RECENT RACING REVIEWED

Stratford Evening Post, Volume III, Issue 197, 9 November 1934, Page 7

RECENT RACING REVIEWED

Sidelights on Riccarton and j Avondale >

.' i NOTABLE PERFORMANCES j

By "Sir Oracle" • j Stable history went very close to j repeating itself in the Avondale j Stakes. After being fractious at the barrier and not getting too good a start, the Hawera trained filly Fairfax showed a. line burst of speed and I only went under to Galilee, the champion Northern baby, by the narrowest of margins. -Last year the veteran Hawera trainer, Jigger Brown, Avon the Avondale Stakes with "Whenu'a kur?, and he seems to have another bonny baby in Fairfax, once she be- I comes less flighty. | * * * A Northern hack with unusual speed is Silver Jubilee, which romped away with .the Maiden PJate at Av- , ondale. Silver Jubilee looks like having an arm chair ride Inrough the hacks, and his connections think suf< j ficient of his chances against the j strongest open company to have nominated him for the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie.

Chromadyne did not beat a good field of hurdlers at Avondale. but he won like an exceptionally good hur dler and the issue was never in doubt. Chromadyne's pace on the flat is vastly superior to the average run of hurdler, and he looks certain to figure very prominently in this season's hurdling events up North.

* * * One of the outstanding performances at Avondale on the opening day* was that of King Musk in the Champion Hack Plate. King Musk was having his first race for some time, and was unfortunate in beingpoorly served by a straggling start. A hundred yards off the post King Musk did not appear to have a ghost of a show, but he came with a won derful rattle at the finish and in another few strides must have been the winner. He will not bo long aWay from the winning list! ,# * * Rereatu showed what a fine sprinter he is by carrying big weights like a real racehorse at Avondale. Excepting Jonathan and Gay Blende, there is not another sprinter up North at the present time capable of footing it with Rereatu at even weights. * •*? * ..; . Solarium's Avondale Cup victory, following his impressive win in the Milchelson Cup, wns an excellent trial for a race like the Auckland Cup. Solarium appears to be the most, improved horse racing in the North Island at t}Tfi present time ,and it looks as if Southern contingent which . competed in the New Zealand Cup Wi']i; find him a |Very difficult horse to beat when the big holiday races at Ellerslie come about. * * * Not for many years has there been such a boi] over in the New Zealand Cup as was the case this year. Coming as he does from way down South, not a great deal was known of Steeton's capabilities around the North Island. However, the" Soujtherner scored the most comfortable of vie tories, and was the pace maker all the way. The time recorded, 3m 25 2/ss, was the slowest over the past few years, but Steeton won very easily, and ail that the horses behind him could do was to reduce the gap which he had opened up early on in the running. Steeton's best performances had been recorded in heavy go ing, but she certainly showed conclusively that she can also handle firm going by the way she bolted home with the New Zealand Cup.

It is not often that, a sprinter that was racing in hack company a fort night ago goes on to win.the Stewards' Handicap at Riccarton. However, such was the performance of Grand Sport, .the Gisborne stable mate of Sporting Blood.