Grand National

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 173, 9 August 1937, Page 14

Grand National

f'The Barb."l

PUZZLING FIELDS Steeplechase and Winter Cup To-morrow REVIEW 0F RUNNERS

(By 1

The C.J.C. Grand National rneeting will be held at Riccarton tor»3rrow (Tuesday), Thursday and Saturday. On the first day the Winter Cup and the National , Steeplechase are the chief events; on Thursday the National Hurdles and the Beaufort Steeplechase; and on Saturday the Lincoln Steeplechase will cause most interest. Generally speaking the fields are slightly larger than last year, and on paper the racing should be higbclass. Racing commences with the Trial Hack Hurdles. •. The iield is heade'd by Goluen Lap, a U'sefal sort of liurdler among the'secondvaters,- his best performance being iu the June Hurdles at the last Dunedin meetirig, when ,he won. Promising young hutdlers in Sunny Comet, Last Link, (Jorowa, Solwit, The Surgeon and Primax all help to. add interest to this race, as well as the more experienced Kedolent and the moody Monastic. Most money *may be invested on the chances of THE SURGEON. G0LDI-JN LAP and SUNNY COMET.. *■ Paparua Handicap. This is the open 'sprint of the day. Pakanui i§ alsp .engaged. in the Winter Cup, biiu this is th ; it'Cf hc may pre.iur. His narrow win recently over a moderate field was not encouraging for Riccarton standard. Enockfin has no recent form. Bay Duke is a fair sort. Queen Dorothy lias always done better over a longer course. A fair sort is Matoru. .Rebel Chief and 'Alma raced wcli in the mud at Wingatui last. June^ as also.did Araboa> they taking turns in being fir'st 'and' second in the open sprints; t'h'e latte'r was the unluc.kv runner in .the Brabazon Handicap the |other day. If the winner is to' come ifrom the lightweights, Bunfight aiid |Q?op Rank may be the surprises. Three | that .may appeal most are ARABOA , MATORTJ. and ALMA. Juinpers' Plat Handicap. Most of the run'ners are engaged in ; the National Hurdles' on Thursday. ! Mount Val is at ,the right end of the \ handicap, and may be the actual jfavourite de^pite his" 10j12. Jolly Beggar | lan poorly in this event twelve nionths j baek, but accounted for the big hurdles with little difiiculty. ■ Collision is not faneied over this distarice. Cottingham and Clarion Call will be among tiro I faneied lot. .Last Link, if he prefers ithis race, would appear to have a better j ehance than in the hurdles. Blue Tigor [is better with the fences up, but he is i bred to stay. Toreador has won more | fiat handicaps than any other con- ; testant engaged. Of the others Master I Musk may be the best backod, and the . local horses, Joufnet and John Charlos, : will not be f riendless. TEe best backed division may be TOREADOR, MOUNT VAL and MASTER MUSK. Cashmere Platc. There are niany in this race that are unknown to the average race-goer, so chat the public will more likely stick I to form. Promising • young sorte en- | gaged are The Wrecker^ Happy Night, Coclcsure, Moonraker, Rockingham and Stromboli. The t'avourites may be ROCKINGHAM, HAPPY KNIGHT and JOCKSURE. . *.■■■' Grand National Steeplechase. ltoyal Limond, last year's winner, ueads. the list. He is sound in wind and limb, can junip with the best, and .s a genuine stayer, but his moody ways s tlie fly in tho ointment. Irish Comet, & no more than fi/teen hands. in

height, but he is pcrhaps Ihe best t'eucer in the field,, aa weil as being gifted with stamina. Streamline is a bit of a puzzle, mainly.owing to hiin being a little uncertain in his lepping. Uoct'urnus has come into tho limelight this last week or so_, and his form is encouraging and he is a splendid i'encor. When he rau second in the Wingatui Steeplechase ho carriod li.Ot ugaiu^t Santoft, Avho was third, carrying 10s*. Burglar, by liis forward runmug at Wellington, gained niany friends/ but' chen the very licavy going may have assisted the Night Kaid gelclmg. He was 4ore recently, but was found to be juffering from corns, which have now been successfully treated. Forest Glow, on form, does not appeal. Pahu is a plodding stayer. Brigadore is a promising 'chaser. Cock o' the North won last week. Chillelagh Wood is , a jplendid fencer. Carrying over a stone more than Cock o' the North, she won Ait tho Christchurch Hujat meeting over 24 milcs. The' best backed may be IRISH COMET, NOCTUKNUS, SHIL-

LELAGH WOOD and BURGLAR. Enfield Steeplechase. A very small field. Should Shillelagh Wood start there would be no need to ■ ask what will be tho favourite. but as she is to contcst the big race, according to roports, tho favonrit.es look li ko being KELLY THE CRO'W and AllCTJC STAR. Winter Cup. Concertpitch, witli two" Grcat Easter Handicaps to hia credit and with but a stone and twelve, pounds above the. niinijnuui, is not harshly troaled; he- has | rovoaled himseJf to be in fonn. 'J'ho iin brod Trcnch Pight is galloping bril-

liantly, and his form last season as a three-year-old was top-hole; he won the C.J.C. Jockey Club Handicap, one of the hardest mile races to win in the Dominion. Queen of Song is not faneied. Ponty was unlucky not to have won last season. He dead-heated with Enge last montli at Trentham over a mile. Silver Streak looks the pick of the handicap. Arctic King and Davolo may not be up to this grade. Grey Honour has yet to be tried seriously over a mile. Wino, last year's winner, has his friends. Big Dook may cause a surprise, and Catalogue, on his track work, commands attention. Pakanui is not greatly Iiked. Queen Dorothy, Sweet Agnes, Sovereign Lady, Swordstick. Monipere and Sir Nigel do not appeal. Dietate is good, and a mile is his best distanee. By his third last Saturday week Shy commands a little attention. Eprxs has come, into favour a little since his win at Washdyke a week or two baek, but the opposition was nothing wonderful, and then he had all the luclc in the race. Old Surrey is a young horse of promise, and although he liails from the sanie stable as Catalogue races in different ownership. 'What will be better backed than SILVER STREAK, TRENCH FIGHT. DICTATE and CONCERTPITCH? Avonhead Hack Handicap. There is somo very promising young material among this big field. The best backed may be PALMYRA, TIDEW A1TER and DAY DRESS. "EARLY BIRD'S" SUGGESTIONS (Speeial from "Early Bird.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The prospects are for a very successxiil meeting at Riccarton this week on the occasion of the Grand National fixtuxe, for the. fields for the opening day to-morrow are very good and all that is required is fine weather. The going will be favourable unless rain falls and the usual win and place betting system will be in operation. The customary crop Of easualties has been experienced in the oase t.f the Grand National Steeplechase aspirants and the result is that only len remain in and the class is certaxnly not higli. Royal Limond has a solid impost but he is a genuine stayer. As a rinal winner at Ellerslie a couple of months ago Irish Comet will be iix demand, and he will probably run N-»"ti.iius close for favouritism. The northerner fenced brilliantly in the Great Noithern, and so he may le a ile to /jatole the Riccarton country just as efiicknfcly ; at ieast his owner thinks so. Rider's Responsibibty. Streamline is to start hero in prefei'encc to the mixior steop'wnnsx. Noctu out xv as uxxlucky at lis jast start, and il: both horse and rider give of their best tbe combiuation should le troublesome. Burglar is a good stayer and therel'ore he has the right credentials, the only factor agiainst him being his continued soreness. lorest Glow is not racing at all well, , while Pahu has wonderful stamina. Brigadoro scored nicely at Manawatu last month. Cock o' the North won recently at Riccarton. Shillelagh Wood «s another lightxveight prospect, although he will probably be reserved for the following event. The Big Miie. The Winter Cup, with its big field, is going to see the early heginners liolding, a great chance. Possibilities are Concertpitch, Trench Eight, Ponty, Silver Strealc, Arctic King,. Davolo, Grey Honour, Big Dook, Catalogue, Pakanui, Sweet Agies, Dietate, Shy"and Epxis, so it will be seon just liqw hard it is going to bo to lind the winner. As a class horso Treuch Eight 'stands out. The other events have filled well all through and will produce excellent racing. Bracketed horses in to-morrow 's events are the following:— Trial Hurdles, Golden Lap and Corowa; Cashmere Plate, Solpit and* Stromboll; Avonhead Handicap, Colombo and Grampian, Vola Dale and. Liana, Silver Slipper and Maroha, Jcd Forest and Gold Boy, Te Toquet and Laggard, Scrap and' Day Dress, Emmeline Girl and Bonnio Agnes, The Sandwichman imil niuhnxan.

The following may be favourod \n their engagements: — 11.32: TRIAL HURDLES.— Redolent, Golden Lap-Corowa bracket, primak. , 12.7: RAPAURA HANDICAP.— EebeJ Chief, Bay Duke, Pukanui or Greek Gold. 12.47 : JUMPERS' FLAT.— High Quality, Journet, John Clxarles. 1.32: CASHMERE PLATE.— Rockingham, Cocksure, Screamer. 2.17: GRAND NATIONAL ST'ECPLE CHASE. — Irish Comet, Noclurnus Burglar. 2.57: ENFIELD STEEPLECHASE.— Arctic Star, Kelly the Crow, Shillelagl Wood. 3.42: WINTER CUP.— Trench Fight Ponty, Pakanui or Epris. 4.27: AVONHEAD HANDICAP.--Palmyra, Sir Hugli, Vola Dale-Liam bracket.