HUNT RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20954, 18 August 1931, Page 7

HUNT RACING.

I pjSOSASGA MEETING.

PBOSFEOTS FOR SATURDAY.

th e jeixicoe handicap.

CATOMA AND TE lIOIA.

The new season in Auckland will be gjjnsnenced on Saturday, when the Paku-

innpi Hunt will hold its annual race at Ellerslie. , For a hunt meeting tJjB fields are particularly good, and the only race that has -not filled well is the greenmonnt Hunters' Steeplechase, for which there are but six acceptors. The oonrse at Ellerslie in wonderfully good order considering tho wet winter, and as fa; as actual racing is concerned the prospects lor a successful meeting are very bright.

very useful field of 13 is carded for f£ s Jeiiieoe Handicap, the principal fiat event, and top-weight honours are shared by True Blood and / Prince Val, who are weighted at 9.0. True Blood would have an undoubted ehanco if produced really fit, but he was reported sore after racing lasTmonth, and nothing has been heard of bis work in the-meantime, so that he cannot bo recommended at this stage. Prince Val has done most pt his racing at shorter distances, but ho once ran a good second over a mile and a-qnarter at Te Rapa, and must be respected if for no other reason thaa that he has performed consistently Tveil in his latest outings. Gav Cockade Very Well. Standfast, Gay Catoma and Ta Hoia all performed solidly when raced at headquarters last month, and they should again show up prominently in this contest. Catoma and To Hoia are improvers who are just- reaching their best, and they are more likely to show improvement than the other two, although Gay Cockade has been doing particularly well lately, and will be a slightly better horse than when he ran second to Te Hoia last month. Tho drop to the lower scale 4>f weighss may also help Gay Cockade and, as he will meet Te Hoia on 71b. bettar terms than at their last meeting, he may have a chance of turning the tables this time

On recent form it does not look like any of tlip horses lower down beating Standfast, Gay Cockade, Te Hoia and Catoina, but Valsier and Malahat recently won races at Gisborne aad they must receive some consideration cu that account,/more especially as they are both in fine racing condition. Flying Prince has been racing consistently, and ha may do better under the lighter scale than when he finished third to To Hoia and Gay Cockad6 last month. However, h/i will need to show a good deal of improvement to win on this occasion and, ' although he must be given a chance, there are others whose prospects appeal more. The LiMely Favourites. Meither Prince of Orange nor Wild Country makes any particular appeal, though Prince of Orange's third at his last start- suggests that he is returning to form. 111 C) Lhe could be relied upon to make a solid showing with his light weight, and, if he has improved since his last run, ho may/ be a possibility. Helium Ins not won for a long time and his chance cannot be assessed very highly, although it is possible that he might run a sound race if the track becomes very jiesvy The final gallops may shed some light on the. problem, but at this stage there may he a preference for Glioma, Te Hoia and Gay Cockade. A fine field' of sprinters will contest the Dnnedin Handicap, and added interest will he given to the race by reason of the fact that several of last season's good tw&.year-olds, namely, ll.ah Comedy, 'lea 1 Chat and Darosobpe, will be making theh' .first appearance a* three-year-olds. Like the top-weight, Gold Mouev, High Comedy has been allotted 51b. over weight-for-age, and he is asked to concede 21b. to .. Tea Chat and 131b. to Baroscope. For a "c-unsr horse with his credentials, Utah Comedy has not, been set an impossible task, and he would only require to repeat his juvenile briiliancv to take seme beatying , He fans lately been doing ids work . well, but might be in need of mora galloping to bring him to his very best. Tea Chit- and Baroscope. It is" doubtful whether Tea Chat will he mate forward enough to win either, and '..Baroscope hag not had as much sprinting given him. {Fur all that Baroscope has accomplished a good deal of work, and he may be capable of a solid effort, for be has wintered exceptionally well and is now a fine stamp or horse. The other three-year-olds in the race arc Royal Artist and I rated. Royal Artist is very smart and should display some dash, but United is scarcely forward enough to be expected, and he will be more at home in weaker company later 'on. As far as the older horses are concerned there are many with chances, and it cannot be denied that the race is particularly open. Gold Monrv has not recorded anything special on the tracks /' lately, but she is very bright and healthy Br| d should run her usual solid rare. Janeriri can also be relied upon to make a sound showing and. although he might lack the briiliancv from the barrier of seme of the others, his physical fitness and extermination are likely to assist him considerably in what promises to be a hard struggle. Valroe ma'.' be too rk"-e to the top-weights to bent them, and Maori Boy find She dis'ancp too short even if 'l produced thoroughly lit. Clianca for Biddy's Boy. The consistent Biddy's Boy reads nicely . placed with 7.12. and he will seriously trouble the best m the field at the heights. Last season he performed weil several occasions in open sprint com.i»ny, and he has been working in a style which ind/ca:f. R that he wil he an improved horse this season. There are few / hotter beginners in the race than Biddv s and his briiliancv out of the barrier should he an assistance m a race like this. Other light-weights whose latest form Binst entitle them to some consideration a>'s Ruffles. Tetrarchate, JaH.lv Karo. Full Measure, Tradesman and Hampton Park. ■ ®w they may all enter into calculations, although it is donhtful whether Tetrarchnte is as well as when he won last month, j ■;.t 'Buck frequently plays an important part sa big sprint fields of this description, and there are so many with chances that horses favoured by the inside positions in he draw may be the ones (o command ®*osfc attention. At this stnse t.iie event Jocks remarkably open, and the support Recorded various horses may be governed °ythe way they come ihrnugh their final gallops. It j s wssible that when final tions have t- he made there will be a opposition to fa-?our horses who bad the benefit of late rating last season, but at "us stac« there -s every reason to anti.®pate good support for Biddy's Boy, jl. j' Karo. Taneriri and Baroscope.