LIMERICK AT RANDWICK SMART THREE-YEAR-OLD VALUABLE ENGAGEMENTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 20, 14 April 1927, Page 7

LIMERICK AT RANDWICK SMART THREE-YEAR-OLD VALUABLE ENGAGEMENTS

... „. LIMOND GELDING SHOULD DO WELL „

Limerick, Count Cavour and Paleta are three worthy horses to represent the Dominion at the important Australian Jockey Club meeting. to he held at Randwick on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday week.

Not air the attention of sportsmen busily engaged in viewing the racing at the various centres on Saturday will be concentrated on the immediate business on hand, for they will be keen on following the fortunes of New Zealand horses in Australia. There are three equines that the racing fi'aternity will be keenly interested in: Limerick, Paleta. and Cotint Cavour. Limerick’s Big Programme The Limond gelding Limei'ick is the' hope. This three-year-old is in rattling good form, and his race on Saturday should serve to sharpen him up for the even more important engagements at the meeting. Limerick’s first effort at the big gathering will be in the St. Leger on Saturday, and this —on paper—looks like money from home for Mr. Knight’s fine performer. Indeed, without cheapening the opposition too much, it can be said that a defeat of Limerick in this event would be one of the surprises of the Australian turf. Let’s hope the surprise won’t eventuate, fox* whenever Dominion sportsmen and horses journey acr*oss the seas we like to see them get some of their own back. Remember Royal Dispatch? Rich Engagements Maurice McCarten will ride the New Zealander in all his engagements, so he too looks like getting something back. The St. Leger on Saturday, if not too hard a race, will do Limerick a whole heap of good for his engagement in the Sydney Cup, two miles, qn Monday, in which the three-year-old has been weighted at 8.4, which is a couple of pounds over* weight-for-age, two stone less than that given the topweight, Spearfelt (since scratched) and lolbs below Count Cavour’s impost. So that on the score of weight Limerick is not harshly treated. At any rate, had Limerick been handi-4 capped under weight-for-age, he would have automatically had his poundage increased to that scale under the conditions of the race. On Wednesday and Saturday week there are the All Aged Stakes, one mile, and A.J.C. Plate, 24 miles respectively, in addition to the Cumberland Stakes, 12 miles, on the Wednesday, but unless the Limond gelding stands up to his work remarkably well it is unlikely that he will line up for the lot. However, it seems certain that Limerick will do well on the other side. Of Count Cavour, he has so far failed to show his best at Kandwick and an ugly leg when he left this country will not be in his favour. Paleta’s Prospects It came as something of a shock to his many admirers that the Leighton colt Paleta was beaten at Warwick Farm last Saturday. He was set to carry, with The Wensum and Euston, the maximum weight, 9.5, and he was unplaced. This was the Wanganui colt’s first run since he scored at the Wellington summer meetmg, and the i*ace may serve to work'a vast improvement. On Saturday Paleta is down to fulfil his engagement in the Sires’ Produce Stakes, seven furlongs, which carries with it £5,000 in added money. His really dangerous opponent is going to be Royal Feast (King Offa — Bunfeast), who is rather a sluggish galloper, but a good one. McCarten is to ride him. D. C. Watts rides Paleta, and it would oceasion no surprise should the Wanganui hoi*se beat the favourite. For the past four years the favourite in the Sires’ Produce Stakes has been left at the post, and to complete the coincidence each one has come out four* davs later and cai*ried off the Champagne Stakes. Will history repeat itself? Royal Feast a Giant The crack Victorian two-year-old Royal Feast is at Kandwick. He is easily the biggest two-year-old there and there are few older horses any larger than he is. Although he is of such immense size, he is very active, showing good quality. Will His Luck Change? If Jack Toohey on Easter Monday can win the Sydney Cup on Bacchus, who is generally reckoned to have a first-class chance, it will be a new experience for him in this event. On several occasions he has looked forA Handy Jumper As a jumper Pentagram is always entitled to respect. A third in the spring with 9.0 in the three mile Onehunga Steeplechase, followed by a win over the same distance in the Clarkin Steeples at Te Rapa, carrying 9.3, and later three seconds and another third place in his ten essays this season, should recommend him as a likely one in the Mangere Steeples, in which event he is set to carry 10.1. He will have A. Ruthei’ford, his usual pilot, on top, and with good track work to his credit during the past couple of weeks many will be inclined to wager on his chance. Should Pay A Price The Frankton owned and trained filly Mei'vette has this season contested six events success. The daughter of Luc ullus-Bray ton claims engagement in the G. N. Oaks on Saturday, but her pi*ospects cannot be considered favourably.

ward to the race with a fair amount of confidence —on Hai'vest King he was favourite, but did not get in the hunt; and Lady Valais, second favourite, treated him no better. Two other disappointments were when Arch Marella failed by half a length in Eurythmic’s Cup. and last year when Caserta went uxxder by a neck to Murray King. Toohey has l’idden in the event seven times.

A Pretty Problem What will win the Cup? .It’s the question which is intriguing the speckei's. ’Twere easier* to find the right word to complete a cross-word puzzle. Open as the Doncaster looks, double eventers seem to think it easy compared with deciding upon the second leg of the combination. If the.y try they find themselves landed with three or four savers before they know where they are. Best For The Books

That is why the bookmakers say that this is one of the best doubles they have known for many a day. So many men want to lay doubles that the market is almost boundless. While the amount to be won straight out is limited to far less than £20,000, ten times that sum is on offer in doubles money. Proved Stayers

The trouble for backers is that such a plethora of proved stayers faces them in the Cup. They would surely please even old Walter Hickenbotham, who for a time made almost a habit of training Melbourne Cup winners. ITe used to say that generally the true stayers in a Melbourne or Sydney Cup field could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yet in these days, when Walter mei'ely looks on, deploring the deterioration in stamina of the Australian thoroughbred—a view in which he has wide support—is found a prospective Sydney Cup field before the race with half a dozen horses in it that are proved two-milers —Heroic, Pantheon, Count Cavour, and Naos — and the since scratched pair, Windbag and Spearfelt, to say nothing of strong possibilities such as Bacchus, Limer-ick, and Vitality.

Top Gallant And Doncaster That Top Gallant, prior to Amounis defeating Limerick last Saturday, was favoui'ite for the Doncaster Handicap shows that the stable entertains a higher appraisement of this English horse than the average racegoer. His owner and tx*ainer are said to be very confident of success, provided fine weather and other circumstances, such as good progress in his training, favour his prospects from now on. As proof of this confidence there is the fact that he was backed for a huge stake nearly a fortnight ago by stable commissioners, and they have again plunged on him since, so highly do they value his chance. The upshot is that he is one of the favourites. And this is pei'haps an unusually high honour for a horse that has run only once at Randwick and was then beaten. At the same time there is much to be said for Top Gallant’s chance and not much against, when if. comes to an analysis of form. Two of a Kind

Naos and Bacchus, two of the most fancied horses in the Sydney Gup, have one chai'acteristic in .common. Each has -the sluggish ways of the true stayex*, and can make a longfinishing run under punishment. The jockey always able to judge when to begin the run and get up in time to win on one of them needs almost to be a. combination of Fred. Archer and Albert Wood. Hard to Leave Alone

Thrilling it certainly must be for a ti’ainer to see his horse llying over the last two furlongs, overhauling the leaders with every leap, but thrills alone won’t pay the oats bill, and it is aggravating to see him fail for want of just one more bound. The thrills which Naos and Bacchus have given is shown by the fact that the Martian gelding, for two wins, has had to put up with five seconds and three thirds, while Bacchus with two wins has registered no fewer than seven seconds and a third. Such horses are hard for the public to follow, but by the same token, equally hard for them to leave alone.