FAILURE AT WAIPA OF CANDIDATES FOR AUCKLAND CUP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22820, 15 December 1948, Page 16

FAILURE AT WAIPA OF CANDIDATES FOR AUCKLAND CUP

(Herald Special Service.)

The Auckland Cup candidates who contested the Te Awamutu Cup failed to gain a place. As a preliminary to the Auckland Cup, tho Waipa event has not been very illuminating in the past. Horses have failed in it only to run prominently in the big handicap ::l Ellerslio. Swance. the winner on Saturday, is not in the Auckland Cup, her engagement the first day at Ellersi lie being the mile Christmas Handi--1 cap. Dougal, the Waipa runner-up and | the third place-getter Hunting Run (second last yean are not engaged in the big Auckland event. However, these horses will all he racing at 1 Ellerslio. I King's Ransom would not he suited '|o the small Te Awamutu track. Also ! lie would he in need of that race. Xext Saturday he is to contest the i mile and five furlong handicap at the j Ohinemuri meeting, at which last year | Balgowan ran second and then hater j was lucky enough to be adjudged t lie I winner of the Auckland Cup. King’s j Ransom would he badly in need of last I week's run. On Boxing Day he may ihe in the right racing fettle. If so, i Mr. H. V. Lunken's big Lang Bian gelding will be one of the most interesting runners in the Auckland Cup. I which has drawn the best of the ' proved staying handicap horses of the 1 Dominion. | Chung Chong, a gelding discussed in the north as. a most likely light-weight Auckland Clip possibility, also failed to gain any of the place money at the Te Awamutu meeting. However, his form of late has been satisfactory and j as lie has a placing in the New Zea- : land Cup this Lang Bian aged gelding can be accepted as a two-mile stayer. Foxfable, who lias been ballotted out of the Auckland Cup, but who has still a chance of starting if sufficient horses are withdrawn, was another Waipa failure. It looks as if he is going to prove expensive to his connections again. On rare occasions he has shown galloping and staying ability. Nevertheless, he has not measured up to the best standard. Last year in the Auckland Cup he was tailed off early, but ) finished very fast and only half a dozen were in front of him at the finish. As the distance is a mile and five furlongs, Ohinemuri performers on Saturday may give a better line on the Auckland Cup prospects. Last week Lord Revel was not started at Waipa, but may be in Ihe line-up next Saturday. His form this season has been poor, but on recent track work he looks like being in something like the form lie displayed last autumn when he registered a New Zealand record for a race of a mile and a-half in 2.29 1-5. With 7.11 he is nicely handicapped for the Auckland Cup. When Lord Revel established his mile-and-a-half record he carried 8.3. At the same meeting he also won later with 8.13-