THE ASCOT CLOUD BURST.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1930, Page 5

THE ASCOT CLOUD BURST.

A' UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.

(By

“Centaur.”

-Special to News.) t i t in

■ London, June 19. Racegoers in England had a novel experience on-Royal Hunt Cup afternoon, and one likely to live long in the memory of all those who were present. For all the years I have been attending Ascot, the like has never been known, and I venture to guess that it will not be repeated for generations.' A dull humid morning promised rain at every moment. ‘The Royal procession did not take place as usual, but two races, including the big event, were decided before the thunderstorm broke. I was well down the course making notes on running, and consequently caught the full blast of what seemed a cloudburst. Within five minutes the cheap enclosure was flooded with, watei a foot deep, and the two bandstands, in which the regimental bands were playing, were marooned. Chairs floated on the torrents; even the kit boxes of the musicians were part of the wreckage. This tremendous downpour continued for 40 minutes, and I make so bold as to say that nothing like it has ever been seen at any race meeting in England.'. St. Amant’s thunderstorm Derby was a plaything by comparison. I knew that further racing would be impossible, and in due course the remainder of the sport was abandoned. The Ascot Stakes had been run in typical summer sunshine the previous day, and it was won by that fine stayer, Bonny ‘Boy 11, from another good plodder in Richborough, who is owned by Lord Derby. It would not surprise me if in due course Richborough became some sort of popular fancy for the Cesare witch in October. He is a horse of fine stamina, and did not seem to have any of the luck at Ascot. . BROWN" JACK UNLUCKY". The really unlucky one of the Ascot Stakes, however, was the veteran Brown Jack, who had won the race two years earlier from Bonny Boy 11. Those who can remember Brown Jack’s gallant effort in the Cesare witch last year will undoubtedly bear the old horse in mind this season, for he is one of the most genuine and consistent stayers in the country. The Gold Vase went to the Manton trained Trimdon, who, however, had not much to do and did it easily. This race yielded no pointers of any importance for the futuie. ■ I have long had my suspicions about the coprage of Lord Rosebery’s four-year-old colt Midlothian, and they were confirmed by the exhibition which he gave in the Royal Hunt Cup. He was "there” with the best of them at the end of three furlongs, but then shut up like a knife, and was out of the race in once, so to speak. A GOOD WINNER. On the other hand, another horse who had also been suspected of unwillingness, The Mac Nab, set about his task with great gusto, and ran out a good winner. The Mac Nab, of course, used to be owned by the late Lord Dewar, and he was a particularly expensive failure in the Cambridgeshire last autumn. He had also ran without distinction in the “Jubilee” Handicap at Kempton Park in May, on which form he seemed to bo well held by Lucky Tor, Lion Hearted, Six Wheeler and even Midlothian. Despite his previous displays, Tho Mac Nab was well befriended at Ascot, and as I have said, he was there from flag-fall to finish. The second, Grand Idol, made a fine , fight all the way, and is sure to win a big handicap. My own selection, Ghost