KEY TO STEEPLES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 124, 27 May 1937, Page 13

KEY TO STEEPLES

ALLEGRETTO'S GOOD FORM

. (Special from "Early Bird.") AUCKLAND. May 26. If one horse is to win both the Great Northerns this year, Hurdles arid Steeples, it may well be\ Black Mariin; but it is possible that he will be reserved for the cross-country event only after his impressive win in the Coronation Steeplechase last Saturday. The stable has a strong first leg in Lord Val, but as these horses race in different ownerships there is always the. chance that Black Marlih's owner may be desirous of trying to win the double. Waikato form certainly pointed to Black Mariin as a rare Great Northern Steeplechase possibility, but both Allegretto and Valpeen will now come into calculations. With . Allegretto, ' however, it is a "'case of will he stand up to it? ...

Black Mariin captured the Coronation. Steeplechase in. the manner of a true*'stayer, and as he finished. second to Travelling Agent in the last Winter Hurdles at Trentham this is not surprising. Tried out as a 'chaser at Pukekohe a fortnight. ago, Black Mariin was allowed plenty of time at his fences and finally finished third, making up a lot of ground in the final round, but this did not suggest such an easy victory at Te Rapa. However, there it was and immediately Black Mariin was elevated to the top line of those mystery cards' that appear in public places with remarkable consistency. . ■ Don Errria made a good race of it with the Ellerslie jumper,.yet he was weakening at the end and this did not suggest his staying the* almost four miles of the Ellerslie course. Three times over the hill may not be to his liking, though.he has it in his favour that he is the best-seasoned horse in the field. '■ ', Valpeen at the luxury weight of 10.5 is in a position once again to capture a rich cross-country prize, for while he does not seem to be as good as of yore it must be remembered that he is pretty generally in the money, is a safe jumper, and is now surprisingly well down in the handicap. , In the astonishing role of pacemaker on Monday he hung on for a good second and still T>ffered serious opposition to Allegretto over the final furlong. His recent placings have been an even progression, still to be capped with No. 1. Allegretto may be the key to the Great -Northern Steeplechase mystery. He ■ proved on Monday that he is as dashing a- jumper as he displayed at Ellerslie last winter, and while he was a bit' husky-looking this week he ought to be vastly improved by the race and he has evidently done plenty of work away from the tracks. He blundered at the first fence of. the double this week, not a difficult jump by any rtieans, despite the fact that it brought Windsor Lad down and stopped Cynical Kid the first day and saw Forest Glow and Sky Pilot crash on Monday. After this he became unbalanced, and when he conceded the lead to Valpeen it looked as if he had finished. However, he was going better a little further, on and when he seriously challenged Valpeen the race was soon over. He jumped magnificently apart from the One mistake and it seems only a question of his. going on the right way to be well in the running for the big steeplechase. With no penalty he is being given a wonderful chance. Monastic did what was expected of him after his Hawera races; he was running on and so has a stayer's chance if he can manage the Ellerslie.country, which he should do all right. >:;

Then what of the previous winners of the past two years, Billy Boy and Royal Limond? It can ,be said that both raced well enough to be worthy of more than passing , attention, and as they are true-blue stayers they have better prospects than many. Of the pair Billy Boy :has the pull in the weight and this may be the deciding factor as between them. Windsor Lad appears too dashing a 'chaser to be entirely suited by the Ellerslie country and it would not occasion surprise were he to be found en; deavouring to win the Wanganui Steeplechase for the second time instead of being at Ellerslie. Forest Glow cannot be as good as he was this time last year and his failures must have Kis4rainer puzzled. He had every chance at Hawera and again at Te Rapa, and as he had earlier finished second af Ellerslie on Easter Tuesday it does not seem as 11 he can be seriously considered. However, he knows every inch of the country and stays, so, cannot be summarily dismissed., : . Pahu is a plodder that may remember rather painfully previous acquaintance with Ellerslie, and Roxy is: a good jumper with medium prospects. Clarion Call has previously been over the country for one second, and another hurdles candidate who is intended for the jumping double is Huskie. At the moment the safest bet seems to be to take Te Rapa form at its face value, and this will cause Black Marlin and Allegretto to be favoured over Valpeen, Billy Boy, Monastic, and Don Erma.