SURPRISES IN HEAVY GOING

NZ Truth, Issue 1237, 15 August 1929, Page 15

SURPRISES IN HEAVY GOING

Punters' Task Was Not Made Any Easier By Horses' lndifferent Showing

AUGUST HANDICAP A POOR CONTEST

• (By ''The Toff") \ It was unfortunate that it rained, on the evening prior to the first day's racing at Addington, as all the week the track wa& m first-class order. The. rain just spoilt the racing, as, it was slippery and uncertain, and several horses were quite unable to make any showing on it.

IF the track is firm for the concluding day's racing there is likely to be a reversal of form . shown by many horses. The racing throughout was interesting, but it was a day for the "mud larks." The track Improved considerably later m the day, but at no stage was it at all good. m the opening race, the Introductory Handicap, Aileen Wood was made a hot favorite, but although the Ashburton mare went away m good style, she mixed her gait early, and would not settle down at all, finishing a long way back. - Herbilwyn went to the front and led till half a mHe from home, when he, too, had enough. . Along the back stretch the last time Lady Fan was . m front, but Koro Peter was coming along fast and Duke Bingen was handy. ■ • , . Koro Peter finished best and beat

Lady Fan easily, whilst Wild Hebe, which was seen at his best m the mud, finished with a lot 'of determination m third place. j Dukeßingen was fourth and went a capital race from the back mark. Dolores went away badly and Peter Lin broke up at the start. J Audo Bell did not go at all well, nor did Young' Carbine. Lazarus is a long way below his best form, and so is , Nelson McKinney, which is obviously short of work. - Nelson Boy showed^ plenty of speed, but he faded out m the concluding l stages. Tonic could not handle the going at all and Nourmahal trotted badly. ; ■ . Koro Peter, which won the race, is a four-year-old which did a lot of racing last season. He is owned m Auckland and trained by R. B. Berry. He is a particularly solid colt,, which seems able to go m any . going, and

should reach the top flight when he is thoroughly matured. He is by the Auckland sire, Peter Moko, which also sired another good trotter m Betty Moko. He had to cover a good deal of ground along the back the last time and his effort was a really good one under the conditions. Lady Fan has been racing particularly well for some time past, and I showed a lot of brilliancy m the early j stages of the race. She finished better than usual, and her performance was one qf the best she has shown since she has been racing. She is partial to the short journey and Is a smart beginner, which is a decided advantage. The August Handicap, the chief event of the day, was thought to be a splendid adjustment v l'egarding the handicap, and "the heads" were unable to find a pronounced favorite. There were innumerable horses

thought to have a great chance, but on the day King Pointer carried most money.. As sometimes happens on such occasions, the race provided a very poor contest. At the start. Zenith and Roi lOr went away very fast. The pair seemed to draw right away from the rest of the iield and none seemed likely to catch them. In the straight Roi lOr drew away from Zenith and won with the greatest of ease, whilst Dundas Boy came on and separated the pair. Glideaway was fourth, just m front of Logan Chief. While the front pair seemed able to keep, their positions, the rest of the field labored m the heavy going. . Dundas Boy made a bad beginning, j as he mixed his gait and lost ground, l Berry set his horse an almost imposisible task over the last half-mile. He

was, at that point, a long way back, I but the pacer came on with plenty of determination, although the winner had his meaure. The surprise packet of the race was Zenith, which paced on In great style and stayed out better than' anticipated after showing so much speed m the early stages. At the start Huon Denver refused to go off, and Young Blake broke up early, which settled his chance. The racing of the rest of the - field with the exception of the placed horses is very hard to understand, as they all seemed to be anchored m the mud and failed to show any dash. 1 In the early stages Logan Chief was going well, and the big pacer saw out the journey owing to his early advantage, finishing fifth. Vesuvius showed up at the end of a mile, as at that stage he was racing

m fourth place, but he did not go on like the rest of the field, with the exception of Duridas Boy, and the two leaders. ' . . ! It must not be regarded as a truerun race, and, as m the previous races, several horses will be seen to better advantage under different conditions. It is hard to realise why Roi lOr paid such a big 1 dividend, as he is a brilliant pacer which was thought likely to qualify for the Cup with a favorable track. He is not usually a' good beginner, but m this racjf he went out fast and this gave him the victory. Dundas Boy, had he gone . off well and not been kept. so far back, would have troubled the winner,, but he was set an impossible task over the last ! half-mile. , , . Silk Thread was going well up to a| mile, when he broke badly and stopped altogether. . ' /