VINTAGE'S EFFORTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21999, 4 January 1935, Page 7

VINTAGE'S EFFORTS

BY ARCHER

KING MARCH CONSISTENT

brilliancy of gay blonde

COURSE RECORD BY KING WIN

The four days of the Auckland Racine Club's Summer Meeting at Ellerslie passed off very successfully in spite of a decrease of £11,611 10s in totalisator investments. Of this amount no less than £10,334 10s was accounted for on the final day when.the conditions were very unfavourable and it is safe to say that the shrinkage would not. have born nearly as large if the weather had remained fine. As far its actual racing was concerned, the meeting was a great success and some very fine performances were witnessed. jt is doubtful whether the course at Ellerslie has pver been faster than it was for the first two days of the meeting and the times generally were fast. Blonde equalled Jonathan's course record of lin 11 3-5s when she won the Railway Handicap, the time being a record for the race, the occasion being the first on which the event has been run under lm 12s. King Win created a course record of 3m 3S 3-5s for two miles over hurdles when he accounted for the Ponsonby Hurdles, lowering by one second the ' record created by Thespis in the Brighton Hurdles last Easter. King Win's time is not a New Zealand record. .This is held by Red Fuchsia, who won the Sydenham Hurdles at Riecarton on August 17, 1929, in 3rn 37 4-os. Handicap Horses Of the handicap horses who competed there was none better than Vintage. Owing to interference he had his chance settled in the Auckland Cup, but in his two other starts he won the Auckland Racing Club Handicap and the Clifford Plate in decisive fashion, he and King March coming right away from the field at the finish. Whether Vintage is a genuine stayer has yet to be proved but there is not the slightest doubt that up to a mile and a-half he is really good. Vintage is a big gelding who carries weight well and although he is now high in the handicaps he requires only to maintain his present form to win more races. King March was the hardest-worked horse of the meeting, running two miles on the first day, a mile and aquarter on the second, a mile and ahalf on the third and a mile and aqu'arter on the fourth, and he came through his racing as only a thoroughly fit horse could. Consistency was the feature of his form and had the Auckland Cup been more solidly run in the early stages he may have completed the meeting with a better record than a win and three seconds. There was no sounder stayer in the field than King March and it was to his disadvantage when he was allowed- to become so badly placed in the rear when the first mile was so slowly run. Gold Trail's Lucky Run All the luck of the race was with Gold Trail in the Auckland Cup and the beautiful run she received on the Tails was undoubtedly a factor in her favour. Moreover, she was suited by the- slow pace early and she was fortunate that all went so well with her in a contest that was marred by a good deal of interference, as the result of which Vintage, Kiltowyn and Southdown had their chances extinguished. Gold Trail failed to show any real dash in her only Mother start at the meeting. She won the Auckland Cup in a year in which the field was by no means strong and may not be an absolutely genuine two-miler, although her victory combined with her second in the New Zealand Cup gives her better staying credentials than most of our present handicap horses. The Two-Year-Olds The best performers among the two-year-olds at the meeting were Legatee, Galilee, Haut Monde and Bun Fight. Legatee, with the luck of running all his way, decisively defeated Galilee and Haut Monde in the Great Northern Foal Stakes, but with the position reversed they both turned the tables on him in the Royal Stakes. Legatee is rather a leggy customer who should improve with age and he is a very determined finisher who should have excellent prospects in the autumn and also as a three-year-old. Galilee is not as big as either Legatee or Haut Monde, but she is very sturdy and moulded on very symmetrical lines. Like most of the progeny of Chief Ruler, she has a good disposition and is a game finisher who should continue to hold her own with • the best of her age eren though she may not be as susceptible to improvement in the next few months as some of them. Galilee failed to do as well as expected in a handicap she contested on the second day, but there were indications that she was not quite herself on that day. Haut Monde, with three successive wins to his credit, was second favourite for the Great Northern Foal Stakes but a slow beginning from near the outside affected his chance, as he tired at the finish after going fast to get a forward position ea"rly. He did much better in the Royal Stakes, failing only at the end in a hard and exciting finish. In appearance Haut Monde compared more than favourably with the other horses of his age. He is very powerfully quartered and it is quite on the cards that he will do better as the season progresses, although the fact that he has a dry cough may pot be to his advantage. Three races were exacted from Bun iight in the handicap juvenile events and, after being rather unluckily beaten at her first attempt, she won at her next two. starts. Bun Fight is -ightly framed, but she is evidently very wiry, as she stood up to her racing attractively. She is inclined to bo excitable and sweats very freely before her races but in the actual contest she goes very generously and is undoubtedly very Useful. Running of Synagogue As the result of her victories in the Railway Handicap and the Great Northern Derby Gay Blonde took leadJ ng honours among the three-year-olds, f'gain proving herself a very brilliant filly. She was narrowly beaten at a mile by Synagogue in the King's Plate, hut A.. Tinker was not seen to his usual advantage upon her and the run °f the rare undoubtedly favoured her conqueror, upon whom she had revenge in the Derby. The three-year-old classic was a very slowly run race and was not of much value as a test of staying ability. However, it was run to suit a speedy galloper like Gay Blonde and fi he made the most of the opportunity to outsprint the others at the finish. Synagogue's admirers were confident that he would defeat Gay Blonde in the King's Plate and when he proved successful they were very optimistic regarding his chance over the longer distance in the Derby.. However, the colt ran very disappointingly in a slowlyrun race and ,jiis form appeared to ho too bad to be true. He is not to do any further racing in New Zealand and his future in Australia will be followed w "ith interest. Synagogue has any amount of brilliancy and he is a better stayer than his public form would indicate, so that later he can be expected to make amends for his Derby defeat.