RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22721, 6 November 1935, Page 13

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel.

"Cutting" Cutting down stakes is the best incen- . tive to " cut up " a race. Invercargill 'in connection with the Invercargili . races a special train will .leave Dunedin at.7.45.a.m. and return the same day. A'Winning Ride , -X; Percival, rider of Palfresco in the Caulfield Cup, received £230 89 as his percentage of the stake. The Favourites \ . /In 'ijome quarters Kiltowyn is regarded as favourite for the New Zealand Cup, and Viking ■ occupies the same position for the Stewards' Handicap. Wild Chase 'Wild Chase failed at Trenthara, but he was probably beaten by the bad going. ' He will have another chance against Pelmet in the Welcome Stakes.

Non-stayer* Paper Money's stock are not regarded aestayers, but Overdrawn ran into a place in:the.New Zealand Cup and Pink Note wPn a - Dunedin Cup and should have jivon- two. ; - •i- ■■ - * -•■■■.■■ The Best Guid^ • Silver Sight's chance in the New Zealand- Gup is abased; on the fact that, bo finished on well at- the end of a fast-run race when he won the Ashburton Handicap. -So did Argentio in the same race. A Stolen Race ; "Steetori's win in the New Zealand Cup last year should at least teach riders to keep their eyes open and not allow a horse, to. steal a 20-length lead in the first half of. the joiirney. . Form and Facts' When Variant ran second to Galilee in;.the A.R.C. Royal Stakes last season. Haut ,Monde, who finished third, was in receipt of 19lb from the Limond fillyIn the Stewards'. Handicap Variant gives Haut Monde lib. v"."" Absentee*'". •.."Arctic,King, Big. Dook and King Rey are the only horses to drop out of the New Zealand Cup since the declaration of acceptances, arid II Duce, Enwood, and Note Issue are the absentees from the Stewards', Handicap..

,The Wnner of the last: New Zealand

D*v6lo r/V- ..-.!■• 3 Davolo was-not'regarded as a possibility in the Stewards' Handicap, but his recent win-brings him along as a possibility. It should not Be forgotten that Davolo ran second to Princess Doreen in. the Winter Cup. .when giving her 111 b. Black'Duke ..'.' ,'.'■,' « '••Black Duke has always been a proficient hurdler, 1 arid iin recent schooling over brush hurdles at Riccarton gave a good display. He may,as a result figure m the..field for the, next Grand National Steeplechase. : \ '..-,- ..."•;.•• .-'.,;. ' • The Derby Field ' The. field to be saddled up for this year's New Zealand Derby should-.supply a - most interesting race. A, meeting between Kinnoull, Heritage* Greek Shepherd and Plato should provide sufficient interest, but evidently others are deemed worthy of inclusion. Penelope . '," . J .' .... Penelope has usually been hunted to the front or allowed to get there in her races. At the Banks Peninsula meeting she was judiciously kept behind. the leaders and. then won. On previous form Penelope could not stay five furlongs, but ridden the right Way might stay all day. Cranford Cranford ran- third- last year in the Stewards' Handicap with 7.3. This year he has 111 b more on his back. Tizzy was fourth, andr this year meets Cranford on 81b-better. terms. The unplaced lot last vear. included Davolo 8.6, Silver Streak 8.2,, arid Variant 7.0..',.'.;. Payment for Poundage • When searching for something in con-, neetion with past records of racing the writer came, across a report of a commit-tee-meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club. Inl'tie,"report it was stated that Mr G. Dowse, the handicapper, would be allowed £2OO a-year for:expenses in addition to a bonus. Nowadays it is about a penny a horse.: -.-■- Steeton - -' Steetori, still stands her ground in the New Zealand Cup with 7.11, oi 101 b more than she carried last year when winning in"3min 25 2-osec. Walton Park 7.73 and Silver-Sight 7.0 were, amongst the un-placed-lot. This year the .weights are:— Steeton 7.11..Wa1t0n Park 7.4,. and Silver Sight 7 : 4: ■■" ' ' •■•' , v Local Success vDiinedin'owners are represented in the New Zealand Cup by four horses; —Guarantee, Osculate. Kemal Pasha, and Dodge. Dunedin-owned or trained horses to win tile New Zealand Cup are Wolverine (1890).-Euroclvdon (1895). Fulmen (dead hetft'with Ideal, 1900). Canteen (1903), Ardenvhor (1916),.and Palantua (1933).

Hands.and Heels - ' IJ.'hebest; guide to possibilities in regard lo.the apprentices.is to select a keen.goer. The .apprentices are not allowed to use whips or spurs, but some of them u3e the end of the reins as si whip, and so far have never been challenged about using the equivalent to a breach of the rules. The bar. on whips and spurs comes from nn idea of teaching young riders to finish on, a horse with hands and heels and not depend on the whip and spurs to get a filial stride from a mount. Paving the Way

Vladimir was unplaced twice at the Dunedin spring meeting of 1904 before ha w-on his second Stewards' Handicap. He then won at the Gore spring meeting lmdcr 9.12. Comic Song was unplaced twice at the Dunedin spring meeting, ran second at Gore over seven furlongs, and then went on to pay over a century in the Stewards' Handicap. This year Viking

ran third in the Dunedin Guineas to Kinnoull and Greek Shepherd, won a double at Gore under a light weight, and his next race will bs the Stewards' Handicap. Positions

The acceptances for the Stewards' Handicap means that the field will be spread right across the full width of the track when lined up to the barrier. If a few near the inside can muster sufficient speed to hold position those on the outside Will be carried wide, at the home turn and hence have to give ground to those better placed near the rails. Only one or two, such as Glentruin. have been capable of winning from an outside position at the barrier, unless the run allows them'to cut in behind the leaders and find position on the rails at the home turn.

Three-year-olds A good three-year-old has generally beea hard to beat in the Stewards' Handicap. Winners at that age have been Clanranald, Stepniak, Golden Fleece, Pampero, Roval Artillery, Machine Gun (won with 8.9), Vladimir. Gold Crest, Bon Reve and Stardancer made a dead heat, and after a good few years Eulalie won. The last three-year-old to win was Autopay in 1930. This year Haut Monde and Viking are a. pair of three-year-olds that might take some heading off at the finish.

Anatomy Students of equine anatomy will never stand . for a stargazer being a stayer. Kemal Pasha is an acceptor for the New Zealand Cup, but he holds his head too high to be a stayer. Stayers must have formation that permits of easy pumpage of wind from the head to the lungs, and when conformation makes it difficult staying becomes next door to an impossibility. It would be very interesting, indeed, if Kemal Pasha won the New Zealand Cup. The result would prove a remarkable exception to the rules of conformation, and give scientific ideas a jolt.

The Cup Card , The.card for the first day of the New Zealand Cup meeting is more than ample from a numerical point of view to supply good Quality is well represented. For instance, a meeting between Pelmet and Wild Chase imparts sufficient interest to the Welcome Stakes, There seems too be no pronounced favourite for either the New Zealand Cup or Stewards' Handicap, arid that suggests both races being regarded as very open. In regard to the Stewards' Handicap, anyone who backs a horse before the draw for position at the barrier has a lot to learn.

The Commercial Politician The commercial politician may be a rude term, but one is frequently in doubt as to whether politics are based on patriotism or pocket. At every annual meeting of racing .or trotting clubs the question of t taxation has been more or less the subject which is anchoring sport. We are now on the- eve of an, election and it would be interesting to know what action the clubs are taking to challenge candidates as to what action they are prepared to take in connection with the Gaming Act. Top Weight

At one time a strong and general opinion existed that a horse could not win the New Zealand Cup with 8.9, or more, This was born of the fact that from 1883 when Tasman,won with 8.9 and Vanguard .won with the same.'weight.in 1884, a .winner did not carry, the same burden until Lady Zetland won in 1896. It was not: until 1918 that Sa.sanof followed the'lead by winning with 8.9. Since then Count Cavour won with 8.13 and then Nightmarch scored with 9.6. This year Vintage has to give the next one on the list 201 b. Still he riieets Cuddle on 71b better terms than when he beat her in the Wellington Cup.

The Final Gallop Euroclydou's final gallop for the New Zealand Cup was. orice. round the Forbury Park track (about a mile and" half afurlong) at half pace, once round at three-quarter pace, and a' final round at top. Compare that with final gallops -over a mile and a-quarter considered sufficient for some" of the Cup candidates of recent years. The writer is indebted for the information to the late J. Rae, who rode the colt in the gallop. Euroclydon had one race before going to the post for the' New Zealand Cup.; It was against, two others over a mile and a distance at Oamaru: The race took place on October 17 arid was merely an exercise canter for him, and could not be seriously regarded as necessary to his preparation • for a two-mile race run on November 5. Midnight Sun had one race before he beat Masterpiece a short head in the New Zealand Cup of 1912. Masterpiece had not appeared in a race since the previous autumn. He did not lose through lack of condition but because he went out too soon to beat ■ Soldier's Chorus, who looked dangerous at ' the distance. Other instances could be,quoted where a race could not be regarded as part of a horse's preparation, for the New Zealand Cup but sufficient has been said to show that if-a horse is capably trained a race need not be part of a preparation. Racing a horse into condition savours of an unconscious admittance on the part of the trainer that lie does not know whether a horse is really fit and w 7 ell until the fact becomes demonstrated by a race in public. A remarkable feature of the Cup of 1912 was the fact that after Soldiers Chorus was one of the leaders to the distance he came out on the following day of the meeting and beat 18 others in the Criterion Handicap. Three-year-old* In the 74 contests to date for the Melbourne Cup the three-year-ofds top the list with 22 wins, and 12 of this number have won the Derby on the opening day of the meeting. The dual Victorian Derby and Cup w;inners have been Lantern, Brisels, Chester, Grand Flaneur, Martini-Henry, Newhaven, Merriwee, Poseiden, Prince FoOte, Patrobas. Trivalve, and Hall Mark. Peter Pan was not engaged in the Derby in his year, but he .had previously won the A.J.C. Derby, and also the Melbourne Stakes on the opening day at .Flemington.

Increasing the Card Although eight races form the usual day's card at meetings in New Zealand, and have done so since at least the eighties of last century, with the number sometimes reduced to seven during the winter months, this is not the rule in most other countries, where the number is usually six. Six is the long-established number in England and France, and also at the main meetings in Australia. A move is now on foot in England to have the number increased to seven. So many horses were held up by the hard ground in July and August that it has been suggested to executives that they should include on their cards an additional race for maiden three-year-olds and two-year-olds, the distance to be six furlongs, say the Sporting Life.* A number of trainers have voiced this suggestion, and jockeys also would be delighted with the prospect of seven-race programmes. Many of them had a lean time during the summer months when fields ruled small. Moreover, the scheme would give the public more for their money, and, judging by the big entries for the races that have closed during the last few weeks, it would cost the executive very little to put on an addi tional event.