FEILDING FORM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 101, 31 March 1937, Page 6

FEILDING FORM.

KEEN CONTESTS FOR CUPS. SUCCESSFUL MEETING HELD. (By “Moturoa.”) In overy way the 1937 Easter meeting of the Foilding Jockey Club will go down in the records as tho most successful for many years. Not only wore the gates and totalisator turnover up 33 per cent., but tho club was doubly fortunate in having two fino days with rain all around and missing the actual meeting. Racing throughout was most interesting, the class of horses engaged being of very high standard, thus vindicating tho policy of tho club of raising tho prize-money substantially. Tho Feilding Cup field would have dono crodit to one of the Metropolitan clubs, and the finish was one which aroused unusual excitement as tho favourites, Tho Buzzer and One Whctu, strove valiantly to bridgo tho gap secured when Alby’s rider got away from tho field two furlongs from home. By tho narrowest of margins they failod to reach Alby, whose success was some compensation for the trainer G. \V. New, whose patron, Mr C. W. Boyd, recently sold that good throo-yoar-old Martara. , Tho Buzzer, who was making Ins first appearance in open cup company, recorded a very pleasing performance, for lie would probably have won had his rider gone when Alby’s pilot moved, and thus would have missed tho check ho received from Taitoru, who was running about a lot. Ho was not produced the second day, but the performance will bring him beforo notice for tho Manawatu meeting. , , , One Whetu, backed down to stauncii favouritism each day, was too sore to reveal his true form, though ho ran two fino races. He was all but last into tho straight in the Cup, but finished like a train on the fence and would have won in a few more strides. He was- nearly as far back in the Easter Handicap in which he finished fifth. Taitoru was without doubt tho unlucky horse of the meeting, and better ridden he must have gone close to taking the Cup With a change of riders on Monday he was ridden an entirely different race, although he was again pacemaker for most of the journey. His rider did not knock him about and when he called upon the Sandstar gelding for his effort in the straight he just bounded away to win full of running. Six months ago he was an obscuro hack, but ho has risen in a remarkable manner for an aged ’gelding to deserve consideration as one of the beet middle-distance horses in the country. Lapel’s running in the Easter Handicap was a marked improvement on his form in the Pahiatua and Feilding Cups. No doubt the change of riders and tho easier track conditions had much to do with this, but the performance was quite good enough to warrant keeping the Lapidary gelding in mind for middle-distance events in the immediate future. Although he was 6ixth in the Cup and fourth on Monday, the Ivoatanui horse Spiral ran two patchy races, and he seems to have become cunning. This is his last season of racing and he will be retired to tho stud where, as a solidly-built son of Limond, he may make good. That consistent New Plymouth mare Royal Secret ran two solid races and looks well. In events up to a mile, or a little further, she will have to be considered in any company but tho very best. Great Horso. Beaten into fifth placo in the Feilding Cup, Dungarvan was far from disgraced. Steadied with 9.8, he was going quite well in fifth pluce on the home turn when Taitoru bumped Royal Secret, who came back on the big horse thon commencing his run. Dufigarvan had to be checked and pulled around the field as the result of this misfortune, and the great effort required of him to get going again left him without his usual finish when he did threaten danger momentarily below the distance. On Monday the worst possible bad luck oost Dungarvan the Denbigh Handicap. Making a great run from many lengths behind the field, he was just about to strike when Karl broke down and had to be pulled up. Dungarvan bumped into Karl at this juncture and must have lost several lengths. Even then he failed by only a nock to reach Black Thread, who had a pull of 381 b in tho weights. Smart Three-year-old. International, whose only success prior to the Foilding meeting was the Champion Hack Plate at Te Aroha, proved himeelf a good-class galloper by winning the two soven-furlong races, thus proving himself well up to open company. International, who is a resolute galloper once the straight is reached, was not to be denied either day, finishing over everything to score narrow but impressive victories. International is still green, but is improving with every gallop and it seems a great pity that hie owner declined to take on the possibility of meeting Martara in tho Greut Northern St. Leger with such a genuine stayer. With Martara in the field or not International would have given a fine account of himself. Victory Well Earned. The success of Catalogue in the Oroua Hack Cup was a matter for gratification and a well-earned victory for ono of the most consistent horses in commission. Under a good horse's weight of 9.5 Catalogue won well and there can be no dispute about the merit of hie success. Catalogue recommenced racing only five weeks ago after a spell of eighteen months. In his first race he ran Silver River to a length at Woodville and proceeded to Trentham where he won tho Silverstream Handicap from Reipar, who turned the tables on him in the rich Champion Hack Cup the second day. On Saturday, in his next outing, he ran Sanhedrim to a length in the Onepuhi Hack Handicap after re-

ceiving a bump at tlie half-mile which must have cost him the race. And thriving on his racing, Catalogue made no bones about matters on Monday, winning the Hack Cup and, incidentally, running out of hack company. His record to date, of which two wins and three seconds have been secured in tho last five weeks, is as follow: Ist. 2nd. 3rd. Unph £

Of this total Catalogue has now won £644 15s in first prizes. Catalogue’s career is a remarkable one of changing fortunes. Until this season he was raced by Messrs Akers and Hughes, who race Corroboree, and for them he showed form as a two-year-old, winning the Onslow Stakes at Ellerslie from Sea Fox and Rapper. In the spring of his three-year-old career ho promised , things when ho ran away to a five lengths victory in the Whariti Hack Handicap at Woodvillo from Senior and Blue Boy, and the second day scoring narrowly in open company in the Gothard Memorial from Ua Poupee, Esteem, and Gold Trail. He then entered tho lists in tho discussions on tho Great Northern Derby, and in this race he ran a good second to tho more brilliant Red Manfred. On the conchiding day of tho meeting he ran that fine horso Nightly to a head in tho Clifford Plate and his last good race before this season was in tho Danncvirke Cup in which he finished second, half a length behind Copper King. Catalogue was more or less under a cloud for tho next few seasons when he raced only a few times and never reproduced anything like real form. Finally, after running third to Hunting Lodge and Glenvane in the Robinson Handicap at Foxton in September, 1935, he was turned out for a long spell, after which he resumed training with a new owner, Mr E. L. Barnes, and in the care of Mrs A. W. McDonald. Catalogue’s progress was steady and his improving track work gavo an indication that the big Lord Quex gelding wua on the eve of returning to the form which mude him one of the leading tliree-yeur-olds of the 1933-34 racing season. Ilis suece&s is a tribute to the care bestowed upon him bv Mrs McDonald and it will surprise inaeed it Catalogue fails to make a name for himself in open company.

2 years ... 3 years ... 4, years ... ... 1 ... 2 4 1 1 2 4 10 8 150 501 23 5 years ... 6 years ... 2 3 510J Totals ... 5 7 5 23 £11893