FAILURES OF CORONACH

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 132, 25 August 1927, Page 6

FAILURES OF CORONACH

A QUESTION OF SPASMS AND STITCHES In a recent issue of London Sporting Life (and reproduced in THE SUN last week) appeared a letter by Major 1 Larding Cox offering a suggestion as to the reason for the collapse of Coronach when beaten at the last Newmarket meeting. The view was expressed that “horses ; o, at times, subject to certain spasms >r stitches,” which might have been the 1 use of Coronach’s failure. Mr. R. S. Sievier replies to Major Cox, his points >eing set forth below. May I remark (he writes) that if Mr. ’ox’s contention in regard to Coronach s correct might it not be the atmosphere of Newmarket which affects -is great colt, since, as a two-year-■!d. he was defeated in the “Middle ’ark," by the mediocre Lex. then, a later in the Two Thousand Guineas, by Colorado, who had none • best of the race until the business nd of it. and now recently this “headquarters” form has been confirmed in he Princess of Wales’s Stakes. On the other hand. Coronach never has been defeated away from Newmarket. Colorado beat Coronach in the rich K dipso Stakes at Sandown, just out of London, last month. COLORADO THE BETTER Having had considerable experience' of all classes of horses, and, incidentally, holding records as a trainer and owner of them, I decline to entertain the idea that Newmarket is infectious in connection with “stitches,” but I take the com-mon-sense view that topsy-turvy running between great horses is not understandable, since such always should give their running to an ounce, as witness St. Simon, Ormonde, Gay Crusader (as a three-year-old), and similar celebrities. Vet here we have two champions, and we are informed, ex officio, that both suffer from that inexplicable something which causes them to alternate their form. Coronach dislikes Newmarket, and Colorado holds his wind! Well, a wind retained can blow no one any good. What with “stitches” and “wind,”

the backer of either of these champions lays himself open to be “sewn up” or “blown to blazes.” In face of the professional backing of Coronach for the Derby of last year, after his ready defeat in the Guineas, which race he won in a convincing and spectacular manner. I incline to Colorado being the better. I state this in face of the professional success connected with Coronach’s brilliant win when he succeeded in taking the Blue Riband of the Turf. THE IDEAL THOROUGHBRED Colorado is the ideal of the thoroughbred, whereas Coronach favours, without detracting from his merit, the welter weight carrier. If only for this reason, I repeat I favour Lord Derby’s colt in face of his early running this season and his see-saw of last. Mr. Harding Cox refers to Dornroschen and his success on the filly at the Bibury Club, which I witnessed, and his subsequent riding of her in the Corinthian Welter at Goodwood. a. race for amateurs, now some time done away with. At Stoekbridge I believe there were only two runners, the late Mr. Arthur Coventry riding the loser, upon whom long odds were laid, and he was. beaten in a runaway canter by many lengths. PLANS WENT AWRY I also vividly recall the Goodwood incident, since I watched the race standing next to the late Arthur Cockburn. He asked me to help him watch the rider of Dornroschen. because if Mr. H. Cox flourished his whip at the turn for home, and appeared to hit the mare, he was to put £IOO more on her and £IOO for each similar feint. It now appears that Dornroschen suffered a “stitch,’- and Mr. Cox, in his enthusiasm to win, forgot his instructions to his commission agent and flourished the whip in reality one, two, three, four times, with Arthur Cockburn rushing from bookmaker to bookmaker to get money on the mare, who actually was beaten at the time!