NORTHERN FORM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 47, 11 March 1937, Page 8

NORTHERN FORM

(Special from "Early BircL")

Elange Gives Brilliant Display TOSH'S BRIGHT, FUTURE

AUCKLAND, This day. Tlie hurdlers seen out at the Frankiin meeting last week were a poor lot and High Quality had no difliculty in winning, while English Night defeated the olhers jnst as easily. Mangu King revealed some pace and he xnay show up over country at Paeroa on Saturday. Valauuto was a surprise favouriLO for tho hack seven furlongs at this gathering, but, getting away slowly, never managed to get close enough to the leaders to hold a winning chao.C6, to that his sixth placing was better than it appeared on the suri'ace. Valaraito ig to be tried over a' middle distance at Paeroa. The clear-cut manner in which Tosh won the open sprint ot Pukekohe indicated that he will not be out of his class when he takes on this grade again, even when he has to carry extra weight. He is back to the hack ranks at Paeroa and, as he stays xather well, he is not out of it with 9.0, for this traek favcurs the speedsters rather than the stayers. Tosh is nicely placed here, for he has only less than a stone tnore to carry than if he was in the open sprint. The field he defeated last week was a good one and, as he hung on splendidly r; the final stages, he shoald be seen to advantage again very soon. Again Unlucky. Kilonsa was the unlucky runner in tho sprint at Pukekohe, for while she might not have beaten Tosh she wouid probably have been too good for the others. She received a slight check as the field eommeneed to move aeross the top and then, when asked for an effort in the straight, she had her roufe changed two or three times in attempts -to get a run. Thus her fifth position at the post was very good under the circumstances. Six furlongs is a bit short for this mare, but her turn may not be far ofE. One o£ the best wins scored at the Franklin meeting was that of Little Artist in the hack sprint. He was giving the leader, High Star, a go'od start two furlongs from home and then, in the straight, ran paet him easily. Now that the winner has struck form again he should not be difiicult to place, for he has a lot of speed and has raced unluckily. High Star did not arrive by fioat any too soon, for he was^got off just in time to be saddled up and do his preliminary. He has a lot of speed and next aeason. he should be in the open cla&s. This is the hack that paid nearly a double century at Avondale iu th® spring. Differenee xn Class. On his reeent form Strathire should not have had a great ^deal of difliculty in winning the Buckland Hack Handicap last Saturday, but he failed to .do better than fifth after having evcry chance. He had previously carried big weights in the near-maiden class and his defeat so convincingly in his latest attempt indicates that there is a big gap between the two classes. Strathire may not have been himself and he may be a better horse to follow at Tauranga. Two speedy two-year:olds who disappointed in the Tuakau Stakes were Aero King and Land Girl, both trained at Ellerslie. They had gailoped brilliantly just before the race, but while they were np handy mafcing the home turn, neither managed to xun on. :j Land Gixl is by Surveyor from the one-time Taranaki galloper Llanore and she may - shapa better at Paeroa provided she settles down. Aero King, too, will be very much improved by the run. Second in the Auckland Weleome Stakes and third in the Wellesley Stakes at Trentham, it was surprising to find the two-year-old Elanage still a maiden prior to the JFranklin fixture. However, he then scored his first win in the set-weight Tuakau Stakes and his exhibition was a very good one, suggesting that next seseon he may be really good. Two furlongs from honio Elanage was giving Tavern Song some six or seven lengths ' start, but, galioping very resolutely over the final stages, he wore the older hack down.to beat him on the post. The winner was a hot favourite, despite the fact that ha wanted a race or two, and he will be a fit horse to contest the Champagne -Sljakes at Ellerslie on Easter Saturday.

At Long Odds. Two outsiders that got into the money at Pukekohe were Valmint and School Song, who finished third and . rewarded tlxeir place supporters with double figure dividends. * Valmint was always in the picture in his race and he will be all the better for it, as he was having his "first public outing for some little time. School Song was running on in the maiden event. His only previous placing was when he finished third at Menangie, N.S.W., nearly eighteen months ago. He is a five-year-old brother to Marching Song, their dam being a sister to Queen Mareh. One owner was unlucky at Pukekohe. This was the sportsman who races Parcjuet and Inquisitor. The former made a promising roajjpearance, dofeating all but Tosh in the open sprint, iu whicli she finished very strongly indeed. Inquisitor was badly loft in the maiden and then ran quito a good race, sug- ' gesting possibilities later onj ho is on-o-aged in the non-winners' races at Paeroa. Both these gallopers are out of Inlaid, Parquet by Limond and the maiden by the Absurd horse Lysander, and from their shfwings last week they may be worth following. After racing prominently at the reeent Takapuna meeting Droll was expected to show np in the maiden at. Pukekohe. She was not well served at tlie start and was then in the middle of the field the whole way. Promisj ing (lisplays were given by Seven Seas I and The Vamp in this event, the latter

a four-year-old half-sister to Tavern Knight, Wild Time and Lion Heart, finishing fourth. Seven Seas showed a lot of pace once he had settled down, for he ran up shaxply approaehing the home turn and was second into the straight, only to weaken. He is by Spear Dance from the grey maTe Rehutai, a well-known galloper of several •seasons ago.