EYES NOW TURN SOUTH

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 103, 28 October 1939, Page 21

EYES NOW TURN SOUTH

CUP AND STEWARDS' HANDICAP

CLUES PROVIDED BY FORM OVER HOLIDAYS

(By "Rangatira/')

With the Labour Day meetings behind and only today's racing to complete the form preludes, eyes will now turn to the south, where the Canterbury Jockey Club's Metropolitan Meeting is due to be opened next Saturday. The Dominion's most important spring double.. comprises the JNew Zealand Cup and the Stewards' Handicap, and these two races are the feature events on the first day's card at Riccarton. The issue in the Cup particularly bears a very open appearance this year, and for the sake of clarifying the position it will be the hope of many to see a further reduction in the present numerical strength of the field at the final acceptance.

The second payment for the New Zealand Cup last week saw thirteen horses dropping out,.but that has still left 30 horses in the field, compared with 22 last year. Undoubtedly a number met the acceptance because of form they might show over the Labour. Day holiday, and some of them certainly did not perform sufficiently well to justify their final acceptance, which is due on Monday and will cost £10. Last year's final acceptance reduced the field by only four (all of whom started), but more are likely to drop out this year, though the field promises still to remain at record dimensions, an honour at present held by the 1908 Cup won by Downfall, in which there were 21 starters. • The logical interpretation of a big I field in a race such as the New Zealand Cup is that owners can see no outstanding horses at the weights. It was certainly the case last year, and it may be assumed to be the case again this year. From the appearance of the handicap for the New Zealand Cup there have been no horse or no few horses who have monopolised attention. Even with the best of the form disclosed at the Wellington Meeting there has not emerged any clear-cut favourite for the race. The opinion of the majority of fudges is still that it is a Cup in which any of a dozen horses at least might win. MUSt EQUAL RECORD. The topweight, Royal Chief, will have a strong following, despite his 9.6, a weight under which only Nightmarch has yet succeeded. Royal Chief is a proved stayer in handicaps and at w.f.a., but it is doubtful if he .touches the Nightmarch class or that of many other outstanding horses who have failed with weight above 9.0. Nightmarch is the one winner yet who has carried 9.0 or more. Royal Chief's best chance lies in the fact that he is a fit horse after a spring campaign in Sydney, when he dead-heated with Mosaic in the Colin Stephens Stakes,. 1£ miles, ran sixth in the Metropolitan Handicap, and then won the Randwick Plate, 2 miles, in very slow time on the final day at Randwick. Nightmarch returned from a Sydney campaign in 1930 to win the New Zealand Cup, and so did Count Cavour (1926), Midnight Sun (1912), and the. three-year-old Noctuiform (1905). As last year's winner under 8.1, Arctic King, who has 8.10 this year, is another of the proved two-milers in the field. He has not been successful since that notable victory, but he was second in the CJT.C. Grgatr Autumn (which he had won the pfevious year), and he has been undergoing a special preparation for his second tilt at the Cup. His showing in the mile Wainui Handicap at the recent Wellington Meeting, in which he was finishing on eighth, was one of the Cup trials that caught the eye during the fixture, though it was not quite as good as his fifth in the same race'last year. - ■' There - ai-e -only'--thi^ebWtheP:hbrses-remaining among the: eight, stones, Siegmund and Peerless, both with 8.4, •and Lady Furst, who has been rehandicapped to 8.2. Neither Siegmund nor Peerless gained friends at the Wellington Meeting, though both should be improved by their racing there. As Siegmund is a horse who comes to hand only in his own good time, he is not one over whom there could be much present enthusiasm, but some will recall that he failed at Wairarapa at Easter prior to going south and winning the Great Autumn Handicap three days later under 8.2, receiving 91b from Arctic King, whom he beat by a length and from whom he is now receiving 61b. Peerless ran below expectations at Trentham, in her two first races since her return from Sydney, where she also disappointed, but it is in her favour that she stamped herself a stayer as a three-year-old last season, and her sex have won five out of the last seven Cups. Lady Furst, in contrast, was in excellent form at the Wellington Meeting, when she was most impressive" in her Wellington Handicap victory over 11 furlongs. Lifted from 8.3 to 9.0, she was beaten into third'place in the Watkins Handicap, H miles, on the middle day, but she again led till just near the finish and was only narrowly defeated. This mare is a very free goer who. wins her. races out in front, and if she is able to open a break in the New .Zealand Cup, as she did on the first day at Trentham, but was not permitted-to-do in the same way at her other appearance at the meeting, she might stay -there even over two miles, for she was going away again at. the-end-bf- the Wellington Handicap. On Trentham form she should beat both Peerless and Siegmund, even at the closer l proximity in' the weights, unless, it should be found that, she cannot 'stajr' two miles, a prospect that is not indicated by. her breeding, which is very ,stout. A STRONG MIDDLE GROUP. There- is a plethora of form below 8.0 in this year's Cup field. Since Nightmarch's victory in 1930, the only winners who have come from the weights outside the seven stones are Fast Passage, 8.0, and Arctic King, 8.1. No fewer than 40 out of the 58 horses (including four participating in deadheats) who - ; have won the New Zealand Cup have carried less than 8.0, which, points .strongly to this group. Among the' lower division in next Saturday's big two-mil'er who have shown! winning form already this season are Centrepoise, 7.11, Lowenberg, 7.9, Tooley Street, 7.6, Hunting Cat, 7.5, Settlement, 7.3, Wagner, 7.2, and Yours Truly, 7.1, and all of these horses are in present favour for the race. Centrepoise was third in the Wellington Handicap and then won the Watkins Handicap at the Wellington Meeting,: but on each occasion he seemed io he doing his best over the closing section, which raises a doubt about his getting two. miles. He 'is one of the handicap finds of recent months, but it is rather against his prospects that the .Hunting Songs, a highly successful breed in the last decade, have so far failed at distances beyond U miles, though Game Carrington once ran an excellent, race m the Melbourne Cup under top weight. Lowenberg is a winner of the New Zealand Derby whose form this season has been more attractive than for some time. One of his .best handicap efforts was his second to Ponty in the Wellington Cup three years ago, and it may be significant that the next year Catalogue .was also : second in - that race .and has since won the Melbourne Cup- over two miles.. He ran one good and one poor, race at the recent meeting, but m the former he came home strongly from a long way - back ' to finish fifth behind- Lady Furst, Tooley Street, Centrepoise, and Yours Truly in the Wellington Handicap. Two years ago he.ran in the New Zealand Cup (won by Cerne Abbas) and finished sixth of the seventeen starters, though if must be conceded that he improved very little towards the close of that contest.

Tooley Street is better known over shorter distances,, but he has won up to I^-, miles at small meetings, and he made: up a lot of ground to reach second place in the Wellington Handicap last week. Kept handier, he failed badly over 11 miles in the Watkins Handicap, so that his Cup chance would seem to lie in his being held back till the closing stages. As a son

of Surveyor and a Signor- mare, he is bred as one who should stay. Hunting Cat was once the pre-race favourite for. a New Zealand Cup (three years ago), but he went amiss before the race. With three wins in his last four starts this season, he appears to have taken a new lease of life. He is the year-younger half-brother to Catalogue, who surprised at the-same age in the last year's Melbourne Cup. and his is a very hardy breed. Like Centrepoise, however, he has to do what no other Hunting Song has yet achieved. Settlement is a horse of mixed showings, but on his day he can run a very solid race over a bit of ground. Such form might be expected from one who is by Night Raid out of a Paper Money mare, breeding that could well produce high measure of stamina. Wagner is in a somewhat similar category as to form, but he ran two excellent races just in behind the places at the Wellington Meeting, finishing resolutely on each occasion, and his Trentham appearance indicated that he is a very fit horse at present. Yours Truly, with only 7.1, a weight which the rider who has been engaged for him, W. J. Mudford, will be able to make, promises to go out favourite or near favourite for the Cup. This four-year-old Siegfried horse was generally considered handsomely treated when the weights appeared and he has since missed a penalty, as. the staKe attached to his Masterton win was. below the rehandicap margin. His finish into second place behind Centrepoise in the Watkins Handicap at Trentham was one of the best Cup trials at the meeting. He is another freegoer, but he showed in both his races last week that he is now willing to. be.ridden in behind and those are the .tactics that usually succeed over two miles. His breeding is among the best in the whole field, his dam. My Own. though winning only up to 1J miles, being a mare not far short of top class. While the horses already reviewed appear the likeliest Cup prospects, there are others who have the credentials to be menacing. Ned Cuttle in his best efforts has shown very definite evidence of stamina, and Thermidor, as a half-sister by Robespierre to the Auckland Cup winner Minerval, is also one with the requisites for staying two miles. Dictate was third in the last Auckland Cup. but those big events have so often eluded him. Passaform is a half-brother by Balboa to Tauramai, and he has good middle-distance form in the south, including a dead heat for first ih the principal handicap at Dunedin recently, with Thermidor and Settlement unplaced. -Parquet, The Wrecker, and Might are usually finishing on at the end of middle-distance races, Might having already run a third in a New Zealand Cup; and Capricious is a mare who is always doing her best at the finish and is stoutly bred, as she is^by Night Raid out of Jaloux's dam Egotism. . Monday's acceptance may lighten the task of those searching- for the first "leg" of this year's Riccarton double, but among those likely, to remain in the race and attract strong support are Yours Truly, Arctic King, Lady Furst, Centrepoise, Wagner. and Lowenberg. THE STEWARDS' ISSUE: The Stewards' Handicap,'even without the final acceptance on Monday, does not offer a problem quite so for-J midable as that provided by the Cup field. Yet this big sprint has never been an easy race to win, and outsiders have disconcerted investors much more often than they have done in the longer race. It is a truism of racing

that the best horse will generally win the important distance race, unless there is something radically wrong with the pace, but a different winner might turn up in a leading sprint if the race were run over half a dozen times, so much depending on luck in the draw, at the start, and in the opportunities of the running. The field for the Stewards' Handicap has often been very large, but a parade of not above average dimensions is promised this year. At the second acceptance last week 13 horses dropped out, leaving 19 still in the field, and others seem sure to be missing after Monday's payment. Twelve months ago there were no fewer than 31 second acceptors but the number was reduced to 18 at the final payment, with the full field going to the post. One factor in the Stewards' Handicap that cannot be known till the day is the draw at the post. The most favourable position, on the record of recent years, is not, as one might expect, one of the inner berths but somewhere among the middle of the line. The remote outside is bad, very few winners in any class down the Riccarton six coming from there, and such a marble will generally rule out a Stewards'- horse for the start.

In the last decade, however, one horse drawn very wide has succeeded in the Stewards'. It was Paper Slipper as a three-year-old in 1936, as his draw was No. 18, the remote outside of the line. But Paper Slipper on his day was an undoubtedly brilliant colt* Actually he did not start quite from the outside and his brilliance had him running fourth when the field had gone a furlong. When Paper Slipper scored his second success in the race last year he drew No. 4, the closest-in victor during the last decade. Paper Slipper will be having his

fourth race in the Stewards' Handicap this year, and with 9.5 he is unlikely to rule among the more favoured division, as this will be his first race for the term. Twelve months, ago he was leniently weighted with only 8.6, but he has a more proper impost with 9.5 for next Saturday. Like all the Paper Moneys he is perfectly capable, of winning races when fresh and on this account he cannot be - altogether ruled out. Were he to win, however, he would be setting up a fresh record, as no horse has ever taken three Stewards', though Vanilla, Vladimir, Glentruin, and Comic Song, besides himself, j have been twice successful. BEAULIVRE'S TASK. The undoubted favourite for the Stewards' will be the three-year-old Beaulivre, whose production is now practically definite. With 8.10, 81b above w.f.a., the Beau Pere colt will have to excel Machine Gun's winning record under 8.9 for a three-year-old in the race. He has the brilliance to achieve this result, but he will need all other factors in his favour. Hi's form this season has been better than Paper Slipper's was as a three-year-old prior to his success, and most will view him as the full 51b he has been rated superior to the Paper Money colt at this age. But Paper Slipper was trained for sprinting (though he ran in and won the Dunedin Guineas, against poor opposition), whereas Beaulivre has tne Derby as his ultimate objective, and it would not surprise to find just a little diminution in his brilliance now against the crack open sprinters. Until this is shown,, however, it cannot be assumed. -~ •i_ ....u' Another three-year-old who will have an army of.followers in the Stewards' is Beaulivre's former stablemate Globe Trotter. There was never any doubt in the stable last season as to which was the better, but it is a different question with 181b between them, as there will be in next week s race. Globe Trotter's rare burst of speed at the close of his-two races last week was something that could not but have impressed very profoundly. Many Stewards' have been won from the back, and this horse is one -who'might well repeat the . precedent. The 21b penalty he has earned, taking his weight to 7.6, merely cancels the overweight he would in any case have carried to use the services of- W. J. Broughton. The second horse last year, Surmount, was a three-year-old carryNightcalm, second top weight with 8.11, was fourth off the minimum last year, and he- has proved his ability since, though, after winning the Brabazon Handicap under . 8.13 at the Christchurch Hunt Meeting, he failed at the Grand National Meeting, his last racing to date. Gay Chou, 8.10 has lately struck a purple patch of form comparable to his best and the roomy course will 'suit him, his weight appearing on the lenient side, as he"was, sent out second favourite under 9.2 last Disdain, 8.8, is one of the problems of the race. She has speed to burn, but has -disappointed greatly, so far this season—indeed, she has yet to race again up to the form that enabled her to win the A.R.C. Railway last. De-

Officers of. the Wellington Racing Club:—Back row A Mr. H. R. H. Chalmers (vice-president), Dr. B. Rennie (steward), Mr. R. J. Murphy (steward) .Fourth row, Mr. T. B. Heath (steward), Miss D. E. Bray (secretary), Mr.H.H. Green (steward). Third row, Mr. E. L. Riddiford (president), Mr, H. P F Blundell (steward). Second row (on right), Mr. W. A. lorns (steward), Mr. C. W. Tringham (vice-president). Front row, Mr. J. T. Spears (steward), Mr. C. M. Turrell (steward). The two absent members are Messrs. J. C. Crawford and H. L. Nathan.

cember. She is doing it in private, so perhaps, with her recent racing, she will shortly be reproducin it with the colours up. At her best she is capable of winning any sprint race in the land, but she will need to improve on her Trentham form.

Toro-Koura will also require to do better than he did at Trentham, but that form was not the true criterion of his real ability. Screen Star, Density. Strip, Paper Note, and Gay Parade are others whose, latest form has not been up to their best, and Lord Nuffield, a winner at Dunedin at his first outing this, season, pulled up a doubtful case at Gore. . Rakahanga, an open sprint winner at the meeting last November, after falling in the Stewards', ran a creditable third at her only start at the Wellington Meeting, which sets her at least among the possibilities. Sleeveless has shown some very attractive form this season, but it remains to be seen if the two hard races she had at Trentham have had any adverse effect upon her. Skyrena, Flagman, Dark Flight, and Baffle have hardly the' fullest credentials for this class, though Dark Flight and Flagman were in form at Gore- over the weekend and many will still remember how Comic Song twice came up from those parts to upset all the book form. Baffle is a unique acceptor, as he has not raced since he was four in the 1935-36 season, when his only win was a novice race at Greymouth.

The favourite for the Stewards' Handicap, if Beaulivre holds his ground, seems one of those self-evident truths that neither requires proof nor is cap able of being proved. But axioms carry only so. far in the sport of horse-racing. and Beaulivre is no Euclidian certainty. Among those quite capable of beating him at the weights are Globe Trotter, Disdain, Gay Chou, Lord Nuffield, and Rakahanga.