AT WEIGHT-FOR-AGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 250, 21 October 1937, Page 4

AT WEIGHT-FOR-AGE

TRENTHAM “CLASSICS” THREE-YEAR-OLDS’ CHANCES Saturday will see the fifth race for the Trentham Stakes staged, and it promises to be the most interesting and instructive of the series, the winners of which include Heritage, Synagogue and Gallio. The feature of Saturday’s race may be the anticipated decisive encounter between Smoke Screen and Royal Chief. These two three-year-olds met for the first time this season in the Great Northern Guineas, and Smoke Screen was the victor by a head. Excuses have been offered for Royal Chief, but at present it may be best to accept that form on its face value, and therefore to assume that Smoke Screen is a shade the better horse of the age at present. As Smoke Screen too should be the more susceptible to further improvement, he is the logical favourite for the Trentham classic. It may be interesting to observe that honours are now easy between these two horses. They met three times as juveniles. At the first clash Royal Chief won the Great Northern Eoal Stakes and Smoke Screen was fourth. At the next Smoke Screen, in receipt of 71b. won the Pacilic Handicap at the Wellington autumn meeting, with Royal Chief eighth. At the third, Royal Chief, carrying a 101 b. penalty, narrowly won the North Island Challenge Stakes, seven furlongs, from Paper Slipper, Haughty Winner, and Smoke Screen, the last-named having only a 51b. penalty but being regarded at the time as a little unlucky in the running. There are only nine nominations for Saturday's Stakes, and Smoke Screen and Royal Chief naturally stand right out from the others. Haughty Winner, the Dunedin Guineas victor, with whom Night Dress will be coupled if both are -started, will doubtless have a following, but it is difficult to see him measuring up to Royal Chief, unless he has improved tremendously since Royal Chief so easily beat him in the Wanganui Guineas. If any horse does give Smoke Screen and Royal Chief a fright it may be the filly Brunhild, who impressed more than ordinarily when running third at Masterton on Thursday last, and who looks like turning out better than ever this term. Brunhild will have a 51b. concession for her sex. The Crooner's turn to take a share in the light for three-year-old supremacy may not come till later on.

The New Zealand Derby field is unlikely to include many horses who are not in the Trentham Stakes field. In the entry for the Canterbury Cup, two days after the Derby is run, the only additional three-year-old is the South Islander Happy Night, a Nightmarch gelding who is still a maiden. It is noted that Haughty Winner is not engaged in the Canterbury Cup field, tnough Night Dress is, which suggests that the Chokebore stable does not believe Haughty Winner will go the Derby distance. The Trentham Stakes has not yet been won by the horse who is destined to go on and win the Derby, or who has previously won the Derby; but it is still a young race only in its fifth season, and the result this year may finally give the right clue to the Riccarton classic. On Monday, the Labour Day holiday crowd will have the Harcourt Stakes as their titbit, when the three-year-olds will be pitted against the older horses. Here are the nominations for the two events:—

Second Day. TRENTHAM STAKES (Ot £500; one mile.) Lickem Brunhild Haughty Winner Royal Chief Nightdress Auto Sweep The Crooner Peach King, Smoke Screen Third Day HARCOURT STAKES (Of £5OO ; 11 miles.) Catalogue Queen of Song Cuddle Royal Chief Enge Smoke Screen Hunting Cat The Crooner Kinnoull Wild Chase Padishah