GOOD STEWARDS' TRIAL

Chronicle (Levin), 12 November 1946, Page 6

GOOD STEWARDS' TRIAL

SPECIALIST AT LEVIN Oue of ihe most impiessive performanees at tlie Levin Ilacing Club's spring meeting on Saturday waa registered by Spcciaiist, a locally-trained eandidate for the Stewards' at the New Zealand Cup nieeting this nionth. At Bulls the previous week, Specialist had indicated tliat he was fast approaehing his best fonn*by finishing second to New JJeer in the J. F. McKelvie Meniorial, and on the strength of that effort he carried the eonlidence of the publie at Levin. On Saturday he did not begin as sinartly as usual, but gradually worlced his wav through the field to be in fifth plaee at the turn, but still many lengths behind the pacemaker Peter Gazelle. Ouce straightened up the Broiefort gelding put in some great work to eventualiy liead Peter Gazelle in the • iast few strides. Track conditions were not eonsidered to be in favour of the longstriding Awapuni sprinter, and under the circumsUinces his performanee was all ihe more meritorious. He still looks susceptible to improvement, and with another eouple of weeks liex Beale should have his cliarge thorouglily attuiied for the big sprint at Riccarton. As the siake last Saturday was not uorth £4UU to the winner, Specialist eseapes a rehandieap for The Stewards' in which he is weighted at 7.10. On the strength of his forni on the secuml day of the Wellington nieeting, and iin outstunding gallop over a mile last l'hur.sday, linjiernii was strongly supported for the principal event, the iji'\ ui iiamlicap, and never at any stage did he give his supporters niueli eause for anxiely. lie liuished very truely niter ueiug well placed tliroughout, and the Ninth l)uke gelding 's eil'ort suggested liiat he should oe in line for liiriher success over a middle distance. ite has revealed botli speed and staniina and has pnn ed hiniself at home in any sort of going. uup Horses Fail Several New Zealand Cup candidates were seen out in the Levin Handieap, and the oniy oue to make a reai showing was the runner-up Xlaster Itobm. 1,1 e was made a good deal of use of out in front, but even so his perforniance di'.l not gain him any extra friends for tne two miier at Riccarton. t.ousiileriug that he did not look thorougnlv aituned, Royal Victor was a surpnsiiig favourite for the niain event ainl iii. suowing must have beeu dis- | appoint ing to his admirers. lle was ' aa.ays m the middle of tlie lieid and j did not iniprove at any stage. How- | i-ver, the goiug niay have alfecled his chances. Anoluer souud eil'ort weut to I tlie Jomily-trained Broieiield, who was | always in the picture to liiiish a creditj able llnrd. J. Thomson has the j Bioieloit gelding very well at presenl I and he may gel his chance at 1 eiiding llns week. The recenlly promoted liack Nanaaki iiuprosed most of the unpiaced division and, aftcr being in the rear oarly, slie liiusned well to be close up behind the placed huises. lucliue aiso shaped well at ni.-> liisl allenipl in opeu cumpany and u a.- ruiuung on well inlo iii'Lh piace at Ihe end. Jla\iug his lirst race since last Baxter, Pu-Xlaiama weut a very souud race in tiie .-pnut to Jiuish a good third. ile caine m for a fair measure of suppoit, and liis J'unvnni showing indicated pro>pects at the Feilding nieeting. lie is noa tniuied by his owners al Rata. In his races so far tliis season Robin's Rev.ard has l'ailed to run up to e spC' ta t luii.i and, altliough lie liuished iourtli in tlie J. R. XlcDonuid Xlomoriai, iic fuiled lo produce any dasli at the linisli ailer being oue of the oarly n'aders. Anolher good two year-oid of last season who nas failed to matei lalise l his tenn is Argumentativc, who did not show up at any stage on Saturday. Jttmpers in Form With condilions to suit, Tid-Apa liuished Ino well for the opposition in ihe J I igh w eiglit iiamlicap, and A. Yv right has tlie Wlieriko maro looking uiuch more solid tlian forinerly. She iooks a good prospect i'or a hurdle event in tlie i'uture. The Wood ville-trained llasten did not get too good a run, and tlie inaniier in whicli lie iinished pointed to his chances in the hurdle races at Feilding. After drawing number 20 at the barrier, (. oronara had to be hard ridden oarly to iiohl a position in the Xlaiden Race, and the iuanner in which he stuck to his task over tlie linal stages to iinish second was very encouraging. The i oioiuu h three-year-old has done little racing and is sure to iniprove with the experioiice. ile should not be long in gTadun.ii ng f luiu ihe novice ranks. But lor uearly i'aliiug when negotiating ihe honie tuni, Xlr. l'yni looked certaiu to tnke a luuid in the linisli of the Weraroa llack iiamlicap as he was liavelling very well on the outside ot the paceiuaker, Ludy Delight, who eveniually iinished second. The Wanganuitrained gelding is booked to contest the iiacK events at the New Zealand Cup nieeting. Oue of the smartest liack sprinters seen out was Mallow, a compactlv-built colt by Broiefort froni fcjea iielody, who eonies from a family which has left good winuers in Seatown, Weastar and Sea Kox. .Mailow outpaced the opposi lion in the Ma ko XI ako Hack llandicap ami looks like reaching good class. He is trained at llawtfra by E. G. Kendall, formeily of Awapuni. But for over-coiiJidence on the part of her rider, Sparkling Lady may have wun the I'luimpion Hack Handieap. The Rhodes Schoiar inare has nothing to coniniend her on appearances, but she dispiays rare staniina in her races and cannot be left out of calculations the lirst timo she is produced in au opou middle-distance handieap. Tlie greasy going on Saturday hampered several horses and more tlian oue had difiicuhy in negotiatiug the turns, in fact, a spili Avas narrowly averted on occasions.