THE NORTHERNS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 115, 1 June 1937, Page 10

THE NORTHERNS

Lord Val and Black Marlin Accept for Hurdles WEIGHT IS LIGHT (Special from "Early Bird") AUCKLAND, This Day. Both Lord Val and Black Marlin are t0 start in £he Great Northern Hurdles next Saturday, wliile the latter • will also endeavour to win the Great Northern Steeplechase on the second day. They are both in It. S. Bagby's stahle and it will be interesting to see if they can repeat tlieir Te Hapa effort, when tliey eaptured the j umping double the first day. Court Ariua cut liimself rather badly when he got into a fence while schooling last Friday morning and it is doubtful if he will be able to start the first day at Ellerslie. However, he was accepted for later that day, so there may be hope that the injury will mend in time. Court Arma is in the hack hurdles event on Saturday and, apart from the Waikato winner, Collision, the field is weak. Gay Broney, Hurdler Very often there is a well-known ' fiat performer coming into the limelight on the eve of the Great Northern meeting by good schooling and, while some of them have not won at the following fixture, they have nevertheless shown considerable promise. The latest to develop in this way is Gay Broney and, strangely enough, he has taken to hurdling very kindly indeed. He is engaged in the minor events over the sticks at Auckland and it will be interesting to see if he can win before the fixture concludes. He fell on Saturday when schooling. Dark Shadow started off with such dash in the handicap event on the opening day at Te Rapa that it looked a.s if he was going to try for another all-the-way victory sudh as he had accomplished in the Waikato Cup earlier in the season. However, as soon as he got into the back stretch, where the going i3 always much worse than at other parts of the" course, he stopped to a walk and within a couple of furlongs he was last. Pespite liis fitness, he will have to act much better if he is to win the Cornwall Handicap this week, for the going promises to be even heavier tkan at Te Rapa. Tim« to Appear Agafn The Awapuni jumper Tangled does not make very many appearances on a racecourse, but the forthcoming Great Northern fixture is to signalise his reappearance. He is engaged in the Hunt Club Hurdles on Saturday and the Hunt Cup on the second day, so that he is being asked to repeat last year's programme. He then finisbed second in tlie Hurdles aud capturcd the Cup, and his presence in these events again suggests that he has shown the necessary evidence to justify his taking on the job once more Often the Great Northen Hurdles otfers 'a guide to the Great Northern Steeplechase on the second day, although conversely it also happens that a hard race in the former event almost necessarily affects a horse' 8 prospects in the longer race over country. Originally there were 20 horses nominated for the big jumping double. This has now dwindled to eleven, these being Eoyal Limond, Erination, Valpeen, Roxy, Pahu, High Quality, Black Marlin, Irish Comet, Huskie, Monastic and Free Air. Royal Limond took on both these races last winter and finished third in the Hurdles and fell' on the hill the last time, whefi lie was a tired horse and was just beginning to weaken. Many Smart Hacks ' The number of acceptors for tiw Jervoise Hack Handicap at Ellerslie the first day is just under the safety number, so the usual division will not be necessary, for which relief one must be thankful. There are many smart hacks engaged and the race js going to take a lot of wiuning, for no less than eight of the acceptors have won in recent weeks and others at earlier dates. One hack that dropped quickly in the weiglits is Valspear who does not race very often, and with a stone above the minimum he is nicely placed. A distinct possibility is Pirate King, who lias started only three times, and won the last twice in runaway fashion. A horse that has come into some favour for the Great Northern Steeplechase is Free Air, after her good effort to flnish third in the Waikato Coronation Steeplechase. She was running on in that event and was within half a length of Don Erma in second place. Free Air had not been up long when she thus showed up at Te Rapa and it suggested that, with another fortnight's work, she Would be a Great Northern possibility. She is to contest both big jumping races. Two years ago Free Air finished second and fourth respeotively in the two Northerns. Another jumper that liad only been up a short time and then went a fine race in. the Hack Steeples at Te Rapa was Emancipation, who weakened into fourth place after looking a winner half a mile from home. He is engaged in the minor cross-country races at Ellerslie and, as h© doubtlesa derived considerable benefit from this one outing, he should be able to more tlTan hold his own. One of his chief oppouents in this gradc may be Sky Eilot, who is also ou the improve.