BALMACARA PREFERRED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 300, 20 December 1945, Page 7

BALMACARA PREFERRED

DISCUSSIONS ON RAILWAY HANDICAP (Special) Auckland, Dec. 19. Much interest will be taken in the chances of Balmacara in the Railway Handicap, the second leg of the big summer “double” at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. The Phaleron Bay colt certainly has credentials as the leading three-year-old in the province, for after finishing fourth behind Batal, Master Robin and General Lytup in the Avondale Guineas in September, he improved to win the Great Northern Guineas and the Waikato Guineas without being fully extended. Those have been his only starts this season, and as he is to take on much stronger opposition in the Great Northern Derby on New Year’s Day it may be taken for granted that the Takanini trainer, W. Clifton, will have him cherry ripe for the day. Thus his Railway Handicap engagement will provide a fine winding-up exercise for the classic contest. Balmacara is handicapped at a couple of pounds below scale weight, and he would only need to have something like a decent run in the big sprint to carry off the Honours. EXETER’S MISSION The fact that Exeter was rehandicapped an additional 31b. in the Christmas Handicap has decided his trainer to run him in the Railway Handicap instead. In the sprint he has 9.5 ana that impost was not added to after his success at Te Awamutu, over seven furlongs. Exeter is the topweight in the Railway Handicap and his impost is not excessive, for Neenah won with the same poundage last year. However, Exeter has yet to prove that he is as brilliant as Neenah over six furlongs, for all his best efforts of late have been over a slightly longer journey. Cambria (8.11) will be making his fifth attempt to win the Railway Handicap next Wednesday. He is easily the veteran of the so far as this particular contest Is concerned. As a three-year-old in 1941 he finished fourth under 7.1, and the following year he was second with 9.2. In 1943 he was out of the places with 9.3, and last Boxing Day he was fourth with 9.1. If he wins this time, Cambria will be following in Neenah’s footsteps for that horse has been fourth and first in the past two Railway Handicaps.

Reorapa has raced fairly well at Ellerslie in the past and should offer stiff opposition. He has 31b. less than when beaten a long way from home in the C.J.C. Stewards’ Handicap last month. Sweet Biscuit was second in the last Railway with 8.9. She won it a year earlier with 7.12 and this time she has 8.3. This fine mare appears to have not quite regained her brilliancy, and in the Stewards’ Handicap at Riccarton she was closer at- rhe finish than at anv part, weighing-in for fourth. She still has a good chance, for she has freshened up since her return.

Tuis may be the best of the visiting trio, for she won at Otaki and ran second in the Stewards’ Handicap last month. She also won at Ellerslie in the winter so she knows the track. Lord Luck has not quite come back to his best, but that race at Te Awamutu will sharpen him up and he will reveal improvement on Boxing Day. He captured the open sprints on the second and third days of the last summer meeting at headquarters. “SET” FOR RAILWAY

Theophilus has won two sprints at Ellerslie this season and was then put aside for the Railway Handicap, a race in which he shoula pe a very difficult horse to beat, for he has early speed as well as courage to light on. Verdant is a speedster and if he gets to the front may hold his position. Black Beret has been running on at. the end of his recent racing and that | may not be exactly the thing for this race. Kentish has not run up to brilliant track work for a long time, but Flowerburn and Cricket Ball have revealed brilliance in their latest outings. Down the scale there are possibilities about Deprive, My Bonnie, Bonny Pay, Olga’s Pal, King's Pride, Good Company, and White Blaze, for all have speed enough for a Railway Handicap success. It should be a fine contest on Boxing Day, with trainer F. D. Smith holding four strong cards: Cambria, Sweet Biscuit, King’s Pride and My Bonnie, all racing in different inter-, ests. However, to sum it up, the issue seems to lie between Balmacara and Tuis, with Theophilus, Sweet Biscuit, □nd Flowerburn also possibilties.