Raukawa Handicap At The Otaki Maori Meeting Has Attracted Useful Field

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 December 1949, Page 7

Raukawa Handicap At The Otaki Maori Meeting Has Attracted Useful Field

(By

“KESTREL”)

During the midsummer holiday racing campaign, which will be set going at Awapuni a fortnight from today, there will be some richer events than the Raukawa Handicap, to be run at Otaki today, even though this race has a £l2OO stake. However, that faet alone will endow the Otaki event with a good deal of additional interest.

Supporting events on the Otaki Maori Racing Club’s programme today have also attracted fields of generous proportions, and there are prospects that divisions will be required in two events.

Heading the list of acceptors for the Raukawa Handicap, and rated on level terms at 9.8 are Lord Manna and Robin’s Reward, two of the most useful handicappers in commission. Lord Manna was the “find" of last season’s provincial handicap horses, and his defeat in the Hawke’s Bay Cup did not lower his prestige materially. He has had a couple of races this season and may not be seen at his best till a little later. Robin’s Reward has sported silk only once this season, but he generally runs good races fresh up. However, he is reported to be very burly and may not be capable of footing it with the more seasoned horses at this early stage. Barrage showed good form at this stage last season, winning a division of the Raukawa Handicap, and on his display in the open sprint at Woodville a fortnight ago he must be respected. Imperial is another who favours the Otaki track —he was also a division winner in the Raukawa Handicap a year ago—but he would have to show marked improvement on his Feilding form to get in the money. Tenor Royal won some useful handicap events last season but has so far failed to reproduce that form this season. However, he is reported to be in good heart and may improve rapidly. The Missioner was responsible for a sterling performance in the St. Andrew’s Handicap at Feilding, going under in the last stride to Gay Stroller. The Revelation horse has shown improvement in his four races this season and appears to be on the verge of striking the good form he revealed last autumn. Blue Seal was a winner at the Otaki spring meeting and in spite of failures in later essays he cannot be left out of calculations. Golden Spa has proved himself a consistent three-year-old without being up to the standard of the best of his age. At 7.13 he is handily placed in a provincial handicap. On the same mark is Merry Robin, who came home strongly for third at Woodville and will have an advantage in racing on his home course. Outlook led throughout to win a division of the Bolton Handicap at Woodville and then proved equal to beating all but Travel King in the open sprint last Saturday. The Robin Goodfellow horse is in great heart and further successes should come his way.

Lady Minter should prove best of the lightweights, but the prospects of The Missioner, Barrage and Outlook may make most appeal. HUIA HANDICAP

Faultina will have to carry 9.13 as topweight in the Huia Handicap, the open sprint, and that will be a task she has not hitherto essayed, though at Stratford in her last start she proved capable of winning the Stewart Handicap under 9.3. Demonic has not raced since the Trentham October meeting, and a better prospect may be Wild Note, who shaped like an early improver at i Feilding and Woodville. Castlebrae was an impressive winner at Woodville, where the Robin Goodfellow gelding registered a fine performance under 7.13, in the Oete Handicap. King of Quiz has been mixing his racing with appearances over the hurdles, and he may not be able to concede weight to Veine d’Or, a good winner at Feilding. Improvement on recent displays would be required if the winner were U to come from further down the handicap. though Malanui, Eireann, Garry and Blue Bonny are capable of running out six furlongs smartly. Form suggests that Castlebrae,' Veine d’Or and Faultina will take a good deal of beating. The chances are that divisions may be required in the Kuao Stakes, for two-year-olds. In the first division Flying Cash, a winner at Feilding and likely to improve stm further, will be pitted against Magnate, who showed a good turn of speed at Woodville. Super Shah is another who has shown promising form, and Coralline’s second placing at Woodville suggested that the Neptune filly should win in her turn. The only runner in the second division who has proved capable of filling a place is Bonnie Charlie, who was third at Masterton and again at Trentham. Probably Wee Wings and Early Briton may be his most danerous opponents. There are some interesting runners in the hack events. Golden Sun, winner of a non-tote maiden at Trentham, may be the favourite in the six-furlong Waitohu Hack Handicap. Lakeside will be running out her hack nominations in the seven-furlong Otaki Hack Handicap, the Felous filly k. having won a race last season as well as two, at Waverley and Woodville, in the current term. Lakeside is also engaged in the Te Horo Hack Handicap, run over ten furlongs, a distance at which she won at Woodville, but in this she would meet Princess Diane, who was an impressive winner at Woodville. The hurdlers will be racing on the flat in the Tararua Highweight, an event won last year by Lord Manna, and here pace will be a deciding factor. The going is expected to be in excellent order, and horses likely to command support include the following:— Taratua Highweight.—Royal Beau, Omega, Fighting Fox. Kuku Maiden Race.—First Division: Lord Burford, Sad Sack. Second Division: Red Flight, Goldfort. Waitohu Hack Handicap.—Golden Sun, Survivor, Jimmy Wilde. Raukawa Handicap.—The Missioner, Barrage, Outlook. Kuao Stakes. —First Division: Flying Cash, Magnate. Second Division: Bonnie Charlie, Wee Wings. Otaki Hack Handicap.—Sweet Seventeen, Reflect, Laucala Bay. m. Huia Handicap.—Castlebrae, Veine ~ dOr. Faultina. Te Horo Hack Handicap.—Princess Diane, Lakeside, Boyhood.