NORTHERN FORM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 124, 11 June 1937, Page 13

NORTHERN FORM

"Early Bird.'')

How Irish Comet TraSned for Steeples LORD VAL'S SUCCESS

(By Telegraph-— From

AUCKLAND, This Day. For an odds-on favourite, Irish Comet did not. have much to spare at the finish of the Hunt Cup at Ellerslie on Wednesday, but he is a fine 'chaser in the making and he will be a good prospect dn a race like the Pakuranga Hunt Cup a couple of months hence. He has lots of pace and later on he should develop stainina. With Irish Comet winning tho Great Northern later in the day, his Majesty's Birthday proved a great day for the Emerald Isl-e. Philomup wad oue of tho horses that di.d not altogether onjoy a good run in tho hack seven furlongs tho saine day, for he was drawn off the conrso and so_ had to cover a lot of gronnd, never being closer in than four horses, and as ho finished fourth the performance was good. Pirate King us consistent, for he has drawn numbers 20 and 17 in - his two outings at the fixture to date, and this is a tremendous haiidicap. Unlucky in Northern. There was a good deal of merit in 'the effort of Lord Val to win on Wednesday, for he not only made the pace throughout, but on no less tlian three occasions he was "taken on" by Huskie and was good onough to be able to shake him off at the vital stage. Lord Val won so convancingly, meeting Huskie and Jolly Beggar on even worse terms than when this pair finished in front of him in tho' Groat Northern Hurdles, that it would seem as if he was thc unlucky liorso last Saturday in the big event. Ho seems pretty certain to go to Trentham next month for the Trentham and Winter Hurdles. Jolly Beggar, althougli beaten into third place again last Wednesday, is

conaidered by many good judges to be one of the best hurd'lers seen in the north for a&veral seasons. His two runa have been really good ones and when beaten he had to concede tremendous weights to the pair that finished ahead of him on each occasion. On top of the ground he might have reversed places. Paddock Trained. Irish Comet, winner of the Great Northern Steeplechase, is an illustration of the valuo of training horses for long races in the wido open spaces, for most of his work has beon done ou his owuer's farm and along thc surrountling roads iii the country, with an occasional visit to the racecourse for fast AVOi'k. The suceess of this pi;eparation was demonstrated in the result, for it was in stamina that Irish Comet was thought to be lacking, this opinion being based upon his efforts previously in steeplechaees, but on this occasion he was the winner three fences from home in a race that extended for nearly four miles with three trips up the forxnidablo hill. Two horses that ran very fine races in the King George Handicap on Wednesday were Loombination aua Kilonsa, for both liad their ch'anees extinguished when they failed to jump out and were left many lengths. Loombination linished well up and Kolonsa, too, did well without being ridden hard when pursuit was hopeless. On this exhibition this pair may be eeen to advantage on the final day of the meeting, when tho handicap race is run over a mile, tho extra furlong favouring them. Soon at Her Best. Mata Hari has liad a couple of races sinee going off the scene early in the year and on Wednesday she revcalcd a

lot of pace to be right up second at the end Of five and a-half furlongs in the handicap, and as waB only to be expected she faded out from here. She was entered for both open races on the linal day at Ellerslie and judged on her efforts to date the sprint may be her missiou and ehe ean be expeeted to go a good race under the present conditions. The going was very heavy when Mata Hari won and. ran second at the Takapuna meeting at Ellerslie nearly five months back. Whiile it is admitted that the field in Ihe Panmure Hurdles on Wednesday was one of the woist in the hack class seen out at a Great Northern fixture, there was a good .doal of merit in Windsor Lad's Avinning effort, for it was only his juniping that etoOd to him and he did niuoh better than High Star at his fences. Windsor Lad has done his recent r&cdng oVer country and his ability to win over the sticks on Wednesday draws attention to his prospects over the coiintry from this on. Versant is in partieularly fine fdrm and he may win again before very long. He led all the way to win the sprint last Saturday and he was alwaye well piaced in the King George Handicap on the second day. He made a determined effort to get in the money on Wednesday and with a more vigorous jockey aboard he might have done so. In his present condition Versant looks like being a good proposition again shortly, partieularly as he can manage a middle distance as well as sprint.