RACING NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25175, 16 March 1943, Page 6

RACING NEWS

By Sentinel

Only eight favourites have won the Thompson Handicap between 1906 and 1943. Tlie race record for the Thompson Handicap is jointly held by Reremoana 9.8, Autopay 9.4, and Oratory 8.3 at lmm 37Jsec. When Lou Rosa, with the substantia] burden of 9.11, won ,the Franklin Cup in 2inin 17sec, he went close to the New Zealand record of 2min 161 sec put up bv Wardress at Trentham. Last season the Thompson Handicap was run on Saturday, March 14, the second day of the autumn meeting, when the totalisator registered £98,628. On Saturday the investments ran to £151,182. It will give general satisfaction to the owners interested to learn that the Waimate Racing Club has decided to defer the publication of the handicaps until after the racihg at the Oamaru meeting. Monte Cristo, the winner of the Thompson Handicap, is a six-year-old bay horse by Bronze Eagle—Archeno, by Archiestown—Maheno, by Soult. The win marked his second success in seven starts this season and his first in good company. Monte Cristo did not race last season. Going by the book, the fact that Rakanui gave Lord Chancellor 191 b and a beating over a mile and a-half discounts the latter’s claim to be considered a highclass three-year-old. .Some excuse can, however, be made for Lord Chancellor, as lie appears to have been unlucky.

Favourites had a bad run at Trentham on Saturday, when, apart from Kindergarten, only one favourite in Theolateral won and onlv two, in Lord Chancellor and Screen, managed to gam a place. The downfall of the favourites did not, however, prevent a very substantial increase in the betting. : Rakanui has scored three wins, six ! seconds, one third, and a fourth in 11 j starts this season. He has retained form j right through the season, as he won at, the Grand National meeting, ran third in the New Zealand Cup won the W.R.C. Handicap with 8.9 in 2min 30.7 sec, and has now added the Autumn Handicap at Trentham.

Tn finishing in a place in the Autumn Handicap. Dominate gave the first glimpse ot term in 10 starts this season since being a good winner as a two-year-old. Dominate ran' 11 times as a two-year-old and scored three wins, two seconds, and a ihird. In his last win Dominate carried 9.5, and won the Pioneer Handicap in 53 4-ssec, getting up ir; the last lew strides to beat Prince Leigh on 7.5. Dominate 9.7 was afterwards third at Auckland to Nizam 8.7. and Representative 7.13 over six furlongs' in lmin 13sec, and in his final race as a two-year-old, carrying 9.5, he was second to Beau Vaals 9.7 over six furlongs in lmin 13Isec at Wellington. A return to the promise of two-year-old form ■would make Dominate read particularly well in the Oamaru Cup at 7.1, and incidentally proves the danger of premature publication of handicaps. Dominate cost his present owmer 110 guineas at the end of his two-year-old career.