ARCTIC KING LUCKY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 136, 6 December 1938, Page 15

ARCTIC KING LUCKY

CHRISTCHURCH VIEWPOINT

The Buzzer, carrying the light impost of 7.6, which included 61b overweight, won the Auckland Cup last year after a struggle with Knight of Australia. Judging by the penalty the handicapper has given him this year, however, he has the hard part to do to repeat the performance, says the Christchurch "Star-Sun."

The Buzzer was recently narrowly beaten under 8.3 in the New Zealand Cup by Arctic King, who got in the deciding stride, and for that effort he is asked to carry 8.11 in the Auckland Cup, a rise of 81b. Arctic King, who carried 8.1 in the New Zealand Cup, has been lifted to 8.10 in the Auckland Cup, a rise of 91b. Arctic King's share of the Riccarton prize was £1400 and The Buzzer's only £400. Throughout his career Arctic King has been lucky where handicappers are concerned, and his luck in this respect is still holding. Had he received his 91b penalty and The Buzzer 41b or 51b, the handicap would have appeared more equitable. In the Zealand Cup The Buzzer had to give Arctic King 21b, and the margin has only been reduced lib at Ellerslie.

Quite evidently the Auckland handicapper holds the view that there is little between this pair, and on actual running this may be correct; but he has entirely lost sight of the fact that Arctic King rewarded his connections with £1400 and The Buzzer his with only £500, garnered from two minor placings at the meeting.

Padishah heads the Auckland Cup handicap with 9.0, probably because of his success in the mile aad a half Metropolitan Handicap, which brought in £700. In the New Zealand Cup He was fifth with 8.6, thus has a rise of 81b, sharing the same treatment as The Buzzer.

Willie Win, fourth in the New Zealand Cup with 8.12, has the same weight, but Argentic, who carried d.O at Riccarton and failed to show up, has been dropped 31b to 8.11.

Wotan, a Melbourne Cup winner, and who succeeded in the mile and a quarter Manchester Handicap at Feilding since the Cup Meeting, his first glimpse of form for some time, has been nicely treated with 8.3, a drop of 21b on his New Zealand Cup weight. At Riccarton he finished seventh,- and looked then as if a few races would work wonders in his condition. The handicapper evidently holds the view that his chance of winning another big distance handicap is a slender one, but the rating of this Siegfried horse will worry the connections of other horses engaged. There is no question about Wotan's ability to stay, and if he makes reasonable progress he should be among the favourite division on the day. Malagigi, one of the big failures at Riccarton, has to carry the same weight at Auckland, 7.10, whereas Sly Fox, also a failure, there, has been dropped from 7.10 to 7.3, a substantial let-off compared with Malagigi. Sly Fox finished eleventh and Malagigi tenth.

Tidewaiter,.sixth at Riccarton under 7.5, has been dropped 41b, and Boomerang has also been let off with 41b less, bringing his weight down from 7.4 to 7.0. Obviously, the handicapper has thought little of New Zealand Cup form when framing his weights, but there are so few distance races in the Dominion that if Riccarton form is to be treated so lightly It is difficult to see where a starting point can be obtained. .... . .