SPORTING Sensation Provided By Defeat Of Shannon

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 September 1947, Page 5

SPORTING Sensation Provided By Defeat Of Shannon

RaciiiL'.' sensations arc' conrmoir to 'Aus-tral.ia in the spii.ng. started this year witli the defeat of Shannon, purchased shortly before for £27.300. in the Warwick States. Shannon, however, was to win his way to favour once more in the■ wcig’ht-tor-ag’e Canterbury Stakes. The running in the AVarwick Stakes was taken up by the crack Sydney colt Tmnerairo. wjio fizzled out in the -Canterbury Guineas, and also failed to finish in a place in a field of six in the Chehnsfoid Stakes last Saturday, while his lead was followed in l\[elbourne by Chanak, principal Victorian Derby hope, who also failed over nine furlongs in the Monisie Stakes, won by Attley.

The failure of Shannon to behave himself and the savaging tactics he adopted undoubtedly cost him the Warwick Stakes, but he oon avenged the failure, as his conqueror, Victory Lad, was in third place when he won the Canterbury Stakes. The Warwick Stakes of 1930 also provided a-sensation when Phar Lap, then, a four-year-old, was beaten, by a narrow,, margin- by the aged Amounts, who was still a power in the weight-for-age field. Phar Lap, however, was to wm his next fourteen races, _ his run eventually' being stopped by Water]ine, a much inferior galloper, and also bred in the Dominion, in the Victoria Racing Club’s C. M. Lloyd Stakes.

More Triumphs Likely

Now that Shannon has rehabilitated himself, he will have the chance to follow the lead of Phar Lap, and as he is to be kept to weight-for-age racing he should have many more triumphs before he is put to the stud. Clashes of Shannon and Attley likely to take place in Melbourne are certain to arouse tremendous interest. Attley’s easy win in the Memsio Stakes at Caulfield advances his winning record to sixteen and a half, while in stakes he has earned £19,805. Attley is a bay horse by Portofino from Coveshaw, and has proved a grand money-winner, as he was sold for 260gns as a’yearling to Mrs Norman Sharpe. As a two-year-old he made a successful first appearance and later-won two-other races, while as a ihree-year-old he had six wins

in 13 starts, dead-heating in the Caulfield Guineas with Royal Gem, who later gained Caulfield Cup honours.

Attley held his form last season, one- of his triumphs being the Caulfield Futurity Stakes under 10.6. while he equalled Ajax’s time record for the race.

Temeraire, hitherto . unbeaten, gave his large following an oversize in shocks when he was unable to provide The Groom with any serious opposition over the final stages of the Canterbury Guineas. It was his first real--test for stamina,- and-the view taken by many that he was too brilliant to stay may prove a correct summing-up. A Doubtful Starter

Temeraire has been high in favour for the Melbourne Cup, but he now looks a doubtful starter, while it is by no means certain that he will even be called on to face the A.J.C. Derby test. Temeraire is raced by his breeder, Mr H. E. Rudd, and is by Felcrag .(sire of the A.J.C. Derby winner, Moorland) from Gilt Lady, by Gilt Edge (son of Valais) from Lady Welitha, by Cyklon (son of Spearmint) from Wciitah, by The Welkin from Talitha, by Martian from Hebrew Maid. It is a family that has produced some grand stayers in recent years, among them Wotan, Skip ton, Peter Jackson, Gaine Carrington, Indian Princess, and Beau Vite. The stock of. Felcrag have been noted more for brilliance than for stamina, and it would appear as if Temeraire-is to make-his name as a sprinter rather than as a stayer.