AVONDALE TRIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 58, 6 September 1945, Page 10

AVONDALE TRIAL

STRONG BRACKETS CARDED

: (Special to "The Post.") AUCKLAND, Ths Day. The big field may hamper Bronya in her division of the Trial Handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday, but if she gets away all right she may win, especially if the track dries up at all, as seemed likely early this week. In this event the Australian-bred filly will be coupled with Pedro, and another promising three-year-old in Skymaster. ' On appearances the last bracket in the race card for the Trial Handicap should hold a strong hand, for there are four horses included. They are the good-looking Royal Honour and Home James, both five-year-olds, another of the same age in Peggy 'O, and the four-year-old Luriri. The last-named has yet to show form, but all the others have plenty of pace, especially Peggy •o. Mallee, a nice three-year-old filly who finished fourth in her division of the hack handican at the Pakuranga Meeting last montn, should be in the money on Saturday in the non-win-ners' race if she has made the expected •improvement. She will be coupled on the- totalisator: with three others, Shortbread, Bronze Man, and Great Pleasure. The last-named, who has changed hands, has been working well. A recent arrival in the Auckland district is Fosse-way, and this son of Legateee is to have his first ra6e here in the first division of the Trial Handicap on Saturday. In a dozen starts* last season he registered one second and two thirds. He will be bracketed with Cu-na-mara and Antipay, who finished third and fourth respectively in the hack division affairs at the Pakuranga Meeting. The iron horse of the north, Betterman, is home again after being on an extended tour which took in meetings at Awapuni, Hastings, Riccarton, and New Plymouth. He won over hurdles at Hastings and was only touched off for third place in the Grand National Hurdles. He contested the mile and a quarter flat race at New Plymouth on Saturday and finished solidly into third place less than a length from the winner. He is engaged in the Avondale Cup, and may gain , a place, although the class is much better than that he met at the Taranaki centre. DIFFERENT TACTICS. Nothing has been galloping better at headquarters than Golden Pay, yet the aged Autopay gelding has still to win. Previously he used to run himself out in front, but new tactics were resorted to at the recent Pakuranga Meeting, with the result that he came from well back to beat all but Bueno, whose Taranaki form the following week indicated that his success over Golden Pay was no fluke. If he runs up to that form "this week the Ellerslie gelding should be hard to beat in the Henderson Hack Handicap. Recent trials at Takariini indicate that Balmacara will be fully prepared to take on all-comers in the Avondale Guineas, and he is expected to bs forward enough to give of his best. He was the pick of the north youngsters last season, his stake-earnings being £1600, or more than a dozen times his purchase price. He should have no difficulty in getting the Guineas distance, one mile, for he showed stamina at two years. Good Bay claims two engagements at Ellerslie on Saturday, having been paid up for in the last two events on the card, the open sprint and the hack mile, run in that order. He ran a promising race in the Pakuranga sprint, finishing third at a fair price, a couple of lengths from the winner. As he appears to be improving all the | time he should be a possibility in whichever race he is started in, for he is in very good condition. Should Kentish win the Flying Handicap it will be a popular success, for the Solicitor General gelding has been a very consistent performer. He won two events in five starts the season before last, but last term he had a bad spin, contesting 14 races without scoring a win, one second and two thirds being his portion. Nevertheless, his third in the last Railway Handicap demonstrated his class. He is handily weighted on Saturday. A promising two-year-old of last season engaged in the Avondale Trial is Swift Tide, a chestnut filly, who finished third in her second and last start, at Matamata seven months ago. This effort was. a very pleasing one,

for the filly was 'not "as- well forward as the majority of the field. A big youngster, - she looked like taking time, and after what was a hard race her owner decided to put her aside. Swift Tide was secured by Mr, J. Po'hlen, president of the Matamata Racing Club, at the Yearling Sales last year for 375 guineas. She is by Tiderace from'the Chief Ruler ;mare Talari.