AWKWARD FOR THE OWNER

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 January 1927, Page 7

AWKWARD FOR THE OWNER

WRONG HORSE AVON DERBY CUP. AND LEFT PUNTERS IN LURCH. (By “Centaur,” Our British Racing Specialist.) LONDON, Nov. 25. There was a sensational ending to the race for the Derby Cup, which is one of the most important of the longdistance handicaps during the backend of the season. Mr. Reid Walker, veteran owner and steward of the meeting, had two horses engaged—Tnvershin, a winner the previous time out, and the lightly-weighted Innuendo —but as the result ctf a home trial the owner 'was constrained to make a declaration .in favour of Innuendo. Inversion had a good chance on public form, and, being ridden by a capable jockey like Charlie Elliott, he would have been at any rate about third favourite at S to 1 or so. The declaration, however, could not be ignored by the betting public on the course, and the horse’s 'price drifted out to 40 to 1. Innuendo was not rushed to a short price, because few people were enamoured of his chance, but Invershin was roughly cold-shoul-dered. After all, no one wanted to back a horse that was being practically ruled out by tlie stable. And then, of course, Pate decreed that In vershin should win, and that Innuendo Should be nowhere! Really the ln®ldent was extremely regrettable. No one doubts that Mr. Reid Walker made the declaration in .the best of good faith, but it was only one more instance of private trial form being flouted by public form. Perfect Son, the disappointing favourite of thftj Cesarewitch, and subsequently the disqualified winner of the Newbury Cup, was again given a chance, and this ia the one that the crowd flocked to back. It was a case of 10 to 1 bar one, but Perfect Son proved himself a most imperfect son of Son-in-Law, and could not even get a place. The pony, like filly Nem Soha, carrying bottom weight, filled second place, and she might ,have won outright but for the alertness of Elliott on Invershin. The latter had been entitled, because of the “declaration,” to hang about and wait for the coming of Innuendo, but this colt failed to come, and, when Elliott realised the situation, he did quite the right thing by getting the best he could out of his mount. He came to win a race with a horse that was full of running, and in fact scored a very clever victory You can imagine the dead silence that, followed. It was too staggering for words, and no one looked more dumbfounded than the owner who had just won the Derby Cup. Who could have had any doubt that he would gladly have* undone his act of declaration had it been possible? His own calculations would not mattered so much. Everyone in racing is constantly experiencing that sort of thing. But the act of declaration had involved so many in the disaster. A Point Of Policy.

The incident , raises again the question of why there should be declarations to win at all. Should not every hor«*» that goes out to race be also out to win, if it can do so, on merit? There is positive danger attached to the use of the existing- policy. Invershin and Innuendo have proved it once again. The lazy horse at home will be transformed in public. The brilliant horse at home is possibly half-hearted in public. That sort of thing cdnnot be safely guarded against. Mr. Reid Walker had previous evidence of a horse falling to do in public what he had shown In private. Not so long ago the Aga Khan vowed he would never make another declaration, and I imagine Lord Astor came to the same conclusion when his Bright Knight, at 20 to 1, beat the short-priced St. Germans, for whom he had “declared” In a race at Newmarket last year. Little also remains to be said about the Derby Cup. Third place went to Sir Abe Bailey’s three-year-old Hercules while, besides Perfect Son. Myra Gray, the winner of the Cesaf'ewitch, was* among those in the ruck. In the concluding big two-year-old race of the year—at Hurst Park — Lord Woolavington's Applecross won easily from Knight of the Grail in the most appalling weather conditions. On the previous running Applecross is little behind the best of the year, which include Mr. Curzon’s Call Boy, Lord Derby’s Sickle, and Sir M. McAlpine’s Birthright, and It is being mooted that Lord Woolavington has a bright chance of pulling off the Derby for the third time. He has a colt called Caledon, reputed as good as it not better than Applecross, at home, but it has not been posAMe as yet to bring him on to the racecourse. The year after Captain Cuttle won him the Derby a similar rumour gained currency, but, when the dark ’un was exploited, he turned out to be a gay deceiver. His name was Tom Pinch! Tom Pinch, by the way, is now at the stud in France.