TARANAKI’S STRONG TEAM

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1934, Page 10

TARANAKI’S STRONG TEAM

SIX HORSES FOR AUSTRALIA BRIGHT PROSPECTS IN BIG RACES. GOLDEN HAIR’S CHANCE IN EPSOM. (By “Childers.”) Tire Hawera trainers, J. Fryer and O. Cox, left Wellington for Sydney by the Wanganella on Saturday. Great interest was attached to their departure for they have taken six horses, which is easily the largest number yet to be sent to Australia from Taranaki in one contingent. From one point of view this is rather unfortunate for racing enthusiasts as it will mean that they will not have the pleasure of seeing any of these fine gallopers in action for some time to come. . On the other hand, however,, it gives the Taranaki public a much greater interest in Australian spring racing and more than usual attention will be focussed • on the important handicap and classic events both in Sydney and Melbourne.

J. Fryer has taken three—Radiant Star, Rollovant and Oriel. He does not intend to make Randwick his headquarters, but will proceed immediately to Melbourne and there is little likelihood that any of the trio will race at the early Sydney fixtures. Tills will be Fryer’s third trip across the Tasman. He took Bright Glow and Green Linnet five years ago and the season before last made his second voyage, taking Gaine Carrington, Peter Jackson, Copey and Splutter. On the first occasion he was rather unlucky as Bright Glow did not strike form, while Green Linnet ran fine races without actually getting into:the money in either of her two starts, The Hawera trainer did not meet with the best of luck with the others either, for Gaine Carrington lost a good stake on protest for interference, while both he and Peter Jackson were sold just prior to striking their New Zealand form. However, a victoi-y in the Chelmsford Stakes with Gaine Carrington resulted in the trip being a profitable one. RADIANT STAR PROMISING. Of his present team, Radiant Star appears to be the one most likely to win a big prize, and even if he fails in the very best of company he should more than pay expenses for the trip in the less important events. He claims engagements in the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, V.R.C. Derby as well as most of the other leading classic races. In his only start in New Zealand Radiant Star won a five furlong event with ridicluous ease at the Stratford summer meeting, and in addition has shown great pace over sprint courses on the training l track. Therefore it seems to be only a matter of the Hunting Song colt Staying for him to hold his own with the best, and certainly his breeding indicates that there is little room for doubt. His dam Spotlight was a full sister to the Auckland Cup winner Starland, and a half sister to two other fine stayers in Limelight and Starmist, while his grand-dam Stardander was a full sister to one of the greatest staying mares New Zealand has produced, Warstep.

In his training tasks of late Radiant Star has caused his . connections some anxiety through waywardness and at times the highly strung chestnut colt has become very hard to manage but he should be settled down by the travelling.

Rollovant has shown very little form yet that has been good enough to warrant his starting in the V.R.C. or A.J.C. Derbys for which he has been entered. Nevertheless he has quite a fair turn of pace and his owner-trainer should be able to. place him to advantage in the minor class events. Rollovant is at home on a soft track and this should be a factor which should materially assist him to pay his share of the expenses on the trip. At present it is rather hard to form an opinion whether or not he will stay, but probably he will be at least capable of seeing out a middle distance. ORIEL’S PROSPECTS. Oriel seems to be a likely proposition, and Fryer should not find it difficult to win races with the big Nigger Minstrel gelding. He is a natural stayer who should find the roomy Australian tracks to his liking. He was not nominated for any of the principal spring handicaps, and it is on the cards that he willnot be raced for quite a while as he is not at home on soft trades. Another reason why Oriel may not race for some time after his arrival is that he is a very poor feeder and consequently will require plenty of time to settle down. Last month he again went off his feed for a short period, losing a good deal of condition, but at the time of his departure he was eating fairly regularly once again. If Oriel does not produce his best form on the fiat he may be given a trial in jumping events as in schooling tasks he has proved himself an accomplished lepper both over hurdle and steeplechase fences. Attending Fryer’s horses are his two apprentices, G. Duncan and C. Sheild, who will do most of the riding of the trio. Duncan, of course, will be having his second trip and as he rode a couple of winners when he was there last time and has done really well since returning to New Zealand, he should receive a fair amount of outside riding. As Duncan is unable to go to the scale under Bst, Shield will do most of the light riding for he weighs only 7st. Sheild has only recently been granted a license and has yet to ride a winner, but he has shown marked ability in the handling of his mounts so he should not be long in making a name for himself. O. Cox will again make his headquarters at the Randwick track, Sydney, and Golden Hair, Round Table and Golden Promise will all race at Sydney prior to attending the Victorian fixtures. Cox is also making the trip for the third time, having gone with Golden Hair at Easter time last year and again with the same filly in the spring of last year. Both ventures were profitable, particularly the latter one when the Limond filly accounted for four events including the V.R.C. Oakj.

At the present juncture Golden Hair is regarded as the star member of Cox’s trio, for she was undoubtedly the best filly of her age and sex in Australasia last season. She is engaged in most of the important spring classics and also in the rich Epsom Handicap. In the latter event most of the leading Australian writers consider her overweighted, but to those New Zealanders who saw her establish a weight-carrying record for a three-year-old in the Thompson Handicap at the Wellington March fixture, Golden Hair’s weight in the big Australian mile race does not seem prohibitive and, produced at her best for this event, she will make her presence felt. In the weight-fdr-age races, however, she will be set hard tasks for Chatham, Peter Pan, Hall Mark, Rogilla and company represent very formidable opposition. Nevertheless Golden Hair’s many fine performances to date must also rank her on the verge of champion class, and it will come as no surprise to New Zealanders to find her bringing about the defeat of the Australian cracks. She had a couple of sprints prior to leaving Hawera and is in the pink of condition. If Cox desires it she will probably be fit to race at the beginning of next month.

Many people arc inclined to ridicule the nomination of Round Table for the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups on the grounds that he was not up to the best hack form during the late autumn and early winter. However, this line of reasoning is incorrect for it must be remembered that he was a sick horse at the time of his defeats. He now seems to have fully recovered and fit and well he should not take long to be a winner at Sydney. Of course he can hardly be regarded as possessing more than a remote chance in any of the main spring cups, but nevertheless he cannot be entirely discarded. He is a born stayer and will find the long straights of the Australian courses to his liking. In the writer’s opinion this son of Grandcouit and Table Talk is capable of considerably better form than he has shown to date, and “Childers” has little Hesitation in saying that -under a light weight Round Table should not find it beyond him to outstay the opposition in any long distance handicap that he might contest. Golden Promise is another whose prospects look decidedly bright for both his breeding and appearance suggest that he will be a high class colt. He has been entered for most of the main two-year-old races both in New South Wales and Victoria and it is confidently anticipated that he will hold his own against the best of the Australian youngsters.

Attending Golden Hair, Round Table and Golden Promise are P. D. Adlam and K. Grylls, both of whom have served their apprenticeship and done a good deal of riding in the Taranaki province. Neither, however, intend taking out a license during the present trip.