GENUINE STAYER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 65, 3 April 1937, Page 8

GENUINE STAYER

-From ( * Earlv i3ird"1.

Cerne Abbas Improves MANDAMUS UNLUCKY

(By Telenraph-

AUCKLAND, This Day. The best three-year-old on Ellerslie form this week was Gay Talkie, and it was a great pity that he was not entered for the classic . races. . His victory in the Nolan Handicap, f ollowing upon his Ohinemuri Gup success a fortnight earlier, stamped him as a fine perforaxer up to a mile and a half, while he could already be regarded as an buckland Cup prospect, with another year on to his age. Cerne Abbas prObably ran her best race when . she finished f ourth in the Great Northern Derby on New Year's Day, her effort suggesting even then that had- the distanee been that of the St. Leger she would have won. Def .eats subsequently in minor company, plns a poor showing in the N.Z. St. Leger at Trentham, caused a dottbt to be thrown on the value of the G.N» Derby form, but still her effort in that classic was good enaugh to point to her as an easy winner of the G.N. Oaks considering the poor quality of the opposition, and so it proved, for the Riccarton filly won comf ortably. Jockey 's Hard Ride. ! With the 'St. Leger oix Tuesday tlxe position was such that Cerne Abbas had to be the favourito, for her only dangerous opponent, Mandamus, was a doubtful quantity' xmder the conditions prevailing, for he has never been at home on a soft track. The turf waB easy enough ' on Tuesday to be about two seqgpds slower to the mile than usual, and this probably made all. the difference to the result. The pace was slow for most of the long trip and both Mandamus and "Cerne Abbas were pulling hard, the filly especially giving Broughton a hectic time. Tho speed was on at the half mile, and even when Cerne Abbas, actually making the home turn, was still pulling so hard that her rider had to • exert all his strength to keep her back. . , Then on the turn Mandamua, who had been trailing the le.ader, Ruiette, on the rails, pulled out, and Raepata had to swing out ,at the same time. This caused the latter to go over on to Cerne Abbas just as she was j straiglxtening up and nxomentarily unbalanced her. However, over the last furlong it was Mandamus and Cerne Abbas, with Ruiette still hanging on but wxtlxout a winning elxanee. 1^ was a mattcr of inches at the judge and Cerne Abbas won. Under ihe circum-

stances as deseribed it was a splendid perfOrmance on the part of the filly and indicated that she might be a very different proposition next season, for staying appears to be her t'orte. Credit, too, must be awarded to Mandamus for running a fine race under unsuitable conditions. He has been an unlueky horse, for wet traeks prevented hira from fulfilling his engagements in two previous classics, tlxe Great Northern Derby and the N.Z. St. .[Leger.