GREAT EQUINE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 53, 4 March 1939, Page 7

GREAT EQUINE

Advance’s Remarkable Career WEIGHT-CARRYING FEATS WON WITH 291 b. OVER WEIGHT-FOR-AGE No three-year-old contested the Wanganui Cup. That is not unusual, tor three-year-olds are not often raced in this event, and probably owners will be averse to racing them in hanidicap company over twelve furlongs or more. It might have been expected t'-rt the connection of Beaupartir u_4 have accepted the invitation to (,e Lhe Beau Pere colt a chance in , -...day’s race, but plans following h acceptance necessitated his. withdrawal. Just how good a chance he cad at 8.10 may be gathered from Defaulter's Wellington Cup win under 8.11. Mr. J. E. Henrys, now living in retirement at Remuera, but up to a couple of years ago the doyen of NewZealand handicappers, quotes St. Hippo's performance in winning the Auckland Cup in 1892. carrying 8.9. and winning easily in 3.304. He was first favourite and carried 141 b over weight-for-age. Then there was Nonette. who won the Easter Handicap tone mile) at Ellerslie in 1902, carrying 9.11. which was 171 b over weight-for-age. He started first favourite. Cruciform won the Railway Handicap at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. 1901, carrying 9.0—151 b over weight-for-age. Cruciform started favourite and won easily. Greatest of All? And now comes Advance, who carried 10.5 lo victory in the Autumn Handicap (14 miles) at Ellerslie in 1900, in. 2.40 l-ssec. He carried 291 b over weight-for-age, and established a world record for a t hree-year-old oxer one and a half-miles in a handicap event. Taking everything into consideration, Advance was the best performer 1 have seen, continues Mr. Henrys. He raced over all distances, from five furlongs lo three miles. He started only twice as a two-year-old, winning his first race, but failed to get a place in his second start. The fact of his being raced in only two events as a two-year-old no doubt accounted to a large extent for his marvellous performances as a three-year-old. Many of our horses have their racing careers ruined by early two-year-old racing. As a three-year-old Advance started off by winning the Flying Handicap, six furlongs, with 7.8, at the Hawke's Bay spring meeting. His next victory was in the C.J.C. Riccarton Welter, six furlongs, with 9.13 up, and then fo-llowes his win with the Hutt Park Handicap, seven furlongs, carrying 8.8. Next followed his splendid performance in the Autumn Handicap at Woodville, one mile and a distance, with 9.5 in the saddle. The next week he captured the Wanganui Cup. one mile and three-quarters, with 7.8 on his back, winning easily by five lengths in 3min. 4sec.. and on the second day took the Wanganui Stakes, one mile and a half, 8.5, easily, in 2min. 36 2-ssec. His next victory—in less than a fortnight—was the Dunedin Cup, one mile a,nd a half, which he won comfortably with 8.7 on his back. At the Auckland Easter meeting, about three weeks later, he carried 9.6 to victory in the Easier Handicap, one mile. On the second day of the same meeting he won the Century Stakes with 9.0 up, one mile and a half, by three lengths, while on the third day he carried the steadier of 10.5 to victory in the Autumn Handicap. one mile and a half, winning easily by two lengths. This perform- ’ ance, as far as I know, has never been equalled by any three-year-old. Advance started his four-year-old career in the early spring, by winning the Wanganui Stakes, one mile and a half, with 10.5 on his back, scoring easily by three lengths. His next success was in lhe Canterbury Cup. one mile and I hree-quarters, at weight-for-age (9.0). when he defeated the C.J.C. Derby winner. Renown (7.9 >. by a neck. On the fourth day of the meeting he won the Jubilee Cup. one mile, by three lengths, carrying 9.7. At the' Auckland summer meeting he scored an easy win in the Auckland Plate, one mile and a half, weight-for-age. Four Efforts at Flemington He was then shipped to Australia to compete in the Newmarket Handicap al the Victoria Racing Club's March gathering. He finished third in that event with 9.11, to Wakeful, with the light impost of 7.6. On the second day he ran unplaced with 9.7 in the Australian Cup, two miles and a quarter. He was saddled up on the third for the Champion Plate, three miles, weight-for-age, and finished second to La Carabine. On the fourth day he contested the Lough Plate, one mile, at weight-for-age, and it was little wonder he failed to gain a place after his three severe earlier races. At the Australian Jockey Club's Eastern carnival the following month, Advance won the Autumn Stakes, one mile and a half, al weight-for-age, defeating La Carabine by half a length, after a gallant race. On the third day, the son of Vanguard was again victorious in the All-aged Stakes, one mile, at weight-for-age, winning with the greatest ease. On the fourth day, in the A.J.C. Plate (three miles) he started first favourite but. was only able to finish third to La Carabine and San Fran, winner of the Sydney Cup at the same meeting. After the severe racing he went through at Flemington and Randwick over all distances, not to mention his brilliant and startling achievements in New Zealand as a three and four-year-old. he went amiss, and did not sport silk again until he figured as a six-year-old. Then he was victorious in his first, effort, the Wellington Cup, in which he was handicapped at 10.4. So impressive was his win in the Wellington Cup that he was handicapped for the Wanganui Cup. run a few weeks later, over one mile and threequarters, at 11.3. Notwithstanding his heavy burden, the public sent him out first favourite, but the winner was Mars (7.7). I have no recollection of any horse carrying a heavier weight in a long distance event with a 6.7 minimum. On the second day Machine Gun (7.2) beat Advance (9.7) by a length in the Jackson Stakes, six furlongs. Machine Gun, I may add. was one of the greatest sprinters in Australasia. He holds the record of 58sec. for five furlongs, which he

established when carrying 11.5 in the Randolph Handicap at the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting with a 6.7 minimum. He also won the Great Easter Handicap, seven furlongs, with 10.4, and carried 10.12 to victory over six furlongs at Randwick, and in 1906 started with 11.3 in the Newmarket Handicap, the leading sprint handicap idi Australasia. Machine Gun’s brilliant performances at Randwick and in New Zealand, no doubt entitled him to the 11.3 at which he was handicapped in the last-mentioned event. My reason for quoting Machine Gun’s performances was merely to prove what a task was set Advance when he had to carry 9.7 to Machine Gun's 7.2 in the Jackson Stakes. Advance, the “Black Demon,” as he was termed, carried silk last in the Challenge Stakes at the Canterbury Jockey Club's Easter meeting in 1903, but unfortunately he was unable to finish, even to gain third money, there being only three starters, through hopelessly breaking down after going a couple of furlongs.

“Never a Greater’’ Mr. Jos. Prosser declared there never was a greater horse racing than Advance, and, rightly, marvelled that he should have survived the severe ordeal he was put to as a four-year-old with his strenuous racing at Flemington and Randwick. When Advance was taken to Victoria he had been specially prepared to win the Newmarket Handicap, and both his trainer and Charlie Jenkins, one of our very best jockeys of his day, declared that Advance was unlucky to lose that race. Mr. Prosser has always been acknowledged as an excellent judge, and one of our best trainers, and an ardent lover of horses. In the days of Advance he was very much in the limelight, leading in many winners, and he and that great horseman, Charlie Jenkins, who piloted Advance in nearly all his successes, are both of the opinion that when Advance won the Autumn Handicap in Auckland in 1900 as a three-year-old, "with 10.5, and when he scored so easily in the Wellington Cup with 10.4, he probably could have carried 11.0 to victory in either race. Hence my reason for quoting Advance as New Zealand’s greatest horse, and my opinion, I can say, was endorsed by four of Australasia’s best judges of form—my old friend, the late Mr. Joe Chadwick, who handicapped Advance at 10.4 in the Wellington Cup; the late Mr. Joe Evett, who allotted the black champion 11.3 in the Wanganui Cup; the late Mr. F. Dakin, who weighted Advance when only four years old, at 9.7 in the Australian Cup; and the late Mr. John Daly, the Australian Jockey Club's handicapper, who awarded him 9.10 in the Sydney Cup, two miles, and 9.13 in the Doncaster Handicap. Facts and performances speak for Advance’s greatness, and I know that all unbiassed sportsmen will concur with the opinions of the gentlemen I have just mentioned with whose judgment, concerning Advance, I entirely agree. He was a truly great horse, and not the least reiharkable feature of 19 wins was the fact that in only six of his winning exploits did he carry less than 9.0,