ENGLISH CLASSIC RACES DISCUSSED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18188, 22 June 1927, Page 2

ENGLISH CLASSIC RACES DISCUSSED.

DER3Y AND OAKS PROSPECTS. (Special to the “Star.") LONDON, May 12. One more step towards the Derby was made when Call Boy beat a weak opposition for the Newmarket Stakes. His rivals—or rather the principal ones stood down, when Mr Frank Curzon announced his intention of saddling the Derby favourite and this was the reason the son of Hurry On had “nothing to beat.” The going was very hard, due to a long spell of dry weather, and this helped to keep one or two horses like Shian Mor and Sledmere away from the post. The latter was a yearling purchase by Mr Somerville Tattersall, the wellknown auctioneer, and is'regarded now as the best of all the Manton three-year-old colts trained by Alec Taylor. Now that the has missed the Newmarket ra.ee it is not likely that he will be seen in public again before the Derby on June 1. I have so frequently referred to the Derby outlook in my previous messages that there is little necessity for me to 1 cover the ground again, and I will merely add latest notions. The betting w,l1 > .I,expect, establish Call Boy as favourite lrom now onwards, but provided all goes well the most popular bet in the race -will guineas Adam’s Apple beat Call Boy and Sickle, btit the prevailing idea (in which I concur) is that Adam’s Apple will not do so well at Epsom—particu--1 # y with another half mile to travel. Money Maker is a bona fide stayer and may even now turn out to be the mount of Donoghue, but there is no doubt he lacks class and on that account can never be other than a possible outsider. There is another forfeit stage (on the Tuesday of the week before running), but I think we can safelv anticipate the acceptance” of Cal'j Bov, Sickle, Adams Apple, Money Maker,'Mon Talisman, Blanchailles, Shian Mor, Applecross, Bonny Boy 11., Knight of the Grail, Sledmere, and Hot Night. For the purposes of the race I do not include sucli as Silverstead (an easy winner in poor company at Kempton), Lone Knight or Vanac (a pair owned by Lady rorrington, but not up to classic standard) or Fourth Hand. The latter rs owned by Major M’Calmont but Persse. who trains the colt, has Damon, Ireat and Kincardin engaged as well and nobody seems to know which of the four will be the stable selected. two-year-old form, of course, Damon will be the Stockbridge “hope” at the ' moment. e, for our part,, cannot afford to dabble in ifs and buts and it is for that reason that I suggest Sickle as the attractive way out of the difficulty—always bearing in mind that I am writing well in advance of the day of the race. The English form is all so close and jumbled that anything” mav happen and those who would prefer to discard it altogether and take a chance with a bona fide French stayer may well consider the claims of Mon Talisman. He was a high priced yearling in France; did not run as-a two-year-old, and has won twice across the Channel as a three-year-old. According to what I hear, he is a certain starter at Epsom and reckoned to hold a fair chance, even though his connections have no line to our classic form. The French horse Asterus, by the way, has. returned to England and is to be specially trained for one of the plums at Ascot. Two days after the Derby we shall witness the Oaks, and here again I am going to stick to the stable of F. Butters, where Sickle is trained. The filly which I have in mind is Beam, whose stamina was revealed at Newmarket this week, when she beat Mousme and Fancy Free in a trot over the Cambridgeshire course (nine furlongs). Fillies, as you all now, are fickle cattle and it would be unwise to call any such a “good thing” (visions of Pretty Polly and Sceptre!) but I do think that if Beam goes to the post fit and well she will take a lot of beating on June 3. Alec Taylor, who trains Lord Astor’s lucky colours—lucky where the Oaks only is concerned—will probably go close to doing the trick yet again' with Book Law, but even so I opine that Beam is the best wager at this stage. The One Thousand Guineas winner, C’resta Run, in pretty certain to go to the post, and if she stays (which is doubtful) is naturallv a big danger to all. The Kempton “Jubilee” saw Foliation scratched but a couple of days before the race, which fell to the lightlyweighted Abbots Speed, one of Lord Dewar's horses consistently under-rated by the handicappers. It was a surprising stroke to see Foliation taken out, because she was sent to Newmarket a couple of days afterwards to pick up a handicap, starting at even money. The idea of the proceeding is, of course, a matter of guesswork, but I imagine it was to give her an easy race as a preparation towards a more ambitious effort in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. Here she will meet horses like Embargo (who carried a lOlbs penalty into second place in gallant style in the “Jubilee”) and all the best horses of her own age. Indeed, the race looks to be the most attractive item in the pending calendar. Colorado failed badly in the big