OUR BEST FILLY YET

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 37, 14 February 1933, Page 4

OUR BEST FILLY YET

BRILLIANT SILVER SCORN

FINAL DOUBT REMOVED

Whatever doubt might still have existed concerning the correct niche fox- Silver Scorn in the hall of equine fame was removed by her latest exploits at the Dunedin Meeting. Whether or not she shares the honour does not matter"—she is the best racing filly New Zealand has yet produced,, and she is cne of the best fillies that have ever graced the Turf in any part of the world. It is not altogether her record of success that forces this conclusion. It is rather .the way in-which-.'she has won her races that compels one to hoist her to such a rnagnificetst pedestal. . Slip plays with the best opposition that can be ranged against her. No Derbies were ever more easily won than this year's. Other horsfes have scored by more than her two-length margins, but for all intent and purpose those couple of lengths might well have been.twenty. If?-has been the same in all her races. She simply comes along the outside in the straight and leaves everything else literally standing. The one apparent blot in her career, her defeat in the Christmas Handicap at Ellerslie, should never have marred her record. Her rider on that occasion stuck to his ride although he had had a foot crushed on the rail in an earlier race during the day, and, as might be expected, he proved more of a hindrance than a help to her. Even then ; she was beaten only by a length after Covering her usual quota of extra ground. It is perhaps a wonder that she did not suffer one or two defeats early m her career, for she then used to get into a very excited state in the birdcage and out on the track prior to her races. At WiBgatui in the spring and at Riccarton in A'ovember she worked herself up-into a lather of perspiration, but all her agitation vanished as soon as the race was fairly on. After ealch race she was strangely very demure and sober. This excitability in her Temperament does not bow. -manifest itself, but she seems still just as keen as ever to set the! pace over. DESERT GOLD'S SUPERIOR. Naturally there were many, good judges! who were frankly sceptical three months ago when the opinion was advanced that this, class filly was' better than Desert Gold. The judgment was based on the ease with which she settled the New Zealand Gup winner, Fast Passage, at weight-for-age, on the final day of the' Cup Meeting : A few days earlier Fast Passage had been hailed as one of the best racing mares that had over trodden the ITew Zealand Turf (and it was believed there •nas no over-stretching of the bow in this assertion, which was given further proof by her subsequent Auckland Cup victory), and, on. this assumption, with all reasonable allowances, it seemed to be only logical to conclude that Silver Scorn must ue something inordinately good—indeed better than Desert Gold. Most racing men,, will probably now agree 'with this deduction. ■ : Silver Scorn may not have won the ■same sum in stakes as Desert Gold had to this period of .her racing career, but she has built up for herself a definitely more attractive record. Had stakes been, as large now as in 1915 and 1916, and' had Silver Scorn been provided with the same opportunities as in those easier days, she would doubtless have a' superior record to that other brilliant filly. RECORDS COMPARED. For purposes of comparison the following record of the two fillies to the February of -their < three-year-old career may prove anteresting^— '".,".■.•'• .'•■ ''"\-i SCORN At Two Teats. Won Lyttelton Plate, 5 furlongs, 7.4 . 90 At Three Tears. ' Won Ashburton Longbeach, 6 furlongs, 5.5 BO Won Dunedia. Guineas, .1 mile, 8.5 200 JVon C.J.C. Spring Plate, 1 mile, 7.2 105 Won N.Z. Derby Stakes, 1% miles, 8.5 560 Won. N.Z. Oaks Stakes, '-ly; miles, 8.10 280 Won Canterbury Cup, 1% miles, 7.7 .. -240 Second A.R.C. Christmas, 1 mile, 8.5 ..' TO Won G.N. Derby, 1% miles, 8.7 ...;.. 1200 Won Dunedin Cup, 1% miles, 9.2. .;..V. 450 \Von Hazlett Gold Cup, 7 furlongs, 8.12 255 Totals: Eleven starts for ten -wipa : and one second ~.. £3500 DESERT GOLD. At Two Tears. Third VtMI.C. Wellesley, 4 furlongs, 5.2 ~25 Second W.R.C. Juvenile, 4 furlongs, 7.12 35 Second C.J.C. Welcome, 4 furlongs, $.0 200 Second. C.J.C. Irwell, 4 furlongs, S.B 00 ■Won C.J.C. Pioneer, 5 furlongs, 8.9-.. 243 Won G.N. Foal Stakes, 0 furlongs, 8.5.-. 700 "Won A'.H C Boyal Stakes^ 6 fnrlongs, T. 2 ■ 700 Second G.N. Champagne, 6 furlongs, '8.8 200 .Won North Island Challenge, 7 furlongs, 7.13, ........„...;....., , -600 .Won ilanawatu Sires' Produce, 6 fur- " ■ longs, ' 8:6 '.. 500 Second Manawatu Stakes, 6 furlongs, 7.12 100 Won Hawke's Bay Stakes, 6% furlongs. 8.5 ..^.....W......... .^. 400 '■i At Three Years. ; Won Hawke's Bay Guineas, 1 mile, 8.5 . 250 Won,W.B.C. Champion, 1% miles, 7.G 650 Won N.Z. Derby Stakes, 1% miles, 8.5 1100 Won N.Z. Oaks Stakes, 1% miles, 8.10 350 Won Stead Cup, V/t. miles, 7.7 700 Won A-B.C. Islington, 1 mile, 7.11 .... 500 Won GJf. Derby, 1%. miles, 8.7 ........ 1100 Yfon A^C. Epyal Stakes, 6 furlongs, 8.13 700 Won Wellington 'Stakes, 5 furlongs', 9.3 600 Totals: Twenty-one starts for fifteen wins, five seconds, and one third £9715 Judged through these performances it might not be altogether easy to come to a definite conclusion as to the respective merits of the pah:, were it not that Silver Scorn's record contains a win in the Dunedin Cup from an excellent field at 181b above weight-for-age. Desert Gold never in all her career did euch a thing as that. She started in three handicaps as a two-year-old and won only one of them. Later on as a six-year-old she again stepped out in handicap class in the 1918 Melbourne Cup, but, with' only 5.1b over weight-for-age, she wais soundly beaten into eighth place —and was no better than a twenty-to-one starting price prospect at that. On that trip to Australia she raced four times, and, although twice second, failed to win ft race. Moreover the class of opposition in Desert Gold's year was not strong. The best of them was another filly, Nones. The other sex was haying a lean time at that period. When a little later on a good one did appear on the scene in Gloaming it was the end of Desert Gold's ascendancy. She beat him once by-a. trick of her rider's, but the next time they met he showed just how much difference there was between them by running home nearly three lengths in front of her in the Hawera Stakes.Silver Scorn has stopped at nothing. She has taken on the best at weight-for-age, with full penalty too, and she has also beaten them in handicaps when weighted as high as the handicapper'dared. She was successful in the Dunedin Cup with more weight than any three-year-old .had ever, previously carried to victory in that race. :■ . . : . . It would indeed be a pleasure, to see this wonder filly, ranged against Peter Pan and the best of the other three-year-olds and weight-for-age performers at present in Australia. However, her Australia: owner, the Randwick.trainer, F. T. Cush is wisely allowing her to run but engage ments here, for she" is in none of th( Australian classics; and there is plenty o time for her to shape up against th< Commonwealth's best next season -ir veight-fqr'-age events. Moreover, Cush yho trained Chide, "probably knows tha at does:not always pay to transfer.a hors< in peak form in the middle of a raein, season, ' ■ . .

Spoon has done we]! in her. work at Ric■curton lately. She appears to have "ot over the trouble that made it necessary to ease her up in the spring, aiu l s i te , nay reward F. h. Jones soon for tlic patience he has shown "With her. .It is intfiidod to cive her a race in the Craven Plate at the C.J.C, Meeting on Saturday,