FORM AT ELLERSLIE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 376, 10 November 1932, Page 3

FORM AT ELLERSLIE

GOLD TRIAL PUTS UP REMARKABLY GOOD PERFORMANCE BATTLE WITH PILLOW FIGHT Backers were literally stunned when they saw Pillow Fight unahle to come over the last furlong of the 2 Great Northern Guineas contest. But f they were too amazed too at the ease •with whieh Gold Trail gathered in the leaders and left them standing.a hundred yards from th'e post. Last New Rear at Ellerslie' it was apparent that Gold Trail was a very smart filly, for she won the two-year-old races then in effortless style under heavy weights. r In the meantime' Pillow Fight had I won both his races at Avondale like a champion and be was hailed as a worthy successor to Phar Lap, alth'ough of course it was altogether too much to expect him to be anywherenear the equal of the "Red Flash." It was learned that on the even of the Auckland meeting there were grave doubts as to whether Pillow Fight - would run in the Great Northern Guineas leg trouble proving sufficient- - ly serious to cause his trainer much worry. To that can be placed nofj his defeat last Saturday, but the fact tha't he failed to reproduce his best form. Indeed, it was only his dogged gameness which enahled him to hang on to get second money. It is a great pity that this trouble should come against Pillow Fight at such a time, for there was not the slightest prospect of tjie leg hecoming stronger before the race, only a few hours intervening.. This fact robbed the spectators at Ellerslie of a Titanic struggle.

Might Have Been Another It is only a few years back that the Avondale Guineas, decided then at Ellerslie, produced a terrifie struggle between those two and subsequently unlueky horses, Commendation and Lysander, who dead-heated. It might have been that such another race would have been seen at Ellerslie last Saturday had Pillow Fight been stripped at his very best. However, it was obvious that he was not the horse he was at Avondale, and he would have required to have been all that to hold off Gold Trail. When last Saturday's Guineas field had settled down Pillow Fight was I on the outside of another horse and was standing up the paeemaker, Tea Trader, as much as eight lengths or more, with five furlongs to go. Then when he made a forward move crossing the three furlongs bend, making for the home stretch, he was forced outside of three horses, so that it will be seen that the luck of the running was all against him. Apparently his soreness, of which there was only the faintest suspicion in his preliminary, prevented him from getting into top gear over the early stages. Then at the distance, where Tea Trader, Pillow Fight and Midinette were in line fighting it out, with Jonathan a little farther back and Senorita on the outer and coming on, there was a mix-up, in which Pillow Fight appeared to get the worst of it. However, he was game to the last and he finally poked his head in front of Tea Trader to pay the second dividend, which if of microscopic dimensions was better than nothing. So was the crack beaten. But judging by the manner in which Gold Trail finished, it looked as if Pillow Fight might not have won even had he been dressed in all his best. Immediately after the start there was some interferenee, as a result of which Aesculus tailed off and Gold Trail also dropped back into What soon appeared to be a bopeless position. With a little over half a mile to go, Gold Trail was ten lengths behind the leader, who was not far away from Midinette, Jonathan, Greek Gold and Pillow Fight. Real Speed. At th'e home turn Gold Trail still had only Aesculus behind her, and none gave her a chance from an apparently hopeless position. Certainly few expected her to even take part in the finish, let alone win, and all eyes were focussed on the struggle between the leaders going on half way up the straight. Then in a flash Gold Trail appeared on th'e scene, and while the leaders were' mixing it she ran past them apparently with little effort and left them absolutely standing, to win going away by a good two ana a half lengths.

This all happened so suddenly that the race had been won and lost before many people realised that it was Gold Trail had won. Without a doubt it was one of th'e most phenomenal performances ever seen at Ellerslie, for it will be a long time yet before such an effort is repeated in a contest of this description. That thej pace was fast throughout is indicated by the fact that they ran the first five furlongs in a minute dead and came home over the last half mile in 49 4-5. Gold Trail must have hroken 47£ for her final four furlongs. Thie Right Blood. So just as we had made up" our minds that Pillow Fight was the three-year-old of the season ialong comes Gold Trail and upsets all prognostications and calculations. And her form was so good that it now seems impossible for her Guineas effort to be improved upon. Courage of a high sort must be thick in the blood of this filly, which* is not surprising in view of the fact that she is a grand-daughter of Les'ert Gold. While Desert Gold's offspring never reached within miles of her brilliance on the turf, they are surely transmitting their wonderful prowess to their descendants. Should Gold Trail never win another race sh'e will still be remembered by her G.N. Guineas victory and the manner in which it was aecomplished. She certainly proved herself the Phar Lap of that classic field. Now we will have to wait for the Great Northern Derby on New Year's Day at Ellerslie to see Gold Trail and Pillow Fight irf opposition once more. But at this stage it looks as if Pillow Fight could not have beaten Gold Trail last Saturday. Going on his showing in this same race, Tea Trader is. going to develop into brilliant sprinter, despite Monday's defeat, while later on he will get a 'mile successfully. Midinette failed to run on after. being right in

- the pieture for seven furlongs and she was behind Senorita, who came home strongly. Jonathan showed pace •all right, but Greek Gold was a disappointment. Probably th'e race was not a true test in several respects, but it showed Gold Trail in the light of a champion, her defeat on Monday notwithstanding.