JUVENILE SUPREMACY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 75, 29 March 1940, Page 12

JUVENILE SUPREMACY

TEST AT AWAPUNI

SIR BEAU'S REAPPEARANCE

With the Easter carnival much earlier than usual this year, there is a longer "off period" in the late autumn before the jumping season; commences with the Egmorit Winter Meeting-at the beginning of May. However, there will still be plenty to occupy :the interest of many racing enthusiasts during April, in particular the Avondale Meet-* ing and the Manawatu Meeting next week, and the Hawke's Bay Meeting the following week. The Manawatu Meeting in recent years has generally followed the Wellington Autumn Meeting, but the date was impossible this year. Manawatu in-former' times regularly raced late in the autumn, so that it is nothing new for the meeting to follow Easter. Two-year-old supremacy has often had to wait for its determination till the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes after the Easter racing, a notable instance being in Limerick's year, and perhaps this classic will again find the champion juvenile of the term, thought a number of the claimants for the distinction are not engaged in the field and so will have to be held among the reservations till next season. PROBABLE COMPETITORS. Despite the omissions, the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes, 7 furlongs, which will be decided on the second day (Saturday) of next week's meeting, will give a very close clue_to_tne season's best juvenile. In the field at the payment remained Chary,. Lambourn, Cetewayo, Sir Beau, and. Phaleron, as well as -Kingcraft; Happicoat, Brahman. Black Robe, and Khurja. Chary was winner of the C.J.L.. Champagne Stakes, in which, he beat the Dunedin Champagne Stakes ncr Shikari, who won the C.J.C. Challenge Stakes on Monday in Ch, ary| absence. On this form Chary should provide a near line to the South Island : ers, none of whom are in the Awapum classic. . ■!_- One colt whose presence -ur the Sires' Produce Stakes would have made the race a real criterion of^two-ylar-old worth is the GreaiL Northern Champagne Stakes winner ,Nightbeam, who has improved more than any oi the other northern juveniles during hi autumn. Nightbeam is the makmgs of a Derby 'colt, and he will have to be ranked with the best of .the .Manawatu lot till the, three-year-old tests begin next season. Kn/in receipt of 21b, conceding :"> easily beat him. How ever, on the second day he was trie winner by half •.■J«*J^ fl f&: who was conceding him. 71b, with^Cete. wayo, conceding 81b, disappointingly. Then at AucHM4-.lgmJj; bourn was unplaced m the ureax Northern Champagne Stakes^at^evel weights, which might be interpreted as either continued improvement in Nightbeam, which may be admitted, or a lapse in the form of Lambourn following his race against Beau Vite on the second day at Trentham.. which is also likely. In any case, Trentham honours on that second day went to Chary, who drew very wide and was then beaten only right oh the post, so that Chary's Awapuni performance .will give a very close approximation to Nightbeam's position among the, season's juveniles. NOT HIS y REAL FORM. Though Cetewayo failed on the concluding day at Trentham, that was not his real form. Before the race his trainer, G. W. New, mentioned that the colt had been worried in his box that morning. On the first day Cetewayo would undoubtedly have won had he had a race, in him. He was transferred from New to L. G. Morns after Trentham. The Awapuni classic will perhaps afford the proper line to his ability. ' ' . , There is one other colt of particular, note in the Sires' Produce Stakes. It is Sir Beau, who has been three times first and once narrowly beaten (git his first appearance) in four starts. He romped home in the Wellington Stakes in January, Lambourn finishing last of the five runners, and then carried 9.6 to comfortable victory over Shikari, 7.5, in the Nursery Handicap, six furlongs, on the second day, Chary being unplaced but running on under 8.7; Following that meeting, Sir Beau suffered a slight cold, which has since kept him off the scene, but while at Trentham recently his trainer, W. H. Dwyer, said that he hoped to have him in top shape again for Awapuni. On figures and all collateral lines of reasoning, Sir Beau has so far proved' himself best youngster of the year. His performance in the W.R.C. Nursery Handicap was. Similar to Beaulivre's j under 9.7 last year, and Beaulivre did not win near as easily. ..' Sir Beau has also been nominated for' the Cloverlea Nursery Handicap, 5£ furlongs, on the opening day at Awapuni, and it is interesting to observe the opinion the club's handicapper, Mr. H. Coyle, has expressed about him. He has set him on 10.0, and the weights of the others are: Chary 9.5, Phaleron (second in the Great Northern Champagne Stakes) 9.4, Lambourn 9.0, Cetewayo 8.13, and Black Robe 8.13. Also on 9.0 are Kentucky, Ringling, arid Air Flight, who are not in the Sires' Produce Stakes field. In the weights for the Oakley Handicap, five furlongs, at the Avondale Meeting on Saturday. Nightbeam was given 10.1 and Phaleron 9.8.