A POPULAR VICTORY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 1, 3 January 1939, Page 16

A POPULAR VICTORY

DUNGARVAN BACK IN FORM-

A popular return to winning form was made by Dungarvan in the President's Handicap, which was the main event of the second day's schedule at Tauherenikau. Though it was commonly known that the stable fancied his chance, his continued disappointing form kept many from taking any further risks with him, and he was at , a good dividend as fifth favourite in ; the field of eight. Dungarvan early pulled through to • the front, but after a couple of furlongs ;he was passed by Cricket, who set a i strong pace. There he remained till ■ the three furlongs, where he joined : the leader, and, left in the van round- [ ing to the straight, he hung on under 1 a vigorous challenge„ from Haughty 1 Winner to score well by half a length. I Following his spell of some sixteen months, Dungarvan has been racing since October before scoring this first ', success from T. R. George's stable, and lit required ten starts for him to do so. | However, this was the first time in his . present campaign that he had been i tried over a middle distance once i again, and possibly one of the reasons for his previous failures has been that he is no longer the sprinter he once was. Earlier in his career he showed 1 middle-distance ability, one of his suc- [ cesses being in the Marton Cup and ; another being at Riccarton. Dungarvan was not raced on Satur- [ day so as to secure the benefit of the ', drop he had made in the weights J during the course of the Manawatu . Meeting. It proved a profitable policy, i Haughty Winner ran up to form and [was easily best of the rest. In the

early running he was getting some of i the backwash on the rail as positions' were rapidly changing, but he was back third rounding the turn and he was the only horse able to extend the winner. Galteemore came home, with a rattle out on the track from the" rear for third. Better placed* at the straight he might have returned a dividend. Master Cyklon was fifth most ot the way, but though he had a chance of coming through in the straight he did not respond as he did in the Cup. Flying Comedy and Helen Ford ran only fairly, but they did not have the best of passages early. Cricket faded over the last three furlongs, and Meamea, after moving up on the turn, also found the distance too far. There was an inquiry into the crpwding going out bf the straight, and the riders of Dungarvan and Cricket, W. Doyle and S. Anderson respectively, were cautioned as being the horsemen mainly responsible.