TRAINED ON COURSE

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 149, 21 December 1945, Page 10

TRAINED ON COURSE

A. COOK'S THREE WINNERS

(Special to "The Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day

Year after year Te Awamutu trainers have saddled up more than their proportion- of winners at their home fixture. At every meeting there for some years past trainer' A. Cook has had more than his share of successes and last week he added three first prizes to his record. Cook's outstanding winner last Saturday was Exeter, who captured the Flying Handicap, 7 furlongs. Hitherto this event had been run over six furlongs and it had proved a fairly good guide to the Auckland Railway Handicap on Boxing Day, but with alterations to the course the new six-furlong mark is too close to the first bend. It necessitated the programme being revised, and flat races are now run only over seven furlongs and a mile and a quarter; the hurdle race is started with a flag at. the back of the course. One of the most popular events on the Te Awamutu card up to three years ago was the Waipa Plate,' weightfor age, for non-winners at six furlongs, and this gave the two-year-olds a chance. Now. with the extra furlong tacked on the two-year-olds were cut out, because horses of this age cannot race beyond six furlongs until March 1. . ■ , . In winning the Flying Handicap last week Exeter completed the "hat trick,' having now won a race at each of the last three Summer Meetings of the Waipa Club. In 1942 he captured a maiden division, a year later he won a hack sprint, and now he has scored in an open sprint. Trainer Cook won only one race at the 1941 meeting, with Empire Rose, and Exeter's success the following year was also a lone one for the stable. In 1943 Cook led in three winners. Royal Glory, Exeter, and Nepeta, but last December he had to be satisfied with one win, that of Te Hinemoa in the Cup. Last Saturday Happy Fox and Democracy each won a division of the Waipa Plate. They were both good performances, too. Happy Fox jumped out well and then quickly went back to last, but in the straight he simply galloped over everything to win very easily indeed. Democracy never gave the opposition a look-in in her division.

Both Happy Fox and Democracy are engaged at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, in the Robinson Handicap and Queens Plate respectively, and on their latest showings they must be conceded very «cod chances'. Happy Fox is a three-year-old gelding by Foxbridge from Fleasure Time, by Lord Warden from imported Week End. by Holiday House. Democracy has a great style of galloping and she should be one to follow now that, she has started to show her speed. She is a five-year-old daughter of Mr. Standfast and Neon (dam of Exeter), by Paper Money (third in the English Derby) from imported All Rrirrht. by the Derby winner Grand Parade.