THE RACING AT WINGATUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2387, 30 November 1899, Page 39

THE RACING AT WINGATUI.

Backers ha.d figured it out that on Christ* cliurch form Ilex was to be preferred to Dun', dee for the Hurdle Race, and the conclusion seemed warranted by reported results; but Dundoo stripped a very much improved horse,, having entirely thrown oft the tenderness that he displayed on the third day at Riccarton, and after Clinker had^ run off Dundee gare nothing a chance with him. ■ How easily ha won was better understood on the Saturday, when, allowing Ilex 91b for the Thursday's result, lie again won with a great deal ia hand. Ilex showed something like his usual form on the Saturday — that should 'be thoroughly understood by those who have *n eye on future events — but Dundee ran ever so much better than customarily, forcing the pace in the early stages with such effect thati while Ilex was closing up a bit in tho l«a* half-mile he (Dundee) was able to ease off and save himself for a solo in the straight. On presont form there would bo backers for Dundee if ho met Ilex at level weights. Ladr Dundas, though practically unknown to mosb of thope present, was made favourite for tha First Hack Handicap. They knew tho othera to be v crowd of moderates, and reckoned that the stranger wouiu only require to b« half as good as her pedigree suggested (sistes to Dundas) to put them down. The guess came off all right, Lady Dundas winning tho race from end to end. She is a delicate-look-ing filly, very like her brother ; that is to say, she seems to bo built for speed rather than weight-carrying, and on appearances does not care for more than one race in a day. With a rise of 151b she was well backed for th« second day's race, but was done out of tha race, along with six others, by the advantage that Witchcraft stole in getting a flying start. With an equal send-off the race on Saturday would have been a pretty close thing. As it was, Britannia and Bracken alone pursued Witchcraft in -the straight; the others wera easing up, their chance hopelessly gone, and the two that did run it out astern of Witchcraft had Buckley's show. Saturday's form of the hacks must, therefore, be entirely disregarded, and all that we can say aa to tha Thursday's form is Cat My Lord is a fairish* stamp of a hack, rather over-estimated; 'The two-year-old running was decidedly, peculiar.

(tremor, favourite for the Dunedin Handicap on the first day, ran very much below the iforin that the p.ublic expected, though why they should have made her favourite when Melita was conceding only 61b is a mystery to ane. The Hon. G. M'Lean's pair, on the other hand, raced remarkably well, and had the two favouritSß clean beaten at the entrance to the straight,' where it looked a moral that .Ihe Zetland spots would be first and second. 'At the rails, however, Komuri ran off to the inside and Pampero followed. Thus it happened that Melita, who a moment earlier fcadn't a 1000 to 1 chance, was presented with "a certainty, since she only had to beat Tremor, Xvho either couldn't or wouldn't t*y. Everybody agreed at the time that the result was n, fluke. That was why the Hon. G. M'Lean s bracketed pair were made such strong favourites for the Juvenile Handicap on the Saturjday. But this time backers got slipped up the other way. Pampero and Komuri were faster x>ff the mark than the opposition fillies, and *aced together to the quarter-mile mark. Here Tremor got up and split the Wingatui pair, and from that point they did not seem to me jto race so well. Whether it was because they ■were separated, or because the extra furlong ,<was N just too far for them, I cannot say, but the fact remains that neither Komuri or Pampero finished strongly, snd when Mehta came at the better stayer of the pair, Pampero, in she laat 50 yards, she smothered him rather easily. It was very bad luck for the Hon. G M'Lean, since on form he had reasonable Jiopes of winning. As it is I don't know what to say about these two-year-olds. We shall have to wait till later in the season to get their measure. The Cup horses' form was V.\*o slightly' confusing. Jupiter won the Otago Cup very easily indeed,, but many present made excuses for Dundae, saying that he would have raced better if Ins nder had let him go earlier. On this point I had a chat with Mr Hobb's after the race, and he told me that Wilson rode to orders in lying behind. Dundas is a nervous and unreliable bor3<? that had been tried with all styles of riding, nnd as he had done best over a distance when kept behind in the earlier stages, and as the mile and a-half was a greater distance than he had ever won over, it was decided to ride him a, waiting race and depend on his speed a,t the end. That is what Murray Hobbs told me, and it fully exonerate? Wilson. All the same, the tactics may-have been a mistake. I say co, because, on the Saturday the horse was ridden the other way, being kept in front aknost from the jump, and he won very easily. It is but fair to add, however, that in trying this experiment the owner had very little confidence as to the result. I understand that ho didn't back Dundas for a shilling. The worst beaten horse in the St. Andrew's Handicap was Fulmen. He made one run, at the eix-furlong post, but fell away quickly, as if he had broken down— though such was not the case — and finished last. Palladin on the other hand, ran agreat race. He unluckily got squeezed put in the rush for positions when the tapes flew up, .and had to go outride on the turns, and one way and another he had a peculiarly rocky passage, yet he disposed of Jupiter (who did not act well under /the weight) and had all but the winner beaten pi the foot of tho straight. None of the other "■Cup candidates showed their best form. Of tho welter horses St. Ouida was distinctly the anistress. She won both her races impressively, and has proved a rare pick-up for the iucky and plucky Ellis stable, who bought (her last winter for £23. She seems to be bow pretty near back to her two-year-old form, and that was decidedly good. Neva ran an 'excellent race in tho Maiden, displaying the gift of being able to finish under pressure; frnd Paladin won the Federal Handicap easily '.from the unlucky Brisa, while Blazer accounted for both of the weight-for-age races an hiß own masterly style, never giving the tethers a hope. Mr Solomon's great sprinter has had a cut at this double four years in succession. Ab a two-year-old, when the race iiow called the Salisbury Plate was known as the Musselburcfh Plate, he ran second to Multiform, and in the Glasgow Plato he was .third to St. Clements and Multiform. As a three-year-old he beat Gold Medallist in the Musselburgh Plato and finished third to Conqueror and Gold Medallist in the Glasgow Plate. Last yeaF he won the double, and has repeated the feat this time. He is a great horse for keeping hie form. On Saturday last he looked to be at his very best, showing all the dash that he had as a two-year-old. Blazer has altogether started in '34- races, of which he has won exactly half, namely, 17 (including one dead heat), second 4- times, third 4- timei lnd unplaced 9 times. His winnings in itakes come to £2112, of which he made £433 as a two-year-old, £611 as a three-year-old, £623 as a four-year-old, and £385, thus far in his five-year-old season. He has generally paid small dividends, but there is a £12 63 6d *' divy " which brings up the total, and I find that "lumped together his dividends reach £57 16s. so that if any person put"£l on Blazer every time he started the result is a profit of VG23 16s. The only other performer at the meeting whose domgs call for notice was old Maremma, who in the .Farewell Handicap galloped freely and in his old form and scored 1 popular win for painstaking Jim M'Giness.