NORTHERN HORSES FOR TRENTHAM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 137, 26 June 1937, Page 15

NORTHERN HORSES FOR TRENTHAM

' ' Early

Bird. ")

Forty Entrants Make Biggest List for Years SEVERAL IMPROVERS

(•Prom '

AUCKLAND, Last Nighl. Dospite the fact that the entries for Trentham next month reveal a decrease on- last year's total,^ the fact remains that the Auckland portion of the nOmination list is the biggest for many years, no less than 40 horses from the province being engaged. Most of theni, too, will make the trip so Auckland should be well dn the limelight. One of the ptimary reaspns for this largo increase in Auckland representation is that there has been plenty of racing up here this winter and with the horses kept going for so long the Wellington elub will get the benefit, for with Uo more racing in the north for a long time and wit"\ At hofses on hand owners have had their attention direfcted pefforee to the Welliugtou fixture, espeGially with flne stakes offering. At this early stage, and prior to the declaration of the handicaps, the mam ttorthern hopes for the two big Wellington jumping events, the Wellington Steeplechase and the Winter Hurdles, would appear to be Irish Comet and Lord Val, for in theit respective classes, and at the wBights, they Were the outstauding jumping performers at the Great Ndrthern meeting, Irish Comet is on the femall side and his chance cannot be*best gauged till after the weights make their appearance. One of the biggest faotors in the prospeets of Lord Val is his undoubted penchant for Trentham in winter, and this is likely to oft'set the disadvantage of creeping years. Irish Comet barely touched a fence in the Great Northern and Winter Steeplechases, which ho won so easily, yet it is quite on the cards, When one considers serioiisly his lack of size, that the Trentham fences may test Mm severely. All this is mere presumption, of course, so perhaps the best summing-up of his prospeets may lie in his clear-cut Ellerslie twumphs. Unnamied Foriorn Hopes. An analysis of some of the Auckland horses entered at Trentham makes it obvious that beliefs in foriorn hopes are not yet extinct. This is very ovident in the cass of some of the entrants, but, of couree, one nevef kndws, and., equally, of course, it would not be fair to point to any horse as possessing the proverbial Buckley's chance. However, there are one or two of this specdes in the large northerU striUg.for next month 's fixture aitd it Will be interesting to observe if the long winter triain trip and tho change 3,U enviroiiment will ennbiil these to pay expenses. A ratner unusual pfogramme is that drawn Up for HUskie at Trentham. He is not engaged in the Trentham Hurdles the first day, his -lonO engagement then being in the hack miie. Oi the second day he is entered for both the High-Weight afid the Parliamentary Handicaps while iu the final session he h to tahe On fhe Winter Hurdles. This is a very mixed bill, bnt apparently it is not thdhght UecCssary for him to make aequaintance with the T'rentham hurdles prior to contesting the Winter HUfdlBs. As the Great Northern meeting progressed Huskie 's jumping improved, so his tfainer may be right in his theory of keeping hiin till the last day before taking on the hurdles. Made One and Six. Maori Song, who claims hack engagu ments at Trentham, ran away with a maiden event at Tauranga last week, but the oppositi.on wai very f eeble ana while one should not be carried away with this lohe eifort it Was only what was fexpeOted after making allowahce fot improvement sihce he racefl at Te Kaua a month eaflier. Incidenthlly Maori Song's win ahd plaCe dividends wero the sinaliest ih the iiorth for a loUg time for1 a gailoping event, place backers losing quite a share of their ittvestment. A ten-shilling ticket each way dn Maori Hong would have shown a profit dn this Winnet of Oiie shilling and sixpence. , The iinprdvers itt the hack hurdles class at 'Trentham from Auckland stables inelude Bass, Gadger and Boughal. The last-named still hits his fences very hard but yet stands up. He has yet t6 race Over really formidable htirdles so Trentliam may find him out. In any cass he does not stay too Well yet, his biggest asset being his pace. Gadger promises to develop into a usofui hurdler, for he is imprOviUg all tho time and it is in his faVour tBat h§ looks liko staying oU. Bass made a rather seiisational debut at Ellerslie early this month, and if he can ouly settle down he will have a Very bright fiiture, Young Paddon started his racing career at the last Trentham winter meOting atid his shOWing Was such that he WaS ticked oflc tO Win a race Very shortly afterwards, However, he is still itt the maiden elass atid his owiter intends to take him to Trentham next week for the minor events on the Young Paddon has ¥UU SOmO splettdid faees this sUason wlthdut meetiug with atty luek, but it is fiiOre than likely that, with the family liking for heavy traeks, he may make amends ou this eoming trip south, The promiaitig Ellerslie double-winuer, Erndale. wlw comes from the same family as Young, Paddon, is a fiot&ble omission from the WellitigtOtt nominatiOns,