TWO-YEAR-OLDS' SPEED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2412, 24 May 1900, Page 37

TWO-YEAR-OLDS' SPEED.

Answering a writer who argued that a two< year-did to be first class should bo capable of beating the best old horses over a mile, " Milroy " f-ays : Jam of opinion that a mile is too far over which to expect a two-year-old to beat a good old one, though we have had tvro-year-olds do it, 'but only seldom. Seven furlongs is well within their powers, but six furlongs suits them- better. Such an astute judge of r?cing as Mr W. A. Long considers _it always good odds on a decent eld horso beating a good two-year-old over a mile, but the oddsare the other way about if the distance is si:: furlongs. Newhaven 'was a cor'ving good tvvo-year-old, but he had no chance with Hova. at seven furlongs, and though Titan was rightly considered to be the best two-year-old that Australians ever saw Pay ten was too 'cute to pit him against Carbine over seven furlongs, when both were the idols of tho hour. Sequence may not be iv champion mtler when pitted against champions, but if allowed to go off leisurely without beingcalled upon to act suddenly and put his best foot forward "from the word go, ~4ip would make things very merry for the best of them, for «. run when he gets full way on. I still hold that Haulette's only chance of beating- ' him over a mile v>as to have tied him up in the first foxir furlongs, but she did the opposite and let him get well on his legs, then he came on full of confidence with that long stride of his. and beat her badly. The fact of. Cabin Boy being within reach during the first pare of the All-aged Stakes proves that the paca was not on from the jump, but perhaps the result would have been the same had Haulette gone r.t it hammer and tongs from the start. Newhaven tried the cutting down act with Hova, but failed badly. Newhaven was a wonderfully fast two-year-old. but he was not the best they had at Queenscliff when he wai that age. People often wonder why ' James Wilson, jun., sold Newhaven with the three-year-old classic races apparently a certainty for him if he kept right. His reason for accepting 32000 for him was becaugji ha had a twa-yeav-old at Queenscliff as good as, if not better than, the great son of Newminster. This dark one was a filly named Lonely, bred by "Young Jim" himself, and was by Lonsdale — son of First King — out of The Nun,' a daughter of First King. She was inbred enough in all conscience. The reason that Mr Wilson mated the harf -brother end sister was because both were exceptional lacehorses, and neither M r a^ like their sire in any Particular. The foal was a splendidly -shaped animal, and exceptionally robust. When she and NeVnav?n were first tried fbe was the better; the colt was started, and soon proved he was the best out that' year. When hi 3 class was assured they were tried again, and lhe result sHowprl little or no difference between them. Wilson then laid himself out for a bijr coup, and eased the filly up, intending to w n all 'he two-year-old races he could with .?<.'e\\lurwn. Mid then spring his crack on them at ihp "V n.C. Spring meeting; but "man i:ro;j.-.-c~. ' etc. After he had sold Newhaven. the filly fiip.i. with a serious acciderrt "that da-lcd mo Queenscliff trainer's hope:; of the Djibv \''d Cup to the ground ; but ho did the next best thing left him — he backed Newliaven. for the i/wo races to win a tidy stake. When Newhaven won the Derby and Cup we were treated to no end of slighting references to his short pedigree and his relationship to Froude. As regards his breeding, Mr Wilson was in a better position to judge the worth of the colt's family than any ill-in-formed critic; but ifc was really the fact of the colt being a brother to Froude that made Wilson buy Newhaven. lie kliow Froude was a clinking good horse for his s-ize, though he won few races; and, as Ncv, haven wps bigger and strSnger than his brother, the. astute trainer concluded that he would carry weight and stay better, though he did not expect him to be any faster than his smaller brother.