MANY INELIGIBLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 120, 22 May 1937, Page 22

MANY INELIGIBLE

SPECIAL WAIKATO EVENT

(Special to the "Evening Post.")

Auckland, This Day.

Instead of having a maiden race on its programme this weekend, the Waikato' Racing Club, has a special event-on Monday's card for horses that have not won a race of the value of £100 or races to the value of £200, with three-year-olds to carry 8.0 and four-year-olds 8.5, and a penalty of 51b for winners of over £100

There were 38 entrants for the race, and as nine of them are .winners, it is going to be difficult for maidens ' to win, but this will • serve One worthy object, in that it will keep the field down tj> reasonable proportions. In the past the maiden event, confine.d strictly to non-winners, has invariably had to be divided, and with the days shortening and the time taken up vith eight races such divided events have proved an unmitigated nuisance. Perhaps that explains the reason for the special event on Monday, known as the Gordonton Stakes. . "-,-''/ The1 nine winners engaged in this race on Monday, and the money..for first prize they have won areas follows:—Locknit, £55; Palustre, £210; Me'lvanui, £75; Madelon, £75; Te Huia, £100; May Song, £50; Hopalong; £70; Besiege, £85; and Susan, £60. On these figures both Palustre and Te Huia are ineligible. The latter won at Hawera on Coronation Day, and Palustre has won three events, two of them containing sweepstake clauses. SO that of the seven eligible, none is mulcted in a penalty,' and this means that they coma in on most advantageous terms with the maiden horses.

Class is not very strong with this seven, and the best of them may be Besiege. Then he runs the risk of becoming ineligible if he wins his engagement this afternoon, a not unlikely contingency; Hopalong is also engaged in the same event, the hack sprint, which, if all the acceptors start, Will see the first prize reach £180 i this including the winner's share (75 per cent.) of the sweepstake. The conditions of eligibility for-the Gordonton Stakes .is at time of starting. - i . ,

Of the big lot of maidens engaged on' Monday, the best prospects may be the three-year-old Young Paddon and the four-year-old- Ngakaru. '• As this race is for three- arid four-year-olds only, many of those engaged fare not eligible, for at-least five of them are over this age.