THE SEASON'S CHAMPION

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 287, 8 January 1915, Page 2

THE SEASON'S CHAMPION

REPUTATION THE BEST. COMPARISON WITH FORMER CRACKS. At the close of last season's racing it was the general opinion that the best of the two-year-olds did not compare at all favourably, with those of many previous years. None of the colts stood out much above their contemporaries; indeed, the best of them—probably Imputation, Hyettus, Hymettius, Downham, and Balboa —were hardly so brilliant as such fillies as Bencon.tre, Tete-a-Tete, and Charniilla. So little was there to choose between K any of them that when tncy went into winter retirement this season's threeryear-old classics looked particularly open. By no stretch of imagination could Keputation be expected to dominate the three-year-old events, as has been the ease since he made his debut in the Wanganui, . Guineas ~ last September. True> he ran two good races at Wellington just on twelve months ago, but failed 'to -get even a place in the C.J.C. Middle Park Plate, in which he was hampered; by a 171b' penalty. . . This latfcir w&s probably his best; effort last season, -and the manner in which he finished up the severe task, set him was more suggestive of future' Derby honours than any of his other displays. No doubt the fact of his being such a late foal prejudiced his two-year-old riiiisiing, and-!his owner is now reaping the benefit of the sparing manner in which the colt, was. used.

SOME BRILLIANT PERFORMANCES In his-'very first race.this season — the!Wanganui Guineas—Martian's son Bhowed a marked superiority over those of similar age. This, he emphasised by fiai rying 71b to victory in the Hawke 's Bay Guineas, a task that had proved beyond the capabilities of many good ones in previous years; Then came his Champion' Plate ■-, vietory at Wellington, in which he demonstrated his superiority over First Might; Balboa, and Hyettus in no uncertain manner. His fluky defeat in the C.J.C. Derby is still fresh in jjiind, but he quite made amends for it Jjt>y capturing the Canterbury Cup awft Stead Gold Cup, in such style as to class him as,'the best weight-for-age performer '.of-the.' season. ,His defeat by a head by Warstep in the Auckland Cup setithe seal on his fame, but after capturing the ~Gre^t:) ^firth^ffli he went right off and "could "nb't inake the least impression on his old rival, Warstep, in the weight-forage Auckland Plate. Comparison of present with past cracks, is ne&er.„ very, convincing, but it can well r b ; Replrt&ilbn stands out just as did Maxim, Nonette, Manton, Multiform, Cruciform, Seahorse, Noctttifdrmy' amd•■ = Danube in their respective years. j| A RECORD ' : , pi Though he may not turn out to be the equal of some of these, the fact limains that Mr Bidwill's colt has at established record as. a three-year-old stake earner. EVjsr since the season of -1901 Nonette sum of £3960, the thirteei-starts, lias stood as a winning record. In many respects it had ciated with it than that of the latest turf hero/ for ln-«Pe^^*Pfe^ opponents included several great colts, notably the brilliant Menschikoff. On two'- ; oecasions the,: AJacklaWd crack was allowed to- miss ."sptitherh fixtures because ofvtlie strength of the late Mr Ste4d&'' 'powerful': Yaldhurst team, a decision that must, have affected his winnings.., considerably. < It inust. T>e remembered also that stakes nowadays are much more valuable than those of Nonette's time, especially .those set apart for three-year-olds. On the other hand, with just, a little luck, Reputation might easily have increased his winning score from £4590 to close on £7OOO. Siibsequent running has demonstrated that the C.J.C Derby form was all wrong, for he has easily defeated both First Flight and Balboa in subsequent essays. Then in the Auckland Cup also it would only have needed the least turn of Fortune's wheel to have turned that head defeat by Warstep into a win. PAST CHAMPIONS. There is a probability of Reputation being sent over to Randwick for the A.J.C. Summer---Meeting, and?/ ff that happens it will afford a much better test; of his capabilities than can be obtained in the Dominion. Should he. prove the equal of Mountain Knight, Woorak and Co., then we can take off our hats to him as one of the very best ever bred in New Zealand, but in the meantime that distinction can hardly be credited to him. , As previously explained, the task of assessing the merits of the three-year-olds; of different seasons is greatly a matter of individual opinion. . Maxim, Multiform, and Noctuiform were a remarkable trio, the like of which' lias never been owned by any one sportsman. Their owner, the late G. G. Stead, had more good ones through his stable than any other Dominion sportsman, but I have heard him remark, when asked for his opinion on the subject, that "there was only one Maxim." Personally, I am inclined to favour Noctuiform's claim, not so much from seeing him smash up the pick of the Australian three-year-olds in the A.J.C. Derby of 1905, but more oii account of his brilliant triple crown success at'Ricearton. No horse but an out-and-out chapipion could have accomplished what Noctuiform' did in that New Zealand Cup; for after looking to be hopelessly beaten at the distance he cut down the big.held in front of him like a "bolt from the blue." Manton, Euroclydon, and Seahorse, as triple crown heroes, also are entitled to every respect, but of them all the writer's vote would go in favour of Noctuiform. : " TEMPLAR.