RACING IN GREAT BRITAIN

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1929, Page 5

RACING IN GREAT BRITAIN

HURDLE- SEASON APPROACHING. ROGUES AT THE STARTING GATE. The Ebor Handicap (writes Centaur, our racing correspondent), which is due to be run at York almost as I write, is regarded as the first of the autumn handicaps, so that its decision can be accepted as marking the passing of time. When we have left the St. Leger behind we look forward to the Caserewitch and Cambridgeshire, and after that we begin to. concentrate on the jumpers. As a matter of actual fact, the National Hunt season proper began on August bank holiday, but such meetings as have been conducted are purely local affairs —mostly in the west country. Some more good horses will be put to hurdling this year, the best I know of at the moment being Winton, a son of Craig an Eran, who has become almost incorrigible at the gate where flat racing- is concerned. , Students of the form book will have noted that the . word “left” is usually appended to Winton's name and it means, of course, that the colt has refused to start. In this matter he is not unique for . there are others like Trafad, and Engelberg—the latter, oddly enough, being owned by Air. Somerville Tattersail, as also is Winton. It must be rare for an owner to have two such arrant and wilful rogues in his possession in one season, and the point is that they are good horses when assessed at their best —a fact which the book of_form will confirm. On their last displays neither IVinton nor Engelberg would have a friend if . they were saddled in a selling race to-day. Reverting to the. Ebor Handicap, it would seem that the horses trained by Captain Gooch—and they are prolific —have frightened nearly everything else away. I could sit on a fence, as it were, and say that 'one of Gooch’s is sure to win the York race, and I am almost tempted to do so. Yet it is not a race of any real importance, or one likely to lead to bright betting, so we will pass it over. CESAREW’ITCH TRIAL. Soon after York comes the Prince Edward Handicap at Manchester. The distance of this popular race has been increased so that it now becomes a small Cesarewitch trial. Gooch (who is, of course, a recognised pastmaster at training stayers) has not so many horses entered in the Manchester race as in the one at York. Many would risk a trifle on Troubadour —a topping little stayer trained by Persse at.Stcokbridge. It came as no surprise that Hunter's Moon had to be taken out of the St. Leger. In Bosworth, however, Lord Derby has quite a sound substitute, and the last win of this colt, at Windsor, was impressive. At the same time I cannot bring myself to believe that he is quite in the same class as Trigo, Hotweed, Buland Bala, Brienz, Posterity, and one or two more mentioned in earlier notes on the last classic. The racing at York and Doncaster may settle the problem of two-year-old supremacy, which at this moment is a mystery to everybody connected with the sport. For that reason the “Gimcrack” and the Champagne Stakes will be watched with unusual interest this year and I, for one, am making no guess about the possibilities at this stage. A filly that interests me more than any other is Fair Isle, a full sister to Fairway, who has had only two races up to date. Somehow or other I think we shall be hearing a lot about her next year when the classics are coming along.