ELLERSLIE'S LEADING SPRINT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 134, 3 December 1938, Page 22

ELLERSLIE'S LEADING SPRINT

NO MARE HAS WON UNDER STRETTO'S WEIGHT

(By "Rangatira")

The feature event during the Christmas and Nejv Year racing carnival is the Auckland -Cup, but, as the Railway Handicap, decided on the same day at Ellerslie, is commonly coupled with it in most discussions, considerable interest will also be manifest in the likely result of the sprinters' contest. The handicaps for the Railway Handicap were issued this week along with those for the Cup, and it may therefore be pertinent at this stage to take a glance over them and to consider what horses appear at present to possess the likeliest prospects of succeeding.

Sprinters of class can carry substantial weights to success over the short distances they have to tackle but the records of * both the C.J.C. Stewards' Handicap and the A.R,C. Railway Handicap are strangely completely against horses weighted from 9.0 up. Each, of these leading sprints of the Dominion has been run on 49 occasions since they were inaugurated in 1890, and on only five times has 9.0 or over been carried by the Stewards' winner and on only six times has that weight or over been borne by the Railway winner.

The reason for this seems to be, not so much that the' weight given the champions has crushed them, as that, while they have been so under the limelight, some other horse or horses of proved merit have escaped the notice that might have been taken of their best form.

The winning performances of Jonathan under 9.12 and of Reremoana under 9.7 in the Railway Handicap during the last fifteen years is evidence that weight itself will not stop the good horses. However, while horses of proved class have been able to get into races like the Railway and Stewards' with many pounds under what they should be entitled to on a pre-; sent-value estimate of their best form —Stretto, 7.4, in the last Railway and Paper Slipper, 8.6, in the last Stewards' are instances —there is not much chance for the topweights. TASK OF TOPWEIGHTS. Three horses are weighted above 9.0 this year, Stretto, 9.7, Courtcraft, 9.5, and Paper Slipper, 9.3. On general records their prospects are riot the best, though either Stretto or Paper Slipper might possibly succeed if favourably served in the running oi the race, for they are sprinters of the highest class.

It is interesting to recall that, because she had failed in five outings | as a three-year-old, all in Sydney,! Stretto, who was a brilliant two-year-old, was let in last year's Railway with the minimum. Shortly after the appearance of the weights she indicated rather pointedly at the Waipa Meeting that she had recovered her juvenile form at four years; but for her win there she was rehandicapped only 41b to 7.4 at Ellerslie, which did not mean much, as it simply enabled H. N. Wiggins not to carry overweight, and she simply romped home in the Railway. She then had to be raised 2 stone to 9.4 before she could be stopped at that meeting by Whirling, who, with a concession of 121b, beat her only a neck. Stretto has maintained her form since, and on a trip to Sydney during the spring she was winner of the w.f.a. Warwick Stakes, 7 furlongs, beating Gold Rod and Royal Chief, also King's Head, who later won the A.J.C. Epsom, in which Stretto found 9.4 just too much, though she ran an excellent race to finish fourth. At her final start on the trip she was beaten only a short neck by Young Idea in the A.J.C. Craven Plate, 1J miles, and in her first sprint at Ellerslie this week since her return she revealed that she is still fit and well. On her best form she deserved all the 9.7 she has been given in the Railway, and because she is so brilliant a beginner, which is an important factor in sprints at Ellerslie, she must be allowed a reasonable chanoe of capturing a second Railway, though in doing so she would be creating a w,eight-carrying record for her sex in the race.

CoiJortcraft undoubtedly owes his high post to the impression he made on the Auckland handicapper at last year's Cup Meeting, when he won the King's Plate (in Dominion record time for the mile), G.N. Derby and Clifford Plate in hi? three starts, and incidentally soundly trounced Royal Chief. Subsequent to those brilliant efforts he failed in two handicaps at Te Aroha, but he ran fourth and third, nevertheless, and in the latter effort, despite his age, was conceding no less than 161b to the winner, Jonathan. He went lame on the eve of the N.Z. St. Leger at Trentham and could not start on the day, and he has not been out since, though he has been in work for some time past at Woodville. His weight represents 51b above w.f.a. THE STEWARDS' WINNER. Paper Slipper is on the same mark as he had last year, when he ran quite a fair race to finish eighth, though he was sore afterwards and could not be started again at the meeting. Following his recent easy win in the Stewards' Handicap, off only 8.6, he had to be weighted up again among the nine stones, for it was fairly obvious that he would probably have won the Stewards' that day with the best part of a stone more in the saddle. Like most of the Paper Moneys as they age, he is best when fresh, and if he is not troubled by the reverse way round and races up to his Riccarton form he should finish in or very near the money on Boxing Day. It is interesting to observe Oratory's being assessed at 8.12, as she is the mare who has since equalled Courtcraft's Dominion record time for a

1 mile. Oratory has run some of her best races at Ellerslie, but she has been unlucky in the Railway. Two years ago she was beaten only by a head under 9.0 in the race by the outsider Adalene, off 8.0. Last year, because in the interim she had not been a winner, she was dropped to 8.7, but, though fancied by her connections, she made a poor showing. Following her Ellerslie visit she produced • her best form at Trentham in January and March, at the Wellington Autumn Meeting, winning the Thompson Handicap under 8.3. Prior to her second in the Railway, Oratory won at Feilding first up for the ternv under 8.13. This year she also made her reappearance at Feilding, where she ran fifth under 9.3, but without particularly impressing. The Oratory stable also has Laughing Lass. 7.13, and Disdain, 7.4, engaged in the Railway. It is not likely that Laughing Lass will undertake the trip as she has always done so well on the Awapuni course, where the Mahawatu Meeting clashes with the Auckland. But, if Disdain were taken north, particularly if in preference to Oratory, the public undoubtedly would accept the pointer. Meanwhile, as she has not been nominated for races since she failed to run on in in the New Zealand Oaks, it is questionable whether she is to be set for the Railway, which is a hard race for a three-year-old who has not been well seasoned.

Smoke Screen, one of the best of last season's three-year-olds and out of the money only at his final start, in the Awapuni Cup, had to be near Oratory on Thompson Handicap running, when he conceded 51b to the mare and was second. Two days later Smoke Screen came out and easily won the Hutt Handicap, 1 mile, under 9.0. Mr. McManemin has solved the problem of Smoke Screen's weight, the gelding not having raced since last autumn, by giving him the same weight as Oratory. CONSISTENT LLANGOIXEN. Llangollen, on 8.10, will appeal as much as anything among the northern handicap form of the last twelve

months, as she has proved herself a most consistent mare. She was third under 7.12, beaten by a neck and a head by Francis Drake, 7.6, and Stretto, 9.6, in the A.R.C. Easter Handicap, 1 mile, last April and this season] she has won at both her outings to date at Te Rapa a fortnight ago, beating a good field of sprinters when carrying 9.2 and running the distance in lmin 13sec. i Orate, also on the same mark, is an- | other consistent performer who has been three times successful in half a dozen outings this season. At the recent Waikato Meeting he was unplaced in the sprint won by Llangollen, when carrying 31b more than the mare, and this performance has enabled him to come into the Railway on the same mark as Llangollen. Twelve months ago Orate ran a fine race under 7.3 to finish fourth in the big Ellerslie sprint. There was a time when it looked doubtful if he would ever be a solid type of horse, but one cannot cavil about the stoutness of his showings during the last twelve months or so. BEST THREE YEAR-OLDS. The weighting of the three-year-olds in the Railway is always interesting. Pride of place among them has been

given Te Hero and Surmount, who are each set on 8.3, which represents lib under w.f.a.

On their form last season, when Te Hero was a grade above Surmount, and with the further confirmation of that form in the Shorts Handicap at Trentham in October, when Te Hero, 8.5, dead-heated for first, while Surmount, 8.0, was down the track, one expected Te Hero to be several pounds above Surmount. However, Mr. McManemin has preferred to accept Te Hero's latest form, when he failed at Ellerslie last weekend, as the truer measure of his present ability.

It is understood to have been the intention of Te Hero's connections not to race him on the first day of the Auckland Cup Meeting, but to reserve him for the w.f.a. and classic events on the later days. His Railway weight is a temptation to take on that race as well, but earlier intentions may still be adhered to. One may better understand how well this colt is treated when it is recalled that two years ago" Golden Sheila was given 8.5 as a; three-year-old (61b above w.f.a.) and/ was sent out favourite, though shew finished just out of the money in* fourth place. '')

I Surmount has earned all his &3 through his Stewards' Handicap seconid .under 8.1, beaten only by the lenientlyhandicapped Paper Slipper, 8.6, who h^d won the race as a three-year-old with 8.5. If he had been assessed some pounds higher his connections would have had no ground for complaint, though they may well feel that they should have received something at least from Te Hero. Surmount is the true type of sprinter, and at his weight he is likely to rule among the -early favourites for the race.

Two other three-year-olds in the field who may take their place sn~the race on Boxing Day are Ph&court, 7.11, and Royevrus, 7.4, who have both raced consistently well this season. Philcourt was winner of the Avondale Guineas and placed second in the Great Northern Guineas, and he is a half-brother by Philamor to Gay Blonde, who won the Railway at the! same age four years ago under 7.13. Royevrus might be better served by a distance longer than six furlongs. Purely on handicaps the hoi'se in this year's field who looks best treated! is Golden Sheila, but this mare could! hardly now be elsewhez^e than where she is on how she has been weighted this season and still not shown any I actual return to form. As a three-year-lold she was favourite and finished fourth in the Railway under 8.5; and last year she was awarded second top weight, 8.11, under which, sent out fifth favourite, she was not far back at the finish. Contrasted with Stretto,

her superior on any previous comparative form, she was admittedly harshly handicapped twelve months ago, but she has been made some amends this year by the handicapper in being let in with 7.9.

One may accept that the rest of the northern form has been assessed according to revealed form at recent meetings in the Auckland district. Majority, double winner on the course last weekend, was not nominated for the Railway, but Whirling, 8.6, Marie's Acre. 8.5, Paddy the Rip, 7.11, Farland, 7.9, Rollicker, 7.8, and Palustre 7.2, have shown sufficient during the last few months to merit early notice at their weight, and Hunting Blood, Te Monowai, JSToitaro, Miss Te Koura, Maxam, and Bachelor King are likely sorts from the rear half "of the field that has ;been placed on the minimum.