EGMONT CUP PROSPECTS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1935, Page 12

EGMONT CUP PROSPECTS

NEW PLYMOUTH GIVES GUIDE JN the past, when the Egmont fixture preceded New Plymouth, the form shown in the Egmont Cup has often pointed the way for the Taranaki Cup. This year, with New Plymouth racing before Egmont, the position has been reversed, and it is a case of the Taranaki Cup running providing an indication of form for the Egmont Cup prospects. And to the majority of race-goers there is no doubt that New Plymouth performances last week gave a line on the time-honoured big race at Hawera.

It is not often that a performer still eligible to run out hack nominations can claim two important Cups to his credit, but that is the present record of Fersen. There was a great deal of merit attached to the Taranaki Cup victory of Mrs. Walter Graham’s Australian importation, as Fersen fought out a gruelling finish all the way up the straight after Red Manfred had set a pace to test best class performers. Also Fersen was not lucky during the early stages of the race, and he was forced to cover quite a bit of extra ground. The time recorded by I Fersen for the Taranaki Cup, 2m 7 3-ss, was exceptionally fast for the New Plymouth course and, in fact, has only once been bettered, when Goldsize won in 1914. Fersen will have a host of admirers in to-day’s Egmont Cup. His performances since coming to New Zealand certainly speak volumes for the ability of trainer Oney Cox in selecting prospective good performers in Australia.

Rust Stays Well., When having her first race since the Feilding Cup fixture Rust finished in gallant style at New Plymouth to steal the Mimi Highweight on the post from Full Throttle. She again came home strongly in the Uronui Handicap on Saturday, but she had been allowed to drift so far back that she never had a chance of catching Illuminate. Mr. G. M. Currie’s candidate appears to run her best races over middle-distances, and her New Plymouth form suggests that she may run well at Egmont. The last occasion Rust cohtest-

ed a Cup event ivas at Feildlng, when she ran second to Passion Fruit in a very fast ran race.

Doubtless as the result of his strong finishing burst after meeting all sorts of luck in the running of the Taranaki Cup Cherry King was backed almost as a certainty for the Paul Memorial Handicap. Snowy Morris’ charge ran quite a good race, but he had no chance of downing Davistock at the finish. However, Cherry King’s showing would not lose him any supporters for the Egmont Cup. Aga Khan’s form is too complicated for most race-goers to follow. He was never'in the picture in the Taranaki Cup, but it may be unwise to discard the Chief Ruler gelding to-day, for he will be racing on his home course. Following his impressive showing in the Taranaki Cup, Hazoor was not produced on the concluding day at New

Plymouth. The Wairarapa-owned performer appears to be a re|iable soft who seldom runs a poor race. The Northerner Monanui would need to improve on his New Plymouth form to be a dangerous Egmont ,< Cup contender, but if started Alloy can never be written out of calculations. Tiger Gain did not race at New Plymouth, but this solid performer of last season showed at AShhurst and Wanganui that he is not so very far away from true form—and that form is good.