SPORTING

Waipa Post, Volume 43, Issue 3392, 24 December 1931, Page 5

SPORTING

AUCKLAND'S CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL. CUP AND RAILWAY PROSPECTS. .',"■'." (Special Sporting Service.) : The acceptances, which were declared on the Auckland Cup and the Auckland Railway Handicap last Fri•AcUy night, have left a field of. eleven >b\face the starter in the Cup, while tfcere are fifteen still left in the second leg of the big summer double. The problem of bettors has in no wise lessened despite the large number of withdrawals in these two events, and it still seems easier to draw a horse in the Irish Free State sweeps than to sort out the winners of the double at Ellerslie.

When the nominations closed for these events there were 42 horses left in the Cup and one more in the Railway. Heavy defections, which in other years would probably have never occurred, have winnowed out those with minority chances, and there is now left high-class fields in which are represented a galaxy of inter-provincial equine talent. THE DEARTH OF STAYERS. A hardy annual, which arises every time a New Zealand or an Auckland Cup is run, is the cry that there are no stayers left in the country. It is possible that there are not the stayers that there were a decade ago, but there are certainly some horses in the Auckland Cup which are capable of running two miles in fastish time. On the other hand, however, there will be seen out, in the Railway Handicap, an array of speed merchants gathered from almost every corner in the two islands, and, if added together, capable of beating " Wizard Smith when he steps on the gas at Ninety-mile Beach. Every horse in the big sprint has a chance. CUP PROSPECTS.

LIGHT WEIGHT MAY PREVAIL. Consider the candidates in the Cup. Eleven horses are left in, hailing from the Auckland, Taranaki, Canterbury, and Otago provinces. The post of honour is held by the Riccarton representative, Gay Crest, with 9.0. This is not an impossible weight, and the Ellerslie course is admittedly easier than the Riccarton one. Last year Gay Crest carried 7.1 and finished first, but was placed second for interference with Motere. While Gay Crest has gone on the right way, last year's winner has not been so successful. Gay Crest carried 8.10 in the New Zealand Cup, and finished third, and is now asked to carry an additional 4 lbs. Following a run of minor placings, Gay Crest proved successful at Woodville, where he downed Compris over a mile and a quarter and on a pound worse terms than in this race. Compris was unlucky tq be beaten at Woodville, but the top; weight may be in front of ComprVs when the Ellerslie two miles are completed on Boxing Day. TOP-WEIGHT'S BORING HABIT. Gay Crest is to have the services of H. Gray, but even New Zealand's premier horseman will know he has been on board when the Auckland course has been covered. After the Cup last year the cry went up that Gay Crest bores on a right-handed track. Since then, however, at Riccarton and Trentham, I have seen him run in on the horse next to him. It does not seem material whether the track is righthanded or left-handed. Gay Crest, when not in the hands of a particularly strong horseman, will always bore towards the horse that he is passing or which is passing him. It seems almost certain that after the finish of the Auckland Cup Hector

, Gray will know all about the vagaries of Gay Crest; or, vice versa, Gay ■Crest will know something of the hidden strength in the wrists and arms of Gray. Another Riccarton candidate is Compris, which was heavily backed to ' : win the New Zealand Cup last month. This event was won by Spearful, but he is not contesting the Auckland Cup, , and the only horses which ran in the New- Zealand Cup and are to run at Ellerslie are Gay Crest, Admiral Drake, Compris, and Jaloux. The difference in weights is that - Gay Crest meets Compris on 4 lbs better terms, Admiral Drake 4 lbs i better, and Jaloux 3 lbs worse on the ' handicaps and 5i lbs worse when the -actual weights carried in the race are used as the basis of the calculations. Compris meets Admiral Drake on level tennis and Jaloux 7 lbs the worse on the handicaps and 91 lbs the worse on the weights carried. Admiral Drake does not appear to

be badly treated, for he has gone up only 8 lbs after being a scant half- -' length behind the winner of the New Zealand Cup. I think he will be one of the hardest to stave off when the whips are out. . The hope of the Mason stable is the improving Jaloux, which meets Gay Crest at 5J lbs and Compris and Admiral Drake at 91 lbs better terms than he did in the New Zealand Cup. Favourite with a number of sporting scribes, the Sutala gelding hails from a good stable and is bred the right way. However, the public, in their superior wisdom, are still demanding Gay Crest as if the Cup were all oyer, but it must be remembered that in a tough finish (and the finish of the Auckland Cup certainly looks as if it is going to be one of the toughest ever) the odds are in favour of the horse with the lightest burden. This cannot be better exemplified than by the case of the recent Te Awamutu Cup, in which the finish was between i *top-weight Pegaway and light-weight '■■- Peter Jackson. The lighter-burdened, horse won, and the chances, providing that a capable jockey is aboard, are in favour of the light-weight brigade, particularly at the end of a strenuous two miles. Spearful carried only 7.2 fin the New Zealand Cup; White Nose had only 6.12 in this year's Melbourne Cup. It looks as if this year's Auckland Cup will be won by a lightweight, and Jaloux moy be the one to do the trick. Jaloux will be ridden by the stable apprentice, A. Stove. Auckland Cups are seldom won by u horses with the small amount of racW. ■ ing that Seatown has had in recent months, and a hard track will hinder his chances considerably. Tf, however, the track is on the heavy side,

Seatown will gain many admirers. Last year the winner was Motere (on a protest, it is true), and he comes in this year 5 lbs higher. Last year Gay Crest 7.0, a difference of only 1 lb. This year the difference is 23 lbs. However, it must be remembered that Gay Crest has improved out of sight, and Motere has shown little form at all. The finish of the Waikato and the Waipa Cups saw Motere in fourth position, running really well, but lacking the sprint at the finish possessed by the really bright ten-furlong horses engaged. I consider Motere to be one of the truest stayers in the country. Little can be said of the chances o± some of the others. Tanerin does not really appeal, and Great Star, a brilliant sprinter, is a dubious proposition over a distance. Great Star also claims an engagement in the Railway Handicap, in which he has already run two seconds. Protomint does not appear to be class enough for this field. Prince Val is a useful sort, and will be ridden by Eric, Ludlow, who was on board when he dead-heated with Historic in the Mitchelson Cup. The distance may find Prince Val wanting, No three-year-old has been successful in the Auckland Cup since Nestoi triumphed in 1896, and the defeat of the last junior (Ballymena) to compete, in 1923, will be remembered. After having won the A.J.C. Derby at Randwick, and the Canterbury Cup, of 2i miles, weight for age, at Riccarton, Ballymena was awarded 7.6 in the Auckland Cup, and doubtless his failure, with 3 lbs less than weight for age, has influenced the owners of three-year-olds. Ballymena went on, after failing a place in the Cup, to win the Derby on New Year's Day and other important events later in the season, thus showing that the two miles race did not harm. him. Peter Jackson has come into favour as a result of his defeat of Pegaway in the Te Awamutu Cup, and he ran the ten furlongs well, although the time was not the fast clip he had to go when chasing Bronze Eagle in the New Zealand Derby. However, it must be remembered that Peter Jackson finished well in the Derby, stuck up against that champion Brazen gelding which broke the course record for New Zealand and all records except Phar Lap's for ten furlongs, at the same meeting. By Nigger Minstrel from Left, Peter Jackson is bred .to stay, but I think that Jaloux and some of the others will account for Smith Bros.' entry. THE FIELD REVIEWED.

A review of the field thus eliminates Prince Val, Protomint, Taneriri, Great Star, and Seatown at the first. That still leaves half of the candidates, and these six will all be well backed. When the machine closes it may be found that the light-weights are preferred, and the order may be: Jaloux, Admiral Drake, Gay Crest. RAILWAY HANDICAP PROBABLES.

Fifteen speed artists are still in the Railway Handicap. Consider the names of such fliers as Cadland, Karapoti, Supremacy, Lady Quex, Golden Wings, Paganelli, and Silvermine, to mention only the top half of the acceptors. The probables are legion, and nearly every horse has a great winning show. Much will depend on the luck of the draw, although these hard times have certainly weeded out a lot of the undesirable element so prevalent in other years. Top-weight is the speedy Cadland, but 9.7 may just about stop him. Owner Duncan originally had Laughing Prince engaged, but will now depend on the to pull it off. The champion of last year, Karapoti, showed a welcome return to his old form by a brilliant win in the open sprint at Te Awamutu, when he defeated Supremacy and Gay Lap. These three meet on the same terms but a lower scale of weights, and I think, given rea- | sonable luck in the draw for positions, Karapoti should again prove the best of these three. It will be remembered that Karapoti came out wide and took Supremacy with him, while Gay Lap finished right in on the rails. Reports from Taranaki have it that Lady Quex has lost none of her old brilliance, and she is credited with covering five furlongs in just a shade over sixty the other morning. Paganelli and Golden Wings meet on level terms, 8.7. The one was an undoubted champion that has slipped somewhat, but is still capable of a smart sprint; the other is a coming sprint champion. Golden Wings certainly has the credentials for recommendation.

Of the lighter-weighted brigade Tea Chat is one that appeals. There is certainly room for anything to turn up, and I repeat that the draw may be everything in the battle for sprint honours. The favourites may be: Lady Quex, Golden Wings, Karapoti.