AUCKLAND CUP

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 290, 8 December 1939, Page 4

AUCKLAND CUP

Te Awamutu May Give A Guide PROMINENT CANDIDATES CHANCES OF LLANGOLLEN Special to ‘'Chronicle.” AUCKLAND, Dec. 7. Since she resumed racing in the early spring Llangollen has never gone a bad race, despite the fact that she has not won, but she has been placed twice. All her efforts have been confined to sprinting, but nevt week she is to take on the Te Awamutu Cup. This fine galloper is well seasoned now and with this race and longer work-outs since she last raced at Te Rapa she should strip as fit as anything in the Auckland Cup field. Llangollen won the Herries Cup at Te Aroha, an eleven furlongs contest, last Fabruary. There may be a doubt about her at two miles, but she has a nice disposition and is an easy mount so she may go the Auckland Cup journey. She has certainly come Into favour for her Ellerslie engagement since the handicaps were released. A guide to the Auckland Cup problem is forthcoming with the declaration of the weights for the Te Awamutu Cup. For instance, in the Auckland Cup Golden Sheila has to concede Flood Tide 91b., whereas at a mile and a-quarter on Saturday week there will be 131 b. separating them. This points to an official view that Flood Tide is relatively better at two miles than Golden Sheila, an opinion held by many. So it is with Llangollen, for she gives Flood Tide a pound next week and at Ellerslie she receives a couple of pounds. Unlucky Baluiavar, The unluckiest handicap horse In the province is Ballnavar, for he has had several exasperating experiences this spring, which he started off with a second placing over seven furlongs at Paeroa. Then Birthday Boy beat him at Avondale after he had been left at the post at Ellerslie, and at Te Rapa he was second in the Cup after a bad beginning. Recently at Ellerslie he ran third after another slow beginning, and was second on the concluding day, Birthday Boy again accounting for him. Balinavar will be racing at home at Te Awamutu next week and if he gets away reasonably well he should play a prominent part in the Cup there, for he is nicely placed. Te Awamutu Cup. An early New Zealand Cup boom as* a result of an impressive Avondale Cup victory was The Cardinal, but on the grounds of lack of experience and a not-too-sound constitution, it was decided to keep him home. He contested the Mitchelson Cup several weeks ago and did not perform up to expectations, so he has been dismissed by many. However he is m the Te Awamutu Cup and if he makes a show in that event he will come into favour for the Auckland Cup. In all his races he has shaped like a stayer, and it will be in his favour that the stable lightweight, O. Evans, will be able to do the weight. The Hawke’s Bay filly Serenata is entered for two hack events at the Waipa fixture next week, and hei stablemate Baran is in the Te Awamutu Cup. Other horses from outside the district engaged at this n J are Kaiwaka, Noble Fox, Nyola Sly Fox Dictate, Indian Sun, Gold PelaL Gazeful and Blonde Princess. A notable feature of the all-round entry is the number of Auckland Cup and Railway Handicap entrants listed for Ihe three open races, so that visitors to this gathering will be able to gam some knowledge of the fitness of the Auckland candidates. One of the fastest horses on the tracks in the early mornings is Glen Connell, and yet he has not producer this pace in his races. On looks alone he would deceive anybody, for he is only three years old and could be taken as a handicap horse. He has failed consistently in maiden events since the season started. He took on good hack class, to show plenty ot speed and then fail to run on. In the non-winning class he could not go early, so it is a problem for his owner to know just how to place him. Glen Connell is in the Waipa Plate next week and with his light impost under scale weights he ought to be able to go all the way on this turning track. Not Eligible. The presence of two-year-olds in the Waipa Plate has always infused a lot of interest in that event, rm under weight-for-age conditions or maidens. Three were entered for this race on Saturday week at Te Awamutu. but this time they are not eligible. Upon the completion of the reconstructed course the six-furlong post was near a bend and it was shifted back 110 yards. Thus the sprint events are now run ovei 61 furlongs, a distance which two-year-olds cannot race over until March. THE TOTALISATOR AUSTRALIAN TYPE ADOPTION IN NEW YORK NEW YORK, Dec. 4. The managing director of Australian Automatic Totalisator, Limited, Mr. Lindsay Raytnciid, demonstrated a totalisator unit before a committee of New York race track promoters. They decided that this type of totalisator be installed in 1940 on the race tiacks throughout the State. The Palmerston North jockey, I. Rohloff, left last week for Sydney where he has accepted an engagement to ride Lucullus Lad in hurdle events. Lucullus Lad was sent to Sydney at the beginning of last month, and latest reports credit him with having pleased track watchers at RandwicA

One of the best jockeys in Australia, Frank Dempsey, has announced his retirement from race riding. Since 1915 Dempsey has ridden nearly 700 winners. On Eurythmic bp Don 21 races, including the Caulfield Cup, which he won three times. Dempsey rode 46 winners in one year in England, where he was retained by Sir Charles Tyde, isir Cunliffe-Owen and the Aga Khan, but his most famous association was with the Victorian trainer J. Holt, for whom he rode 1234 winners. Dempiey, who won his last race at Mentone in June does not intend to train.