Strange Conditions Beat Reigh Count

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 672, 25 May 1929, Page 11

Strange Conditions Beat Reigh Count

COLT HEAVILY BACKED HIS LOVELY ACTION The crack American colt—the "crack” in his armour, so to say, at this moment —may be said to have made a , remoniai entrance on the stage of yng’-i* l * racing when he appeared before his critics at Lingfteld Park last week irecords the London writer ‘•Rapier”) 10 compete for the chief handicap under his top weight of n.O. “GortJlimey,' said one unsophisticated onlooker, with raised eyebrows and engaging frankness, struck by Heigh Count's raiment, “they’ve brought ’im pre to get ’im married!” At that moment, Reigh Count emerged from the direction of the stables and passed into the parade ring, a dazzling apparition in trappings of gay and brilliant yellow. No mannequin ever stepped into critical view so perfectly and immaculately arrayed. At that moment they were permitting us to see the white blaze lace showing out of the flowing overall. There was freedom for the tail which was skilfully plaited fqv a foot of the way down, being then allowed to fall in a graceful sweep. They did not at that point prevent me from having a look at his feet and limbs. After all, they are of some importaacfi in a racehorse. The feet seemed small for a horse of his size, though he is in sense commanding. However, he walked on them like a good one until such time as he was stopped for the unerican jockey, Lang, to be given a leg up. Then did we have a good look at -he combination for the first time. Beautiful Mover

Heigh Count has the strong bold eye •vqu look for in a nigh-class horse. All the same, his is not a really masculine head. His shoulders do not dope enough, according to my ideas, but X liked him well behind the Sciddle, for he is splendidly ribbed up, his quarters are full and round, and if I saw him in a field for a race like the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot. I should look upon the round peg as being made for the round hole. •He may be a really good horse, or he may not,” Felix Leach, jun., had remarked to me—he had seen him at exercise at Newmarket —“but there’s no doubt about his being about the most beautiful mover I ever saw.” Lang and his weapon which he would call a riding whip, settled in the saddle, and everyone made a point of seeing him canter past the stands to the posti for by this time the strange rumour had been confirmed that he was a shortpriced favourite on this his-*first entry into English racing, and notwithstanding top weight in a fielel of live and twenty. The canter, if such could be called, told us nothing, as Lang had his horse firmly on the bit with Reigh Count proudly arching his neck so that his mouth was almost between his forelegs. Every moment you expected him break into the haute ecolc. It is well known by this time what the sequel was. • At least those bright co.ours left us in no sort of doubt as to what was happening from the moment the field was sent on its way. He must have jumped off with the quickest of them, but w e must attribute to his speed the fact that he actually appeared to draw to the front. Obviously his jockey w r as proposing to make 'every yard of the running, and if what man proposes had on this occasion come to pass, I have no doubt Heigh Count would, at this moment, be ennobled in our midst for a wonderful performance.

Yes, I do think it would have been wonderful had he been capable of coming out:, for the. first time, after only a few months in the country, bad months at that, and accomplishing the task set him by the Lingfield Park, handieapper. That he did not do the wonderful thing did not surprise me. What did surprise me was that he should have been expected to succeed in the circumstances. Surely they asktid too much of him. In a way, lam glad he was so completely beaten. It does at least warn us that we could not possibly have seen him at his best, for the Heigh Count that was garlanded after the Kentucky Derby cduld not have been the* horse that was beaten in this handicap before half the distance had been covered. Can anyone suppose that Fairway, Toboggan, or even Palais Royal II would have been beaten at the weight? Strange Conditions The outcome of the venture will not. 1 am sure, discourage Mrs. Hertz and her trainer, but it should serve as a reminder of the big and sporting thing they have set out to do, no other, indeed, than.to make our best play second fiddle to hmi on courses and under conditions altogether strange to the challenger. If the American horse should succeed, then he will be a far greater horse than I believe him to be. Exactly what his status is I am not sure, but I do not feel wc are in danger at Ascot, or anywhere else, where our best may be among the defenders, any more than I feel we saw the best of the horse at Lingfield Park- They should have been content to give him the experience of the race. Instead, they betted on him with amazing faith in powers which he simply does not .possess on this new battle ground. It was American money, in the first Instance, which settled his favouritism. Lots of English money werrt the same w ay. One of the best judges I know • had a big wager on him. On inquiring his reason, he confessed he had done so because he accepted the statement that Heigh Count was the best horse they have had in America for a score of years past. T reminded him of Man 0 War, but he remained true to his new allegiance until he saw Lang’s big whip get busy half-way through the race. Man o’ War did not lose races in that way, but he might have done had he been asked to do what Reigh fount was asked at Lingfield Park the other day.