KEEN RACING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 53, 25 November 1937, Page 15

KEEN RACING

(Special' to Herald-Tribune.)

Form Revealed at Te Rapa Meeting ALISON CUP PROSPECTS

AUCKLAN.D, Last Night. Auckland Cup candidates to score at_ Te Rapa were Jonathan and Parquet, while Mazir and King Rey finished in the money. The interest in the handicap performers will be very keen when the Alison Cup comes up for decision at Ellerslie nest Saturday, the majority of the 22 acceptors being' also engaged in the valuab.e two-miies coutest on Boxing Day. Interest, too, will be evinced in the Auckland Cup weights, which are due on Wednesday next, following on the conciusion of the Takapuna iixture at headquarters. The Waikato Cup race, a real thrilier, may prove a good guide to Saturday' s Alison Cup, for the first hve horses past the post in the Te Rapa race will be seen in conflict once more, with the dead-heaters, Jonathan and Master Brierly, again meeting at the same difference in weights, but both now have 61b. more tlian the weight tliey carried last Saturday. The Waikato Cup was run over eleven furlongs; the Alison Cup is a furlong shorter, so with a very differfent course to race over and a field twice as big, the form may prove deceptive. King Rey's Prospects, However, form is generally the best to foilow and it may pan out again on Saturday. That form is best was illnstrated at Te Rapa in the case oi the paysrs of huge dividends — Forest Acre, High Tea, Barrister and -Bachelor King— for they all had form except High Tea, who had not been up long prior to winning. The horse that must naturally be seized upon to give a splejidid account of himself in the Alison Cup is King Rey. He is regarded as one of the best mile and a-quarter horses in the province, for he was able to more than hold his own at this distance against all comers at Ellerslie last mid-summer, winning both contests over this distance. King Rey looked better at his last i appearance, and in. the Waikato Cup ke appeared to be.on terms with Jona- 1 than in the lead at the distance, and | while he weakened it was not very | much, for he was third, a mere hali j length behind the dead-heaters. With j that race into hun and a furlong less j to cover, King Rey appears to be well ] placed in the Alison Cup. He now meets Jonathan and Master Brierly on 41b. better torms, and the shorter journey will be more in his favour. Two Cood Ones. It is as long ago as three and a-half years that Master Brierly and Jonathan were at the top of the tree in their class. The latter won the Auckland Easter Handicap with 8.6, and Master Brierly the President's and Nolan Handicaps under 9.7 and 10.0 respectively. A week later Jonathan won the handicap at Avondale with 9.12, and Master Brierly ran unplaced m this event with 10.7. Now, after such a long period, they are baek in the limelight once again, a shining examp'le of the rejuvenation of two good thoroughbreds. Each is now eight years old, yet not too old to beat the best the north can produce, Jonathan enjoyed a perfect run in the Waikato Cup. On the other hand, Master Brierly was always well out from the rails and was forced to cover a.lot of ground on the turns. A.feature of his display was the dask he exhibited throughout, for he was always well up. However, when the pace was put on at the half-mile he went back several places, only to flash up into the picture again at the distance. Althougb receiving 6lb. from Jonathan, the honours of the race were with Master Brierly, who was finishing the better and did not experience such a good passage as Jonathan. But on the Ellerslie course and in a big field the latter may hold him safe next tinie.

Other Prospects. Of.the other Alison Cup candidates that contested the^Waikato Cup, Mazir and Fersen did very well and on their showings they will have to be seriousiy considered, for they, too, come in on better terms with their conquerors. Mazir's eft'ort at a mile on Monday was impressive, and he has always done better the Ellerslie way round. Sliy was not produced last Saturday, ,but tiie fact that he was prominent a hundred yards from the post in Monday' s mile speaks well for his prospects in the Alison Cup. Lornacre failed to stay, but he ran a great race witli 91b. more over the mile on Monday. Valamito pulled himself to pieces' and was not prominent on Monday. Rona Bay was oue of the pacemakers, and held on until just below the distance and Mungatoon failed to reveal any dasb. Of the horses that competed at Te Rapa, King Rey seems the logical choice for the Alison Cup, and liis task will not be easy, for in addition to having to account for Sliy, Mazir and Jonathan, be will ineet promising fresli liorses in Kelly, night of Australia and Kiltowyn. Next Saturdav's event looks like being a rare struggle