ENGLISH SEASON OPENS BADLY FOR BACKERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18469, 22 May 1928, Page 2

ENGLISH SEASON OPENS BADLY FOR BACKERS.

(Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON, April 5. The first week’s flat racing of the season 1928 will long be remembered as a terrifying one for backers. First came the success of Dark Warrior in the Lincoln Handicap, then the surprise victory of Tipperary Tim in the Grand National, while sandwiched in between was the win, at an outside price, of Grandflight in the Liverpool Cup. Some time ago I mentioned that a good jockey had been engaged to ride Grandflight, but I could not visualise his success all the same. The horse was weeded out of Lord Glanely’s stable last back-end, and bought cheaply by a patron of Vasey’s Don’caster establishment.

I expect readers abroad have read enough about the Grand National to satisfy them, but all the same one is led to comment on certain aspects of the race after a week of sober reflection. On all hands it is admitted that the great ’chase is becoming a farce under present conditions, and the victory of the tubed horse, Tipperary Tim, will not improve matters. His success will encourage the owners of any horse that jumps. The officials at Liverpool should undoubtedly take the matter in hand, and revise the conditions. Al! sorts of suggestions to this end have been made by different people, but it is a difficult problem, and one that wants a lot of thinking out. Under present conditions the race is worth £IO,OOO, which means that owners incurring the full liability of £IOO stand at odds on 100 to 1 against. Obviously the root of_ the trouble lies in this wretched gamble, and in my opinion the best way to obviate it is to make the conditions more stringent, in that a horse can only run in the National if he has won a steeplechase of three miles or over within three months ol the “date of the National. Working on these lines the handicap per could arrange the weights fairly, and then only the horses coming within a 211bs radius—say, from 12st 71b to list—would be eligible to run. Do you see how this would tend to make owners and trainers run their horses out during the qualifying period, rather than keep them locked up in their stable, or performing unfit, with the sole idea of going to the post, properly wound up. for the National? As usual in the period just before Easter, the racing was conducted on modest lines. As a matter of fact, the event we are anticipating at the moment of writing is the Queen’s Prize at Kempton Park. I will not hazard a selection now, because it would bring no advantage to my readers, in any case. There are several hurdlers, like Kinnaird, Dakota, and Zeno, in the race, and some useful horses from Newmarket, like Ballyvoy and Touch and Go. It used to be a mile and a half race, but is now run over two miles, and will not ufilikely supply a pointer for the Great Metropolitan at Epsom—to be run later in the month. Immediately after the Queen's Prize we shall settle down to the problem of the Newbury Cup, which I think is most likely to fall to Philammon, after his show at Lincoln. There is just the chance that Mr J. Joel will run his horse in the Victoria Cup instead, but I do not think it very probable. All along, you will remember, I said that the Lincoln Alight partially solve the Newbury riddle, and at present this seems truer than ever. Our Epsom spring meeting is for the first time to be tfiree days instead of two. The Nonsuch Stakes (one mile 110 yards) is a feature of the additional day, and is framed with the idea of giving classic candidates a race over the course. Unfortunately, it comes only nine days before the Two Thousand Guineas, which is not exactly lucky for the Epsom people. If I were choosing a horse for the Epsom stake now, I think it would be Sir A Bailey’s Guards’ Parade. lie

has as rivals horses like Black Watch, Pharamond, and Gang Warily', but surely these will wait for the Guineas. For the Great Metropolitan I have been given a tip for the French horse Shah 111., while Big Val is my own fancy. I am not in possession pf the acceptances at this moment, but I have reason to think both these horses will be found among the contented division. The big tip for the City and Suburban, Handicap is Frank Bare, a horse trained in the neighbourhood. This one, I expect, will likewise prove to be an acceptor.