TASK TOO STIFF

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 60, 3 December 1937, Page 19

TASK TOO STIFF

"Early Bird.")

Ellerslie Hurdles Take Some Jumping BEAT THE VISITORS

(Special — From

AUCKLAND, Last Night. Once Again visiting horses with firstclass credentials As hurdlers in the south have coine to Ellerslie and been baeked and beaten when trying to win over tho battens at Aucklahd's racing headquarters. On both days of the Takapuna meeting last week-end the hurdles were won by northern horses, with favoured visitors well beaten. It has long been contended that to make good at Ellerslie in hurdle races a horse must have Had experience not only for those particular obstacles, but also of rdcing right-handed. A seatch of the records will probably disclose that a visiting horse taking on the hurdle races at Ellerslie and racing right-handed for the first time, gets Soundly beaten nine times out of tenj the proportion may be eveh wider than that, especially in heavy going. The latest failures were Blue Tiger, Trackman and Royal Mimic, all of whom were having their first introduction to hurdling qn rjght-handed CQurses. After the fine sliowings made by Blue Tjger and Trackman at the Waikato meeting a weelc earlier, it.was reaeonable to expect that they would be in big demand at Ellerslie. Blue Tiger in particular had rcvealed wonderful form when he scored at Te Bapa, which course incidOntally is left-handed and the fences not over big. Yet history repeated itself when they gdt to Ellerslie, and the ground was ideal there for hurdliug. On Saturday Trackman went a finq race to finish third, bnt Blue Tiger, tailed off early as usual, tipped out at tiie fence between the half-mile and three ffirlOngs When travelling very well and a certain place-getter. The fence that proved "Blue Tigef's downfall has been the Waterloo _ of . many "better hurdlers than the Hastings gelding, although the fence is well Sited. Disasterg here may be attributed to the fact that the pacc is well on by the time this spot-ia reached. The first and seCOnd horses in Saturday's race, Tudor and Bandrift, have had plOnty of experienee over the Ellerslie hUrdles course and that must have helped thern, considerably.

They Oame Agaia. Nothing dannted by the first day's failures, backers again decided strongly in favour of Trackman and Blue Tiger, uoubtless on the well-known principle that after the one race they would hav& enhanced prospects. This is whftt oue naturally expects, and it was revealed in the aetual race, for Trackman was always in the pic.ture and Blue* Tiger came from a very long way back, as usual, to finish fifth. Royal Mimic, who was having his first up at Ellerslie as a hurdler, vvas obviously bothered by the obstacles, and his fall at the last fOnde was not unexpected, for he was very tired and was well back at the time. One cannot condemn the connections of these three visiting horses for underrating the Ellerslie hurdles and opposition, for they may yet profit substantially by the experience their horses gained.last week-end. It is profitable that they expected to secure a good stake, but at the same time when preparing jumpers it is always advisabie to look a long Way ahead and that is What the owners and trainers °f Blue Tiger, Trackman and Royal Mimic had in the back of their minds when planning this late spring campaign. Their horses have all had good experience of the Ellerslie hurdles and they should be better prepared to meet the best of the northerners as the result of that experience. Incidentally, these three jumpers may be potential Great Northern Httrdles winners. • Of the two winning hurdlers at Ellerslie la'st week-enfi, the brilliancy of Tndor is well-known, bnt Kilberis, victor on the second day and as yet not mudh more tfian a noviee hurdler in the - making, may go fqr. He has the pace, and now that he appears to be taking kindly to jumping his futnre is vdry bright indeed. A good deal bf his snceess on Monday was dne to the riding of Trillo. Kilberis and Trackman Were together out in fight gver the two hurdles in the straiglit, and then when Trackman rigked his fences Trillo discreteiy pulied back and lef t the erratic jujfiper to himsfelf, wisely as It prOved.