ALWAYS A PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 94, 17 October 1940, Page 15

ALWAYS A PROBLEM

TOENTHAM SPRINTS

ISSUE IN SHORTS HANDICAP

*:.;."Rie rule of the Wellington Racing " Ciub's Spring Meeting has usually been a big field in the Wellington Handicap *and somewhere round about ten or a ■■■dozen starters at most in the Shorts .Handicap. However, there is a likeilihood of the position being changed -this year, as the entry for the sprint . "was much more numerous than for the "longer race and its acceptance tomorrow evening promises to be a record in ":"ppint of dimensions. •"- Though some comparatively small "fields have faced the starter in the Shorts Handicap, they have discon- ■ certed investors year after year with "only very rare.breaks. Spring form is always difficult at Trentham, but never more so than on the opening day of the spring fixture. With the promise of a large field this year the problem becomes intensified. FEW FAVOURITE WINNERS. ■In the last 21 years, that is, back to ,' the days of enthusiasm immediately " following the last war, there have been only three favourite winners of the Shorts Handicap, despite the fact that many of the fields have been only seven or eight strong. Iv .1919 Tigritiya won as favourite, aad the other two such winners in the period were Paganelli in 1929 and View Halloo in 1932. Since 1932, the last year of the singlepool system at Trentham, the Shprts has been a veritable pitfall, ruining many hopes founded on the result of the Wellington Handicap two races earlier in the afternoon. Last year Mittie was 7-7 favourite, two years ago the dead-heaters, Te Hero and Alunga, were respectively 3-4 and 10-10 favourites, three years ago Black Thread was 10-9 faovurite, four years ago Plato was 6-7 favourite, five years ago Bon Tray was 6-6 favourite, six years ago Copyist was 5-5 favourite, and seven years ago Golden Wings was 4-4 favourite. Some of those fields were small, yet the only favourites'to finish even in the money were Whirling (1937), Silver: Streak (1935), and Croupier (1933). .. On the score of form and known credentials, therefore, one can never be too hopeful about alighting on the right horse for the Shorts Handicap. It is a race in which everything must be respected, and the rule of recent "years has been for the winner... to come from among the lighter weights, often a horse returning unexpectedly to form, though big weights have on occasions been carried to victory. There is no horse weighted out or the contest this year. Amigo and Old Bill are on top with 9.2, and Amigo -is a capable carrier of weights in open sprints, though he might find it hard go with some of the speedsters m >. next week's field. At his only appear•Janx;e this season Amigo, carrying 9.6, ran second to Saxon Tor, 8.10» at Marton. The record impost successfully! borne in the Shorts during the last .21 years is 9.13, under which Golden .Wings scored, but Paganelli also put * '2p2 a striking performance in scoring Sunder 9.8. ALL PROVED SPRINTERS. Kathbella, Saxon. Tor, Sleeveless, Density; Duncannon, JSronwen, Mittie, Nigger Boy Night Eruption, Blonde Princess, and Orelio, who comprise the eight-stone-odd group,-are all provea • •sprinters. Only Saxon Tor and Nigger i:B6y among them are strangers to Trentham and of the others only Bron--rwen and'Orelio have not won there, --though Orelio beat everything except iKathbella in the last Thompson Handicap at his one Trentham appearance. -Duncannon and Density read the likely -ones of this section, and if their enT'gagement is continued they will be : among the favourites. , -" "-Three-year-olds have won the Shorts :'Bn occasions, the last such winner * being the big outsider Curie, 7.2 in ■■ 1931 and earlier winners including "Consent, 7.3, in 1928, and Mimetic. 7.12 in 1925. Horses of the age engaged next week are Enrich, 712 Phaleron, 7 9 Gaymiss, 7.7, and Kentucky, 7.0. ' Enrich has been a winner in open class This season already and he should go • "on improving. Gaymiss was disappointriiig at Ellerslie over the weekend. Kentucky might be forced into this race 4y tb? weight he has been given -among the hacks, and he is perhaps as likely as any of the three-year-olds t° T l re ngolder^ tS among the seven stones include three who have previous*succeeded in open spruit class "at Trentham, Rakahanga, Globe Tro.ter and Screen Star, but none of them - if iilely to be in much form for the -first day of next week's meeting. Not Out was a double winner among the '■ Scks^n the course last January, and :: a line on his chance may be secured 4om his ffrst outing for the.current " term at Washdyke on Saturday. En>doSement, Hearth, Olympus and '-White Rajah are a quartet with ttie -ability to make it another upset year for the favourites.