THE CESAREWITCH

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1929, Page 8

THE CESAREWITCH

GREAT TEST. OF STAMINA

(From "The Post's" ilsoresentative.)

LONDON, 18th October.

Great crowds have been at Newmarket this week for the "first October" Meeting, lastiiig four days. Of course, the '"'star turn" w'iia the- Cesarewiteh Stakes. The winner was not the favourite, thou-h he had some following because he was fourth iv Ihu. same event a year ago. Bui very few students of form seem to have placed importance to this iact, and his name was not selected even as being a likely one for a place by the racing correspondents of the daily Press.

The result for the 2H miles of a very severe course, was:—

1. West Wicklow; (Mr.. D. O'M. Lcahv) C. Richards. :. 2. Friendship (Mr. J. B. Joel), J. Dines 3. Brown Jack (Colonel H. A. Wernher), S. Doiiokliuc. Won by a length; a length between second and third.

The winner, an Irish gelding, won in the record time of 3min 41 2-ssec, the previous best being .Myra Gray's 3min 45 4-ssec in 1926. British, French, American, and Irish horses were competing. The 34 runners constituted the biggest field for over fifty years.

West Wicklow was trained by L Todd at Burbage, in Wiltshire. The jockey, Clifford Richards, is a brother of the very popular Gordon Richards.

There was a thrilling finish to the race. Brown Jack, the favourite, coming third". Arctic Star, the second favourite was well beaten. Mr. J. B. Joel's Friendship finishing second, failed by a length to overcome West Wicklow. Arctic Star, which had been fancied by many to establish a record by winning the race for the second successive year, broke a blood vessel. Hike Hall, the much-talked-of American invader, was not in the picture. OWNER NEVER IN DOUBT. 1!; Dan O>M- Leahy, the owner of West Wicklow, is an owner, breeder, and a bi" layer on the rails in Ireland. He said--1 have had no doubt about him at all Certainly during the race I had no qualms whatever. Ho has been coins well in his gallops and has shown all the appearance of a Cesarewitch winner. I have had a good race. Of course I backed it, and for a fairly good sum, too. It is curious that West Wicklow was the horse which I objected to four times, and eventually bought for £2000. He would have won the race to-day had there been an obstruction in his way. He would have taken it at a jump." . SPLENDIDLY TRAINED WINNER. "Hotspur" ("Daily Telegraph") writes: It must be said for1 the winner that he looked remarkably well. Naturally he did so to quite a number of admiring eyes as he was being unsaddled, but it was obvious before the race that he was a splendidly trained horse, doing much credit to all associated with him. He is a chestnut live-year-old by Tangiers, who some years ago was awarded the Ascot Gold Cup on the disqualification of Buehan.. Clifford Richards .suffers from being his brother's brother. Were that not so his cleverness as a jockey would have received much more recognition. His share in the strong burst which won the race was immensely creditable to him. With lively memories of West Wicklow's failure last year for the Cesarewitch, when ho faded out just after reaching the Bushes, I assumed, wrongly as it turns out, that he would not quite get the course. On the other hand, it was supreme stamina that won him the race."

• Chff._ Richards, in a lucid summary, said: I jumped off two lengths clear but I steadied West Wicklcnv at once and dropped back sixth. I eased him further until he was about tenth, and, in fact we had dropped back among the last lot beiore I began to move up gradually after wo made the turn. I passed horse after horse, but must still have been five lengths behind the leaders at the Bushes. West Wicklow was, however, going on and on .stoutly, and only half a fmlonIrom the post I got in 'front. Brown Jack once got near me, and Friendship came at me stoutly, but we never felt like stopping."

Scout, ot the "Daily Express," thinks IA Al" evicalls can be well Phased with Mik-c Halls first English venture. "I knew he could go when I saw him gallop on Saturday," Basil Jarvis said, and Joe Unlds, his rider, mentioned that "Mike" warmed to his work in good style and finished twelfth.