METROPOLITAN TROTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 33, 7 August 1936, Page 13

METROPOLITAN TROTS

EXCELLENT FIELDS

THE NATIONAL CARNIVAL

All the best horses of their respective divisions will race at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's August Meeting, which will be opened tomorrow and continued on Wednesday and Friday. An excellent day's sport is promised. ' Track conditions may not be the best, but latest advice is to the effect that the clay circuit is drying out rapidly, and will provide quite good going. The win-and-place system of betting will be operated. Following is a review of the fields:— 12.10 INTRODUCTORY HANDICAP, £200,; unhoppled ' trotters; 3.3U class; 1»A miles. Gala Day scr Isabel Patch ... 12 Little Reta scr • Silk Coat .... 12 Norman Pox ....scr Header 24 Resound I scr Kuini 24 Kustle ■'.; scr Mabel Chimes "..' 24 bister Jlary' ...scr Mataunga ..... 24 Tyrono Lass .. ,scr Reward 24 Worthy Star ....scr Ruin .." 24 Ainonos 12 Ganton 36 Great Wood .12 Walmooka 48 Helen's Bay ... 12 There is strength in every line of the field for the Introductory Handicap. Over a mile and five furlongs at Forbury Park last season Isabel Patch won in' 3min 42 2-ssec, which, for a trotter, is one of the best efforts ever recorded in the Dominion.' Resound has shown a lot of ability at times, and is reported to be an improved mare. Sister Mary, Tyrone Lass, and Little Reta are others on the (limit whose chances cannot be discounted. Helen's Bay, however, has shown more speed than any of these. Great Wood won. a double at Forbury Park in good style, but later went badly at Addington. Of those? further back, Reward and Mabel Chimes appeal most, and the favourites may be Isabel Patch, Helen's Bay, and Reward. 12.45 ADVANCE HANDICAP, £200; 2.51 class; . , I>4 miles. Broughsliano . .scr Gallant Knight .12 Cadiz scr Racketeer 12 Full Hand scr Stirling Lady .. 12 Golden Mist .. sec Graud Finale -..'.■ 24 Greenmautle ...scr Lone Derby •..'.. 24 Wild Dreams . scr Kibo 24 Blair Athol .. 12 Rayon dOr ..... 2-1 If there is one horse more outstanding than another on the day, it would appear to be Blair Athol in the Advance Handicap. His bettering of 2min 46sec for the same distance in a winning role at Oaiharu in the winter was sufficient to make him one of the favourites, but, in addition, he showed sufficient to be ranked.probably on a, par with any three-year-old of last season.' He should go a long way. Golden Mist, Greenmantle, and Cadiz are limit horses who will make some appeal, particularly Golden Mist. Gallant Knight trained off in the autumn, but when in real form last.' January he won over 1-i miles at Washdyke in the exceptional time for the class of 2min 43 2-ssec. Stirling Lady is another gifted sprinter, but may not be as well backed as Blair Athol, Gallant Knight, and Golden Mist. 1.25 AUGUST HANDICAP, £000; 4.29 class:' 2 miles. Gold Tinge .. scr Key Spec .... 24 Grand Mogul* ,'.,ser Rollo 24 Kingcraft scr Tempest ....I. 24. Queen Author . scr Willow Wave .. 24 Taxpayer .... scr Sunny Morn .. 3G Llewellyn's Pj-ldo 12 Red Shadow' .. 00 Do Soto 12 Harold Logan .. 84 A definite preference for Grand Mogul's chance in the August Handicap has already been indicated, and he will be bracketed with Tempest, who finished second to War Buoy in last year's race, and registered 4min 19 l-ssec. A fine' list of successes has been compiled by De Soto, who should show further improvement, and this cannot be expected of the majority of the field. The spar between the backmarkers,- Harold Logan and Red Shadow, however, will create asj much interest for many people as' the battle of those on the front of the handicap. Llewellyn's Pride is quite equal to upsetting the favourites. His best performance last season was in outstaying Cloudy Range in the Mason Stakes at the Canterbury Park New Year Meeting. Rey Spec and Taxpayer are still at ah age when improvement is within their scope, and Willow Wave,- a horse of moods, would be> almost favourite in the event of a heavy track. The putalic may declare for the Grand Mogul-Tempest bracket, De Soto, and Llewellyn's Pride. 2.0 ' - ■ " TRIAL HANDICAP, £230; 4.40 class; '2 miles. Eighteen Carat . scr Village Guy ...«. 12 Fairhaven .... scr Marie Celeste .. 24 Frisco Lady ...scr Subsidy )24 Happy Knight . scr Big Author .... 3fi On Parade .... scr Isabel Derby .. 811 Radiant Gold ...scr Plain Pearl ... 30 Southern Sinilo . scr Pot Luck ..... 4S Treasure Bond .. scr .'.I There is an excellent array of iiri-.! proving talent in the Trial Handicap, not the least of whom should prove to i be the four-year-olds Frisco Lady and Pot Luck. The latter has already won over two miles, and he is brilliant enough to give starts up to 48 yards. Whether Frisco Lady can maintain her advantage will be an absorbing bone of contention. Fairhaven, winner of the Gore Cup, Happy Knight, winner of the Southland Handicap, Treasure Bond, second in the Wanganui Handicap and Manawatu Cup, Eighteen Carat, winner of the Roslyn Handicap at Invercargill, Subsidy, second to Grand Mogul in the Australasian Handicap, and Isabel Derby, holder of the track record at Greymouth, are among the others who have shown promise over two-miles. Then there are Southern Smile, Big Author, Village Guy, and On Parade, any one of whom might rise to the occasion. In a very open-looking race, three who will get support are Frisco Lady, Pot Luck, and Happy Knight. 2.35 '„. ' STEWARDS' HANDICAP, £230; 3.29 class; nnhoppled trotters; 1% miles. Flotsam ..scr Norma Bingcn . H Garner scr Air Flow .... 30. Guy o' Mine '.. scr Tovlot Downs ■.. 36 New Mctford .. scr Bessie Parrish .."48 Sandy N ...... scr WracMer ....... (50 • Discord .24 Sea Gift ..... 84 When Discord struck form'towards the close of last season? she proceeded to prove, by one scintillating performance on top of another, that she was one of the finest trotters in the land, and there is little doubt that she will be favourite for the Stewards' Handi.cap. By April she had reached something like class, and at Addington she won each day, on the second occasion coming like a train from the half-mile post to clinch victory in the excellent time of 4min 30 2-ssec from a 4min 46sec mark. At her last start she most effectively administered the "order of the bath" to a powerful field over a mile and a half at Ashburton. Few will hear of her defeat. Air Flow, at heir best, would probably be entitled to Discord's present place in the sun. She is,'in the opinion, of many, the finest-juvenile trotter ever seen in this country, and her performances, until she trained off in the autumn, were of a remarkably high standard for a four-year-old some six months younger than New Zealand horses of the same age. "Flotsam, Teviot Downs, Bessie Parrish, and Sea Gift all have some trumps left, but the two who will keep them all busy at their best are Discord and Air Flow. 3.10 QUEEN MARY HANDICAP, £250; 4.34 class: .' 2 miles. Gay Gordon .. scr Bonny Azure ... 24 Noble Prince .. scr Avernus -4S Royal Drusus .. acr Craganour ... 4S Waress scr Grand Mogul ... 60 Bingen Palm :. 24 The Queen Mary Handicap is not actually bristling with staying talent, and the best in this respect are Grand Mogul and Bonny Azure. Grand Mogul has an engagement earlier in the day. Bonny Azure won, among many other races, the Hawefra Cup in the manner of a natural stayer, and she should cut a big figure whether Grand Mogul is there or not. Royal Drusus was a lauiy good two-miler once, but that was somo considerable time back, and the best potential stayer of the others is Noble Prince, winner at his last

start over a mile and a half in 3min 11 A-bsec. Bingen Palm is a good horse when produced fresh. In the absence of Grand Mogul, the favourites will most likely be Bonny Azure, Noble Prince, and Bingen Palm.

SELWYN HANDICAP, £250; 2.47 class l.i miles.

Aristotle ....... s(. r Mocast .... John Jinks .... scr Reporter .7.. Peter Lucauda .. scr Do Soto Ynnn S r,A!.!' rai! •■•avr *'nmcls Lincoln \oung Prank .. set- Gamblo «lmu™ t 12 Graham Direct Homeward ......12 Guy Junior ..

The two class horses 'in the Selwyn Handicap are Gamble and Graham Direct, both of whom are on 24yds They have not excelled at this distance, due to their inability to accelerate fast enough to take up a position early. The sectional times of each in two-mile races, nevertheless give them a good winning chance should they now be able to get away smartly. The limit horse whoso efforts have brought her into strong favour as a sprinter is Rocks Ahead. Her performances of last season were dealt with in yesteru^ s ulssue- Y°"ng Frank made a ~T showing at the end of last season, and Homeward gave signs of returning to form. De Soto, on the same mark as Graham Direct and Gamble, win probably begin better. Favourites may be Rocks Ahead, Gamble and Graham Direct. 4.20 INTERNATIONAL HANDICAP, £200; 2.44 class; 1U miles. Biugen Palm .. scr Supertax scr Blue Mountain . scr Sure' scr Cloudy Range .. scr Vesuvius scr .Grace McElwyn .scr Kewpie's Triumph scr Kaydus scr Sunny Mum ..' 12 Rey Spec scr Worthy Light .. 12 Sir Guy scr Cloudy Range will take a lot of beating from the limit of the International Handicap. Over all distances he has been an outstanding performer since New Year, and if, as many of "is admirers claim, he has a chance in the New Zealand Cup, this event should be well within his compass. Blue Mountain, with a race record of better than 2min 40sec, has not shown that form for a long-time. Grace McElwyn will, benefit by the race, according to southern reports. Raydus and Rey Spec, Supertax and Sure, all require beating on their day, and, although now thirteen years old, Vesuvius is reported to be working well. Worthy Light appeals more than Sunny Morn from 12yds, and may reach the money. Prominent at the finish should be Cloudy Range, Worthy Light, and Rey Spec.