TRACK TALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3995, 7 October 1930, Page 52

TRACK TALK.

By

Adonis,

THE CUP HANDICAPS.

The first impression gathered from a glance through the handicaps for the New Zealand Cup is that Mr G. Paul has been

somewhat lenient towards some of the candidates, and has framed a handicap that practically obliterates the chances of several of those on the limit. One horse in particular with whom a risk appears to have been taken is Padlock, who stepped into the final of last year’s con!t C oo 4.22, and has been let up to 4.23. It must be remembered, too, that " e ..,Y on the Free-for-all and registered Brilliant performances at the Auckland summer meeting. The Hal Zolock pacer is unsound, and may not see the post, but that is a point which does not concern the handicapper. Through Padlock a horse that has the worst of the deal is Roi L or, who finished behind the North Island horse in last season’s contest from a 4.24 mark, and is placed there again. King* craft and Kohara are two others who have been let up on Roi L’or, despite the tact that they both finished ahead of him last season. Waitaki Girl, Ahuriri, Jewel 1 ointer, Talaro, and Quality are also on better marks than they have qualified for. but none of them are finding favour at the present t:me. As a matter of fact, antepost speculators are betraying a belief that some of the runners will improve sufficiently to counterbalance the apparent leniency shown to others. Of the latter the only one being asked for is Kingcraft, and he has the call over Wrackler and Native Prince.

THE WAIKATO MEETING. Trotting enthusiasts will,this week find their interest centred in the Waikato meeting, which will be held on Saturday, and the performance of C. S. Donald’s team will no doubt be followed closely by couth Island sportsmen. Only eight horses have been paid up for in the Mark Memorial, the principal race but they should provide an in m reS « l !§ contest. The best stayer in the field is Sunny Bob, and that fact will weigh heavily with backers. Stonv has at times given promise of doing great things, but he has hung up so many disappointing performances that he is not likely to be in great demand. Te Wahia, Warspite and Belle Axworthy look the most Hkely to improve on their marks, but the last-named may not be quite ready to run out a two-mile race, and the two that appeal most are Sunny Bob and War* spite.

The other events have filled fairly well and horses likely to race prominently are Joyride and Roto in the Introductory Handicap; Kewpie’s Guy and Windshield m the Frankton Handicap; Audo Spray and Paradigm in the Hamilton Handicap; Automatic and Roland in the Claudelands Handicap; Brook Pointer and Queen Elizabeth in the Stewards’ Handicap; Author Franz and Bonniewah in the 1 residents Handicap; and Bingen Crest and I avlova in the Visitors’ Handicap. GREAT TWO-YEAR-OLDS. When it is considered that hordes of baby trotters make the 2.30 list each i a number pass the 2.20 mark, and that a score or more land in the 2.10 notch each campaign, with some of them doing miles in 2.5, and that J le o^? c ? rd or -tl le age has been lowered oni 2 • r a , mile against the watch and in ac^,la contest, it is plain that onlv phenomenal improvement in the matter of. first, natural speed, and, second, training methods, could have brought about such a result (says Henry Van Eyck). It would appear, analysing the two-year-old performances since the advent of the first 2 ; 5 two-year-old trotter in 1923, that, while ,time belief that a large percentage of the best two-year-olds each season were injured by being asked for their highest speed in large doses may once have been well founded, the real tops of each crop (those that make the 2.10 list) are not • The first to reach 2 -5 was Mr M Elwyn 2.4, and he raced like a lion at three, doing 1.59 J, and waff trained hard at tour, reaching the 1.594 station, rebring sound. And incidentally, he exploded the theory that severe racing in colthood impaired the vitality of horses.

since he produced a first crop of foals that contained four 2.10 two-year-old trotters. B ireglow, 2.4 at two, died at three, but ne was sound, and had just raced a 2.3.1 mile. Scotland, 2.5 at two, raced at three, % i "o this season as a five-year-, old. Spencer won at two in and was the champion three-year-old of his day as to record and money earnings, his mark being reduced to 1.59|. Those facts throw considerable light on the colt training proposition. They show that a twoi year-old can trot a dozen or fifteen hard races each season and survive. Also that, after reaching maturity those sam e horses are ,’ ,' n t“e main, good enough to go on ana battle in their classes until gradual loss of speed forces them to the minors. Under the old system of making eligibilitydepend wholly on records a fast colt trotter was forced, as a four-year-old to contest against aged horses of great rei corded speed—which was asking too much oi any steed. Now the big colt winners have that handicap—but they can afford to sutler its penalties. Qne hears now and then some Ancient Mariner of the trotting tin t relate to a not-particularly-interested audience the so-called wonderful feats of the steeds of the bygone highwheel sulky ? nd three-m-five system of trotting days, but the listeners do not take into account (not having been present when the facts or the post mortem were spread on the dissecting_table) the highly important part of the yarn—which is that in those days the clip at which horses trotted was ridiculously slow compared with that of ‘■f, a .ud that not even the introduction ot the bike sulky will explain everything,