FOR EASTER HANDICAP

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 85, 11 April 1935, Page 4

FOR EASTER HANDICAP

THOMPSON CANDIDATES AN AUCKLAND REVIEW (Special to "Chronicle.”) AUCKLAND, April 10. t The Wellington Thompson Handicap - and the Auckland Easter Handicap are ? the two big autumn mile races, and i often the result of one has a direct 1 bearing on the other, as the Thomp- , son Handicap is run a few weeks be- ? foie the Ellerslie event. 1 It may not be very helpful in en- . deavouring to arrive at a solution of v the Easter Handicap problem to find s but four in that race who participated in the Trentham contest, but when it is said that the first and second horses are engaged, the position is much clearer. For instance, Rulanut won the Thompson Handicap easily with 75, t Gay Blonde was only just second from ' a bunch with 8.12, while Red Manfred 8.10 was eighth and Miss Hushabye 7.7 was further down the track. This quartet will in all probability be on hand again on Easter Saturday. Thus their second meeting over the same distance will be fraught with inI terest. Rulanut did most of bis racing ’ in Victoria prior to returning to the Dominion some six months back. There i 1 they had a pretty fair idea of his capai bilities, so the opinion of the critics on the other side that he was lucky to get in tthe Thompson Handicap with 7.5 (he was on the minimum until he , won at Bulls) might be said to have ‘ been borne out by the result. Taking * this into consideration, even with a ’ rise of 131 b. at Ellerslie he must be seriously considered, for. if the Australian critics are to be believed, Rulanut has only now received the weight he ought to have had previously. However, even they may be wrong and our I I own handicappers right. | Many horses fail at Ellerslie after : ' having shown really good form in the . I south, and in a good many cases this ' can be put down to the change from left-handed courses to a right-handed i track. It should not apply to Rula- 1 nut, however, for he raced here as a i I . two-year-old. without getting in the ! , I monpv. Gay Blonde’s Chances ! Gay Blonde was comfortab'y beaten by Rulanut after enjoying a good run. She is now up 41b on her Thompson Handicap impost, and her task is going to be more difficult here, despite the fact that she will be racing on her I favourite track and at her best dist--i ance. The filly is up to weight, and • I so she cannot be ruled out, for she now comes in on 91b. better terms ; with Rulanut. On the figures there should not be mu*eh between them at. the finish. The bihiich that disputed second money in the Trentham race with the Takanini filly are missing, . Red Manfred being the only one engaged, and he was eighth, about three lengths behind Gay Blonde. , Red Manfred usually races well at Ellerslie, and with the same impost as in the Thompson Handicap he should prove a hard horse to beat. Different riding tactics were adopted I after his Trentham failures and were successful at Awapuni, where he de- '• . feated all but Silver Ring in the Awa- : puni (’up and then won the mile and a-quartor handicap the second day under 9.2. He has run well ,at Ellerslie and he must be ticked off as a possibility. I’hp only other Thompson Handicap runner engaged in the Easier Handicap is Miss Hushabye, who comes down 4lb. and that mar not bring her up to the trio already named. If the course should be a quagmire, Miss Hushabye would advance considerably in t hp estimation of backers, for shp will then be seen at her best. She may not come north in anv case, for she has also been nominated for Foild- | ing. ‘ There will be strong northern oppo- I ■ sition. together with a few other visit- ; , ing horses, to oppose Rulanut. Gay ' 1 Blonde and Rod Manfred. Of the likely visitors from outside the prov- ■ ince Diatomous is an-interesting horse, and with 8.4 hp may hang on for the mile, for ho has gonp well over seven 1 ' furlongs. Sporting Blood is a good three-year-old and now with tne tracks i ; much easier hp will comp into his own; 1 * he is a possibility with 61b. under J I weight-for-age. The stablemates jßerepai and Rereatu are also in the former ! being in the Great Easter Handicap at Ricvarton as well, and it is possible they will be divided. Mother Superior has been disappointing since ( ! shp won the Taranaki Stakes so well 5 i and perhaps she will do better here. ( < Likely Taranaki Candidate Kuri was a double winner at Awapuni and as a result of those two efforts he must be considered a lightweight prospect. Lady Spy is the only other visitor and she does not measure up to his class. Of the home division, Solarium can be ruled out right away, for he has just broken down. Kiltowyn, the topweight, has a real job in front of him, o but he is eighteen-carat and only a few mornings ago he created a new track 1 record for six furlongs. He will bv a. 11 hard horse to beat, for he is honest and races up to his trials. King Musk v is a smart galloper, although he has * been a bit slow in the earlv part of 9 his races, generally a fataTweakness ,in this race. Gay Broney and Gay 1 Seton are nicely placed, and Gipsy Moth and Yersant are brilliant milers. The most interesting part about Kelly’s impost is that he is rated as 101 b. inferior to another three year-old in Sporting Blood in both the mile and the mile and a-quarter, and this despite the fact that Kelly was second in the Great. Northern Derby, Sporting I Blood being only fourth. In the Easter Handicap, Kelly has 16. b. below J weight-for-age, so on the figures he f reads a first-class proposition. Korokio, v Greek Gold, Impasto and Boughal may - be the best of those farther down. a In summing up the Auckland Easter a Handicap prospects one must concede i Kelly an excellent winning chance, while others in Kiltowyn, Rulanut, I Gay Blonde, Red Manfred and Gipsy c i Moth also have to be considered. The I Ihompson Handicap winner cannot be t omitted, even though Gay Blonde now I meets him 91b. better. That may allow I her to turn the tables, at Ellerslie at ( any rate. Although Gay Blonde is up Sl ' 41b. on Trentham weights, three-year- - : olds are expected to improve a couple B of pounds in the month intervening be- d ! I ween the running of the Thompson y I 2,

and Easter Handicaps, so that, looking at it in that light, the Takanini fillv is actually up 21b. only. In the Easter Handicap, 34 horses have been weighted, and when the acceptanaces >close next Friday it will probably be found that nearly half of them have been allowed to drop out.