CENTURY HURDLES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 132, 5 June 1937, Page 6

CENTURY HURDLES

WANGANUI’S OPENING DAY REVIEW OF THE PROSPECTS A generous policy with regard to stakes, now .£l6OO above the level of two years ago, has enabled the Wanganui Jockey Club to attract for the winter meeting some of the most useful horses in commission in the Dominion. Over the country and over battens, as well as on the flat, the class represented is commendably good, and contests to-day, when the meeting opens, promise to be keen and interesting. Weather conditions for more than a week have been eminently favourable, and the interest aroused in the fixture should ensure that there will be a large crowd present, provided the wet weather of yesterday proves only a passing phasa. The totalisator will be operated on the single-pool system, with a dividend indicator for the guidance of patrons. A brief review of the form, with a summing-up of the fields, may provide further interest. J 2.0 PURUA HACK HURDLES. Of £150; one mile 4| furlongs i. Though the field for this recently-revived hack hurdle race is on the small side, the issue is rat>» open. Red Manfred’s rehandicap places him at the top of the list. He won so impressively at Foxton last Red Mautrm .11 2 Saturday that it would be difficult to pass him by here. „ . _ He is one of the best recruits to the hurdling branch u ng uecn of racing. In Hunting Queen he will to-day meet an Bthiop .. .. 10 o experienced hurdler, though she is a year younger. The Red Rufu 9 8 liuntin 8 Song mare has won twice over battens at u ’ ’ Feilding. Ethiop, a Douro Cup winner, showed aptitude Petrarch .... 9 2 at Foxton and may go even better here. Red Rufus is also in the Century Hurdles but he would have a better er. uc ß y rg w chance here. Petrarch won over the Foxton “country,” and Kentucky Song has been pleasing at New Plymouth. However, one comes back to form horses in RED MANFRED, HUNTING QUEEN, ETHIOF. 12.10 WINTER OATS. i IJf £200; six furlongs). The field for this sprint will be reduced to six by the defection of Moatoa and Collodion (who has gone Ben Brags l ® . »12 amiss). Ben Braggie has been responsible for several Notium .... sit impressive performances, and in'spite of his heavy impost he will not be friendless. Gold Mission was narGold Mission . 811 row -]y beaten at Egmont and Foxton so her chances Tonnerrc ... x « appear good. Notium has disappointed on occasions but may go better on this course, as he won here last JanuSolarii .. .. x 2 ary ' Tonnerrc will have to improve, as will Solaria, Hunting Lodge x o who may be held safe by Hunting Lodge. The lastnamed just faded out over the final stages of seven Collodion ...so f ur iongs at Foxton. Favourites may be GOLD MISSION, BEN BRAGGIE, NOTIUM. |.20 CENTURY HURDLES. 1 1 Jl £350; two mile and 194yds. This is going to be a better field than was the case twelve months ago, when only four lined up but provided an excellent contest. The winner on that occasion, CUnon c»n .i: ? Ruaform, is again engaged, but he appears to be overshadowed by Clarion Call. Last year Clarion Call Ruaform . ..io s dropped his rider at the last fence in the Great NorthJournet .. .. 912 ern Hurdles just when he had the race virtually won. Last month he beat all but Boughal in the first-day Brigadore ... 9 hurdle race at Egmont, and in spite of his defeat at Beau Gahante :• « Te Rapa he may be the favourite to-day. Journet has good form to commend him and appears very fit, as does contact .. .. » t another ’Bay candidate in John Charles. The lastJohn Charles . « 2 named won at Riccarton with 10.1, so he has a handy impost. Brigadore may be shaded by Beau Gallante, Sporting Song 9 2 wJ)O j ikes the yy an g anu i course. Contact is another Bed Rufu- » u likely to have friends. Sporting Song and Red Rufus have other engagements and may be absentees when the field lines up. A useful trio appears to consist of CLARION CALL, JOHN CHARLES, JOURNET. 2.(, ijALGOWNIE HACK HANDICAP. 'if £175; eight and a-half furlongs;. As this event is expected to give a line on me Bristol Hack Cup form should be valuable. Brazen Mrblm KIBE 9 i King 6 as thc honour at the top and will go well. Airing i Myriam has some excellent performances to her credit Lads Siegfried s 11 and may avenge her Egmont defeats. Airing has been Corowa .. .. xll getting through solid work and will be improved as a Ti, a result of his Foxton race. Corowa is a useful Hawera Maahanui ... 8 .1 representative, and Lady Siegfried promises to have a Galteemore .. s ? good chance. Maahanui impressed at Hawera by beatEara €r .s ’ ing all but Le Grand over nine furlongs. Further down Naughty the list are useful ones ’in Eara, Cloudy Bay and Marietta ..so Naughty Marietta, but the best of the minimum division ParaMno* 7 so * s Parak ino, who ran a really good race at Foxton and Koura Rua so has worked well. Prominent at the finish may be MAAHANUI, PARAKINO, AIRING. 2.4< > GRANDSTAND STEEPLECHASE. Of £350; about two and a-half miles). It was expected that the good stake would attract • Bonme Roik»* ii < a better field, but of course there are some 'chasers at Riotous . .. io 12 Ellerslie that otherwise would have been here. Bonnie Rollox will attract a good deal of attention, and as he Sporting Song 9 u gains a lot of ground at his jumps he must do well here. Royal Banquet 9 8 Riotous has won. two Wanganui Steeplechases, so he knows the country, and he may be better since his run Battleground .9n at Hawera. Sporting Song has won twice and finished Riogha>i .... an second in his three cross-country essays. Royal Banquet was a winner over country at Otaki last year. Platter 9 o Platter is the most promising of the three on the minimum, his second to Petrarch at Foxton being a good performance. Backs may prefer BONNIE ROLLOX, SPORTING SONG, RIOTOUS 3.2<) EMPIRE HANDICAP. Of £250; one mile and a distance;. This is a good field which must compensate the club for some of the other disappointing responses. Friesland put up a great performance at the Egmont meeting ’ an antl cannot be ruled out even at 9.9. Taitoru will also Pukeko ” ” sii go well, and Pukeko was finishing on well at Foxton, Tieer Gain .. 89 where he got the third placing behind One Whetu and Red Manfred .’ s 4 Royal Banquet. Tiger Gain is solid but Gay Boy will Mandamus .’. 7is ”e preferred on his recent good showings. If Red International . 7ii Manfred starts he may be one of the best backed, but S?*Nigri ,rVal 7 9 Mandamus galloped so well on Thursday that he is i,e Grand . 7 x preferred. International is due to repeat his Feilding Royal Banquet 7 x form, and Master Norval has come on well since located '^ia“ia Ck ’ 7 7 al Wan S anui - Le Grand should do best of the rest, among whom there may be further defections. In a field of about g dozen the preference is likelv to be for FRIESLAND, MANDAMUS, PUKEKO. 4.5 BOROUGH HACK HANDICAP (Of £150; six furlongs;. This is another excellent field, though defections Flymz chief ’ 9 s may reduce the number of starters considerably. Airing, Taro 9 s Maahanui and Parakino claim other engagements. Airins $ 4 Dictate has been reserved for this race and he will be liawnin' Light stn weU su PP orted - riving Chief led all the way to win Nsatirahiri ft 5 over this distance at Hawera. If Airing takes this on Rotoma .... 8 8 he will have a great chance. Winsome Lu has done well Maahanui ... 8 ft on t ke New Plymouth tracks, and Ngatirahiri may be Te Huia 5 " 8 st expected to improve on Hawera running. Eara, Rotoma Race Cail .. 8 2 and Te Huia are all good winners, and Parakino and . x o Captain Treville are two good local candidates. Malibu Fleetins* ArroX s o nearly sprang a surprise at Foxton and appears to have River Feale . s n come good again, but in an event which appears difficult Malibu .... s o to sum up owing to dual engagements the decision must Fair Isle .... 8 0 be {or FLYING CHIEF, DICTATE, ROTOMA.