THE NEW ZEALAND CUP.

NZ Truth, Issue 218, 28 August 1909, Page 2

THE NEW ZEALAND CUP.

The Weights Reviewed.

The appearance last. week, of the weights for thft New Zealand Cup caused quite a nutter -in sporting circles, and to a certain extent it animated' speculation oh that event. The handicap is a most . flattering"- 1 one,' and ■ this ; will be readily seen when it. is mentioned that the top weight m this year's big event has 51b less -than the top weight m last year's race ; while Zimmerman,' who occupied, pride of position last year, ; has been' : dropped lOibfof repeatedly- failifi^ sinee -then. '■■■ ■■ : " ■■■■■< '■"' ■-'..' •' : " ; - ; :".T „A IL. Red-,' with 9.4,- is top-Weight, aiifl this .horse's ijeriormance^ was'-'so ■idhsK-tc ently good all last' seasori' tlijft • '' it-^rh'ust be admitted- 'that he" Has 'b«en '• "giv^n. . '-.'a' great chance. His' VVanganiii Cup' race was a remarkably good ohe, • and Although 'he finished but of a ■■"■plJacej'- it Mas always been ; held by those well competeiili to judge that wtth any : -fuck •at all -he would ha.ye ; won. I"t wiH^-b%e;'''tremembereti-tiiat the going was- -very hard a't.Wanganui m March; and : oh the l; sedoHd day, when the club decided- to* race • pn ' ahpth- : er track,' -Mr ; Buckley's big horse won the Wanganui Stakes with 9.4 on his back In a very easy manner, and the Cup winner was placed third. In the A.R.C. Handicap All Red carried i). 11 to victory, while Zimmerman, with 8;7; was' unplaced. Taking a line through this form, .AH Red would appear to; hold? -the' l^aramu.. horse quite safe. Consequent upon some heavy support accorded the son of Stepniak last Saturday, he is now installed m the position of first favorite. It Is not known whose ' money it was that brought the horse to the front, but it is safe to say that .some o.t ...it was secured on behalf of the stable... .... Bobrikoff (8.13) has every pound, that he is entitled to. The son of Finland has, m the past been slightly over-boomed, and ho is not by any means the horse he is cracked up to be. In the same stable is Downfall (8.6) and'Merriwa (6.12), either of whom may be preferred to Bobrikoff. Downfall carried 7.8 and scored a lucky win last year, but since then he has failed to increase his owner's banking account. In awarding him an increase of 1211j the handicap'per has taken no liberties with him. Merriwa is well liked by Flasl|ings people, "and tfoey declare him to be a very likely three-year-old. It is stated that F. Davis is of . the opinion that staying is Merriwa's forte. :'.' •. Signor (8.12) is being boomed by certain sporting scribes, who fail to understand ,that there is a. marked difference m w.f.a. form and handicap form. The. statement that.tiie son of Pilgrim's Progress did not get a good run m the. last New Zealand Cup is entirely without foundation, but a reason for his failure may have been that he was m want of a race. However, it has ...to be recorded agains.t him that he failed with 7.13, and was fully five lengths away from the,

winner. The next week he came out and won -the Canterbury eupin"record "time; and since then he has failed to . win a race though his Australian, efforts were hall-marked ones. Unfortunately, Mr Moore's little horse is .not too sound, and there, is some doubt about him see-, ing the post. • ■■-.-.■ Master Soult (B.S) is, without; doubt, a good horse, and liis .three-year-. old performances were splendid ones. One of his best races was the, Summer Cup m Auckland, where he defeated All Red. Another splendid performance was his Wew Zealand St. Legeir, and m the autumn lie ran second ito Tangimoana m the Hawke's Bay Cup, when he just failed to concede Mr Buick's horse 91b. The Auck T 'land horse is going on the right way and already a stable commission has-been vrorked m his favor. , . Husbandman (8.8) is. the hero of two Derbys. Many argue that this horse is not what his admirers claim him to be, they say , that despite the fact pi the two" victories referred to, he beat, nothing, as the three-year-olds seen ' out last year were a very mediocre lot. However, on the other, side, his splendid , : showing m the St. ■ Andrew's Handicap ."at Feilding, which he won m a common., canterj .niust be mentioned, and the "beaten , division then included The'Latk, Moral 1 , and Tangimbana. Probablj' the correct summingup 'of H u shandman is that .he" is hot., a true stayer, and again he is -ciily..;" good on' ..top. of th'e. ground' ; -this .. was"- 'prayed conclusively "by- his wretched- showing/ m thie. N.Z, ,S. L.ege'c. In Christchurcii , it Is reckoned that he is' sure , to be' •, the Chokebore represehtatiye .\and 'thaj. 'Taskmaster AVill ; be % reserved t or " the JLJefby. " '. .. ... Caljiforriia I(B.6); 'is, .unfortuhately, unf sound; and unsound Horses . do not win N:.z. Cups;" v . .'" '", -'■' ' ""':'.-. . .: .'.'., -"'- ':::■''. : FriscS t8".?) h-as\ a liTeady:t:K-Z.. Cup, "tiff his -credit, and is Jtist the . cut ;pf horse : to do the trick 'again-' ' H6.;pas' v bebn oft thescene'for close -upon i 2" months owing to his having split a ! hoof, but he is : now quite. sound again . and", a' sure starter. This : last statement is borne "but by the fact that his usual pilot,"" A. Oliver, was offered a good ' mount, inthe Melbourne Cup. but refused it,' and; sifeit: ed that he had already contracted to.rjde a horse m the N.Z.. Cup. It is any odds that" horse was Frisco. Penates (8.3) is; bred like a stayer, and if specially trained' for a race; of .; this description he might "make, a bold showing,- "Hbweveri there is' no money: tpr thjs hdrse, and the generally acc&jrfcecj theory is tli aV he is more likely to be found m the Stewards .Handicap. ' _..'■' Tangjmoana- (8-.l) ' belongs -td a. niaii'who always" insists- ph his; horse, being i&csfjL right" out, and ;tn.is tre.atmejit has beeii nio;st beneficial "fo' the mare'!in qtfestiori, who is. always found to be iemajkably Well treated m d handicap. \ Last .".year s'he : - won two very valuable races,: : viz. J the' Mariawatu and Hawkers .Bay Cufis. Bearing this' m mind, who can say that she, is anything but. well treated.'. .. Bollin (7:10) has plenty of '^eightMor a fiorsß : tfiat has never ' won a- longer race than seven furlongs. Ch the surface," his last year's record lpoks^tbjbe a remarkably good one, as he ""^6n. four .races but of hVe starts.- But, on Analysis; "it , \i§ iiothiri^ to gloat over, Ss he beat nothing of any note m any of his engagements. '.'•. •■•' ■ ;•■■■■' ■•■• . ' .'■• : '' - i: y ' Blue Ribbon- (7.10.) Sva's successful; ln. the ■ Wellih^tbh- Cup with '6.i'2^ / 'She was the unlucky horse _m the Manawatu Cup.- and slie' .finished -up. the season, by rufininpr'a 'good second'; ifi tKe" tVanganUf Cup-. -These three faces, pro vS her to ,be a high-class mare,\.but, unfortunately, 'she is unsound, and; may. not sfee the p.ostl BobsieVelt (7.9) ;has: turned put a good horse.' He has taken part m races frbm four ' ; furlongs -up to ten' furlongs, and he was continually on the. winning ' list last season. His finar victory .'.was m the Huia :; Handicap at O^ki,; when the bsateir division-inclu^sd ! Mabiita, Sir Frisco; .Waitapu ■ and Kppii"." "". ".>.'. ; Prim. (7.'9), " * speedy "littl.B^^liare'.aKa a frali-sister to Artilletifc, seeifis; .Ho stay well. Her Dunedin Cup victory was a. good performance from a tiiraa^ j*piiit,.df \ view,'- 1 fhotigli" there w^s' . .."npiiaiag very. High class 1 iii "thai field' she heat. AS Riccarton her chances are held- m very Jiigli esteem.. ■ '• -■ ■ -: ■ ••••■. •'■*"'■■■ ' -. won the Wahganui CJup with 131 b has on. his- back, an'd^he' won m a. sensational- manner. He proy.ed that-^fchere -was -no fluke about" his fterfocmance .by running, a- great' •-" race'-' be-, hind All Red and Master Delaval bn the following day;- He' is a great, Stayer', atad if ■, got to the post fit and well he.'WilJ let the best or "them k^ow that they haye been 1 gallbpittg : before the face is* finiehedi ■-■■'■■iC ■■•■ -i --'■ ■■>■■•:■;'''- :■•■•■ ■;=;••■ Wimmera ; (7;;6)- ! vdPes not impress as a stayer.- . - : -■■■i.^ ■■■■■'<■ ■ ■■■■ ;•-•■• "-■■ ■■-'"' .Gwpndolina (7.5) ;is a good '■'• mare, though unfortunately a trifle utispund. Her victory m ; 'thelslington"Handicap at Riccarton was full of - merit; 'and 7 the manner m which she romped home m Ijh& Connolly Handicap 'in^ Wangatiui wpuld suggest that any big handicap is within her' capabilities. . Heorthen (7.4) has been given a great chance if . she '■■ can Pnly be - g\)t right. There is no doubt that she should have, been successful , m last year's race, tin which she was beaten by a nose -when she should, have" won by ; .lengths.- - Her s.utfsequent .efforts at : the same meeting '^eem to. have fenpeked ■■'. her but; -and, though she - ran at-flump^bn m Decemiifer, "she was : . : not . herself , since then she has hot appeared; in' public. . '.. ■'■■■'■.■-' . Swimrting : Belt (7.2)- Is- a-'gbbd, useflii horsey but he 'likes his owi-'-rules,' aiid will not dd his best -ii interfered : withY He beat a big field ifr- the ' Wellington Handicap- last October, and -'"those that finished behind him included Zimme'rman, Gold :Crest, California, and Sir Frisco; Grand Slam- (7.2) is beings specially prepared at Riccarton. . Last" year he 'was not; seen, at his 1 best as he was troubled with a cracked hoof and/ could' not be strung up. He is now gelded, and. may b"e all the.better.' for^ it. ■ --. : 5 -'- - Effort (7.2) is one of the best' -•bredmares, m the Dominion and- a vetylikelyuanimal. ..She /has a ;-nice' light "weight, : and; may shortly show; 'that her owner • did .the 'right tliing m iitominti't'ing' ■her,'!"f6rthe.A.bjlg race. ■■•■;- ,:r.-r. ■■:•' ■ a---.:.^ : -?^.-i^ Metric Zealand has ; , s<j far;' lidt. wontpve'r. a Jdistances-. though as a welter horse- he has ■?: proved himself to be' more than useful.. He caught 'a col* when ft'eing shipped from Lyiteltoh" to V. Wellington recently, and he may'-npt'be:seeh-|i:t-his best: for some- time" tb : come. - AmpSigst the remainder- ; L»ady " Lucy impresses*" me r as : a stayer, - -but- - : there '-• is nothing -eis6 among the Avhble of the 35 who comprise the ..light-w'eigh-t division that one would dream of as a likely .New Zealand Cup winner. • ..:■.:.. Summed .up, a likely dozen to r prpvide the winner would be— All -Red; -Master SoUlt, ■ TangimO9.na, « Prim, Sir Prize, Roosevelt, Gwendolina, Heorthen, Swimming' Belt, Effort; Lady Lucy, Merriwa.