VALUE OF TIMES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 304, 21 November 1936, Page 6

VALUE OF TIMES

PROOF OF DOMINION SUPERIORITY. “Times are not everything,” the man in the street will remark platitudinously in reference to racing, but lew practical racing men will subscribe to that sweeping assertion. Otherwise, why should official timekeepers be selected with such extreme care ? And why publish official times in all race results and, as well, have a special record page in the official Turf publication? The latter supplies New Zealand records and also records for both Australia and New Zealand and, on perusing the latter, one is struck by the large number of records held by New Zealand horses, the majority of which were registered on New Zealand tracks. True, -Australians hold records over four-and-a-half, and five-and-a-half furlongs, and over 13 furlongs, two-and-a-half miles, and three miles, but these distances are not, on important New Zealand programmes, and may therefore be lert out of the reckoning. . V . Of regular racing distances in the colonies that of four furlongs comes first. Gleaming by winning the Kelburn Plate at Trentham ill 1921 in 45scc set a .main which has stood for many years, and looks like continuing to grace the record list of the Commomvcalth and Dominion. It was the Absurd two-vcar-old Rational who made the brilliant son of The Welkin and Light stretch his neck that day for there was only a head between the pair at the finish. The Australian and New Zealand record for five furlongs is still standing to the joint credit of two Now Zealanders Machine Gun and Paganelli. The former’s 58se c was recorded in the Randolph Plate at Riccarton away back in 1904, the mighty son of Hotchkiss carrying on that occasion a steadier of 11.5. In 1927 Paganelli equalled the feat by beating Covent Garden and Melissa in the Plunkct Nursery at Iren-

tham. SILVER SCORN SMASHES “10.”

The six furlongs record for Australia and New Zealand is held by that bright star of 1932-33 Silver Scorn who won the Middle Park Plate at Riccarton .with 9.11 and beat Inflation in 1.9 2-5. Prior to that race I hc: Hawk and Chimera held the honours with 1.9 4-5. On straight-away courses many of our best sprinters to-day can run the distance in “19,” but those extra few filths take a lot of heading off. Australia leads with Turbine’s seven fur--longs record of 1.23 a registered at Randwick, New Zealand’s best being lunora s 124 in the Craven Plate in 1925. Razzlc Dazzle, Meadow Lark, Shirley, and several others have got within one-fifth of the New Zealand record on the same track. And the honours go across the Tasman for the fastest miles. Eighteen months ago Peter Pan ran 1.35£ in the All-Aged Stakes to break inooka’s 1.353 for the Doncaster Handicap. Thespian, Karapoti, and Red Manfred share the New Zealand record for the mile'of 1.36 3-5, the effort of the firstnamed being in the Islington Plate at Ellerslie, when the race was stolen off Gloaming who tried to head The Hawk in the early stages. Karapoti’s record was made in the same place, and the record was equalled once more when Red Manfred brilliantly ran through a big field to win the Easter Handicap. These times were all established on a course which, by its undulating nature, is not conducive to records and it is probable if the record-holders had been tested to the same degree at Trentham or Riccarton under favourable track conditions the Australian records would have been seriously challenged. Fuji San ran nine furlongs at Brisbane in 1.49 J, but no important races are run over this distance in Now Zealand. The ton furlongs best goes to the credit of the New Zealand-bred Phar Lap, who won at Randwick in 2.2£, just a shade better than Bronze Eagle’s 2.2 4-5 in the Stead Gold Cup at Riccarton. The eleven furlongs record for Australia and Now Zealand stands against the namo of Glare, who registered 2.163 in the Autumn Handicap at Trentham in 1930.

PALFRESCO’S NEW RECORD. In 1933 the New Zealand Gaino Carrington smashed the twelve furlongs record down to 2.28 j when lie won the Caulfield Cup, but last year in the same rate Pallresco took the honours back again for Australia by running the distance in 2.27|. The best time for the mile and a half in New Zealand is 2.29. In the Y.R.C. Derby of 1925, by the way, the brilliant Manfred was timed to run from post to post this distance in about 2.26, being left over half a furlong, but his winning performance goes down in the records, as 2.31 j. Cragford was timed to run the one mile and five furlongs Metropolitan Handicap m 2.43, but a very moderate New Zealander in the Chief Ruler gelding Dalston equalled that time, also at Kandwick. There are no flat races that distance in Now Zealand. The Australasian record for one and threequarter miles is held by another New Zealander, the “iron horse” Finst Acre, who registered a surprising 2.56 s in easily winning the Y.R.C. Handicap at Flcmington. This is just one-quarter of a second faster than the time recorded by the filly La Moderne in winning the New Zealand St. Leger at Trentham in 1933. Konnaquhair’s 3.22 J recorded in winning the Sydney Cup in 1920 stood as the two miles record until the Martian gelding Star Stranger bridged a huge gap in the last two furlongs of tlie Trentham Gold Cup to wear Satrap down in a wonderful finish and record with 9.4 in the saddle. In 1933 the Paladin mare Palantua barely shaded Star Stranger’s record by running the distance in 3.22 1-5, but less than three weeks ago the New Zealander Wot an came from the clouds to register a sensational Melbourne Gup victory and chop the record down to 3.21-i. Phar Lap holds the Australian and New Zealand record for two and a quarter miles of 3.492, put up in winning the Randwiek Plate, and this is a lot better than New Zealand’s best for the distance, jointly held by Gasbag and Gold Light in the Canterbury Cup. New Zealand records do not go further, but Trenton, the New Zealandbred son of Musket and Frailty, won at Flcmington over two and a half miles in 4.394, and Trafalgar’s 5.22} is the best time for three miles. The above figures at least prove that New Zealand overshadows Australia in three important features of racing. We produce generally speedier horses; have the horsemen to get the best out of our horses; and we have the tracks on the Metropolitan courses conducive to record-making—and breaking. So much for “little” New Zealand !