MASTERTON TODAY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 199, 15 April 1932, Page 7

MASTERTON TODAY

"The Judge.")

TOPWEIGHTS LOOK WELL FOR THE GOLD CUP. FORM REVIEWED. CSneciallv written for the "Post"

> hy

The speciai indueement held out by the Masterton Racing Club to attraet horses to its meeting to-day and to- ; morrow, the £125 cup attached to its big race to-day, has aehieved its object, for the fields for to-day are excellent all round. Fourteen will con- ! test the big event, but even in this the class is not what it might be. A big field is engaged in the opening event, the Novice Stakes, and with form a very minus quantity. it is not an easy race to sum up. Some form has been shown by Clangor, Thorn- , proof, Chatter On, Gay Song, Sailing j and Traymela, and this sextette may • provide the dividend payers, the first j mentioned trio being preferred in or- j der. There are some nice hacks engaged ' in the Lawn Hack, one mile. The dis- j tance will suit both Lyrical and Kai- | muk, and this pair may be fighting put I the finish to-day. However, Revision cannot be overlooked, nor- can Apple- j dore and Joie de Val, although the I latter has a lot of weight. Make Up is always liable to take a ' lot of beating in a race like the HighWeight, and in addition he is not ■ harshly treated. Full Mark is a possibility, and Balloon's Feilding hurdl'es form points to him being very forward. This trio dominates the situation, with Easterly, if hard ridden, liable to get in the money. However, Make Up and Balloon seem to be the safest propositios for hackers. The Gold Cup. Comes the Masterton Gold Cup and its fourteen acceptors. Heading the list is Arikira, one of the most improved horses of the autumn racing, He is not overburdened, and it is possible that he will go a big race. He has 51b more than he won with at Easter at Tauherenikau, and the optposition is considerably stronger. Grand Jury is consistent and a win j for him would be popular, and this is not without the realms of possibility, j for Arikira will need to be extra good j to! coneede him a stone. Gibraltar is now back to his good form of the spring. There are many who consider he should have beaten Peter Jackson in the Great Northern St. Leger recently, and his winning ( of the hand'cap at Avondale a few ■ days later bore this out. In the Avondale race the three-year-old did not 1 get away too well and he was last till half way through the contest, his finishing run being irresistible. A repetition of that form will see him taking the trophy to-day. Eastertime, if started, will be bracketed with Gibraltar, but he pulled very hard at Avondale and will have to lose that habit to see the ten furlongs out in this company. Otherwise he would be recommended.

Topweaghts Hard. Rational II showed surprisingly good form at Riccarton at Easter, and Shrewd has also run some good races this autumn over this distance. Jayson will be suited by the long straight, and of the others there are prospects about Esteem, Constant Sun and Pewa, Constant Sun's form at Feilding being promising. It looks as if the three topweights — Gibraltar, Grand Jury and Arikira — will be the hardest to beat, while if the lightweights are to the fore the most likely of them may be Shrewd and Constant Sun. Flower was thought good enough to take to Auckland for the distance classics, and as she ran fair races at Ellerslie, she should stand a good chance of beating Gran Craco, Revision and Gold Sand in the Grandstand Hack. There are only half a dozen in the sprint, the Flying Handicap, with the handicap performer, Historic, heading the list. Perhaps he will have to be given an outing or two before being seen at his best. Orapai is a much better proposition, for he is a good sprinter when right. He could not have been right at his best when beaten at Avondale the gecond day, j and if he saddles up all right to-day, he will take some beating, for the opposition is by no means strong. The ' chances of Mrs. W. Graham winning the double event with either Gibraltar or Eastertime (Cup) and Orapai are very bright. . j Moa Bird has a luxury weight, and the big track will suit the Bay gallop- : er. Imperial Fame has been racing j very consistently and should go well, ' but he is up against a good one in Orapai. Atholspear may find the jour- : ney too short, but Miladi is sprinting fairly well and has a chance of securing place money. This race appears to lie between Orapai and Imperial Fame. The seventh and concluding event is the Lansdowne Hack. , Alpinist has performed consistently of late, and as the class is hy no means outstanding shonld hold his own against Lady Ronald, False Scent and Orby's Choice. The lastnamed must be nearly back to his best form to warrant j the trip all the way from Hawera. i