WEIGHT-FOR-AGE RACING

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19238, 27 November 1930, Page 12

WEIGHT-FOR-AGE RACING

Autumn Prospects In Australia.

AUTUMN weight-for-age racing at Flemington and Randwick is rarely very interesting, owing to most of the races looking and proving “ certainties,” says the Sydney writer, “ Pilot.” This season the outlook is not any brighter than usual. Phar Lap completely dominates the situation. Occasionally the mile weigh t-for-age races have provided fairly interesting contests, but the st3 r le in which Phar Lap won the Linlithgow Stakes proves that he stands out at all distances.

It is almost certain that, as a result of the financial return from their i spring fixtures not being as satisfactory as usual the Australian Jockey Club and the Victoria Racing Club will have to reduce the stakes for their autumn fixtures. The Australian Jockey Club cannot well avoid doing so, its spring meeting resulting in actual loss. When stakes are being cut, it may be regarded as a retrograde step to interfere with weigh-for-age races, but when, as a rule, they are little more than “ benefits ” for one or two owners it would be fairer to the majority if they were affected to a greater extent than the miner events. So far as Randwick is concerned £IOOO off the All-Aged Stakes, and £SOO each off the Autumn Stakes, Cumberland Stakes, and A.J.C. Plate, would still leave those races well worth winning, and certainly would not reduce the size of the fields. It is probable the V.R.C will also look at it that money can be better spared from the weight-for-age races than others, and even then the amount attached to each will probably exceed the value of the return from a racing standpoint. There is little hope of any of the autumn weight-for-age races attracting strong fields numerically, and Nightmarch is still the only horse in sight possessing the slightest chance of troubling Phar Lap in anything. Perhaps the certainty of picking up a substantial amount in minor place money may cause Nightmarch to be sent to Australia in the autumn, but, against this, his owner may deem it wiser to avoid continuous beatings by the same horse, and there is little chance of Nightmarch downing Phar Lap if the latter is himself. Amounis went off to such an extent after the Caulfield Cup that it is no certainty he will be as good as in the past. At his best he will be no rival for Phar Lap, though in irynor placemoney it is certain he will earn sufficient to carry him beyond the £50,000 mark. Not This Time. In the autumn some three-year-old generally plays a big part in the decision of the weight-for-age races, but it is difficult to visualise either Veilmond, Tregilla or Balloon King troubling Phar Lap, and as the New Zealand crack three-year-old Cylinder is not in the St Leger he is an improbable visitor.

He has some good engagements in New Zealand in the autumn, and is unlikely to miss those on the off chance of picking up a weight-for-age race in Sydney. As the conqueror of Nightmarch—even though he appears to have fluked the win—Sydney racing men would like to see Cylinder racing, but it is fairly certain they will have to wait until next spring for that pleasure. The following list of winners of the V.R.C. and A.J.C. autumn races for the past three years will be of interest:--VICTORIA RACING CLUB. Essendcn Stakes. 1928 Amounis, even money. 1929 Black Duchess, 7 to 4; Maple, 5 to 4, second. 1930 Amounis, 7 to 1 on. C. M. Lloyd Stakes. 1928 Gothic, 4 to 1 on. 1929 Gothic, 11 to 8 on. 1930 4 to 1 on. Governor’s Plate. 1928 Trivalve, 10 to 1 on. 1929 Strephon, 6 to 1 on. 1930 Phar Lap, 9 to 4 on. King’s Plate. 1928—Trivalve, 12 to 1 on. 1929*—Strephon, S to 1 on. 1930—Phar Lap, 10 to 1 on. AUSTRALIAN JOCKEY CLUB'; Autumn Stakes. 1928 Limerick, 6 to 1 on. 1929 Limerick, 10 to 9. 1930 Nightmarch, 10 to 9 on. All-Aged Stakes. 1928 Limerick, 5 to 4 on. 1929 Mollison, even money. 1930 Amounis, 11 to 8; Nightmarch, 11 to 8, second. Cumberland Stakes. 192S—Valamita, 4 to 1; Trivalve, 2to 1 on, second. 1929 Strephon, 10 to 1 on. 1930 Phar Lap, no betting. A.J.C. Plate. 1928 King’s Cup substituted. 1929 Strephon, 12 to 1 on. 1930 Phar Lap, sto 2 on. With only two absolute favourites beaten in the twenty-three races enumerated, and most of the favourites scoring in a manner in keeping with the prices at which they started, it will be gathered that autumn weight-for-age racing has given a poor return for the money it carried.