Prayed For Rain and Got a Real Deluge

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

Prayed For Rain and Got a Real Deluge

Murillo’s Owner and the Metropolitan Choice of a favourite that ultimately won on a day when everybody thought the Metropolitan should be postponed seemed almost miraculous. But people knew that Erie Connolly was waiting for a wet day. Murillo had won Tattersall’s Spring Handicap on a course almost under water, and his owner, Eric Connolly, prayed for rain. The gods answered with a deluge that lasted from daylight until mid-day. Knowing Murillo's prowess in the mud, the books made him favourite, and the holiday crowd eagerly took the odds about him, and won. Weather indications were that the course would be under water again, so heavy was the rain between daylight and twelve o’clock. There were pools lying on the course proper two hours before racing began, and they were still there at one o’clock, when the first race started, but the sky cleared later in the day, and the Metropolitan was run in sunshine. LIMERICK OR MURILLO? Throughout the spasms of betting on the Metropolitan between races, Murillo and Limerick disputed favouritism. But eventually Murillo became a pronounced favourite, while Limerick drifted to twice Murillo’s odds. Drying conditions in the last; half-hour resulted in a rally to Limerick’s side, however. The notable plunges on the race were on Valparaiso and Mullabawn. Not so much was a stable plunge responsible for this as the lastminute squaring of doubles by the bookmakers, who had heavily laid the Vaals-Valparaiso double. They had waited until the day, knowing that Valparaiso was under a cloud, so they could “back him back,” safe in the knowledge that they would get a start. Many course books laid huge sums against him, and he was easily the best-backed horse on the day. WAITING FOR STORM Mullabawn’s support was a strange phase of the betting. After the Epsom forlorn odds were offered, but people assumed that connections of Mullabawn were waiting for a storm similar to that on Tatt’s Tramway Handicap day, three weeks ago, when he won in runaway fashion. That race was but seven furlongs, but he had run second in the Irish Derby before leaving England; so, although he had failed in the Epsom mile, it was presumed that' he might win the mile and five-furlong Metropolitan, although he hadn’t really been trained for distance work of any kind. Mullabawn didn’t stay even the first five furlongs of the journey. He, Drawbridge, Beedos, and a few others struggled for the early lead, but Beedos outstripped them all, and set up an advantage of three lengths, with Horton Gag, Drawbridge, Valparaiso, Murillo, and Limerick hanciy. SHOCK FOR BACKERS Suddenly backers of the favourites, Murillo and Limerick, were in despair. Both dropped toward the rear as if shot. They seemed momentarily out of the race. But Murillo got going again quickly, and, with a run on the inside, had recovered his position before the home turn. Horton Gag and Valparaiso led him round the home turn, but he dashed past them in the straight, and left them standing. Limerick, too. had recovered his position, but not so rapidly. And when he cleared the opposition in the straight Murillo was so far ahead that pursuit was futile. He set out in gallant attempt to regain supremacy, but he had no hope, and Murillo ran home a winner, with three and a-half lengths to spare. Horton Gag struggled home valiantly in third place. Valparaiso, who had been beaten at the home turn, also plugged on bravely, and, for a horse whose chance had been spoiled by leg troubles, and had not worked for weeks, he did well to hang on in fourth place. NOT MUDLARKS Disappointments of the day were Donald, Don Panther, Rawhetu, and Tibbie, who were expected to do well under light weights. Donald was fifth, but never looked a winner. Bacchus was expected to fall in the mud, and drifted in the market. Amounis, too, it was realised, would do no good in the wet. Star d‘Or was backed, however, and was prominent early, but didn’t stay the journey. He had won in the mud in Victoria, and was expected to do well under any conditions, but apparently has not recovered his best form. Though the conditions favoured his chance, Murillo’s was a good performance, and evidently he is a vastly improved horse on anything he; had shown in previous attempts.