AHURIRFS CUP VICTORY

NZ Truth, Issue 1152, 29 December 1927, Page 11

AHURIRFS CUP VICTORY

Heads Off Jack Potts and Machine Gun

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.)

Raced into form during the spring 1 for the Auckland Trotting Cup, Ahuriri answered all demands on the right day and landed the goods in the hands of that astute driver and past master of the trotting game, James Bryce.

BUT luck was with Ahuriri and his followers from the home turn.

worthy speed round the home turn up to the time of tangling.

It is just possible that had Machine Gun not hit himself and got into a slight tangle, which robbed him of the lead, the northern-owned son of Machine Brick may have lasted it out long enough to take the thick end of the purse instead of having to be content with third money.

Opinions differ on the point, but "N.Z. Truth" throws out the hint that Machine Gun will give direct indication that he was unlucky by getting home first at no distant date in faster time than he recorded on Tuesday last. Though the winner really went faster than any previous victor in the Auckland Cup, he was outside the time set him by the handicap per.

None of the competitors really went up to their handicaps, despite the fact that there were consistent rumors afloat that most of them had registered amazingly fast trials before the day.

As a matter of fact, the pace was painfully slow the first six furlongs. This allowed those on back marks to range close up to the leaders at the point.

It was only once the last mile that the pace was really on, and the wonder is that some of the limit horses did not go out to improve the speed earlier. Had Machine Gun done so there

may have been a different tale to tell of Tuesday's race.

As it was his limit mark was little use to him, though he was displaying

Sea Pearl's chances were nil after breaking at the hop-off, and Tom Thumb was the early leader. The latter was an eleventh-hour tip which failed to stay on over the business end, and from the home turn the three placed horses were the only trio in the fight.

Ahuriri had little left in him to beat Jack Potts by a head, with Machine Gun two lengths further off. Great Bingen was another length and a -half away, with Cardinal Logan fifth, Tom Thumb sixth and Sheik seventh.

The times of the first five to finish were 4.25 3/5, 4.25 4/5, 4.29 3/5, 4.24 1/5, and 4.30.

As a race it did not produce the great finish of the 1926 contest, but it proved the northern handicapper's judgment to be correct in the case of the winner.

He allowed nothing for Ahuriri's spring defeats and kept him nearer his right mark than the majority of the others.

Those who imagined Jewel Pointer thrown in on 4.25 after going under 4.24 in the spring have to admit defeat, for the Jewel was well outside the money.

Ahuriri's victory made the third Auckland Cup success registered by J. Bryce as a driver, the previous winners steered by the veteran being Cathedral Chimes in 1915 and Man o' War in 1920.

Besides these winners, he also trained Admiral Wood (1916), and Man o' War (1921), when they captured the stake in those years. Before adding: the Auckland Cup to his credit, Ahuriri had already won two New Zealand Trotting Cups. Such performances alone tell of Ahuriri's quality as a pacer.