TO-DAY’S PROGRAMME

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19769, 17 February 1927, Page 4

TO-DAY’S PROGRAMME

FINE FIELD IN BIG RACE REVIEW OF THE CARD (By “EABLY BIBD.”) With the course in first class order, the Wanganui Jockey Club should to-day inaugurate its autumn (Cup) meeting, given a comtiniiance of the present summery weather, under the most favourable conditzoom, and the racing promises to be always interesting. A review of the events to be decided this afternoon follaws ■—

1 9 fl MAIDEN BACE. (Of 200 sovs.; six furlongs; all 8.0.) Rising Star This is by no means a very strong field, and even Midnight Camp for a race of its kind the class is weak, although one or two n * ne P r °hable starters may develop into Limosa something useful on the turf. Of the acceptors Rising Erin-go-Bragh Star. Vast Acre, Lady Acre, Erin-go-Bragh, Lethal l-^hal^ Cre and Goshawk have displayed fair pace at various times, Calculation and of this sextette preference is expressed for t Gogftawk Rising Star, Goshawk and Vast Acre. *l9 4ft STEWARDS’ HANDICAP. (Of 350 sovs.; 8| furlongs). This is the ideal field both from the point of view of the quality and number, for the runners will not be ;ienros« 9 2 *°° man . v Or the track, and should therefore ensure a Mask 8 s clean run contest and a splendid finish. Where all First Acre .. 8 1 must be given royal chances it is easier to leave out Rascal .. ’’ 712 two or three than name the possibles. Of these, ThunThunderciap ..*7 o derelap and Tip Tree failed in their outings on the Btrd .. 7 o Taranaki circuit, and a vast improvement will be necesip re* .. sary if they are to score here. Outside these two there are six others from whom to select the best trio, and they may prove to be Rascal, Mask and Glenross. IHA WESTMERE HURDLES, •w” (Of 225 sovs.; 12 miles). San Fera.. ..13 8 Gf the eight left in this event, two good ones in San Comedy Prince 10 5 Fera and Comedy Prince failed rather badly within the EhSSte” er ”10 5 P ast few days ‘ kittle River appears to be rejuvenated, Matu .. .. '.‘io 3 an «l w >th Elvaette, Matu, and All Wind should furnish All Wind.. .. 911 a good race. Gold Peak would be better suited by a F^stive eak . ’’so shorter journey. The pick of the field should be Matu, Little River and Elvaette. 9 ft VICTORY HACK WELTER (Of 300 sovs.; mile and a distance). Kilmiss 9 2 This hack race has attracte d the biggest field of the Outfit . . .. 813 day. and. as in the past, the contest should be one worthy Great Day .. 811 of the name. With so many lining up there will be Bio the , customar y rush for position going out of the Acred .. .’ 8 6 straight. The acceptors can perhaps be reduced by half Onward .. .. s 4 without omitting the ultimate winner, and those left will Capitulation “ 8 3 bc Kilmiss, Outfit, Great Day, Partaga. Archon. Acred, Inoe .. .. 8 2 Capitulation, Blue Peter and Jnoe. and of these three Archon .. .. 7 9 claim other engagements later in the day. In. the case ISt ,US . 1 1 of some of those mentioned one would ’very much like Airtight .... 7 7 to learn who their riders are going to be, but well served Biue Peter ..7 7 in this respect a fanev could be expressed for San Pedro ..77 Lieut. Bill ..7 7 Outfit, Kilmiss and Acred. 9 | * WANGANUI CUP HANDICAP. (Of 1000 sovs.; 1| miles). Rmall but select is the field engaged in this case, and the race should furnish a really good and exciting st ruggle. Most of those engaged have been seen out recently, the exception being the top weight, who has not raced for a month. The four big handicap events lapine .. .. 1(T 4 decided at Hawera and New Plymouth were run at a Te Monanui 9 9 muddling pace, and to-day it may be the same, for there does not seem to be anything in that can go fast in Piuthair .... 8 9 front and see it out. Rapine’s fine gallop yesterday strata ..—B2 bas brought him into even more favour, and he looks ready to run the race of his life. It will be necessary Jariuda .... 712 for him to do so if he is to win. and a slow run race Mint Leaf ..7 9 not assist him nor Te Monanni, who was consistent , . but unlucky in his last few outings. The bracketed &up cram .. 6 pair, Piuthair and Clarinda, must make a big appeal, for Opa 7 5 the former’s winning record is of the best, and she is Nukumai 7 2 nOt treated. Clarinda is a useful second string, for if she strikes form to-day she may even finish in Novar .. .. 7 0 front of her companion. Ngata will surprise if he should win. Mint Leaf, if he goes kindly, will be a difficult one to head afi'. Opa may be bothered by the distance, but this is where Nukumai will shine, and he will go well. Novar has disappointed since winning the Manawatu Cup, but a return to that form will see him dangerous. It looks like being a slow run race, in which the following will go well: Piuthair, Rapine and Mint Leaf. Q Qft JUVENILE HANDICAP * (Of 200 sovs.; five furlongs). This is the smallest field of the day, but nevertheRuanui .... 8 9 less it will be one of the best on the programme. The plnthZt "” ? I f ? Ur at the tOp should have the issue in their hands, for Damans ~7 5 the - v can aII gallop, and in addition Ruanui, Melissa, and Vigilance ..7 0 Panther are winners. Provided they run true and not so green as in their recent efforts,’those that will go well are - & Damaris. Buanui and Melissa. jl £ PETRE HACK HANDICAP. (Of 200 sovs.; six furlongs). Whenuanui 9 it They are an even lot of hacks, witli the topweight, Great Day .. 812 Whenuanui, perhaps outstanding by virtue of his record Jazz Baby’ II 810 of bav ?“g won f °ur races on end recently. He will Helen .... 8 7 have his hardest task to-day. Horses that have been 1 , working and running well, Great Day, Outfit, Jazz Fioyal Elm 7 .. 711 Baby, Helen, Acred, King’s Folly, Royal Elm, Ohui and □hui 7 8 Break o’ Day, should make things merry for the re- ' - - mainder. The barrier draw will be a factor in this consumer Tray ay .". 7 3 tcst > bu t given an even break it should be a great race Bissac .... 7 2 up the straight with the following horses among those Paitonu .. .. 7 o jj* van: Monsogne 7 0 Erin-so-Bragh 7 o King’s Folly, Whenuanui and Great Day. Hymestrason .. 7 0 5 fl FLYING HANDICAP. •V (Of 400 sovs.; six furlongs). A dozen of the best sprinters are engaged here, and so it should furnish a thrilling race home. The The Hawk .. 9 8 Hawk wun the Taranaki Slakes handsomely; Shirley has Tamatete 9 0 some sterling performances to her credit, principally at Tukia 7 8 Trentham; Benzoru displayed rather phenomenal speed Civility .. .’8 5 at Hawera and New Plymouth; and the bracket, TamaBenzora .... 8 o tete and Tukia, are both galloping very well; Civility ** 5 will be started here, and if she could but foot it with Oration —..74 them over the first bit she would be the hardest to head Nadarino ..7 0 an j Buoyant, Deluge, Oration and Nadarino have 7. 7 0 luxury imposts. With so many top-notchers in class __ should tell, and from what has been seen recently a declaration is made in favqur of Benzora, Shirley and Tamatete.

z A CUP HERO NGATA'S WIN FIVE YEARS AGO. WILL BE THERE AGAIN TO-DAY. Five years ago Ngata won the Wanganui Cup, but it wasn’t really a race. In that contest of 1922 there was saddled up one of the finest fields that ever went out to do battle for the honour of being the Cup winner. But trainer James Morris had something up his sleeve, and what is was was not revealed until the historic event was nearly over. In those days Ngata was a six-year-old, and he carried 7.13 on this very special occasion. Bert Morris was the lad on top, and then he could make weight without having to resort to Turkish baths and cross country treks laden with half a dozen sweaters to keep himself down. To-day this capi able horseman, one of the most expert we have at riding a waiting race, cannot go to setti* under 8.3 or 8.4. ‘ The Ngata-Morris combination was well backed on that day in February ['five seasons ago and the optimism of the I men behind the horse knew no limits. The race was in progress, and there was Ngata lying in behind the leaders, out of trouble in the big field. He was still there half a mile from home, but a furlong from home he was clearing out from the opposition and had a clean break of three lengths. That was the end of the contest, for Ngata went on to win with considerable ease, accomplishing one of the easiest wins ever recorded in the race. He Silently Stole Away. There was no fluke about it. The [horse stole away before the other ridI ers knew what Bert Morris was up to, [ but even had they known it would probI ably have made not the slightest difI ference. Trainer Morris was certainly ['entitled to all the bouquets handed out Ito him on that occasion, for Ngata had stripped a picture. Furthermore, Tamateto -won the second leg of the double, and Wanganui punters were happy. Three years previously Dusky Eve had won the Wanganui Cup in 2.59, which was then the best ever recorded in Australia and New Zealand. Ngata equalled,.Dusky Eve’s record, carrying ten pounds more, but the previous year that good horse Duo smashed the Australasian record by running 2.57 4-5 in the St. Leger on the fast Trentham track. Ngata is engaged in the Wanganui Cup this afternoon, and although it is expecting too much of him to win again, he will not disgrace the green, gold cap livery of Mr James Bull. Twice now these colours have been i borne to victory in the Wanganui Cup. I Master Lupin scored in the first year of the Great War, and he afterwards proved himself a great jumper, winning among other events the Great Northern Steeplechase the first time he was put over country. SMART BEGINNERS HAVE THE BEST CHANCES ORATION AND BENZORA—FACTS AND FIGURES Early speed is a big factor in short races, one might, almost say an all important factor, for the horse that has sufficient pace to get to the front quickly and is able to take the inside running comes home the shortest way, whereas another following must go round the leader if he is to pass him. Sometimes a horse running in behind is let up on the rails, but at other times the rail sitters stay just a fraction too long, and they get snowed in. With smart beginners it is almost half the battle for them when they get to the front early. Theye are several horses possessed of this requisite early speed, and on courses like New Plymouth and Wanganui—to mention two which may be considered apropos at the present juncture—the average racegoer likes to see his fancy bowling along in the front in short races. It is always interesting, a*d as often as not illuminating, to clock these speed merchants over the first two, three and four furlongs of their races. The writer did this at Now Plymouth last Saturday, and the results were not altogether without interest. More particularly was this the ease when there were two six-fur]ong events for the good horses for comparative purposes, as last Saturday, when there were the open sprint and the classic, both run over six furlongs. Went Fast. In the handicap raxie Oration, who is as fast as anything in the country for a short distance, began well and set his usual merry pace. In the Taranaki Stakes Silver Mine was the pace maker, but while Oration won his event the colt was beaten by a head. Oration ran the first furlong in 13 3-5, and Silver Mine did the same, but, whereas the older horse ran the first two and furlongs in 22 4-5 and 47 1-5 respectively, it took Silver Mine 23 and 47 4-5. It may be seen from this that Oration must have been stopping over the last two furlongs, for although he just won, his time was* a full second slower for the full six furlongs than that registered by The Hawk, who narrowly beat the youngster. Going by the watch, then, the last couple of furlongs of the Taranaki stakes contest was run in one and three-fifths seconds faster than that recorded in the handicap event It seems incredible, for that time represents in space a difference of approximately seven lengths. It shows, furthermore, what Grand Knight and Reremoana had to do over the last couple of furlongs in order to catch The Hawk and Silver Mine. It has been shown that Oration -goes fast for a bit, but Benzora had a three lengths lead of him on the first day at New Plymouth, and that with three furlongs gone. So that, obviously, Benzora has a ton of pace.

THINK OF A NUMBER BACKING FIGURES A CORRESPONDENT HAS A BETTER SYSTEM Backing horses by the number on their saddlecloths is an easy way of winning, and losing, money. Drawing the name of a horse out of a hat is just as good—or just as bad. It is all a gamble, and being such, it has its appeal for all New Zealanders. The racing game is to most Dominion folk what “two-up” is to the Australian—his national pastime. At times certain numbers have an amazing sequence of success on the racecourse. Perhaps the luckiest figures are 1,3, and 5. At Trentham last month the two latter figures returned big money to investors. To-day, it is difficult to forecast the best number to follow, but followers of the figure 3 will have some fine performers running for them, as follows:—Midnight Camp, Mask, Comedy Prince, Great Day, Piuthair and Clarinda (a bracketed pair), Panther, Outfit, and Shirley Nothing In It? Not everybody agrees with the system of following numbers. Read what a correspondent has to say about it:— “ Years ago I was on Saratoga race track There were seven races on the card, it was the 7th of July, seventh month of the year. No. 7 was second in the first race, won the next five, and was a non-starter in the last. A punter starting with five dollars would have won 12,880 dollars betting ( all up.’ “Since that I watched numbers all over the world. There is nothing in it from a backer’s point of view, It is in-

teresting, and one doesn’t lose any more than in any other way. The only big ptintcr who ever made much backing a number was ‘Pittsburgh Phil.’ He started off as a labourer in- Pittsburgh when 24, and died in England at 33, and ,his property was sworn at £136,000. “He was a figure 3 crank, and bet this way. First bet to win £200; say at fives, £4O would go on. It it missed, next bet would be to win £240; say, at threes, £BO to go on. If it missed, next bet to win £320. When he struck a win he was always £2OO to the good. “I and a woman started that way, but backing the second favourite, not a number. We had only a small capital, and did moderately at first. Then we began to go ahead. Wo struck one run of losers, 17 on end. I was taken ill, and collaring the money she ‘skedaddled’ to Canada With £2OO it is a safe system, and gives good returns, better than numbers. ’ ’ STEWARDS DEFIED OUT FOB FIVE YEARS. SYDNEY, Feb. 8. Trouble arose at the Moruyta pony meeting yesterday over the Trial Handicap. Because of fluctuations in the betting on the event, the stewards ordered Childs, rider of China Boy, to return to the paddock. Childs refused to obey, Und, taking the horse off the course, sent him home. The stewards then disqualified Childs and China Boy for five years. At an inquiry held at Goonidiwindi before Mr Lonergan, stipendiary steward, C. Robinson and F. Robinson, joint owners of Leadla, and McDermott, rider of Leada, arifo the horse Leada, were disqualified for 12 momlis for improper practices