RACING NOTES AND FORM PROSPECTS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 128, 22 January 1932, Page 7

RACING NOTES AND FORM PROSPECTS

the Judge.

Specially written for the -'Post'- by

ASHHURST MEET1NG. Although almost completely overshadowed by the racing at Trentham, the annual meeting of the Ashhurst Racing Ciub set down for to-day, Friday, has. attracted a fine lot of horses a bit removed from the top class and they should furnish interesting "sport. January 22 is Anniversary Day throughout the Wellington province, and when Foxton Racing Club for some inexplicahle reason dropped this holiday date two or three years ago the Ashhurst Club snapped it up with avidity and has never looked back. The main item on the card is the Ashhurst Cup, with a nice field of 14 runners likely to go. to the post, including the Foxton' Cup winner, Grand Jury. This' promoted hack is a fair sort of sticker, and he is on'e of those that will go well, and he might even imprpve upon his second in this event twelve months ago. Ruanui is a hard horse to f ollow at any • time, especially over a middle distance, and The Swell from all accounts is to make his dehut over hurdles at this fixture, ' so he can be ruled out of the Cup unless .there is a last minute alteratipn of plans. Shrewd was a winfier at the Manawatu meeting and on that showing must have improved so that he ought to be one of the dangerous candidates, especially in this ccmpany. Cluny did a "trot" at Waipukurau and Hastings over the holiday period, winning the three handicap events run at those places, and even allowing for the poorness of the opposition, winning form is . hard to ' get away frpm. He has shaped so far like a stayer„ Further down, Briar Root, Rory Mor, Arikira, Royal Opera and Arajean appeal most, completing quite a good field for this contest. Shrewd, Grand Jury and Arikira are a trio that are entitled to special consideration, with Cluny and Arajean next best, although the saucer track may not favour the former. Ten in Open Sprint. There are ten left in the open sprint, the Pohangina Handicap, with Chopin at the head of affairs, the distance probably bothering himi on this course. Cuticle is likely to race well on the track, and so will Acore, who should be right at home. Portray is a fair sort, and Arikinui's second °t Foxton entitles him to be favourite here with a drop in the weights. Chief Savage and False Scent can go fast, the former having raced most consistently during the past few weeks without meeting with a good deal of luck. Acora, Cuticle and Chief Savage read the best, with Chopin an outside possibility. . Moerangi is a good hurdler, for he beat Make Up at Stratford, and in' the Hack Hurdles he promises to makp his presence felt. Whisogne and Arrowhead will make a race of it with him. Haulbowline, Arvada and Golden Shadow will be favoured in the Siberia Hack, and also in the Komako Hack (the fields being similar), and Sastrugi, Master Arausio and Kalmuk in the Novice Stakes. Green Patch, In Vain, and Patearoa ' are nicely placed in the Manawatu Gorge Handicap, and Acora, Arajean and Arikinui in the Raumai Handicap, with Royal Opera also nicely placed in the latter event. Heremia at Trentham. Although it was arranged before leaving Takanini that Heremia was to take on thie Apprentices' Plate the first day at Trentham, his real mjssion is the Douro Cup on Friday next, when H. Gray will have the mount and the combination will be very hard to beat. In the past the Douro Cup contest has been a very hard one to win, and to gain the victory horses had to steer elear of the mass of trouble that always seemed to he in evidence. Heremia is a free goer, and although in his hack races here he showed an inclination to lag in the early part, it is possible that he is so 'piuch better now that Gray will be enabled to take up the position he requires. early in the contest. Given that, Heremia should go close to bringing the rich hack prize northwards. High Comedy was in excellent f ettle when he left Takanini to f ulfil his engagements at the Wellington Ineeting, and if he missed the first day in the Telegraph Handicap his connections are very hopeful of making up their losses and something extra on Friday and Saturday. High Comedy is a rather gross horse and he is the sort that will thrive on racing, and now that he has struck form — his second to Arisus at Ellerslie was a meritorious one — it is likely that he will add another race or two to his record. The Leighton gelding is ,up to wejght, and ' as he does not begin very brilliantly, the big straight runs on the Trentham sprint course should be a considerable factor in his favour. Eyes on Final Eveiit. Bqth the summer and winter meetings of the Wellington Racing Club conclude with five furlong hack ' races, these being the only -events for the hacks run over this short journey. Year after year several trainers have had eyes on this race, with horses not quite cqpable of running out six furlpngs on this big track, and yet capabl'e of scampering to some effect fpr fiye furlpngs. The Awapuni trainer, G. W. New, generally has an eye on this race, and the Camp Handicap on Saturday may see his entry, Haulbowline performing conspicuously. New has previously been successful in this last contest on two occasions, both at the winter meeting, with Trojan Melody and Lucky Bag, and Haulbowline may assist him to get one at the summer fixture this week. Another purely five furlong three-year-old engag'ed is Interlpcutor, who goes very fast for that journey, but it is . possible . that the long straight may find him out. Judged on the manner in which he won the Kawakawa Hack Cup at the Bay of Islands meeting last week, Alloy would have taken a lot of beating in the Waipapakauri Cup had that event been gone on with. Alloy is a stayer all right, for his success last •Week was achieved at the right end, and even after making allowance for the weakness of- the field, it looks as •if he will do better in future when

opposed to the better' class of hacks seen out on the provincial circuit at the southern end of the northern centre, It has taken Alloy a long time tp come right, so that he may go. on with it- The Thespian gelding in all probability will be given a run at next weelc's Takapuna fixture. A nice sort qf hapk was seen out in the Maiden race at the Bay of Islands meetipg last week. This was Black Marlin, who defeated his field in impressive fashion. This is a fine type of upstanding three-year-old by Lucullus from Mata Kainga, by Merry Moment from TUpatu, by All Black. Black Mqrlin played with his field at Kawakawa, and although it is sometimes difficult to halance 'coqntry form, especially in the far north, with the better type of hack, it is possible that the Lucullus gelding will be given a chance in the near future to prove himself in better company. When he scored last week, Black Marlin carried half a stone over weight, and his connections never considered the possibility of defeat.