SPORTING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 50, 28 February 1942, Page 12

SPORTING

THOMPSON HANDICAP

FATE OF THE FAVOURITE

(By "Binocular.")

Unlike formerly, the Thompson Hah-1 dicap, the big mile event at the Wei- j lington Autumn Meeting, will not come up for decision till the second day. With the summer racing; over, form should furnish a good line to the winner, but the records of the race show that favourites have fared rather indifferently in the last 30 years. Actually, only six have fulfilled expectations. In six other instances they haye been second, and ori three occasions third. Taurangi (1939), Old Bill (1940), and Sir-Crusoe (1941) all failed to gain a place. Transposed. , The Autumn Handicap, 1 mile and 3 furlongs, which in the past has been run on the second day of the Autumn Meeting ■at Trentham, has been promoted to the opening day. It now acts as'the-first leg of the big "double," the Railway Handicap filling its customary role, of second "leg." The field engaged in the Autumn Handicap is not particularly large, but should Happy Ending, Battledress, Gladynev, and Hearth clash the struggle for supremacy should be worth going a long way to see. Penalties. Although the North Island Challenge Stakes is a weight-for-age event, winners are subject to penalty ■on the basis of their stake-winnings since the opening of the season. The candidate affected to the greatest extent in next Saturday's field is the three.-year-old filly Salutation, whose winning aggregate is £1780. She has consequently earned the full 141b penalty. Autolite, Prince Plato, and the two-year-olds Beau Vaals and Nizam have all earned 101b penalties. Down South. ■ i ■ _ The former Trentham-owned Beau Ciel is now quartered at Riccai*ton, and his new trainer, C. C. McCarthy, contemplates taking him through for the Riverton Cup at Easter. The Beau Pere gelding has experienced a rather lean innings of late, but there have been occasiops when he has shown- a glimpse of his real form. In New Hands. The good-looking Aqueduct has been sold by Mr. T. H. Lowry to Mr. A. Bell, of Wairoa. The three-year-old half-brother to Gold Rod won a race very impressively at Manawatu early in the term, but his form later was not so good. Still, he should pay his way. Death on Duty. The death occurred while on guard duty in Hamilton of James Sweeney, a well-known horse trainer. A veteran of the South African war, he enlisted during the Great War, but did not go overseas. He was 66 years of age. Injured. Last January Cheval de Bataille came into collision with a lorry while crossing a bridge on the Paterangi-Te Awamutu road. The owner,' it is understood, is proceeding against the owners of the lorry. A charge of negligence last week against the driver was dismissed on the grounds of insufficient evidence: Retainers.. : First claim on Gordon Richards's I services'in England in the'new flat racing season will be held by Fred Darling. Lord Astor will have second claim, and Lord Glanely third. F. Darling and Lord Astbr held the same claims last season. Royal Patron. ■ Two yearlings from the National Stud have been leased by the Kaag, who has Sun Chariot and Big Game, the leading two-year-olds, on lease from the same stud. They-'are a colt by Fair Trial out of Fairy Godmother and a filly by Hyperion out of Mystery Ship. Both are at Beckhampton and will be trained by Fred Darling. Fairy Godmother is the dam of Reversion, by Cameroriian,.. unbeaten as a three-year-old. Mystery Ship is a Buchan mare out of Trincomalee, by Tetratema. Reserved. Reserved for the-Ruahine Handicap instead of having another tilt in Cup company, Night Eruption ran an honest second at Ashhurst. Ahead of. Tuatara crossing the top, her rider delayed his run and the Nightmarch mare could not close the gap on Tuatara, who had moved earlier. Both winner and runner-up carried 71b allowances, which, left Tuatara still enjoying a 71b advantage. ; . . : Beneficial. Having her first outing since the Grand National Meeting at Riccarton, Colibri made a very good showing, in the.Oringi Hurdles at Woodville, being the leader for a couple of furlongs. She was squeezed back going away from home and did well to finish practically in line with the fourth horse. The run should be beneficial. Improving:. The Bulandshar gelding Indian Sun has shaped promisingly in both his hurdle essays on the Ashhurst course, and with greater experience should make good in the role. Miss Leighon, on the other hand, quite failed to con-: tinue the improvement she showed at Trentham last October, although she is stated to fence well in private. Possibly she is more at home in soft going. ' Taking Time. At the Woodville Meeting, held on the club's own course in December, Vengeance ran a very creditable second to Colfticamps in the Manga-atua Hurdles, and she again ran second to Malacca oh the second day. She had not been seen in action in public since, and her fourth in the Oringi Hurdles last Saturday was a satisfactory effort under the circumstances. , Likely Sort. At the Woodville Meeting in December Registrar drew attention to his future prospects by finishing fast into fourth place in one of the divisions in the Novice Stakes. The Nightly coif had not' figured since, and on the strength of a track gallop at Awa-. puni Leisurely was preferred to him ;in the betting at Ashhurst last Saturi day. The pair had the finish of the Maiden Plate to themselves, but the honours went to Registrar. If Leisurely had been better drawn at the barrier, however, she would have been difficult to head off. [A Good Showing. Now a member of C. J. Thomson's team at Awapuni, the Sporting Blood filly Blue Lagoon, who is from the Autumn mare Blue Jay, showed a good turn of speed for a little over half a mile in the Maiden Plate at the Woodville Meeting. Still, the effort rather hinted at better things in. the future. Jayson, the first of the progeny of Blue Jay, was a speedy customer, but there was some doubt whether he was by Hunt|ing Song or Cynic. Blue Lagoon was I got by the New Zealand Derby, Can- ! terbury Cup, W.R.C. Harcourt Cup, and New Zealand St. Leger wimier Sporting Blood, a son of Hunting Song. Brilliant. After showing a brilliant turn of speed in the Nursery Handicap at Hawke's Bay at the beginning of the year, Piko Piko was brought through for the Wellington Meeting, but the long straight found him out. On the circular course at Ashhurst last Saturday he won the Sapling Stakes practically all the way. That the success was fully anticipated was evidenced by the dividend he paid; it was little better than a "Gloaming" price. An Improver. Lady Virginia, a three-year-old filly by Inflation from Lady. Elusive, ran a very fair race at Otaki, and with P. Burgess in the saddle, she was always in the picture in the second division of the Maiden Plate at the Woodville Meeting and finally won quite definitely. However, she may not go to any great heights. A Good Buy. The well-bred Kinsman, who is by Beau Pere from the Chief Ruler mare Amante, brought a quick return to the Awapuni trainer J. J. Waller when he-won the highweight at Otaki,' ■■it .being the Greenwood cast-off's first

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