only 71b higher.