ENGLISH RACING.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20538, 13 February 1935, Page 8

ENGLISH RACING.

Sir Thomas Wilford Relates Experiences. COMPARISON OF HORSES. (Special to. the 44 Star-”) WELLINGTON, This Day. "Although during my four years as New Zealand’s representative in England I never once succeeded in sorting out the winner of the Derby, yet every year while I was there I was on the winner of the Grand National," said Sir Thomas W ilford, until recently the Dominion’s High Commissioner in London, when relating in an interesting and graphic story some of his experiences in English racing. “ Indeed, I even held to my own fancy in Hyperion’s year, though on the night before the race I was sitting next to Lord Derby, who made not the least secret of the faith he reposed in his colt. The nearest I ever was to picking the winner was when Iliad ran second to Blenheim.”

Sir Thomas said he had really had very little opportunity of attending race meetings while he was engaged in his official duties. "But,” he added, “ as even a Bishop may ask a railway porter what horse has won the Derby without ‘ losing face,' as the Chinese say, so the facilities given to High Commissioners to see the Derby and the Grand National each year end in their regular attendance at those meetings.

“ All Ambassadors and High Commissioners have a special card entitling them to see the Derby from the King’s Stand,” he continued, “ and on each occasion I have had the privilege of witnessing the Derby from start to finish. I believe that this stand is the only position at Epsom from which this view can be obtained. The box allocated to these representatives to his Majesty’s Government is divided from the King’s Box by a glass partition, and while the ordinary visitor gets a glimpse of the race either at Tattenham Corner or from the top of a bus, the High Commissioner has a privilege that I regret is no longer mine.” Quality of Our Stock. After these remarks Sir Thomas turned to the subject of the horses, and made some comparisons that redound very creditably to the Dominion and the thoroughbred stock that is bred here. “ I have attended the yearling sales at Newmarket,” he said, " and I am convinced that the yearlings I saw at Trentham last month compared most favourably with the best English yearlings. The exhibits from the leading studs here appear in many cases to me to be much better handled than they are in England. They seem more forward, and more ready to be broken in and put through their early work.”

Sir Thomas also mentioned how much struck he had been with the quality of the feet of the yearlings he had seen at Trentham. Compared with those of the English youngsters, many of them had better feet. The bone right through, especially in those yearlings that came from the limestone country, was in many cases remarkable for its outward appearance of strength. However, he had also noticed a similar difference in England between yearlings that came off the limestone in Ireland and those that came from the softer country. “As to the racing quality of the horses,” he went on, " I do not think that we have any racehorses here that compare with the best English racehorses. To me it seems wonderful how the Spearmint blood, that is the line of Carbine running on through Spearmint, Spion Kop and Felstead, crops up again and again in winning pedigrees. Windsor Lad is a recent pronounced example, though on the dam’s side.

“ However, the New Zealand horse may be hardier than his English relative. When speaking on one occasion at the 11.8. Dinner, a function given the night before the Derby, I pointed out how in England when a horse has won a good race they put him in 4 cotton-wool * for months, and as a contrast I instanced the case of the New Zealand Euroclydon, bred of English stock, who had won the New Zealand Cup, two miles, the Derby, one mile and a half, and the Canterbury Cup, two miles and a quarter, all within a week. And then I asked my listeners how it was that stock in New Zealand bred of English sires and dams could do that, while their own horses of similar breeding could not stand up to constant racing.” The most promising young sire in England to-day in Sir Thomas’s opinion is Felstead, winner of the 1928 Derby. Master Vere, one of his sons with a brilliant two-year-old record of seven consecutive wins, came out as a three-year-old at the end of last season reproducing that form, and Sir Thomas expects him to do great things for his sire during the coming flat season. Derbies and Nationals.

“ The general opinion when I recently left England,” Sir Thomas continued, 44 was that the contest for the Derby would be between the elect of the Aga Khan’s famous two-year-olds, the unbeaten Blandford colt Bahrain, Hairan, and Theft, and Lord Derby’s Bobsleigh, though of course there may be an April the Fifth hidden away somewhere unknown to anyone. “As to the Grand National next month, all good judges that I have met who saw Golden Miller win last year under 12st 21b think that he scored with a stone in hand. As he is now up only 51b to the maximum for the race (12st 71b) he has only to reproduce that form again and the race would be all over. Tom Walls thinks that his son, Captain Walls’s, Crafty Alice, will at least get a place with any fortune in the running. Remus, the biggest horse in the race, dees not appeal to me, as he appears just a plodder, nor do I like Pelorus Jack, another very big horse.” Contrary to what may be the general opinion, Sir Thomas stated that most of the ordinary flat rac*s arc over very short distances, which leads to big entries, with extraordinary records of pace. One could hardly believe some of the times put up at Brighton possible, but that is a slightly down-hill track. Blandford, of course, is the favourite, and rightly favourite, sire of the present day. Solario has not been quite the success anticipated.

Gordon Richards is not Sir Thomas’s pick among the jockeys, his preference being for R. Perryman. Richards is undoubtedly a wonderful rider, but he gets all the best mounts However. he mentions that it is astonishing to see Richards sometimes finishing with the reins loose across the horse’s neck, so perfect is his balance, and Richards is undoubtedly the best man out from the barrier in England. He

leads an exemplary life, straight as a rush, and everyone feels he can depend on him. The totalisator is now making steady progress in England. It is very popular at Royal Ascot. There they have 2s, 30s, £l, and £5 windows and it is the 2s windows that do the bulk of the business. Sir Thomas is satisfied that in England at least so small a unit as 2s is necessary, so that every person who desires to bet may back his own fancy for any amount. Generally, however, the facilities that race patrons enjoy in England are not equal to those that New Zealanders have provided for them at metropolitan centres, such as Ellerslie, Trentham, Riccarton, or Wingatui. 44 If 3 r ou exclude Ascot, Epsom, Goodwood, Newmarket, and possibly a few other courses, can give points in comfort and convenience to almost any fixture on the English calendar.” Sir Thomas said. In conclusion. Sir Thomas mentioned what a hold all forms of sport had on everyone in England, from his Majesty the King downwards. 44 There have been gatherings at which matters of great moment have been up for discussion,” he said, 44 and after the discussions have ended someone has introduced a question of racing, and all seemed interested and generally well informed. The sport of racing means much to England and to the Englishman.”