AVONDALE HOPES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 193, 1 September 1937, Page 15

AVONDALE HOPES

Review of Likely Form in Clasaics STRETT0 AND GALLIO (Special — From fEarly Bird.") AUCKLAND, Last Night. Outside stables are not strongly repreeented at tbe Avondale fixture. Those from beyond * the province engaged in the handieap events are Catalogue, Small Boy, Cerne Abbas, Maine, Boomerang (engaged in tbe Avondale Cup), Hunting Star, Cardsbarperj, Ruinette, Nelumbo, Sigurd, Golden Blonde. Rojal Chief and Sbirred Ribbon. Others are engaged in the two classic events and the haek plates, some of them apparently being 3eft in through an oversight. The appearance of Royal Chief at Avondale will stimujate interest in che form of the three-year-olds, for on last year's runmng there is nothing that sliould be able to beat him in the Avondale Guineas. On the first day he is engaged in the open isprint and this race will sharpen him up for the classic on the second day. His most dangerous three-year-old opponents may be improYers such as Royal Bachelor and lluntingmore, who were showing their best at the close of last season. Then, too, there are Bachelor King and Airam, fhe latter iilly having carried welter weights in brilliant style on the Avondale course last autumn, when she won with lQ.'J and iinished second with 10.10, weights which must be almost a reeord for two-year-olds m t.'iB Dominion. On the last occasion Bachglor King was unplaced with 10.2, while it is interesting to note that an also« an was Aero King, who won two races briiliantly in Sydney a few weeks ago. Judged on last season 's running. Airam may be better suited over a bit of ground. Quite a good class is engaged in the Avondale Cup, there being no fewer than 22 entrants, so last year 's contest, which drew 18 runners, may almost be paralleled insofar as numbers are concernedj the, only subsequent cup event to draw as good a fiel^. was that at Te Aroha, with its 24 coutestauts. The first and third horses in last year's Avondale Cup, Velocipede and Knight of Australia, are again engaged, but Mgzir, who divided them, in among the missing; he may not be produced for a month or two yet, and he may be at his best for the Auckland inidsummer meeting. Winter Cup Winner. Two interesting Avondale Cup nominees are Catalogue and Cerne Abbas. The former won the "Winter Gup reeently and he vvill not be the first to have WOU the big Riccarton mile and then come on to capture the big prize at Avondale, which is run bo early in the season and. is therefore in favour of horses with winter racing behind them. Cerne Abbas proved to be the best of the three-year-old fillies last season and she impressed as a true stayer. Shp took on a sprint at -Riccarton recently and it was illuminating to find her in the first half dozen inside the false rail. It would seem as if the sprint field the first day at Avondale, with its 23 nominations, is going to. be unwieldy, for the prospects are for the most numher of competitor§ seen in this class sinco the course was reeonstructed. Three-year-olds engaged are Royal Chief, Bachelor King, Airam and Royal Bachelor, all Guineas candidates, so there will be the keenest interest taken in this trio. Then there is last year's winner, Triune, "who went such a fiue race at .Pakuranga after being stood behind the field at the barrier. This t; t able won the double last year with Volocip#3e and Triune, and they are entered in the same events again, with Airam as a uaeful second string in tha shorter event. Maori Song's Nexfc. With the horses mentioned in the preceding paragraph, it will be seen that Maori Song, who ia also in the Avondale sprint, will have to be really good if he is to make his sequence of successes five on end; he has won his iast four starte. With the return of the 7.0 minimum he will not be overweighted, and, of course, this applies to the whole field, and good sprinters that were carrying welter weights last season will also be down in the scaie. if the weather should be wet, of course, it will be a great advantage to Maori Song. Two interesting young horses scheduled to make a reappearance at the • Avondale fixturo are Privy Seal and Stretto. The former is engaged in the maiden class — a race which incidentally is .going to be hard to win — and as she was highly rated by her late trainer, W. Stone, last season, and has been shaping nicely in her trials, she. may be one of the main fancies. Bigger interest will be evinced in Stretto, howcver, for she was a topnotch two-year-old two seasons back, being inferior only to Gallio. §he was sent to Australia last sprint and did no good there, showing speed but no stamina, and she may stage a come-hack, like Gallio is doing. Incidentally these two rivals will probably meet again in the Avondale sprint, but on this occasion Stretto is almost ccrtain to receive a liberal concession from Gallio.