SPORTING WELLINGTON GUP

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 8, 10 January 1942, Page 12

SPORTING

WELLINGTON GUP

FIELD OF TRUE QUALITY , (By "Binocular.") Fields of exceptional quality and dimensions are .'meantime set down for the opening day of the Wellington Summer Meeting, and their weighting must have involved many hours oi study on the part of the handicapper, Mr. H. Coyle. The acceptances are not due till Tuesday evening, and the probability is that the fields will fine down! considerably, but there is 'a■"'".■distinct possibility that in more than one instance divisions will be necessary*. With opportunities now so restricted it is reasonable to expect that the majority of owners will''be. desirous of racing their horses if possible. ' Cup Topweight. It is doubtful if a better field of open performers has ever been secured at Trentham than that which is listed to parade in the Wellington Cup. As a result of his splendid form at the Auckland Christmas Meeting pride of place in the handicap has been awarded Beau Leon, who, after being runner-up to Piastre in the Auckland Cup under 9.0, won the A.R.C. Handicap with 9.7, which weight he has been awarded in the Wellington Cup. Both in the Auckland Cup and A.R.C. Handicap Beau Leon was followed home by Lou Rosa, whose reward came in the Clifford Plate. The Clifford Plate was contested over 1J miles, indicating that Beau Leon is probably better suited by the longer journeys* and should thus hold his fellow-Aucklander safe in the Wellington Cup. Bright Prospect. Although he had but one outing during the holidays, when he ran fourth in the Aldworth Stakes on the second day at Marton, Gladynev was finishing on in a manner.that pointed to his being not far from his best The distance was nine furlongs, and although track conditions were to the liking of the Musketoon gelding he would have appreciated a longer journey. Last half a mile from home he put in some telling work from.that point on. Second to his stablemate, Happy Ending, in the New Zealand Cup under 8.11, Gladynev afterwards narrowly won the Metropolitan Handicap on the final day at Riccarton with 9.7 on his back. He comes in at 9.4 in the Wellington Cup, and will have to be respected. May Come Back. Old Bill, winner of the Wellington Centennial Cup of two years ago under 8.0, ran fourth in the Auckland Cup under 9.5, which must be adjudged a very fair effort. He failed to gain a place in the Clifford Plate when giving away 31b to Lou Rosa and Beau Leon, and the winner on that occasion, Lou Rosa, will meet him in the Wellington Cup on substantially better terms, but the extra ground will probably favour Old Bill. The Siegfried horse has not done a great deal of racing; this season and should be all the better for the Auckland trip. Might Improve. Rakanui did not go through with his Auckland Cup engagement, # but figured later at the meeting without registering a success. At Riccarton in November the Hunting Song gelding ran a very creditable race in the New Zealand Cup until within a furlong of home, when he commenced to weaken, and he made a bold showing in the Metropolitan Handicap on the final day, just failing to hold off Gladynev. He has still to prove that he can see out a two-mile journey, and the indications are that the Wellington Handicap will suit him better. A South ■Island representative, Wardress, also disappointed at the Ellerslie Meeting, but history may repeat itself; after failing up north twelve months, ago she took the Wellington Handicap* and ran third to Serenata and Little Robin in: the Summer Handicap at Trentham. | Apparently left-handed going suits her | better and the mare may make a bold j showing at Trentham this January, par- j ticularly as the handicapper has let her down 31b. ' A Strong Hand. .■ j As in the New Zealand Cup, the Opaki trainer B. Burgess will have a strong string to his bow with Gladynev and Happy Ending both engaged in the Wellington Cup. The pair ran first and second over two miles at Riccarton, and although it was generally accepted that Gladynev was a^ shade unfortunate not to win, Happy Ending should again be a formidable contestant, more particularly should the gomg be firm. Like Gladynev, he had only one race during the holidays, and on that occasion figured among the sprinters on the opening day at Marton._ As was only to be expected it was not fall the closing stages of the race that he was putting in his best work. With 111b more on his back than in the New Zealand Cup Happy Ending's task becomes more formidable,^but he is a great second string for the stable. Good Three-year-old. Twelve months ago the Wellington Cup was won by Kindergarten, then a three-year-old, and one of the same age, Defaulter, carried off the honours two years earlier. The race was then contested over lj miles, but there is no reason why this year's wuiner of the New Zealand Derby, Battledress, should not play a part over two miles, for he has given the impression . of being a true stayer in the making. When Defaulter won he carried 111b over weight-for-age, and Kindergarten 61b above the scale, but . Battledress comes in at weight-for-age, 7.11, over two miles in the month of January. It is a severe test for a three-year-old, but Battledpess might well be equal to the task; : On. the same mark as the three-yearrold is Piastre, Who is two years older. In the Auckland Cup Piastre finished resolutely under 7.1 to snatch the honours from Beau Leon, but at his subsequent start the Trentham representative failed under 7.13 in the A.R.C. Handicap. He comes in at 7.11 in the Wellington Cup and cannot be completely overlooked, despite the rise. , Holiday Winners. Among the lighter-weighted division are the holiday winners Kotua, Classform, Parchment* Renascor, and Sanction, and of the quintet Kotua and Glassform possibly read best. In the Marton Cup Kotua won really well from Classform when giving the run-ner-up 201b, but the transfer to townhall company has resulted in the Kincardine mare being dropped to 7.9, which brings her in on 161b better terms. In Kotua's absence, Classform took the Aldworth Stakes on the second day at Marton very impressively with 7.10 on her back, but in the Wellington Cup she is within 91b of her Marton victor, which does not make her prospects read any the brighter. Nevertheless, the Inflation mare would benefit to the greater extent by her holiday racing. Of the non-winners during the holidays, Dynasty and The Monarch are two likely improvers. In every respect the field for the Wellington Cup is such that students of racing will have much to consider before race day comes along. COMPARATIVE WEIGHTS. The following is a comparative table of Wellington Cup candidates who contested either the New Zealand or Auckland Cup races:— N.Z. Auck. Wgtn. Cup. Cup. Cup. Beau Leon ...... — 9.0 97 Gladynev 8.11 9*4 Old Bill — 9.5 9^3 Lou Rosa — 8.3 8.9 Rakanui ........ 8.8 8.9 8 5 Serenata ....... 8.2 — si Wardress 7.13 8.7 8 3 Happy Ending ... .7.2 7^3 Larabourn ....... 7.9 8.1 7,n Piastre 7.3 7.0 7.11 Classform —* 7.0 70 The Monarch ... 7.8 7.3 7,0 Piastre, Classform, and The Monarch respectively carried lib, lMslb, and 31b over their allotted poundages in the Auckland Cup.