DE SOTO QUALIFIED

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 36, 11 August 1936, Page 13

DE SOTO QUALIFIED

ADDINGTON REFLECTIONS

De Solo was given the lull penalty of 24yds for his August Handicap win, and is now on a 4min 26sec mark, the limit of the next New Zealand Cup. This was, his eleventh success in less than twelve months. ,

Grand Mogul, who is on 4min 29sec, will be giving away a second to start from the limit (4min 28sec) of the King Edward Handicap tomorrow. It would appear from this that his connections are now anxious to qualify him for the New Zealand Cup. He must have excellent prospects on a firm track tomorrow. NOTHING AMISS. Air Flow is useless in heavy going., and this was the sole reason for her absence on the first day. The writer was privileged to see the American mare at work at "Roydon Lodge" during the weekend, and, although j naturally a light-fleshed mare, she! looks well, and her clash with Discord in the Avon Handicap tomorrow should be one of the highlights of the day's racing. Another trotter Vho was all at sea in the heavy going was Helen's Bay. She is a light-barrelled mare, who never carries much condition, and for this reason she seldom improves on the subsequent days of a meeting. The distance tomorrow, two miles, may trouble her, but there is another mile and a half event on the concluding day.

It was apparent from the outset of the Trial Handicap that Frisco, Lady did not relish the mud, and she must not be judged on this failure. It will be remembered that fairly similar conditions contributed to her defeat in the New Zealand Derby. Given a fast, track , this classy four-year-old has a mortgage on more than one race in the immediate future. SHOULD REPEAT. Bonny Azure is' the talk of Christchurch. There was no more impressive victory on the first day, and her Canterbury debut more than vindicated the high opinions formed of her after she made a clean sweep of the Hawera Easter Meeting. Unless Rocks Ahead can match her stamina, which is doubtful on her past form, Bonny Azure appears to have quite as easy a task in the Canterbury Handicap tomorrow as she had on Saturday. ■ Llewellyn's Pride, apart from not handling the heavy track as well as others-in the August Handicap, looked as though the race would work considerable improvement in a horse who had not been able to have a couple of winding-up trials. This fellow is a good deal better than is generally allowed, and from the limit of the King Edward Handicap tomorrow he will make things interesting for the favourites, Gamble and Graham Direct Judged on his uninspiring race of Saturday, Guy o' Mine cannot be entertained for later engagements at Addington. Because of his previous successes under similar heavy track conditions at Addington, he was one of the three favourites for the Stewards' Handicap, but he refused to settle down until the rest were out of-sight. SHORT MEMORIES. Sea Gift was allowed to pay a win dividend of close on a third of a century in the Stewards' Handicap. Those people whose memories are longer than one season participated in this false return, for it was , remembered that the Wrack mare had been almost invincible on a heavy track at an Addington Meeting two seasons back. Noble Prince, after failing to hit his hopples until the rest of the field for the-Queen Mary Handicap were many lengths in front of him, could make no impression in the bad track conditions. It is as a saddle horse that he has on occasions produced brilliant finishing -runs, but it has also to be remembered that he has a poor record at Addington;

Blue Mountain was well back in the opening stages of the International Handicap and he gave unmistakable evidence of returning form by finishing a close fourth. The little grey gelding has records of 2min 40 l-ssec and 4min 17sec, and a repetition of these times from his present marks should gain him overdue success.

Rustle was, having his first race for nearly eighteen months when he won the Introductory Handicap, and if he had not been coupled with Kuini, who was the one most sought after, he would have paid a sensational dividend. It was in February, 1035, ■ that he made his previous public appearances, and he was placed over a mile and a half on both days of that Auckland Meeting when trained and driven by F. J. Smith. STOUT MATERNAL LINES. Village Guy's credentials for a twomile journey rested on his placings at the Metropolitan Easter Meeting. He finished second to Big Author in the Wilkin Handicap in 4min 29 3-ssec, and was also runner-Up to Pot Luck in the April Handicap, in which, he clocked 4min 29 l-Ssec. He is a bold pacer whose stamina was questioned until Easter, but from his dam he inherits strains that should stand to him in any company./