WAIPA HOPES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 134, 23 June 1937, Page 13

WAIPA HOPES

"Early Bird.")

! Guide from Tauranga i Meeting SECOND-UP SURPRISES

(Speeial From

AUCKLAND, This Day. i The acceptances for the Waipa fixtiire at Te Awamutu next Saturday are remarkably good aud further indicate the popularity of winter raciilg in this district. Apart from a hunt meeting, there jvill be no mere races in the province until the Avondale spring fixture three months hence. Since running second to Ga.y lalkie in the Noian Handicap at Ellerslie on Easter Tuesday, Day Wind has raced rather unluckily, so that his success in the Opotiki Cup last Saturday was popular. He was well rldden and so smoothly was he travelling at the half mile that his rider pushed him along and • thus slipped his field to score handsomely. Day Wind is engaged in the Woodstock Stakes at Te Awaiuutn and is a possibility, despite the iaet that the opposition is stronger. Plenty Left,

Maori Song, having won at Tauranga iast week, he is now not eligible i'or the Trial Handicap next Saturday, so that removes a dangerous candidate. However there are still 22 left in this event and it is just as difficult to ptck, for beginning ability always plays a vital part at Te Awamutu, Very Glad run two solid races in the best hack company at Ellerslie, but he is only a iittle feilow and 9.0 inay find a weaknessj to offset this he has rare speed early in his races and thjs will be a redeeming faetor, Backers of "second up" horses had an excellent ihnings at Tauranga, for they oolleeted two double-figure win dividends throUgh Dutch Girl and Miss Lu, while Bonnie Song ran two seeonds. In the province, at the smaller meet--ings horses are often paradedi twice in the aftornoon aud experience has shown that the second up is usualjy a payjng proposition. Miss Lu found her weight troublesome in the Opotiki Cup, but ovOr the sprint distance she was sixth at the home turn and then came through tb score narrowly over the still unlucky Johnny Walls. Cah Do Bettei Ellerslie running pointed to Enge for the Opotiki Cup and he was a solid favourite on both totaliBators, yet third was the best he could do. He went a fair race throilghout, being always handy, but he failed to run on as weil as expected, although he had got to witliin a length of the winner at che post. Enge is engaged over seven furlongs at Te Awamutu and, with auy luck in the running, he sbould be a possibility on his best form, inore ..speciaily as he has ability to begin. However, in this race ther© is a very large field and; anything might happen. It is not often that a horse is produced in two successive races, yet that was the task asked of Killadar at iauranga last Saturday. At his two previous starts, over the sticks at Ellerslie, he fell at the second and first hurdles respectively, so his two-ou-end this time might not be considered out of order in an effort to make amends for his failures, He finished in the ruck in the hack mil ean dwith the saddle still on he was kept iii the birdcage for tlie Hurdles, in which he did much better, defeating all but Boughal. This pair will meet again in a sxmilar event at the Waipa meeting, wben the field is much better* Takfng On the Best. Gay Rebel was at a short prlce wlieo be scored at Tauranga, yet it was a bit better than could have been anticipated after has fiue form at Ellerslie. He is to race at Te Awamutu and claims two engagements ,the big handicap and the hack middle-distance race. As he is now very high in the weights, it is possible that the open race will be chosen for him, but whatever his owner decides to take on this gelding will be very hard to beat in his present form. One factor in his favour is fhat he can handle any sort of ground and has stamina. Gay Bebel's win on the final day of the Great Northern meeting put him out of the hack class, although of course he can run out his nolninations. The cross-country event at Tauranga was very interesting in view. of the fact that several of the runners there will be seen out at Te Awamutu. Lucidus gave an improved display to win very nicely and, with the fences this week equally easy, he should be difficult to dispose of iu the minor steeplechase, Chang went a fiiie race into second place, considering that it was his first race for two years and his steeplecliase debut, so that some improvement may be anticipated in bds l'uture eft'orts. At the weights, however, tliis pair may find Kinkle a difficult proposition, for the latter shaped well at Ellerslie, where one poor jump spoilt an excellent winning chance .in each of his two starts. Two smart hacks seen out at Ellerslie are included in tlie field for the middle distance hack event which concludes the day's sport at Te Awamuttl. They are Pirate King and Alyth, the latter having finished fourth the first day and second on the middle day, the winner in each instance being Erndale. This was very good form indeed and suggests that Alyth is going to be hard to beat if she can handle the bends tliis week. Pirate King spoilt an excellent record prior to competing at the Northern meeting, and if he can produce tliq torrent oi speed he ro* oaled from alniost ilnjiossililc barrier positions be will be' liard to beat on Saturday.