SPORTING NOTES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4232, 17 January 1940, Page 7

SPORTING NOTES

THE WELLINGTON MEETING. FINE FIELDS ENGAGED. (By “Backwood.”) Acceptances for handicap events on the first day (Thursday) of the Wellington Racing Club’s summer meeting show an excellent response by owners. The smallest field is 20 and the largest 30, and there are 29 left in the Centennial Cup, one less than the safety number for the track. The only noticeable absentees in the cup are Cheval de Voice and Royevrus. In the Telegraph Handicap seven failed to pay up, the only one of note being the top weight, Suleiman. The first event on opening day is the Trentham High Weight Handicap, one mile, and the field is unusually large—in fact, it is unweikiy, for there are 29 engaged, necessitating bracketing of several of those engaged on the minimum on the totalisator. The trio at the fop of the handicap, Small Boy, Raana and Golden Ridge, are veil placed, and perliapa most trouble will come from LiQlbohm, Shy and Haupongi. Raana and Haupongi may dispute favouritism. There are only five in the Wellington Stakes, a weight for ago event for two and three year olds. The qufiu tette engaged on Thursday are all two year olds, and Doria and Absolve re. present the best class, though Sir Beau is considered in the south as likely to reach top class before the season is far advanced. Kentucky is the Auckland representative, but he is not likely to be in such demand as the other three named. Lambourn. the other accepted, is not fancied. The Apprentices’ Plate, seven furlongs, should see Wings of Song made favourite with Meadow, Chief Lord, Serenata, Millament and Classform all solidly supported. The Fitzherbert Handicap, for youngsters, has the Aucklander, Grandora, top weight with 8.10, and there is likelihood that No. 1 will be favourite on the totalisator. Beau Coureur, Stencil and Don’t Forget are a likely trio to worry Grandora in the closing stages of the five furlongs. Next comes the Wellington Centencial Cup, of 14 miles, with a stake of £3,000. There is a grand array of good horses engaged, but here again the number is large for best racing, even though Trentham has a wonderful course. There are 29 acceptors. Royal Chief has to give the Melbourne Cup winner Catalogue 3 lbs, and there are scores of sportsmen who will pin their faith to the latter. Malagigi, a former New Zealander, has been brought across from Australia to contest this event, and he should go very well, for his racing at Christmas showed that he was fit and well. Sly Fox has come down in the weights, and now he is very nicely placed with 8.4. But there will assuredly be a lot of support for the three year olds, and the fact that Defaulter won last year with 8.11 assures such proved ones as Beau Vite 8.7, Gladynev 7.11, Beau Repaire 7.9,* Fils de Vaals 7.8, Baran 7.4 and Globe Trotter and Hoorsotis 7.3 of solid support. A trio of that age that will carry a lot of money are Beau Vite, Fils de Vaals and Gladynev, while if the winner is to come from the horses Catalogue, Malagigi and Sly Fox must command a lot of respect. A likely light weight is Windsor Chief, winner of the Marton Cup on New Year’s Day. Sir Crtisoe is top weight in the Ruapehu Hack Handicap, and with 9.5 he is not out of it, though probably Autolite, Gold Chase, Siglow, Great Flight, Buccaneer and Pekoe may be in greater demand on the totalisator. Autolite may be the actual favourite. The Telegraph Handicap is the open sprint event, worth £lOOO, and Amigo is top weight with 8.10. Bronwen and Arvakur may be the favourites, for both performed well at Ellerslie, and now that there is only 2 lbs between them there will probably be a preference for Bronwen. Black Thread, at his best, would be considered luxuriously treated with 8.2, but there is a doubt about his condition. Disdain and Counterblast are the best of the South Islanders, and thq first named is the more consistent Sleeveless, Olympus, Rakahanga and Sternchase are a very speedy quartette down among the light weights, and perhaps Sleeveless will be disputing favouritism with Arvakur and Bronwen. Tuesday’s racing ends with the Anniversary Handicap, one mile, and Paper Slipper has 9.7—not a prohibitive weight lor this chap, who will probably appreciate more than any of the others the easing of the track. Ned Cuttie is in the same category, though he is not as classy as Paper Slipper. One that has climbed in the weights is Full Hand, with 8.13, but is a good miler, and he may take all sorts of beating. Dictate is another good class miler, and if anything is to beat the best of this four it may be Lady Leigh, Raratonga or Bold Stqp. It will be noted that Baran and Sleeveless are acceptors in this event, besides earlier engagements. .Baran may be started here instead of in the Centennial Cup, and if so he will be respected. Sleeveless is regarded as certain to contest the Telegraph Handicap.