FREE FOR ALL WON BY PLUTUS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 45, 16 November 1940, Page 17

FREE FOR ALL WON BY PLUTUS

Metropolitan Trots MIDDLETON HANDICAP TO GRACIE FIELDS Dominion Special Service. CHRISTCHURCH. November 15. The New Zealand Mr«»poJil;: i> I’rottiii" Club’s meeting concluded al Adilingloif todav in line but overcast weather before a verv big attendance. The track was fast till'the sixth race, when a heavy shower passed over Ihe ground. Hie totalizator handled £7(1,584/10/-. compared willi 171.009/10/- on the concluding (lav last tear. The lotal lor the nieeiiii'- was 1205.118, compared with £190.190, an increase of 15929. Makes Amends. For the first time in three starts al the meeting Dark Hazard began well am trotted solidly to win the Holmwood Handicap. On one occasion he had goi» away pacing and ou the other he had broken up badly at the start. He paid a good double-figure dividend on the win machine. After the race a charge of inconsistent racing was lodged against Dark Hazard by the stipendiary steward, but no action was taken. Stormtost Narrowly. Stormtost, withstanding a strong challenge from Mendel, won the Cashmere Handicap by a very narrow margin, while Frisco Bov. coupled with the winner, was third, ahead of Three Tens. But for a mistake at the start Three Tens would possibly have taken a hand in the exciting finish. Exciting Contest.. The Australasian Handicap provided another exciting contest, and. alter a tine display of pacing and a most determined finish, Superior Bank won narrowly from King’s Jubilee and Trireme. While Superior Rank won like a genuine racehorse, it appeared that Great Blaze was unlucky, lie lost a lot of ground at the start and had to cover a good deal of extra ground to get near the leaders. Driver’s Record. M. Stewart, who drove Colonel Grattan to win the Louisson Handicap in 3.11 4-5. now has the distinction of having driven the winners of the two fastest run mile and a half races in New Zealand in the same race. Last year Stewart drove Blair Athol to record 3.11 3-5. The winner confirmed the form he had shown earlier nt the meeting, and his performance was one of the best seen on the course for many a day. Donald Dim paced evenly throughout, but it seemed that, had Southern Chief been better placed in the early stages, he would have been hard to beat. Gracie Fields. Gracie Fields may have been helped by the shower of rain that fell at the start of the Middleton Handicap aud continued throughout the race. In contrast to some of her recent performances, Gracie Fields trotted home solidly from the start and made not a mistake through the race. _ While Mohican was smartest to begin, Greeie Fields was soon in charge, and she led from Mohican, Franz Derby, Manna's Son, Captain Bolt and Lament, with Tan John most prominent of the others. With six furlongs to go, Gracie Fields still led from Manna’s Son, Captain Bolt. Franz Derby and Lament, who bud made up a lot of ground. Ruin and tricky going caused by rain appeared to work against Captain Bolt and the other horses, and Gracie Fields, trotting solidly, had no trouble to win from Manna’s Sou and Parrish Guide, who had made up a lot of ground in the last half'mile. Next in order were Franz Derby and Captain Bolt. After the race Parrish Guide was disqualified for excessive galloping. Free Eor All. I’lutus scored a popular win in the Free for All. The state of the track and the weather did not help toward fast .times and the 2.46 3-5 registered for the mile and a quarter has been beaten sev-