FOR AUTUMN RACING

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1934, Page 4

FOR AUTUMN RACING

GOOD RECENT HACK FORM

LIKELY FUTURE WINNERS

■ : Among the features of the racing at the recent Wellington Meeting was the excel- . lence of1 some of the lesser lights on whom the specially defined term of "hacks" is bestowed,, and at least four, of these horses may be winners of more important races before the autumn racing concludes! The four referred to are Ventrac, Davolo, Final, Snot, and Lone Raider. The four-year-old Ventrac has lost his eligibility for "hack" events, but this should not worry his connections, as three out'of his five successes to date, including his last three, have been in open company.' His victory in the Summer Handicap on the final day was a most attractive piece of work, for he cut out a solid pace all the; way and was still full of running at the end of the mile, and a quarter in 2min ssec. The win- was worth £240, and it lifted hig earnings for firsts to £670. ■ ■" The three-year-old Davolo also ceased to be a "hack" at1 the meeting through his euccess in the Douro Cup oh the middle day, which improved his record of wins to six for £527 10s in first stakes. He has not yet. attempted a distance beyond a mile, but on all that has been seen of him he1 will go further without trouble. Three , months ago at the New Zealand Cup Meeting one might have thought that he was a pure short ruuner, but his subsequent lacing showed that the disability was apparent only and it disappeared with racing. On tlie final day at Trentham he came up from the back to second place after a very rough-passage in the middle running, and a horse that could do that is capable of staying a middle distance. He should worthily carry the Compris colours during the next few seasons. , Final Shot, another three-year-old, had earned a reputation in the south before she appeared in the north, for she had won four of her last sis races, including a sequence of three, but it remained till the open Thorndon Handicap for her to show her real worth. In this race she finished' as true as an arrow down the outer of a useful open field, and she excelled the best of her opponents in brilliance. Such an effort must mark her. for better things. She is still eligible to run among the hacks, as her five wins have been, worth only £430, but moat of her future racing will probably' now be among the open handicappers. A mile is the furthest distance she has yet tackle<J, but she will go longer journeys than this. Lone Raider is six years old, but his lacing experience is shorter than auy of ihe three -previously mentioned. After four unsuccessful starts as a three-year-old he was set aside, and it was only a couple of months ago that he reappeared ■to trounce completely a field of maidens at Levin. Since then he has had four more races, and he has been a very decisive winner of three of them. His whole racing career therefore comprises only nine starts, and his full ability has not yet been sounded. He is the solitary offspring of The Raider, a grandson of Martian, and l>e has the size and brilliance to go on to much tetter things than he has yet achieved. His-four firsts have netted him £360, so he may still run among the hacks, but the weights he will now receive will probably induce his connections to tackle open ■ company. Comment on the general record and breeding of these four horses has already been given, and it will not be recapitulated. It is sufficient conclusion to offer the opinion that "from this quarter will come one or more -of the important autumn handicap winners.