SPORTING

Waipa Post, Volume 38, Issue 2270, 19 February 1929, Page 5

SPORTING

AUSSIE WINS GOLD CUP. NOTES AND COMMENTS. The defeat of the doughty Limerick by Mr G. Paul's Aussie on Saturday, at Wingatui, was the first sustained by the champion in New Zealand since his two-year-old days. Limerick's rider appears to have allowed Aussie to make the pace, instead of going out fast and racing all the way. As Limerick.and Rapier are stayers, and Aussie had not been tried beyond a mile, it seemed certain that both would try to wear him down. In the actual race the pace was not turned on until the last three or four furlongs, when Aussie was fully a length clear. Limerick got up beside the- Te Awamutu horse with a furlong to go, but Aussie, good sprinter that he has always shown himself to be, was too good in the dash to the post, and he won by over a length. The time, 1.44, was only two-fifths of a second faster than the hack race earlier in the day.

One sportsman at present in Dunedin writes: "Papatu was badly placed in the Dunedin Cup, and was running at the tail of the field up to four furlongs from home." Another account of the race mentions that Papatu ran his race in patches and improved from last to third place in the course of a furlong. These tactics left him with little fight at the finish. The account adds that Aussie ran a good race in the Publicans' Handicap under difficulties, and his form did not cause him to go out of favour for the Hazlett Gold Clip. In view of Aussie's defeat of Limerick and Rapier at Dunedin last Saturday it is interesting to note the following report of the Publicans' Handicap sprint the previous Thursday, sent by" a correspondent: " The race for the Publicans' Handicap at Dunedin on Thursday was marked by erratic steering on the part of a number of the light-weighted candidates, and it was only a miracle that a big smashup did not occur. It transpires that Aussie received more than his share of interference when the outside runners all closed in after the first furlong had been covered, and he was squeezed out to the rear of the field, with only one horse, Rapier, behind him. He was then so wedged in on the rails that he could not get to the outside, and his only chance was to bullock through the field, which he safely accomplished. It was not until the far turn was passed that he actually got a clear run, and then Rin-Tin-Tin had too big a gap for him to bridge. The field was bunched at the time the trouble took place, and it was not possible for patrons on the stands to perceive it all, but those who were stationed at the turn consider that Aussie was the worst sufferer of any of the candidates. On the_ other hand there was more merit in Rin-Tin-Tin's winning effort than most people realised. He drew an outside marble at the barrier, and had to cover extra ground to get round the field to secure the position on the rails that he later occupied. When Aussie issued his challenge in the straight, Rin-Tm-Tm stuck to his task and was actually going away from the Te Awamutu horse at the finish. Aussie would certainly have been closer with an uninterrupted passage, but even if the race were re-run, with equal favourable treatment, the three-year-old would have a large following to say he would again beat Aussie." There is a great battle going on at present for the position of leading jockey. The three wins of L. J. Ellis, the diminutive southerner, at Wingatui on Thursday, and one on Saturday, brought him level on the list with H. Goldfinch, who rode one winner at Te Aroha on Saturday; but this pair are one point behind L. G. Morris, who assumed the leading position with his success at Wanganui. ' A. E. Ellis has lost his place by not securing a win on any of the last eight days' racing he has attended. Since the above was written, H. Goldfinch has regained the lead, for yesterday at Te Aroha he won two events, piloting Eaglet and Lorient 11. At Te Aroha meeting on Saturday no Te Awamutu-trained horses managed to win, but four of them gained place money. Awamutu (from Mr F. E. Loomb's stable) ran second in the Juvenile Handicap, and his stablemate and half-brother, Air King, was third in the Shaftesbury Hack Handicap, a head behind King Peg (from Mr A. Cook's stable). Pegaway, King Peg's stable-mate and half-brother, ran second in the open sprint. Yes terday minor places, but no wins, were also gained. Mr T. Langmuir's Some Lady ran second in the Elstow Handicap, Awamutu again ran second in the Juvenile Handicap, and Desert Glow (from the same stable) was third in the principal event.