NORTHERN TOPICS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 37, 27 February 1937, Page 8

NORTHERN TOPICS

-Own Correspondent.)

Calcutta Mixing it: Hurdles And Flat VERA ACRE'S FORM

(By Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, This day. Easily one oi the most impressivo displays over hurdles for a novice was seen on Monday last, when ~Tout le Monde scored at. his first attempt in publie over the sticks. The way he took his fences made it appear as if he was a veteran at thiB branch of the sport, so that big things may pardonably be expected of him. He is now racmg in the colours of " his trainer, J. Fryer, who h'as always done well with juinpers, his most important success of recent years being Stanchion's win .in the Great Northern Hurdles. When one makes bold to say that a Great Northern Hurdles race would notbe beyond Tout le Monde, southern critics may scoff, and not without reason, for in their eyes this gelding is' anything but a genuine racehorse. However, it is wonderful how racing over the battens -lchanges some horses for the better. Tout le Honde revealed pleuty of pace in his handicap ' races on the Taranaki circuit and , again at Te Bapa he was right up on the heels of the place-fillers the ^rst^day, Did Nothing Wrong, That . latest outing was a good pointer for Tout le Monde, for-the pace and stamina he displayed on Saturday indicated that he ha.d only to jump well to be a goo.d prospect in what was, after all, just a fair-guality hurdles field on the Monday. Ha was solidly supporte.d and, while he was kept well back in the early and middle stages— • 'his rlder . gay'e him every opportunity to sight and take his fences — he quickly ran np to the leading division near the half-mile. Thereafter it was not a race; it was simply a question of ho.w much' he would wia by. Eor his Te Bapa win Tout le Monde was • bumped, up 171b. on his original miTiiminp impost and at Te, Aroha 101b. ,on his wioning weight. His owner deelined the engageinent but kept him In the Herries Memorial Handicap. It - ia , obvious that Tout - le Monde has been schooled thoroughly, for ha never chanced a- fenee an.d outjumped many seasoned hurdlers. Yes,.if kept for a race like the Great Northern Hurdles, with a rawt or two in between to gain fuxther experience, Tout le Monde would be a good . proposition, It is possible that he will be given a run over hurdles at Te Aroha on Mon.day, and it would be difficult to name oue likely .to beat him on Te Bapa running. " " A Disappointer. ~ Son.of the Soil,_who paid a, thnmping dividend f or a place at Te Bapa in the spring, f ailed badly la&t week-end, • His early promise has not so far been fulfilledji but perhaps he will do better at three years. He is owned by the Welhngton spor tsman Mr. C. E. Bobertson, who secured a third. placing last week and a nice place divid.endt with his filly Girl Pat, i Having his first race eince he won the Avondale Cup four months earlier, .Velocipe.de looked very well when produced at Te Bapa, though he may have needed a race. . Unfortunately the interference that occurredT in the big event last Saturday afiected the Australian gelding seriously, for 'his leg trouble came againsf him as a xesult of being knocked about, and/he was very lame ^when he came in. It looks like being . a long time' before Velocipede raceg again, ... . Serious Smash Avoided. It took the judicial oommittee a long •time to arriye at the cause of this mishap. It was remarkable_that no serious damage .was ■ done apart. from the trouble. to Velocipede and Shy: losing his rider, for the many horses running behind might all have been brought down. A ■ stumbling horse near the front threw Velocipede sideways into Dark Shadow, both these horses jazzing f orward and checking all those behind, but Shy ran right into the latter before the danger could be avoided. Surprisingly goo.d races ..were nm in the big ■ Te Bapa handicaps by Vera Acre, for on the first day she was up with the leading division Into the home stretch and was not far away at the fihish. She is apparently improving and, if she can get" over a chronic tenderness, she may win a goOd raCe shorfly, especially if the fracks begin to ease again. After racing at Te Aroha she will probably conteet the Franklin and Ohinemuri, Cups, neither of which will be beyond her on latest showings. Poor 'Chaslng Fields, Year after year the steeplechase season is opened at Paeroa by .the Ohinemuri Jockey Club in th'e middle of March, and invariably exciting con- . tests are provided. Wfiether tlus will be the case at the coming meeting is a matter for conjecture, for the entrles are emaller than ever, only nine being nominated eaeh day. Of this lo't the oufstanding performer ia .the dual National.winner Valpeen, while there will. be a couple.of veterans in Nukutere and Manga King. , Triune is the sole Auckland entrant for important events at the YjTellington autumn fixture, his first-day engagements including fhe Thompson Handicap and the open sprint. At his last appearance Triune gave a good mile field a few lengths' start at Te Bapa and defeated all but Bespectful, who was receiving 20lb. "from the big angu-. lar chestnut. On this showing he could be accountecl a Thompson Handicap prospect if he could be guaranteed to • get away with his field. The sou of Tippler is also entered for sprint races at Paeroa and the big handicap on the second day, so his trip.to Trentham is , by no means certaia, ,

Teet of Versatility. It is a doubtful policy to mix hurdle racing with flat racing, and the wisdom of doing this has often been discussed. Calcutta may be a case in point if this programme is carried out. When he, commOnced racing as a hur.dler at Te Awamutu nearly three months ago Calcutta finished third, and.then went on to Thames to finish second and then first over brush hurdles, another win over obstacles following at Matamata. Then he won on "the flat both days at Rotorua. Then, back" to hurdling, he defeated Modern Maid at Te Bapa. On the second day there he took on the flat again, having such a good lead coming into the etraight that he looked unbeatable, but he finished well back. He is to race over the sticks at Te Aroha .to-day, and on Monday, while next Saturday at Pukekohe he is entered for flalt racing ,only>: and also at Paeroa a week later. Jan Eidd was not paid up for at Te Aroha to-day, but from all' accouuts he may be produced iu the hack sprint on Monday. - If he is, then he should stand an excellent . winning chance." His form last week-end was first class, and he may have been . a bit unf oTtunate in striking an improver Hke Day Wind good enough to win first up. after a lengthy spell. . Jan Bidd is a much improved sprinter and he may be good enough to leave the hack class before the season ends.