A Vintage Year For Two-Year-Olds?

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 175, 14 October 1927, Page 7

A Vintage Year For Two-Year-Olds?

SMART YOUNGSTERS SEEN OUT

season just commenced promises to be a good one for two-year-olds, and maybe a vintage year as regards their quality. Below is a review of those youngsters seen out up to and including the recent Auckland meeting.

There were some really smart two-year-olcls seen out at the Auckland spring meeting. Pride of place, of course, must of necessity be awarded Prince Humphrey, who promises already to prove another bargain of the sale ring. At the Sydney sales the Duke Humphrey—Shepherd Princess colt did not elicit keen competition, and he was secured by the Auckland sportsman, Mr. H. R. McKenzie,. for 70 guineas. He was soon after sold to Mr. C. G. Macindoe, owner of Eden Hall, Le

Choucas, etc., and it was in this sportsman’s colours that he contested the Avon die Stakes and A.R.C. Welcome Stakes. WINS IMPRESSIVELY In the Avondale Stakes Prince Humphrey finished third, but he was generally considered to be most unlucky in not finishing closer. That this was so was evident on Saturday last, when the youngster made no mistqjie in the Welcome Stakes, finally scoring in remarkably convincing fashion. He did not begin well from wide out, and he had to be a good one to win. This he did, coming through his ! field in the straight in impressive fashion, and the manner in which he won with a margin of three lengths between him and the next horse, the well-tried Freehold, shows that it will take a real good one to beat him so long as lie retains his present form. STABLE TO BE RESPECTED Prince Humphrey is but one of several promising two-year-olds sheltered in the Papakura stable presided over by J. T. Jamieson. Coruscate made her first appearance on Monday, and for a green filly she made a most favourable impression. She ran about a bit during the contest, and yet she was going nicely in sixth place at the end. Her turn will not be long in coming. Then there is Look Out, the halfsister to Day Guard. In her two starts to' date she has had to concede big starts, and yet withal she has shown enough pace to cause her to be regarded in a favourable light. The fourth youngster from Papakura seen out was Perception, and on the score of breeding he should be a good one, for he is a half-brother by Psychology to Bathos and Melissa. But just now Prince Humphrey must take rank as the Dominion’s best. *No matter how one looked at it, Knightlike’s win at Wanganui stamped him as a good colt, but with some of his opponents having come on since

then he was proved in the Welcome Stakes as not being quite the champion he was thought to be. He had every show in the Welcome Stakes, being on the inside running and making play into the straight.. There he failed badly, and fourth was the best he could do. It was a big disappointment to his admirers. Perhaps one of the causes of his defeat was that he was hunted along from the rise of the barrier, where the course was patchy in parts, and this might have unsettled him. Later on the Paladin colt will be given the opportunity of showing that his form of Saturday was not right. Probably he has gone back while his opponents came on. BRED TO GO FAST Freehold comes next or, the honours list to Prince Humphrey. He was galloping well on the eve of the Auckland meeting, and he ran up to this form in the Welcome Stakes, finishing well in second place behind the . Australian gelding. On this occasion he got away nicely, but he was some time in making his run in the straight, finally getting up into second place. Over sprint courses the chestnut brother to Tamatete and Tukia promises to follow in the footsteps of his distinguished relatives. His next appearance is to be in the Wellesley Stakes at Trentham, and his showing

on that almost straight course will be awaited with interest. PRODICE IS GOOD When the Welcome Stakes field turned for home on Saturdaj% the Avondale Stakes victor, Prodice, was not in the picture, being a long way back. She finally got up third, not far behind Freehold, and finished with gameness. On this showing it is obvi-

ous that the Catmint filly is without doubt a good one, despite her failure on Monday, when she did not do herself justice. Quite, apart from her prospects of beating others of her own age, Prodice is worth bearing in mind when the tracks are on the soft side, for she inherits all the Catmint fondness for mud and water. “THE WHIPPET'S” SPEED In the Avondale Stakes Chit led into the straight and then stopped to a walk, while in the Welcome Stakes she was not very prominent. However, in the much weaker company in which she found herself on Monday she made no race of it. She raced with the leaders for a little way before taking command, and from first into the straight she went on to spreadeagle her field. The Paper Money filly is going to be a hot proposition on smaller courses, and on top of the ground, while when caught right she has enough pace to bother the better class of youngsters. Chit, by the way, is known in the stable as “the whippet.” GASCONY’S HALF-BROTHER One of the disappointments of the Welcome Stakes field was Second Wind, the half-brother by Grandcourt to Gascony. He was never prominent at any stage of the contest, except at the very end, and that was when he was picked up near the tail of the field. This was not his true form, for that he has pace is not doubted, but it was probably due to his running green. When more seasoned Second Wind not prove the equal to the cracks of his age, and yet he should be a good winner. In his case it seems to be only a question of patience. His stable companion, Marion’s Birthday, finished second to Chit on Monday, although there was not a great deal of merit in this performance. SHOWING PROMISE Shot Silk was one of the disappointments at the Auckland meeting, but his turn will come later. Orewa ran two fair races, and her trouble ap-

pears to be inability to get into her stride quickly. She promises to be a useful middle-distance performer next season. Volimond has pace, but is still green. None of the Ellerslie youngsters are forward enough at present to be able to cope with the best of the invaders, and in this respect, although they have missed the early classics, this may prove to be a blessing in disguise. Catonian, Avon Court, King Val and Envoy look the pick of those seen out recently. About midsummer there should be one or two of our juveniles showing up, but until then their prospects cannot be said to be of the brightest. Among those yet to be seen in action in the Dominion are several youngsters that were recently racing at Randwick, and one of these is Endorse, who returned to Wellington this w r eek.