SPRING RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20978, 15 September 1931, Page 7

SPRING RACING.

..WANGANUI MEETING. CHIEF HANDICAP EVENTS. CESSATION WELL FANCIED. OPEN ASPECT OF SPRINT. I BY ARCHER. The spring racing campaign will bo opened in the North Island on Thursday when the Wangamii Jockey Club will make a start with its spring meeting, •which will be concluded on Saturday. With the exception of the Marangai Handicap, the chief handicap event, for which only -five horses were nominated, the various races on the first day's programme have filled welt and the racing should prove highly interesting. The latest reports from Wanganui state that the coarse is on the soft side after the wet. weather in the past few weeks, bub the track is one that never gets very heavy, and unless there is more rain before the meeting opens the conditions for racing should be good. Pride of place in the Marangai Handicap field is occupied by Merry Damon, who has to carry 9.3 { which may not bo a prohibitive impost for him in the company he has to meet. Merry Damon is now in his tenth year and is more likely to be on the downward grade than improving, yet he was successful at his last start And is still a much better handicap horse than some of his younger rivals. In the hands of a vigorous horseman like L. G. Morris, he will not lack anything on the score of horsemanship and another, factor in his favour is that he should be one of the fittest horses in the field after his late winter racing. Chances of Cessation. Cessation has not had a run since sho •finished second to Chopin in the Masterton.Cup last May and sho might bo all the better for a race, although she is reported to be well forward. An at-tractiv.ely-bred mare, Cessation was on the improve when her three-year-old career came to a close and it is anticipated that she will be seen to greater advantage as a four-year-old this season. There is nothing in the field as likely to show improvement as she is, and in the hands of H. Gray the chances are that she will make a determined bid for victory. / As a result of their recent failures, Little Doubt, Royal Game and Spear Lad cannot be strongly recommended, although Little Doubt has been working in good stylo and his prospects might be better than his latest performances suggest. If he could reproduce the dash he displayed when ho won a double at Te Eapa in June, ho would have an undoubted chance in this field. He is in with a nice weight and if anything is to beat the top-weights he may be the one to do so. Present indications are that Cessation and Merry Damon will be the favourites, and Cessation may be the actual first choice Flying Handicap Runners. Thsre is a good field of sprinters in the Flying Handicap, and the issue appears very open. Many of the candidates will be appearing for the first time for the season and ir. the absence of recent form the prospects of some are very difficult to estimate. On figures Consent should possess a good chance, and Orapar s forward condition is going to assist him, although he is now in a position in the weicbts where he is not going to 'find it easy to win. Cimabue and Tenterden have had no recent racing but they must be respected, especially Tenterden, who wound up last season with three successive wins. Lady Pam may find the distance too short, but Aston, Ridgemount, Kozan and Acora are all possibilities. Aston is a good beginner who ran fairly well at the May meeting, and Kozan is a likely improver who may be very dangerous. La Poupee was a good two-year-old and in spite of the fact that sho has been given every ounce she is entitled to she may have to be taken into calculations. Until the candidates have completed their final gallops-there may not be any pronounced fancies,' but some who may command strong fallowings are Consent, Aston and Kozan. The Guineas Field. Considerable interest will be manifested in the Wanganui Guineas by virtue of the fact that it will be the first three-year-old classic of the season. Many of the best of 'last season's two-year-olds will be absent, but there is a very useful field of eight and an interesting contest seems assured. Croupier has five successive wins in minor company to his credit and it is expected that he will go on to higher honours in this race. His most formidable opponent is likely to be Cricket Bat, who defeated Nightmarch over seven furlongs in the Challenge Stakes- at Riccarton last autumn. Cricket Bat has been galloping well, but he may not be quite as forward as Croupier, who will be a very fit horse after his winter raring. View Halloa is a promising customer who won at his final appearance last season and he may be capable of a good effort, as he has 'been doing fairly well in his work latelv. Zeebrugpe, who will be bracketed with Cricket Bat, won in novice company at Trentharn in July and as he is very useful he may be the likeliest of the,others. King Colossus shaped well last spring, and he may show improvement this spring, but Actaeon and Child Study do not make any appeal. It appears as "if the issue will rest between Cricket Bat and Croupier, and they are likely to carry the bulk of the investments. NEWS/FROM THE TRACKS. LITTLE FAST WORK DONE. YESTERDAY'S ARRIVALS. [iJT TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WANGANCI, Monday. Althoughi quite a number of victim,' lwsi>3 have arrived for the spring meetir.g f 'f the Wanganui Jockey Cluh this '■','""'''• there was nothing sensational <u< trie local tracks this morning. The oniv fast gallop was done on No. - track by Ca'llan, Just An Idea and Takahue. The first-named finished several lengths in front in 1.21 2-5, being well clear all the way. Sho. tool: 27s for the first ouarter and 543 lor the half mile. Usually the mare is found stopping at the finish, hut this time she was going on. This was after the breakfast interval when the track ivua fairly soft, and it must be Jjoted that a couple of corners can be C tJ'" on * s "°- - track. Before breakfast, useful work was given Cricket Bat, Zeebrugge, Cimabue, St. Koger, Flakcwlute, Pomp, Impetuous, tfedeslal and Knollmere. work, of a -useful nature was also performed by Kozan, Cessation, Croupier, landmark. Esteem. Auctioneer, Lucky foment, Kowhatu. Aston. had;- Pain, Cape "Old, Arisus, ' Korokio and others. Croupier appears 1:1 good order for his Guineas engagement. This afternoon's arrivals included Cad*nd. Consent, Laughing Prince and Acora, lr om Marten; Prince Poinbol. Tobaccoland »nd Gay Court from Trentharn: and n team of .three from A M. Wright's Feilding £tr.ni e . The Fordell trainer, F. Tilley, will not arrive until Wednesday with View Halloo, wr Gallant nnd Furlong. The Guineas eelding will be ridden bv K. Voitre, while *. Carmont will be on Sir Gallant in the "laiden. Owing to the wet weather, the Plough at/Fordell has not been in pood Jjjpujrh conditio!, lo do much work, while l$» grass tracks have been fairly soft. W Wcv ,? r - ho Fordell team is reported to 00 well.