HARCOURT STAKES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 100, 24 October 1942, Page 5

HARCOURT STAKES

STAR TURN OF MONDAY

Another excellent day's racing is promised Trentham patrons on Monday, when the Harcourt Stakes will be one of the feature events. This semi-classic has brought together in the past many of the Dominion's best performers, and figuring in the list of winners are Danube, Equitas, Reputa--1 tion, Desert Gold, Gloaming, Surveyor, Limerick, Rapier, Croupier, Royal. Chief, Defaulter, Beaulivre, and others almost equally good. | The event was first staged in 1909 'under the title of Champion Plate, but the name was changed in 1928 to the Harcourt Cup in recognition of the service rendered to the club by a former president, the late Mr. J. B. Harcourt. A trophy then accompanied the winner's stake-money, but with it disappearing the title of-j the race was again amended, becoming ithe Harcourt Stakes. The race has always been run over a mile and a quarter. In more recent years three-year-olds have rather dominated the position. Since 1928 the winner has come from this age on no fewer than nine occasions, and in the past seven years on five The only aged horse to win during the latter period was Royal Chief. This southerner won as a three-year-old, and returned three years later to again carry the day. Last year only one three-year-old, Par Avion, contested the race, but he could not do better than fourth in the six-horse field. Of the dozen still standing their ground for Monday's contest, six are three-year-olds, one is a four-year-old, two are five-year-olds, and three are six-year-olds. Present indications are that Kindergarten will be the favourite, although the records show that one of his age has not won since Gold Light scored in 1924. The one four-year-old, Battledress, should be a worthy opponent of Kindergarten, and very real danger might come from Representative and Nizam. Of the older horsemen who were associated with the winner of the race, H. Gray rode the first two winners of the Champion Plate, and registered his third success seven years later. B. Deeley and J. O'Shea are also .credited with three wins, but their records fall far short of that standing to the credit of the still-active horseman L. J. Ellis, who piloted three winners when the race was known as the Harcourt Cup, and has ridden four winners of the Harcourt Stakes. His elder brother, A. E. Ellis, rode Limerick to victory in the contest of 1927, but has not saluted the judge since. His opportunity may come on Monday.