Racing Bits and Turf Tattle

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 98, 16 December 1931, Page 2

Racing Bits and Turf Tattle

'The Judge,"

Specially Written for the "Post"

by '

The fields for the one-day summer fixture to-day .of the Pannevir{ce Racing Club are better than antiqir pated, and the contests promise to be especially interesting in view pf the holiday engagements mapped ou| . for the horses engaged. Interest will be taken in the showingmade by Gustavo, the Auckland Cup' candif date.- In this connection it is worth remembering that the northerp lightr weight, H. Wiggins, was offered the ride on two other fancied southern lightweights, Admiral Drake 4 and Jaloux, as well as Gustavo, and that he chose the last-mentioned may prove instructive. Remarkable Dearth of Form The Tiratu Maiden, the opening event to-day, is remarkable for the dearth of form aiiiong those engaged: The best performer in this respect is certainly Jean Ladosio, who can go fast for four and, on rare occasions,' five furlongs. Such a smart beginner will have a d'ecided advantage on this track. Chief Clerkj Kalmuk and Lady Makere are likely to be handy if Jean Ladosio fails to run on. Quite a good field is iri the HighWeight Handicaj), with Kirig Midas rightly placed if caught iri the mood. Royal Opera continues to race moderately, but he was noticed .running on behind the placed horses at Woodville last Wednesday. Royal Game is ur.reliable, and Royal Songster's pace ought to be improved as a result of h"s recent racing over hurdles. Rory Mor also shaped fairly well at Woodville, as did Cluny and Blacksmith. P • •haps the best will be Royal Opera, with most danger likely to be forthcomipg from Rory Mor, Royal Songster and Cluny. Umutaoroa Hack , Only seven are left in the Umutaoroa Hack, with Golden Shadow (who has not raced up to. his bdfet form for some time) at the top. His finishing run at Woodville indicated an early return to form. Lady Ronald is a distinct possibility; arid Brown Sugar and False Seerit &re prospects, especially tHe latter. San Quex, Chief Clerk „ and Hystride complete a field that is remarkable for its evenness, for there is nothing standing out. Perhaps Golden Shadow, Lady Ronald and False Scent will race prominently. Another seven-horse race is due in the President's Handicap, but the quartet at the head dorpinate the situation, for the other „tpio, Adelphi, Royal Game and Vitaphone, will have to improve one hundred per cent. to beat the others. There are certainly possibilities about Adelphi if he can stay. and his recent finishing efforts in this respect haye been encouraging. Gustavo is at the top of the handicap, and after his unlucky defeat last Thursday he is going-to.be a hard horse to head off, for he represents class. Moa Bird is now racing consistently, his Woodville form being good, but she has to be taken on trust over ten furlongs. Esteem showed his true form last week. He went a really good race in the big handicap the first day at Woodville, being less than a couple of lengths away from the winner, that good horse Gay Crest. Esteem scored handsOmely in the hack class the following day. Atholspear alwa'ys runs fine races without managing to win, so that this small field will be a big factor in his favQur. . However, to sum up, there is no good reason to go past GustayOj but Esteem and Atholspear will be good enough to make the southerner do his very best. Novice Stakes Practically the same field will contest the Novice Stakes as is engaged

in the opening event, so that the form i.n the latter race sb-ould give the giiide., If started here, Kalmuk, Sweet Sue, Jean Ladosio and Tigerism will -be supported, and" they are fancied in that order. Of those engaged in the Oringi Hack, Ara jean, Chief Savage and Imperial Fame. all showed up at Woodville, and! they will moriopoli'se the market, but Lady Ronald, White Squall arid Manawatu will also get f aiy, support. Over, the seven furlongs Arajean may be too good for Chief Savage and Imperial Fame. There are only five engaged in the snrint, the Ruahine Handicap, two of them, Moa Bird and Great Charter, being successful at Woodville," Tbe former raced consistently last week', and. Great Ckarter, after going strongly for more than five furlongs the first day at Woodville; won tHe second day.. Cuticle is, always a possibility in a race of -this type, while Freehold WQulfi.. .only have to be caught at his best to lead the way . to, the .judge, ..Golden Shadow. has an qutside chance with the , minimum weigKt. Because there are only five prpbable. startets. does not make the f contest.jany easieir for backers. Prob'ahly Moa .B'ird arid Great Charter will ,fight it out,. with Freehold as the danger to them. The fixture .concludes with the Harris ,Ha.ck, in which the hitherto disappointing Jenny Diver will have a royal show of opening the aeeount for the first time this season. Flower and Arajean are the most likely of those to give her a hard race, with Acmil, Ben Hur, Rapallo and Manawata also liable to run prominently. Waipa Form Last Saturday Although Karapoti had done well since his return to Te Awamutu after finishing a poor third in the Feilding Sta]kes, there was still a dopbt as to whether he was back to his best when he went out to contest the sprint at the Waipa meeting last Saturday. . This was reflected in the bettirig^ for instead of being a hot favourite, as she would certainly have been when known to be at his best., he was a liberal priced second fancy, From wide ou.t at the harrier Karapoti began brilliantly, and at the end of a' furlong he had crossed over to the rails to set a solid pace. He was always doing it very nicely, and when he was challenged in the straight he finished on strongly. He was hanging out badly over the last bit, but it was an pressive performance under the steadier of 9.10, with two good sprinters in form, Supremacy and Gay Gap, in the places behind him. It is improbable that Karapoti is back to his best yet, but Saturday's run, backed up by , another fortnight's work, should see him at his top for the Railway Handicap on Boxing Day at Ellerslie, and Karapoti at his best is a hard horse to beat in any company. Although Motere finished out of the money in the Te Awamutu Cup, he did not lose any friepds for his Auckland Cup engagement on Saturday week, He tailed the field early and was then rushed up . to the leaders, with the result that he was foreed to cover a lot of ground crossing the top, being four horses out. On top of this he swuhg out very wide coming into the Home stretch, and, finally, seeing that his task was too much, his rider did not knock him about. All the same Motere's run was his best to. date since he w^n the last Auckland Cup, and pointn to him once again being a very formidable proposition for the other two-milers next week.