THE CLUBMAN

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1591, 21 October 1920, Page 8

THE CLUBMAN

Amythas was in winning form again last week, from which it would appear that the racing at Wanganui and work in the interval livened him up quickly. He certainly won the Ranfurly Handicap at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s spring meeting on Saturday with a racehorse’s weight on his back, and presented a lot of poundage to Bengeroop, who has been a consistent performer in the South Island, but clearly belongs to quite another class to Amythas, who it was thought necessary to race in order to have ready for his Wellington engagements and races to follow. We very rarely find horses winning flat handicaps so early in the season with so much weight as 10.8 up; indeed, it is a performance on the part of Amythas that no other gelding at four years old has registered or ever been called upon to register on a metropolitan club’s course in a race at eight furlongs with a 7.0 minimum. When any horse wins with such an impost one naturally studies the composition of the field, and having done so must sum up accordingly. Bengeroop was in receipt of 441 b., but Radical, who was third, had only 141 b. from the Demosthenes gelding, who won by a length and a-quarter, in Imin. 42 3-ssec. on a dull course after overnight rain, though it would not appear to be so very dead from the fact that in the next race, Songbird just broke 50sec. for the half mile, with 8.3 up.

Winter Wind, considered by many the best southern two-year-old last season, accounted for the Dunedin Guineas, just prior to Amythas winning, in Imin. 43|sec, with Sunny Corner and Ruena . filling the places. Sir George Clifford has had a good innings in the Dunedin Guineas, and that race has been run in Imin. 42 sec., which was the fastest time recorded, Snub, with Imin. 42 l-ssec. to his credit, being the only other winner to do better than Winter Wind did on Saturday. These comments and figures are presented to give some idea of the value from a time and weight-carrying performance that Amythas was equal to. It will be interesting to see how the respective Guineas race winners of the season get on as it advances. The Wanganui Guineas went to Duo (by Demosthenes), the Avondale Guineas to Landslide (by Kenilworth), the Hawke’s Bay Guineas to Humbug (by Absurd), and the Dunedin Guineas to Winter Wind (Antagonist — Windwhistle). Demosthenes, Kenilworth, and Absurd are imported sires, and Antagonist is an Auckland-bred one. Now, what is the odds against Lucullan, by imported Lucullus from imported Merry Nif, winning the Great Northern Guineas, or is one three-year-old to be credited, as in some previous years, with a brace of Guineas wins?

If the list of those left in the Great Northern Guineas conveys any idea, the race at Ellerslie next month gives one the impression now that it will • produce the larger field. Humbug/ by the popular vote, will be acclaimed the best -of the three-year-olds; in commission over-a mile,, and it has yet to be demonstrated whether there are any that have raced so far this season in New Zealand that can beat- him over the Derby distance. If there is one or more capable of doing so it will be very interesting to have, the form of Mr. G. D. Greenwood’s Vespucci, who has been racing in Australia, to guage it by, and Vespucci finished outside a place at Randwick in the classic event there, being thus some pounds at least, if not 141 b., between him and Salitros, the winner of the A.J.C. Derby. Vespucci may have been all that much inferior to the Australian colt, and still be equal to giving the best of our three-year-olds a dust up, as such racing as he has had beyond the Tasman Sea on the island continent usually does Mason’s charges some good, and he should not prove an exception.

Whether the Wellington meeting will see Vespucci in commission so soon after his return from Australia is thought doubtful in some quarters, but if he and others of his age figure in the Champion Plate on weight-for-age terms with Amythas and Co., the Wellington Racing Club’s executive, who have endorsed the action of their predecessors who inaugurated the race by continuing to let it figure on. spring programmes will be well content. The Champion Plate is a race that we all hope and believe has come to stay and to provide many contests worthy of the name of champions as in the past. Some pretty good ones have won, and others have also been beaten in the race since its inception. There are some decidedly useful horses engaged next week, and the race should prove one of the star attractions of the meeting. The two-mile weight-for-age race, the Trentham Gold Cup, run in the back end of each season, has also brought out some excellent material. Merry Roe and Warstep,

winners, were both good mares. Eligible, Sasanof, and Amythas are winning geldings each of top class, and Kilboy was certainly a really first-rate colt.

If the American-owned Man o’ War, who has already won 249,466 dollars, for the two years he has been racing, as against 280,675 dollars won by Isinglass, stands up to furthei- galloping tests, and Mr. Sam. Riddle should send him to England to run for the Ascot Gold Cup next year, we must express the hope that he will continue sound, and thus have the opportunity of meeting the best that can be produced against him on setweight terms. Some fine stayers have won this long-distance race, and some have won it in two successive years, Prince Palatine, The White Knight, Isonomy, Fisherman (who came out to Australia), The Hero, Touchstone, Anticipation, and Bizarre being the examples. It would be a good time to tackle the job with the American crack, but no doubt they would dig up one or two good enough to take him on, either for speed or for staying. It is about time America discovered another horse good enough to emulate the deeds of Foxhall, who, in 1882, as a four-year-old, gave the Americans their first and only win

in that particular race. That good Australian, Merman, won in 1900. The race was established in 1807, and was called the Emperor’s Cup from 1846 to 1853, but was revived and was again called the Ascot Gold Cup thereafter until the recent war period. After being abandoned in 1915 and 1916, it was run at Newmarket and called the Newmarket Gold Cup in 1917 and 1918, in which years Gay Crusader and Gainsborough won, By Jingo winning last year, when the race was renewed at Ascot. Man o’ War, as supposed, is one of the two best colts bred in America during the past half century. That would make him a greater horse than Foxhall, who was a descendant of the No. 15 family, and whose dam, Jamaica, was got by the famous Lexington. Not only did Foxhall win the Ascot Cup, but the Cesarewitch, Cambridgeshire Stakes, Grand Duke Michael Stakes, Bedford Stakes, Bretby Nursery, and Claret Stakes, and ran Bend Or to a head in the City and Suburban Handicap.

The cabled news from England that Sir Samuel Hordern has purchased a new sire for his stud in New South Wales will not occasion any surprise, as he is one of the wealthy supporters of breeding and racing who can afford to go into the English market at any time in quest of what he wants. The fact that he has selected the. now four-year-old colt Violoncello will come as good reading to . Auckland readers, and more particularly to those in the Waikato and others interested in the importation of the. thoroughbred sires Day Comet and Archiestown, as Violoncello is a half-brother to Day Comet, who has yearlings and foals representing him on a good many farms and is again doing stud duty in the Waikato. There is a fulibrother to Day Comet named Quiriologist already in Australia, sb we shall have plenty of the blood of Catgut through those horses and the newcomer. Day 'Comet and Quinologist are by St. Frusquin, but Violoncello is by Valens, who last season was one of the seven leading sires in England, with such horses as Arion, Cydonia, The Vizer, Valley, and Violoncello amongst his winners. The last-named won two good races at two years old and was also placed and showed staying qualifications. The price paid for Violoncello has not transpired, but

the cable says that he was passed at the sales at Newmarket at, 3700 guineas, so that we thus get some idea of what he cost his new owner and what is thought of the blood in the Old Land. Lactantros, the sire of Catgut, dam of the hoyses named and of Planet and Catagat, other good performers, was a horse of splendid conformation and a good performer, Day Comet taking more after him than of St. Frusquin.

Interest in the two-year-old form is increasing with each meeting. Already this season there have been more starters than is usually the case, more juveniles being in training in different parts of the Dominion than in any previous season. They are well catered for nowadays by most clubs. It is rather early to come to definite conclusions about some of the youngsters, but it is safe to assume that there are several well above the average. Their deeds show it, and if there are more likely to come out during the next few weeks or during the

season as good or nearly as good as the best that have acquitted themselves so far, then we should be satisfied with the breeding pursuits of studmasters generally, whether they are breeding for their own use or for sale. Mermin and Rational, each winners of two races, are good advertisements for imported Absurd, who in his first season and last season had it fully demonstrated to racegoers through his few representatives that he is a begetter of speed, his strong point when racing himself. So far the chief races have fallen to his representatives. Should Mermin and Rational meet at Trentham each of these winners will be viewed with interest, as they have not met yet. There are others engaged at the Wellington meeting from which much is expected. When the best of the North Islanders meet the best of the South Islanders at Riccarton we shall have a still better idea of the value of the form of the best ofMhe . two-year-old division. It would, seem that we are to have an interesting muster of youngsters for the Auckland Racing Club’s Welcome Stakes, and visitors that have not yet appeared so far north are likely to be starters, and as there will be juvenile beginners at the meeting of the A.R.C. as well. Ellerslie racegoers and breeders will find much to interest them.