SURPRISE IN SUMMER

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1934, Page 8

SURPRISE IN SUMMER

VENTRfIC SCORNS PURSUERS

FAV/c/uRITES FARE BADLY

■ All -event of no uncommon oceuuence beset "Ticntham investors in the Summer Handicap, the piincipal item of the day's sport. Thc-fnvouritea all fell by the way, aud -the less fancied division monopolised the places. The winner turned up in the southerner Ventrae, who had (ailed to gaiji a place in hack events on the t«o previous days of the meeting, but completely outgalloped the open performers mailed against him yesterday. Vcntrao came porth with a reputation, anU he revealed that it was not all idle Ifqfast. At the end of a. furlong he ran .'jtoiartly pa&t Lord Val to the van, and ihete he stayed. Arikira wad the only one (who -was ever within serious striking "jango of him, but he could not bring .'him back, and the southerner was going away again at the finish to score by nearly p two lengths.

It is slid that this ioui-ycur-oM chestnut, who was bred by Mr. L. C. Hazlett, Mas sold to his present owner, Mr. J. P. Iloilihy, of Cential Otago, with ihe other hordes just o\er twelve mouths ago lor 70 guineas in all. The others may be of little use, but this one has made the deal a very profitable one. In his lust starts down south prior to his Trentham trip" he won an open mile on the fa'ist day of the Southland Meeting, and,he added tho iirimdpar handicap (the Southland Handicap) on the final day. He was very much fancied by his connections for Monday's' Douro Cup, but after making all the running he weakened into fouilh .place, .Yesterday's lacing was amply sutiicient to show how good the form, of that champion hack field was.

There is everything in the bleeding of Ventiac to indicate that he should be good. He is by Tiactoi fiom the Solteuno maie liavenna, a useful performer about the south a decade ago and the winner among other races ot the Southland Cup. Like his dam he has taken lime to come to the fiont, tor his fust Winning efioit was not lecoided till the last Duncdin Spung Meeting in October, though he did pioviously finish fiist in a lace nt Vincent twelve months ago, but was disqualified foi interfeience aaid plated louith Appaiently he can handle all iOits ot goinii, ior he won in the mud at Wingatm, and he has aheady eclipsed the efloiH of his year older tull-sister Ann Johnson, .1 winnei ot a nnmbpi of racei dining the last two seasons in the loi south.

JMi Heibhj, his ounet and also the bieedei-ounei ot >cstcida>'s two veil old winnci Dis>mi»s, is. a. toinpaiativ > nowconici to the unks ot owneis, but ho has not been long in aihicving a usclul measiuc ot success His lew hoi«e» aic in the capable hands of C. Gieaelei at Wingatui. , Among the others of jcsteidai s runners the best oftort was that of Auk.ua, who., howcvei, had to be satisfied with anothci second Arikira tair up fast tcf displace' Loid Val in second place at the' nve finlongs, and afteiwards he made a valuutl •ittoinpt to pull back the pacemakci, but the task pioved to be alwajs well beyond him. Pel haps had he waited till m the straight~as usual he would hd\e been moie^ dangerous, but then he is a horse who goes when he wants io, and his rider piobably elected to let him have his way when he began to move up along the back instead of attempting the lathei thankless ]ob of dictating to him.

In finishing, third Vertigem also put up .1 notable eftort J4> for he vjs at tlio icai odilv and \ias still nine ot ten hois,o3 back at the s-tiaight enhance 11 r vended hi*. Win lesolutelv thioiigh the field, and ilthough the leaders weic eilwajs going Iji too tieeh ten him to have any chance of leaching them he stuck to his guns to cam "-im ins suppoitets the biggest place dividend of the meeting. Theie may be another rue or two in tins -\eteim jot.

Aa on Monday Dcscit Stat also tiimp home with a lattle horn ■well back, and he was light up fourth alongside VcLtigeire at the post. Fpigram, in boms beaten into fifth place again, ■was not di«gia(cd, ioi ho lost a momincnt position on the joiunev but lecorercd much of his leeu.iy1 with a dahhing though short-lived mn halt-way down the straight.

Thf others in the race wpre moie or loss failures*'Red'Manfred, a bijj favouiitc, was well enough placed at critical stages, hut he was lacking in true solidity though not m courage. Gount Palatine rmpiovrd over the closing part, and so did Rocket, lite likeliest effort at the meeting. Lord Vdl and' Tiger Gain did not come on under pressure. True Shaft and Miladi ■were near the front only early. Red Sun •\v,is always in a rearward position, with his ridei tiying to drive him up on the fence where no opening existed. Palm Queen made no showing whateveV.