FIRST DEAD HEAT IN CANTERBURY CUP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22200, 10 December 1946, Page 8

FIRST DEAD HEAT IN CANTERBURY CUP

GN. SOUVENIR & SONERI IN STRUGGLE

BROUGHTON’S HORSEMANSHIP TELLS

(Herald Special Service.) Last week-end saw the conclusion of three race meetings, Canterbury, Avondale and Woodville, at which again first-class racing- was concerned. The Avondale fixture saw one or two surprises, but at the other meetings form proved fairly reliable. At Riccarton a great deal of interest was centered in the Canterbury Cup in the meeting over the mile and a-half of the Gisborne-owned Golden Souvenir and Soneri.

It tvns a gToat’strag'g'lc and at the finish the judge was unable to separate this pair,who incident ly made history as this was the first time that a dead heat had occurred in this weight-for-age event, which lias been run over three miles, two milco and a-quarter. one mile and a-quar-ter, and now over 12 furlongs. This particular event last Saturday was a truly run race, the time being quite up to tire average, 2min. 32sec. Golden Souvenir’s Record

in this two-year-old race were Garry, Carry On and Cuddle’s daughter Renowned. However, Garry, who raced the previous Saturday to finish second to Sea Flower, was reported to be slightly shin sore on the Friday preceding the day of his engagement, so maybe there is an excuse for his failing to get into the money. Has Raced Inconsistently

Bridge Acre was the winner of the i chief handicap at Riccarton last Saturday, the Fendalton Handicap. She was nowhere in the New Zealand Cup, although running a fair race, but in the Metropolitan was rather disappointing so that in the Fendalton form did not point her way, although her being 4-4 in the betting pointed-to her being' fairly well supported. / In the past she has raced inconsistently and very nearly got her party into trouble at the last National meeting when winning on the final day after an inglorious display in her previous effort. She is a full sister to Al-Sirat and Lord Barwon. being by Foxbridge : from Ann Acre, by Acre from Lady I Lois, by Lucullus from Persis, by I Marble Arch from Latona, by Phoebus I Appollo, tracing back to the imported | Miss Kate, ancestress of Golden Souvenir, Pliar Lap and others. Riverview ran another fair race for second money in the Fendalton, a place he occupied the first day behind Double Cross in the mile and a furlong Riccarton Handicap, these two placings bringing £550 to the cousin owners, Messrs. F. Dwyer and C. McFarland. He was a fair two-year-old when winning once out of five starts, but last season he did not win at all; in fact, he earned the reputation of being unreliable. Recently at Levin he was second to Tid-Apa in a very poor lot of highweighters and was nominated for the hurdles last Saturday at Riccarton, but refused to jump in his attempt at schooling, so was started in the race he ran second in. He is still a “hack” and is a four-year-old by Defaulter from Homedale, by Rossendale, whose progeny won in England, America, Australia and New Zealand from the imported Hasten Home. Hormuz, the favourite in the Fendalton, finished third, a place he occupied the week before in the C.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap. This Wellingtonowned Foxbridge horse ran a solid race on Saturday, but was not just good enough at the weights. Joygiver, Master Robin, Piccolo, Double Cross and Tremello all ran below expectations. Falconbridg-e Improves

In the Canterbury Cup Soneri was made a red hot favourite, and with the dividend divided in two the backers of the Bulanclshar mare received not a great deal over but half of their investments back.

Broughton again had her away smartly, and for the first portion of the race Golden Souvenir was allowed to trail in behind, but six furlongs from home Ellis on the chestnut made a forward move, and turning for home was up with the mare only a neck behind her.

A titanic struggle resulted over the last furlong and' it was the horsemanship of Broughton that allowed his mount to make a dead heat of it. Reserving her all he could, he allowed her a very short breather about 100yds. off the post, and then getting to work on her again with all he had, got up to divide! the major honours with her opponent, Golden Souvenir. Last year Golden Souvenir won the Churchill Stakes, but this year had to strike his colours to Soneri, while in the Canterbury Cup 12 months ago he was beaten half a head by Miss Medley and now this season divided the first prize with another mare. Maybe Golden Souvenir was hardly dressed in his best on New Zealand Cup dry, and quite probably had the big handicap event been last Saturday, the New Zealand Cup would have gone to Gisborne again.

Although he did not win outright a race at Riccarton, Mr. Fitzgerald by his horse’s third in the New Zealand Cup, second in the Churchill Stakes, and his dead heat in the Canterbury Cup collected £1450 from the Canterbury Jockey Club. A Brilliant Mare

Soneri has started nine times in succession without tasting defeat and will next race at Auckland, where there will be two weight-for-age races for her, the mile King’s Plate and the mile and a quarter Clifford Plate. Her two wins and her dead heat at Riccarton added £2950 to her credit. She is easily the best of her sex sired by Bulandshar; in fact, his fillies are not recognised as too reliable, but in the case of Soneri it might be that she is the exception that proves the rule. Oft-times horses are renowned for siring better colts than fillies, but there generally is one filly in such cases that is outstanding, as, for instance, Warstep in the case of Martian, Razzle Dazzle (one of the very few to beat Gloaming) in the case of Kilbroney. Mr. Cunningham, who owns this brilliant mare, lias been racing off and on over a fair number of years, and has never had a performer of much class, but lie has made up for it with the Bulandshar mare.

Falconbridge, who at the New Zealand Cup meeting the first and second day had been .third and second, again improved one point by winning his engagement on Saturday last and in future will have to race in open company. He is owned by Mr. C. Davis and is trained by C. Dawson and, as his name suggests, is by Foxbridge, while his dam is the imported Grey Eagle, whose progeny have not been anything outstanding by Grey Fox II from Anethea by Thrush. In .the race .that this gelding won Kirkella, who was considered the best of good things, was not equal of being in the money. The runner-up in the Ashley Handicap, Pandemonium, had prior to Saturday’s race started five times for four unplacings and a fourth. Fie is by the New Zealand-bred sire Gay Circle from Bourse, a descendant of Mermaids .The third place-getter "in this race was another outsider in Armont, a four-year-old by Defaulter from Charlotte Corday, dam of that useful galloper Corday. Derene. who in the South Island is held to be perhaps the most brilliant galloper down there, won the sevenfurlong Members Handicap, being 6-7 in the betting. This was her third win of the season, while in the Stewards’ she fell but found the mile in the Jockey Club Handicap a little beyond her staying ability. She scored ‘in a brilliant fashion and it was unlucky that she is subject to lameness as she would win far more races than she has yet accomplished. She is a four-year-old brown mare by the Colonial-bred sire Defaulter from Citoyenne, by Chief Ruler or Robespiere from Dame Einkie by Winkie from Slepka, by St. Leger from Stepfeldt, by Normanfeldt from the imported Steepe, so that Derene is backed by most fashionable and successful blood. She is owned by Messrs E. Jennings and J. Tait and trained bv the former.

Battle Abbey is another two-year-old to be added to this season’s winning list. This was only his second start, his first being the week prior to his victory. He was recently submitted for auction at the thoroughbred sale at Addington on behalf of his breeder, Mr. Ken Austin, but was passed in at 800gns.

He had galloped attractively last week and it was a little surprising to see him start 11-11 in the betting. He is a brown colt by the imported Battle Song (a great grandson of Carbine’s) from Tradition, a mare that was never raced, and sired by the Swynford horse llaid from Folk Lore, an Australianbred mare by Dark Legend from Susie Pye. by Wallace Isinglass from the imported marc Radesia, by Night Raid’s sire Radium. Battle Abbey won well and may go on to better class than that which he beat in his recent victory. Sea Flower was runner-up to Mr. Ken Austin's colt, with Darius third, who. like the winner, was only having its second race. The disappointments

Although the diminutive Montezuma had no.t been out of a place in her five starts this season, she was one of the outsiders in the Members’ Handican on Saturday being 15-17 in the betting. She is trained by F. D. Jones for Mr A. Louisson, being sired by Battle Song from Praise, so is a member of the Eulogy family and is a half-sister to Regal Praise. Representative, Russian Ballet and the New Zealand Cup winner Serenata

His First Win. Battle Chief has' at last won a race, the first of his career. Hs is by Battle Song and cost Mr. Peter Louis over lOOOgns. as a yearling, but this owner tiled of him last National time and sold him at public auction. He beat a very ordinary field on Saturday when he succeeded in winning the Port Cooper Hurdles, as Ruling Moment, the runner-up, IS not even up to average and Abdicate, the third place-getter, had 11.2 and 'is far from has best on going like it was on Saturday last. The winner is a very well bred gelding, his dam being Chiefava. by Chief Ruler from Nottava, by Solferino from Stcpka. or the same lineage on the distafT side as what Derene, the winner of the Members’ Handicap descends from. This chestnut winner battled on at the right end on Saturday and maybe he will develop into a better winner later. He was at one time trained at Hastings by • but never showed any speed and ni his few races then was most times last at the linish.

Howe made his score for the season when winning the Stonyhurst Handicap for three-year-°lds Jour • wins, two seconds, and one thud. He had 9.7 in his recent victory so to succeed in this event was a creditable performance. He was hard put the last bit by tjiQ filly Ranine, who disputed every inch of the last furlong with the Defoe colt. The Hastings pair of representatives, Keening and Opulent were never in the call and both look as *t tney have trained off for the moment. Another disappointment in this event was Mr. lym, whose luck is anything but in this season.

??. h,n< ;. ra . n ri .most determined race and her saddle slipping m the Derby and her falling "r. “ le u Roland Oaks points to the fact after her sterling race in the Stonyhurst Handicap that she would have been at least in the money in those two events. E a ' nl B r Caler flowed a glimpse of her two-year-old form by collecting third money to ”°' vc . an(l Ua 'i |,lc I" the Stonyhurst. This h J. » h s art °f the season, the previous six all resulting i„ this Coronach filly p'flnmL , be Cash on ea( 'h occasion. l-!,’ 1 . nO, *! 10 surprise winner of the first day, won again oil Saturday, being the third Snnrrl 'nn’.l'V* n' e meetin g. the others being Soi en and Excellency. I„ the race that was or 3 o W ° t n , the English filly Lincoln Fair , r” 1 ,,,; j at n ter ’ while ,he well performed he , Descrt f;irl "as unable to get into tne money.