WAVERLEY STEEPLES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 100, 30 April 1941, Page 16

WAVERLEY STEEPLES

IF KAIWAKA WINS?

PROBLEMS FOR THE FUTURE

The real rating of Kaiwaka and Aussie Ra as cross-country performers may be more accurately assessed after the Waverley Steeplechase on Satur- ,> day. Meanwhile they will appear to {many as having been given all their >: full share of weight in coming engage- - 31 ments. They are in racing form, j which will assist them against horses ' i who are just opening their winter | campaigns, but this would be a very 11 weak reed for any handicapper to rest 5' upon. What will happen if Kaiwaka, for instance, because of superior fit- > ness, wins on Saturday? Next time the i i same handicapper, to be consistent, ', must hoist him up towards the Clarion ? Call plane. So one may argue abou I the Waverley handicap that it does not ! seem to offer too happy a strategical ' retreat if certain quite possible events ) should come to pass. [ AH Down at Egmont. Following the appearance of the , Waverley handicaps have come the '. Egmont handicaps, with a different handicapper, and one might have anticipated in the Egmont Steeplechase some variation in the relative weights. However, this has not occurred, the weights of the more important horses with both engagements having simply been dropped 8 or 91b. As it happens, Clarion Call was not engaged at Eg--1 mont,' which has removed the possibility of his having been set on only 12.7. Still, it is not at all likely that Mr. A. Tronson, the Egmont official, would have done this, the more likely explanation of his present handicap being that it is based round about Clarion Call's being hypothetically placed where he is at Waverley. Moreover, Mr. Tronson has had to protect his list against the not improbable success at Waverley of one of the horses who have had recent racing, as this is the more usual rule right at the beginning of the jumping season. Bridegroom Reappearing. An interesting candidate for the Egmont Steeplechase tomorrow week is Bridegroom, one of the most promising of the newer brigade two seasons ago. I In the winter of 1939 Bridegroom, after a single preparatory outing, won the A.R.C. Hunt Club Hurdles, A.R.C. Hunt Club Cup (with 10.0), the W.R.C. Mariri Hack and Hunters' Steeples (with 10.7), and the C.J.C. Hunt Cup (with 12.0) in a row, and at his next start, under 10.5, he ran Slayer, 11.4, to half a neck in the C.J.C. Lincoln Steeples. Then came his unexpected failure in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup under 10.12, but apparently that hard race against Slayer had reached temporary bottom in him. Shortly afterwards he was spelled, and in his only start over country last winter he won the Manawatu Steeplechase in May under 10.13, with Chat, 10.5, subsequently to win the Wellington Steeplechase, 16 lengths away third. It was unfortunate for his connections that he should have gone amiss at that stage, but apparently he has made *a good recovery and he now appears to have been let in the.Egmont Steeplechase leniently with only 10.5, 61b less than Kaiwaka and 31b less than Aussie Ra, and on the same mark as Chat. T. R. George's Juveniles. The Trentham trainer T. R. George has' six juveniles in his stable under preparation for next season. Two of them will carry the Beau Vite colours: Dominate, the Phaleron Bay—Martial Lady colt (the dam a half-sister to Beau Vite) for whom Mr. R. Stewart paid 600 guineas at the January sales, and the Bulandshar—Countersign colt (a half-brother to Drachma), whom Mr. Stewart bred. Two others will carry the Galteemore jacket: the Spear Dance—Mazatuko colt (a halfbrother to Siiperex). for whom Mr. J. O'Brien paid 65 guineas at the sales, and the Gynerium—Jadarino gelding, bred by his Owner. The remaining pair are the Salmagundi—Restrain colt (dam a daughter of Solrose, winner of the C.J.C. Epsom), bought privately by Mr. J. H. Marshall, of Titahi Bay, after having been passed in at the sales, and the Posterity—Fabric colt (dam a fullsister to Veilmond), bought by George himself at the sales for 40 guineas. All these youngsters are progressing well. Out of Hack Class. King's Toast moved out of hack class when he won the Timaru Cup last Saturday, and as he has not been accepted for at Amberley he will have to do all his future racing in open company. A four-year-old brown gelding, he is by Hunting Song from the imported Land !of Song mare Smoke Concert hence he is a full-brother to two earlier useful performers in Ringing Cheer and Gallant Fox, the latter now doing well as a sire in the far south. He was secured at the Trentham yearling sales for 325 guineas by Mr. J. R. McKenzie after some spirited competition, and though his gross earnings to date are only £995 the total would undoubtedly have been higher if early in his career he had not been troubled by occasional attacks of bleeding. Throughout his career he has been trained by F. D. Jones. Still to Win Cups. The Opaki trainer B. Burgess is one of the keenest and most regular patrons the Nelson and Marlborough Clubs have for their annual circuit in the late autumn, but somewhat strangely, . with all the useful horses he has taken across the Strait. Burgess has yet to win either the Nelson or the Marlborough Cup. This year two of Burgess's candidates, Augment and Lady Montana, are the two tops in the Nelson Cup, and if both are produced No. 1 should go out a very strong favourite, as the general form of the field is very ordinary, though Roy Bun (last year's winner) and Flame Queen have recently been successful on the West Coast and Beau Ciel has lately worked his way through hacks with four stylish out-in-front wins. Lady Montana is recently in after a good spell, and she had a race at Wairarapa a fortnight ago to sharpen her up for the coming circuit. Turf News in Brief. Marlborough nominations are due at 9 o'clock this evening. Egmont first-day acceptances are due on Friday. Great Northern weights tomorrow week.

A. G. Waddell, brother to the successful apprentice, has also been indentured to G. W. New.

It is reported that the Wingatui horseman R. J. Mackie may be transferring to Otaki.

Black Sovereign, unlucky to be beaten at Tauherenikau on Easter Monday, is next engaged at the Nelson Meeting.'

The Flying Fortress, due to make her bow at Nelson, is a three-yearold filly by Croupier out of the AcreArras mare Tapestry, who won races at similar meetings a decade back. Te Ore, resuming after a spell, ran two excellent races among the highweight horses at Tauherenikau, and she should pay her way on the NelsonMarlborough circuit. * Don Quex was left at Ellerslie after the recent Avondale Meeting, and he is now under the care of R. S. Bagby. With a lightweight up, he ran an attractive six furlongs in lmin 15sec on Saturday morning. According to a northern report, the dual Railway Handicap winner Bronwen has been retired from racing, and she is to be mated next season with the English sire, Coronach. Bronwen won over £3500 in stakes during her career.

Flagman changed hands prior to the South Canterbury Meeting last Saturday, the Wingatui owner-trainer T. P. Wilson having sold him to Mr. J. P. O'Brien. He is now in G. S. McKay's stable, and at his first start returned about two-thirds of the price paid for him. The Lord Warden gelding owed his success to his superior fencing.