FORM IN NORTH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 170, 5 August 1937, Page 15

FORM IN NORTH

"Early

Bird.")

Flood Tide's Trip Sooo SPRING CAMPAIGNERS

(•From

AUCKLAND, This Day. One of the speediest haclcs In the province Iast season was the three-year old filly Paluetre, her only ■weakness being a lack of stamina. With age this should improve eulFicieutly to enabla her to hold her own in gprint company, for with her hegdnning ability slie wijl haye a lot in her favour, • E, Miller, who has tramed Flood Tide during his career, is keepiug the wellperfotmed gelded son of Tidal going along more readily now in view oi his Milbourne and Cauliield Cup engagoments, jn which He is nicely weighted. This tiainer expects to get away tu Meibourno in a little over a iortnignf, with Flpod Tide and a youhger sister, Miss Lovelockj the latter's liamp certainly indicates that she cau go a good niiie. Should Make a Hurdler. Prince Colossus continues to Bhape proinisingly in his schooling eli'oris over the sticks at Ellerslie and it may not bo long befpre he makes an appearance in public as a jurnper, Howover, so long as the present rainy season lasts his ownera may be tempted to try him on the ilat again after a good spell, for it was dn the mud at Ellerslie last season that he won the principal event at the Takapuna spring kxture. Prince Colossus should be the makings of a lirst-class hurdler, for he has shown he can jump and he has won at a mile arid g-quarter on the flat. th;H in very heavy ground. Versant, who raced eo well at the lasf Great Northern meeting, is still going very well at headquarters and he, too, is appreciat'ing the continuation of easy tracks, although he does not like it too heayy. So far he has not shaped suecessfully beyond a mile, although now that he is settling down "better he should do so, for in his few attempte beyond that distance he has always pglled himself to pieces. Wlien Versant" won his firgt race, in a highweigbt event at* Avondale, he paid a dividend of £214, a price that he has not got within cooee of in his later dividends. Unfortunatejy he is not too sound and so when the turf begins to firm he may be an trouble again, but this may not be until after the big spripg flxtures, so ho will have every chance. Kequires Placing. Whjle it has been said that Kilonsoa » ill not compete at the Pakuranga Hunt fiKture a fortnight hence, she is being f. a. ... zirtlln n onrl liov innrlf _

JLkOjJb UjJ bU LUt? VUUfti uvi i'V4» outs suggest eaTly racing. She is parua! to soft ground and so it woujd do surprising if her owner failed to take advantage of the prevailiug conditions. So far this mare has disappointed somewhat in her appearances in open eompany and as sho may have a limit to the distance she races best over her opportupities tnay UQt he numerogs, Of her pace there is not the rflightpst (loubt, but phort and middle distance liandicaps in the spring are goipg t° be difficult t9 "wi q fpr a horse of Kilcm^ soa's type. Another useful handicap performer still, in active work at Ellerslie is Vab mlnt, and he is a genuin.o mudlark who 'seems destined to be a hard horse to beat dn' the handicap event at El* lerslie this month. Lord Val ia to he given a brief respite fpom hurdling in the meantime and his next engagerobnt is going to be on the flat in the Pakuranga handicap conteat, .He will flnd tbe eonditions to his Hhing and judged by the way he is hitting out at EJlersiie his severa] hard races over tlio battcns have not impaired his pace. In the spring Lord Val may be fetyrned to hurdling and it is not syr. prisihg if he da asked to take on the biggef evenfs, for he is getting on in years and racehorsos do not last for ever. Did Rptter Here, Ai'tqr disolosing only modergte forin when racpd in tUP lower pgrt of the Nprth islaud, Mound Up upon his prriyal ut Ellorslio at onco* bpgan to shpw imprpvpnient, whieh u?ay pp cpnsidered quite natuj-al by nortuerners. Ua quiekiy showed form auij gpt ou the wiuning list, yvhile his Jfist winuiug ell'oi't waa over eight and' a-hplf luriongs at Paeroa in the autumn, when he defeated a large lield in a liectic flu>ish, a i'ehtpre °l kip flnal dasb being his tenucity. Subsequeutly Mound Up disappointed, blimit is prpbhblo that he will reveai further improvement when hft is prpduced this season; he is regarded as a handicap horpp likely tQ bo well sudted on the prOvincjab cifeqJt. Tha early elassic races will attract thp Takanini three-year-old Bdchelur fving, for he rs now updergoing a good pjeparation for whttt is goiug to prove puother screngopa seapon, Last Lojxxi i this then two-year-old h.ad Q hard timo of it, beiug hsked to cgrry welter woightp, and in the morp moderate coiuj pyuy he was just about equal tp holdiug ni« nwn. However. he fell a bit short

when the eiassie candidates opposel him, evcn if he was not disgraeed, but at the same timo it indicated just what a trexnendous gap there was separating the flrst and second gradei iast season. an opinion that was con firmed by the fom of Ajvatn Bachelor King may be a vpry good throo-year-old, althpngh he will neqd to improve tp copo with Royal Ohief pnd Smoko gcreen in tho Avondale and Grea^ Northoru Ouincas in the ue^t fcwt ■ j woeke.