TALK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3275, 20 December 1916, Page 47

TALK OF THE DAY.

By Sentinel

WING ATUI WEIGHTS. Balboa has "run off" a good deal of weight in his box. In the N.Z. Cup lie was asked to give Rorke's Drift 171 b, Snub 231 b, Marco Bello 271 b, Adjutant 271 b, Kingform 301 b, and Sedd-el-Bahr 341 b. At Win-o-atui Snub comes in on 131 b worse terms, Rorke's Drift bib, Marco Bello 161 b, Adjutant 111 b, Ringform 141 b, and Sedd-el-Bahr 91b worse terms. Tin's should give the topweight a chance, as he has the best of the others close up to him and has been treated as a back number. Balboa beat Rorke's Drift in the last Great Autumn Handicap when

giving the latter 121 b, and now meets him on Ub better terms, or, allowing 71b for the beating, at 81b better terms. On that occasion Balboa was short of work, and, regarded in that light, is very well treated over the same distance nt Wingatui. There is no doubt about Oxenhope being one of tiie most useful horses in training, and particularly brilliant up to a mile or so, but he appcai-s to have received every ounco to which he is entitled in being placed at 41b from Balboa. Oxenhope finished fifth in the Great Autumn, in which Balboa gave Oxenhopo (carrying 8.3) 141 b and a boating. Rorke's Drift was giving 21b in the same race, in which Snub was handicapped at 7.10 and Adjutant at 7.7. Oxenhopo has earned a good weight in the best company up to a mile, and it will be interesting to see how he shapes over 12 furlongs. In a slow-run race he would bo hard to beat, but some of the lightweights may help to make the journey on end-to-end task. Marco Bello won the Metropolitan with 7.3 in 2min 33sec, one of the fastest gallops ever put up over the distance in this country and won again in the Otaio Plate with 9.11 in 2min 24 3-ssec. He meets Rorke's Drift on 161 b worse terms and Ringform 121 b worse, but should give a good account of himself. Adjutant won the Jockey Club Handicap, and is well treated through Rorke's Drift, to whom ho gave 21b and a beating in the Fendalton, and now meets him on 71b better terms. Adjutant is also well treated through Ringform, who was in receipt, of 121 b in the Fendalton, and now comes in on even terms. Ringform won a double at Timaru, but beat poor fields on each occasion. On the first day Killena and Margcrino had their chances spoilt at the start, and a poor lot opposed him on the second day. The best of them, in All Ready, met with trouble owing to his rider losing a leather, and the others were Recorder, Ogier, and British Rose. Hence Ringform, after getting beaten in each of his races at Riccarton, seems to bo paying too much for wins over poor company at Timaru. Sedd-el-Bahr should be held safe by Marco Bello on their Riccarton form. Wardancer, judged in comparison with his famous sister,. Wai step, is a failure, but he is a useful galloper at times and with 7.6 might prove hard to beat. He won the Dunedin Guineas in good stylo, and a repetition of that form would make him dangerous. lie failed in his last race, but will have a lot of weirrht off his back, and that may be something worth remembering if the stable relied on him in preference to Snub. All Ready seems to be held safe by Ringform on Timaru form but prior to that displayed a return to his earlier running, and with Margcrino and the other lightweights should help the pace if those above them are to feel their burdens.

THE COURAGE OF CONDITION. Shortly alter tho publication of the weights for the N.Z. Cup some of the critics strongly condemned the practice of issuing the handicaps so long before the running of the race. It was claimed that it would bo much better to postpone the declaration of weights until a date much nearer the day of running. . Such opinions were not based on a. very solid foundation; in fact, the opposite •is the case. Early spring form is not sufficiently reliable as a guide to assist the framing of a N.Z. Cup handicap. Horses intended for a cup are not keyed up sufficiently to show their right form, and also do not run with tho samo courage born of condition calculated to enable a display of true merit. Take, for instance, tho case of Ardenvhor. Ho made an indifferent show at Gcraldino and again at Wingatui, where, however, his poor form was partly excused by bad luck or bad horsemanship. In none of his three races did he show the slightest indication that he was our next Cup winner. At Gore the field ho defeated was not particularly strong on that particular day. In the meantime, whilst Ardenvhor was showing indifferent form, others, such as Snub and Ringform, were acquiring penalties. The result shows that Snub and Ringform could have done without a penalty for beating Ardenvhor, who had not struck form, an'J was running without the courage born of condition; He was a totally different horse at Riecarton on Cup day. Ever since the publication of tho weights for the Auckland Cup lilac-kail has held the position of favourite. He has shown no form so far this season. At Woodville he was stated to be on the big side, and ; hence was not running with the courage of condition, and. furthermore, was running out of his distance-. It would be much safer to allot his handicap on last season's running than on what he h;>s shown this year. Despite his indifferent form there does not seem much chance of Blackall losing his position as favourite, unless The Toff goes to the post. Blackall has, of course, the hardest part of his task to do : but it will be seen that, like Ardenvhor, his handicap could not be based on form displayed just before the declaration of weights. These are not isolated cases, as the same thine is noticed season after season. Tho position is certainly open to improvement, and tho best way to bring it about would be to drop the present penalty conditions attached to the N.Z. Ouo and make them so that a

winner would not incur a penalty unless it had won over a greater distance than a mile and a quarter. Snrinß form misrht then be far more reliable, and! very probably far nior« interesting', as many horses kept in their boxes under the present conditions would he piven a race or two. The short-of-a-gallop-or-two runner would probably be less in evidence under the suggested conditions, and they would also race with the coiirafre born of racing condition, instead of being raced into condition.

A DESIRABLE DELETION. The South Canterbury Jockey Club are in a tangle over the definition of a hack. It appears that at. the last Timaru meeting Bellshiro's eligibility to start in a hack race arose owing to the very important fact (hat he had won £4OO in stakes. The matter was submitted to the Canterbury Jockey Club, but the answer was not deemed satisfactory, and the point is to be submitted to the next meeting of the Racing Conference: Under the Rules of Racing, Part XI. Rule 1, a horse cannot start in a hack race if his winnings have exceeded a "specified" amount. In Rule 2 the specified amounts are stated' to be a race of the value of £l5O to the winner or races of an aggregate value of WOsovs to the winner. It may bo taken that the specified amount alluded to in Bule 1 refers to a race of the value of 150sovs, the winning of which in one event debars n horse from competing in a hack rnce. Rule 2 is an explanation of Rule 1, which really renders the latter superfluous, and both rules could be reduced to one if the former carried

the interpretation that the word "hack" used in tue title, of a race shall be deemed to indicate that it is a hack race. Under Rule 2 Bellshire was certainly not ciigiolo to start in a back race, as lie had won races of the aggregate value ot £4o(J. The intention ot the rule is that a winner of a race worth 150sovs or races worth 400sovs cannot start in a hack race, except in cases. where it has not won up to the specified amount or amounts prior to the time of entry. That is to say. a winner of just below either total could bo nominated for a dozen or more races and could run and win all of them and still be a hack until the completion of the nominations made whilst still eligible for the hack class. It is to be sincerely hoped that the Kacing Conference will have to consider the interpretation of the rule and its possible simplification. It will furnish a golden opportunity to banish the word ''hack" from the N.Z. Rules of Racing, and if that can bo accomplished a great deal indeed will have been achieved. Why on earth should a thoroughbred have to carry the stigma of being a hack during any portion of its career? If it is a thoroughbred it is a thoroughbred, and no Rules of Racing can make it otherwise; but whilst clubs are allowed to apply the term to conditions of races it supplies an undesirable depreciation of the New Zealand thoroughbred. No other country in the world marks down its goods with a title calculated to depreciate value. Slome years ago the writer suggested that the Duncdin Jockey Club should cut out the word "hack" from the title of minor races, whilst still, of course, retaining- the conditions, and this has been done. Other clubs should follow the example of the Dunedin Jockey Club. In Australia they have "division" races, and this terra is not such an unnecessarily cheapening title as hack. It is the conditions attached to a race which should define eligibility, and not tho title, particularly when it ia a title, obviously a misnomer, that carries an unwarranted depreciation in its wake. A man can refer to his castle or his palatial suite of rooms as his "digs," but one can term a thoroughbred only a thoroughbred—simply that, and nothing- more or less.

THE AUCKLAND MEETING. Tho final payments for the principal events to bo ran at the Auckland Cup mooting carry promise of some first-class sport. The presence of The Toff in tha Auckland Cup field imparts an enhanced interest to the race, and: as he is said to have been responsible for a fine gallop, which brought him into the market, it would not be surprising to find him ousting Bluckall from the position of favourite*. Still, us a proved stayer that has been leniently treated, Blackall should give a good account of himself, and he is preferred to both Ardenvhor and John Barleycorn. Chortle can muster up such a turn of speed that he would be very dangerous in a middling-run race. Wishful, however, will no doubt be sent out to ensure a sound pace for The Toff if Mr G. L. Stead electa to start both his horses. It is to be y hoped that The Toff lands right and ready to meet Sasanoff in tho Derby. It should prove a most interesting battle between them, whilst Egypt, who should bo a more seasoned colt than he was at Riccarton, will not bo far away when the post is being approached. It is seldom indeed that three such highly-tried three-year-olds meet in an N.Z. classic. If it came t oa battlo royal at the finish Tho Toff, who is a bulldog to finish, would probably get tho verdict. Bon d'Or will probably act as pacemaker for The Toffy and thus make it the solid race he requires." A good field remains in the Great Northern Foal Stakes, and Simonides will have a chance to show if ho can stay. Agnestcs and Biplane should make it interesting, but probably Hymcstra will be one of tho hardest to beat. Some of the smartest will meet in the Royal Stakes, in which Desert Gold will probably sport silk, and the Railway Handicap reads ono of the hardest problems of the day.

THE FORBURY PARK SUMMER MEETING. The Forbury Park Trotting Club has issued the programme for the summer meeting, which takes place on January 25 and 27, when the principal events will bo the Dunedin Cup Handicap, of 650sovs, 4.4-2 or better, and the Forbury Handicap, of 500sovs, 4.42 or better. Another feature item is the. N.Z. Trotting Stakes, of 25050v9, for three-year-old trotters. Several other events carry stakes of around 200sovs each, and in all five events are restricted ti trotters, or practically one-third of the programme. Placed horses on the first day may be nominated for a hisrhrr class on (lie' second clay, and the club is again bunging up a purse of lOOsovs for any horse capable of lowering the track record of 2min 8 3-ssec. Nominations are due on Friday, January 5, handicaps on January 12, and acceptances on January 20. THE WAIRIO MEETING. The programme for the Wairio meeting, which takes rcViee on January 17, will have for its leading feature tin; Wairio Cup, of 230sovs. one mile and a-quarter. The Wrey's Bush Welter, of 150sovs. Aparima Steeples, of 120sovs, and the Nightcaps Trot, of lOnvr.. are in order from a financial point of view, and other events run close to a century in value. Nominations are due on Friday, December 22.