AUCKLAND CUP FIELD

Southland Times, Issue 23991, 5 December 1939, Page 10

AUCKLAND CUP FIELD

BEAUPARTIR EARLY FAVOURITE

DICTATE A GENUINE

STAYER

Interest in the Auckland Racing Club’s summer meeting, to be held at Ellerslie on December 26 and 28 and January 1 and 2, has been stimulated by the appearance of the weights for the Auckland Cup and the Railway Handicap, the principal handicap events on tne first day. These races invariably attract considerable attention, and this year will be no exception. Horses from various parts of the Dominion are engaged, and the declaration of the acceptances on December 15 will be eagerly awaited. Of the 45 horses weighted for the Auckland Cup, no fewer than 24 have been placed on the minimum, and there are only nine with 8.0 or over. This indicates a dearth of proved stayers, which is not surprising in view of the fact that there are now only two races run over two miles in the Dominion each season, thus limiting the opportunities of horses to demonstrate their stamina. Some of the lesser lights may rise to the occasion when given a chance, although more than a few have been flattered by nomination for a race of this importance. The good performers Round Up and Catalogue are equal top-weights with 9.3, which represents 31b under weight-for-age, and another similarly handicapped is the four-year-old Beaupartir, who has 8.11. ROUND UP IN SYDNEY As Round Up was recently sent to Sydney, he is unlikely to be present, and the same applies to.the New Zealand Cup winner Yours Truly, who has been sold to an Australian buyer, and is to leave the Dominion next week. Catalogue has been absent in Melbourne, but he is expected to return shortly, and probably if. he arrives in good order he may be a runner. As he won the Melbourne Cup in 1938 with 8.4, and was considered unlucky to miss a place, with 9.0 this year, Catalogue has earned his position, especially as he also ra ’ second in the Williamstown Cup recently with 9.2. Australian newspapers' state that he would have been closer to the winner Maikai in /hat race only for a check in the straight, so that he has form which entitles him to great respect. The six-year-old mare Golden Sheila has been allotted 31b under weight-for-age with 8.12. She has won at a mile and a-half, and has kept herself in the limelight recently with attractive wins at Te Rapa and Ellerslie, her victory in the Alison Cup, one mile and a-quarter, with 9.6 being a very stylish effort. Whether she is a genuine stayer remains to be proved.' Possibly the last little pinch of a solid two miles might find a weakness, but there is no doubt that she has developed considerable stamina in the past year, and notice must be taken of the fact that she has done remarkably well. Another, point that may be mentioned is‘ theft she is an easy runner, who is not likely to pull hard if the pace is slow early. GOOD FOUR-YEAR-OLD The form of Beaupartir last season was consistently good, and he demonstrated that he possessed brilliance : above the ordinary as well as a capacity to run middle distances soundly. Beaupartir appears as a good type for a race of this description, and as the winner of the two St. Legers last season he has better staying credentials than many even if those races were not true tests because of the slow pace early. Beaupartir is a gross customer who is thriving on racing and, as he finished a close fourth with 9.2 in the Metropolitan Handicap, one mile and a-half, at Riccarton, at his last start, there is good reason to assess his prospects highly. Another four-year-old in the field who might make an appeal is Old Bill, who is nicely placed with 7.9. On the score of breeding, Old Bill has a great deal to recommend him in a staying connection, as he is by Siegfried, son of the famous Son-in-Law, and sire of the Melbourne Cup winner Wotan and the New Zealand Cup winner Yours Truly, from Liaison. On the maternal side he traces back to Hebrew Maid, ancestress of many good staying winners, and belongs to the same family as Menelaus. Motere, Peter Jackson and Lovematch, all good stayers. Old Bill won decisively over a mile at Trentham in October, and last season he was third in the New Zealand St. Leger. to Beaupartir and Peerless. POSITION OF FLOOD TIDE The good performer Flood Tide is handily placed with 8.3, and, if he stands up to his work in the meantime, he may prove one of the most difficult to beat. As a in 1936 he failed with 8.11, but subsequently won the Auckland Racing Club Handicap with 9.1. It is only recently that he has resumed racing after an absence of nearly a year, and the fact that he finished a good third with 9.0 in the St. Andrew’s Handicap last Monday showed that he was returning to his best. There is room for improvement in his condition in the next few weeks, and he should add a lot of interest to the contest if he reaches the post fit. The consistent form of Birthday Boy this season has drawn attention to his prospects, especially as he seems to be improving all the time. With 7.10 Birthday Boy has 91b less than when he won the St. Andrew’s Handicap and thus has a handy impost. Compared with that race, he will meet Balinavar on 51b, Flood Tide 21b, and Royevrus 51b worse terms, so that he should have good prospects of beating them again. Up to the present he has to prove his worth beyond a mile and a-half, at which distance he has run second, but there is no reason why he should not stay as well as most. He traces back to March, dam of the fine stayers Te Kara and Kahapa, and is a splendid individual, of whom the best may not yet have been seen. Moreover, he has had racing to make him thoroughly seasoned, and all going well he should strip one of the fittest horses in the field. LLANGOLLEN AS STAYER The good mare Llangollen, who is also in the Railway Handicap, has been awarded 8.1. If relatively as good at two miles as she is as a sprinter, she should take beating. Since winning the Herries Memorial Cup, one mile and three furlongs, last season with 8.5, she has done most of her racing over sprint distances, so that her staying ability has to be thoroughly tested. Possibly she may get longer distances than she has yet attempted, as she has good breeding, even though the progeny of her dam have not been very distinguished. She is a daughter of The Ace, sire of the splendid staying mare Fast Passage, from Llanberis, by Marble Arch from Recoup, by Hierarch from Agatha, by Nelson from Sister Agnes (imp.), by Rosicrucian. Nelson won the Auckland Cup on three occasions, and there is also stout blood in other lines of the pedigree. The 1936 Melbourne Cup winner Wotan, who has 7.13, is one of

the proved stayers, but because of his lack of recent form may not appeal. If he were to produce his best, he would make it extremely difficult for the others.

Last year’s winner Cheval de Volee has shown no form for some tiftie, and improvement will be necessary if he is to succeed again, especially as he has 91b more on this occasion. A much better prospect may be Dictate, who was third last year with 7.6, and third also with 7.5 in the New Zealand Cup last month. 'These performances demonstrate that Dictate is a better stayer than most, and he may take beating. A horse like Hot Box would be a distinct possibility with 7.1 if produced fit, but he does not appear to have been himself just lately. The Cardinal is another potential stayer and, if fit, he would be a fancy. Other lightweights who may have prospects are Thermidor and Entail. A better idea of owners’ intentions may be obtained when the acceptances are declared, but at this stage some who may, appeal are Beaupartir, Old Bill, Flood Tide, Birthday Boy, Dictate and Golden Sheila.