RACING NOTES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 279, 20 July 1932, Page 4

RACING NOTES

MARTON MEETING REVlEW OE TRENTHAM. FORM AS A -GUjlDE TO PROSPECTS • THE.HANDICAPPER'S WORK (Written specially for the "Morning Post" by the "Judge.") The acceptances are surprisingly good for the race meeting at Marton to-day of the Rangitikei Hunt Club, very few horses handicappe.d dropping out. The Marton course is always heavy a*t this time of the year. With half a crown admission all round and five and ten shilling totalisator ip^estments, it is obvious that th'ere will be a large qrowd and fairly good betting. The stakes are -almost ludicrously small, but the fixture is purely a sporting one and the Hunt Club cannot possibly lose money on it. The first race to-day, the View Halloa Steeplechase, is for amateur trainers as "well as amateur riders, and form in public is at a discount. Soviet and Platina have some form on the flat. Tranquility showed a lot of pace in the race won by Foreign Queen on this track three months ago, finishing close up fourth behind Beaconsfield and Ida Merling. Pukepapa,

Battleground and Sigma are also possibilities. If he can be kept on the course, Consent would be a certainty in the Roseband. Haclc Hurdles, but at, Trentham he ran off- at\the third fence in each outing. When this horse settles down he is going to be a class hurdler Perhaps he may not be so erratic when racing on his home track this afternoon. Callapat, Whisogne, Henry of Navarre and Acora are likely sorts, but Henry of Navarre showed wonderful improvement at Trentham. Henry of Navarre, Callapat and Clopton appeal, with Acora a possibility. King Peg and Invictus are the only horses in the Closeburn Hack with form and they should fight it out, Tangiroa being a likely surprise packet. The amateur riders will be up again in the Rangitikei Hunt Cup, with Trouble likely to be all the better for his outing in the ITawke's Bay Hunt Cup recently. Postman, Hunting Boy, Winnigan, Platina and Waiforte will shape well. Probably the best will be Trouble, Postman and Waiforte. The Ladies' Braeelet is another trappy amateur affair which will have punters thinking. Soviet, Platina and Hunting Boy are fancied. Form earlier in the day will give a guide to the final race, the Springrove Farewell Handicap, a five furlong scurry. King Peg, Tranquility,

Tangiroa, Joe'and IliVi'ctus should be J in the fighting linA COMMENT FROM TRENTHAM. It was int'ended to take Full Me •• sure back to Ellerslie after the first . day's racing at Trentham, but a change bf planS whs agreed upoit and he was Ieft there hnd is to go dn to Riccarton to contest the hurdle races at the Grand National meeting. There were many who thought that Full Measure should never have been beaten in his one outing over the sticlcs at Trentham, when Pahu and Jayson finished in front of him. The subsequent form of Pahu at the Wellington meeting indicated that Full Measure is pi'etty good, an or>: nion already held by Auckland 31' j. It may be too much to expect the chestnut to win the Grand National Hurdles, but he appears to be nicely placed in that important event and if he a.n stay he may be gbod enough for the occasion. Full Measure can bc Jcked off as one of those with a good outside chance in the National. On the first two days of the Wellington meeting Chief Linlc and Lord Val had two great duels. On the first day, over six furlongs, Lord Val conceded the Taranaki gelding one pound and was beaten by a nose. The next day Chief Link and- Lord Val were raised 7lb and 41b respectively, the latter being allowed 31b for the beating. They dead-heated this time, and it was agreed that the handicapper had brought them together very well. On the other hand, it could be argued that the handicapper did not give Lord Val a winning chance in allowing him but 31b for the defeat. There were many discussions on the handicapper's work insofar as these two horses were concerned, but as the I horses finished together the official must have been satisfied. That was all right so far as these horses were conT cerned, but what of those lower down who were allowed insufficient to bring them together with the dividend payers Penalising 71b for a win did not give those out of the money very much to come and go on in the hope of turn- ■ ing the tables, and so it proved. On the last day both Lord Val and Chief Link won, separate events, of course. This pair started the Wellington , meeting with 11b between them, and they finished the, last day with 21b between them, Lord Val being in receipt of 31b right through the two last days for a nose beating the opening day. That was alright for the owner of Chief Link, but Lord Val's owner had a grievance in not being given a winning chance with this horse, unless a dead-heat was the winning chance. On the last day at Trentham, Chief Link carried only 131b and Lord Val 121b above their first day's imposts. What did the owners of the beaten horses have to say about that? On the figures they were not given a ghost of a chance of beating this pair, and the results proved that right up to the hilt. It was a case of a handicapper concentrating on two horses in order to keep them together at the expense of others. Will Consent ever make a hurdler? That was the question that many racegoers were asking themselves after the Wellington meeting. On the first day his great pace carried this novice jumper to the front at the first fance, which he got over in great style, albeit he ran it down a bit. Coming to the second fence Consent tried to run off, but he misjudged his effort and he made a remarkable leap after taking off at an angle of 45 degrees to th'e obstaele. Baulked of his intention to run off there, he made no bones about it at the third hurdle. Fifty yards from the obstaele he began to slew and he ran right round in front of the fence before stopping, prior to which he dropped his rider. It was the same the second time put over the Trentham hurdles, for Consent knew what he had to do and he did it again at the third hurdle. Therefore there was not a great deal to see about Consent's ability as a hurdler at Trentham to indicate whather he would ever become a topnotcher at the game. However, there was no mistake about the manner in which he actually did clear the hurdles when he had to. He gave the impression of being a natural jumper, but, of course, it will be some time before he ever xnakes good, for he has to be driven out of his erratic habits. Perhaps next year the crack Marton sprinter will be seen winning in the bost hurdle company. r'or some months past trainer L. G. Morris has been educating Consent at Marton had even this strong rider has had his hands full to keep the Acre gelding under restraint. Consent figures in the hurdles at Marton this afternoon, and he has .been given 10.10 in a field that is stones under his class so far as speed on the flat s concerned. Consent would have to concede any one of to-day's field more than three stone on the flat, so he is handsomely treated. It will be interesting to see if be is more at home over the fiimsy Marton fences, ilf he could only be kept on the course he would win all right, but it is going to be a big risk for those backers who stick to him. They will certainly be sure of getting a thrilling run for their money.