LATE SPORTING

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 288, 9 November 1925, Page 8

LATE SPORTING

NEW ZEALAND CUP

Tho promise of an excellent race ivas amply fulfilled in the New Zealand Cup, in which Phoenix Park, scratched the previous day, was tho only absentee (states the special correspondent of the Dominion). Te Kara was always favourite from The Banker and Count Cavour, with Deucalion and Tanadees the only others to go over four figures. The others, down to and including Shining Armour, all found supporters, but the remainder of the field was considered to have only very remote chances. In the finish the favourites filled the places, and apart from - the good race run by The Banker, it can be said that no other result looked likely over the last half mile. The Banker owes his win to the excellent judgment displayed by M. McCarten. Always in a nice position in the middle of the field, McCarten did not worry about moving up till half a mile from home, and having reached the leaders, he found Te Kara and Count Cavour already desperately striving for supremacy, so he coolly dropped in behind and did not come out again till the distance, where only the staying qualities of the other pair enabled them to give him such a great fighting .finish. Hidden as ably, either Count Cavour or Te Kara would have won the Cup, and it pointed to the top weight being the most unlucky. It is true that ho drew the outside marble, and had to be used early to get a position, but several opportunities presented themselves for a cosy berth from the first half-mile onwards, hut probably overanxiety kept his rider moving him along with the leaders, usually well out, from the rails and at one stage, five furlongs from home, on the outside of the four. With 9st. 21b. Te Kara had no right to be striving so eagerly for the load against Count Cavour and The Bunker actually before they turned into the long Kiccarton straight. The honours of the race were with him, and he went down fighting like the good horse he is. Count Cavour pulled hard in the early stages of the race, and probably it would have done no good to hold him further back, but he also w r as made a lot of use of during the race. He still looks ordinary to the eye, but on his showing is a good four-year-old. It is not the first time jockeyship has been the deciding factor in ti 3 New Zealand Cup. The three placed horses showed greatly superior stamina to anything else, and were well clear at the post in time which equalled the race record jointly held by Bridge and Itoyal Star. Silliart was never in a prominent position. Tanadees, who moved very scratchily in his preliminary, was in a good position for about a mile and a-quarter, when he was beaten. Merry Day was in the rear for ten furlongs, when she moved up and occupied seventh place at the finish, without ever looking dangerous. In fact, nothing ever had a chance with the first three. Deucalion was only once prominent, and that was when he made a forward move after going about a nrile and a-quarter. It was a very short-lived effort, and. he finished eighth. Tresham ra u a y lll race. He appeared done with five furlongs from home, but he came on again at the finish, and was sixth. Kilfaire looked lifeless before the race, and ran a poor race all the way. Ravenna was prominent in the early stages, but was going back rapidly with six furlongs to go. She should run a good race at the meeting. Her diminutive pilot ivas not much use to her in the Cup. Shining Armour was never dangerous, but ho plugged away throughout. Carpentier finished well up fifth, after being a long way out of it for a mile and a-half. Waetea ran a great race, and was' responsible foi the record time.

STEWARDS’ HANDICAP

Every acceptor lined up for the Stewards’ Handicap, and despite the fact that the majority of the public fancies had drawn bad positions, they were loyally supported. In the finish, however, the rank outsider came .to li<dit and paid a sensational dividend. Money Order drew the extreme outside position, and although this place was eventually taken by Monoxide, who had drawn 19, Money Order was in a place to give his supporters pause, but they looked upon him as unbeatable. He showed extreme brilliance, beginning very fast, so fast, in fact, that he was in front and making for the rails in less than half a furlong. He led right till 100 yards off the post, when he cracked up, and small wonder, lor the pace had been terrific. In the finish he was a close fourth, but stopping with every stride. Victory Bond from No 1 began almost as smartly, and with her territorial advantage wont with Money Order to the straight, where she gave it up. So fast was the first half that it had all ordinarily good beginners like Mereusonta, Peneus, Orchid, Gaillard, Fool s t Paradise, Ilka, Sun Up and Licinius scratching by the time the straight was reached, and of the wholo field only the winner, Inferno and Fool’s Paradise showed any signs of going on with it. At the finish Comic Song, who is a stable mate of Bonnie Winkie and, like him, is by Winkie, whose stock repeatedly prove his early death to have been a great loss to New Zealand bloodstock, won like a good one, and was going on at the end. A few days ago at Gore he was backed as unbeatable in a poor class field and failed. Overdrawn was handily placed at the distance, and made a good run into second place, but in a few strides Inferno, who had also been nicely placed, would have been second. Tool’s Paradise was well placed at the distance, and his turn cannot be far off. Ho finished sixth. All the good sprinters were well enough placed at the top of the straight to have won had they been good enough. Mimetic was always well back. Bun Up was very prominent at the end of 4jj furlongs, but he had no run left. Circulation, a half-sister by Paper money to Loughrea, was a bad last with half the journey gone, having missed the jump out. She finished a good seventh and, like her stable mate, Overdrawn, who finished second, should be heard of again at the meeting. Gaillard drew No. ‘2O at tho post, and was never dangerous. Mireusonta drew No. 8 and finished eighth. He had every .chance of getting homo had he been good enough. The rider of the winner is an apprentice employed by Cutts Bros., whose three boys all won races during the day.