WELLINGTON NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 6

WELLINGTON NOTES

OTAKI FORM INTERESTING COMMENT (Special to THE SUN.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Wellington followers of the sport went in heavily on Degage at Otaki, where the Kilbroney mare contested the big handicap of the meeting, the Ling Memorial. The race was looked on as the best of good things for her. and considering that she did not get the best of passages she did fairly well. When she made her run at the bottom of the straight it was commonly supposed that her finishing effort would prove irristible, but Cerf stuck on so well that she could not run him down, and was still about a neck to the bad at the conclusion of the race. Degage has not yet been withdrawn from the New Zealand Cup, though of late she has receded in favour for the big Riccarton handicap. CERF COMING GOOD The victory of Cerf in the Ling Memorial at Otaki was not as great a surprise as might be thought. He

was well backed and most of the support came from the right quarter. With only three pounds above the minimum to carry, the race was run to suit him. There was no great pace on in the early stages of the race, and when he managed to get to the front he took up a position on the rails and kept it to the finish. This advantage of the place on the rails won him the race, but for all that he thoroughly earned his win as he showed great determination when challenged in the straight by Degage. Cerf’s future should be a profitable one. * REMARKABLE BOIIL OVER There was a remarkable boil over in the Puhi Maiden Plate at Otaki, Rorowhero winning and paying one of the greatest dividends heard of for a long time. Rotowhero was one of the outsiders in a very large field, and in a punishing finish he got home by a head from Shining Star, who was one of the favourites. Rotowhero belongs to one of New Zealand’s best-known politicians, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, who says that he had six tickets on his representative. As there were only a dozen tickets on Rotowhero altogether, it seems that Mr. Wilford walked off with half the machine in his pocket. The winner is one of the Gasbag family, and the second of the tribe to win. WINNING RUN STOPPED Keddar won so well at Hastings and at Awapuni that he seemed to have something like a mortgage on the seven furlong hack race on the first day of the Otaki meeting. However, his small run of successes was brought to an end though he rs,n a very creditable race. He had the services of Roy Reed, and was well placed all the way. His supporters reckoned the race as good as over a long way. from home, but they did not reckon on the degree to which Vigilance had improved. Vigilance was always going better than Keddar, and though Reted made an effort in the straight he could not head her off, and she ran in nearly a length to the good. Vigilance had been a disappointment in the ea/rly portion of the season, and had failed on several occasions when sh€> was well backed. She broke her maiden at the Manawatu Hunt meeting, and going on to Otaki demonstrated by beating Keddar what a good thing that maiden event for her had been. She was produced on the second day at Otaki and she gave another taste of her quality by running a fine second to Rowley, who is in good form just at present. ROWLEY HAS STRUCK FORM One of the most expensive horses in New Zealand as far as punters are concerned is Rowley. He has cost them enough to buy a fleet of motor-cars. However, Rowley has been persevered with and he now seems to have struck form. His finishing effort on the first day of the Otaki meeting was a good one, and made him look almost a certainty for a race on the second day. Ridden by an apprentice he was only second favourite on the machine, and he went out at a good price. He won well, and on his showing there he should be heard of again in the near future. HANDICAP HORSES Among the minor handicap horses Rouex has been running a lot of good races of late, and it seems that he is more solid this season than previously. He has had a lot of trainers in his time and now is in the stable of F. Higgott at Otaki. In winning the big handicap on the second day of the Otaki meeting he ran a very solid race and battled the issue out to the bitter end, though he was a little bit lucky to defeat Novar. Novar has been finishing weakly in his races of late, but on this occasion he finished on very strongly and was only half a head away at the finish. Another who ran well for a mile in the same race is Beaumont, but a lot of use was made of him and his rider must have thought the old Boniform gelding capable of winning from end to end. A SMART HACK Any who doubted that Duke Abbey is a smart hack had those doubts removed at Otaki. Duke Abbey was one of the well-backed division for the Pahiko Hack Handicap, a six-furlong race. With an apprentice in the saddle lie did not behave at the barrier and the starter placed him behind the field and sent the field off without him. The lad was not discouraged and made his mount go after them. He was up among them after they had gone a couple of furlongs, and in the end he came through in the straight to win by a couple of lengths. In effect he administered an eight lengths beating to his opponents, which must be regarded as a most striking performance. Duke Abbey changed hands j thrice one day and wound up in the i ownership of George New, the Awa- , puni trainer, who after effecting a big improvement in him and winning a j

good hack race at Trentham, sold him to Mr. H. P. F. Blundell, of Wellington, for £4OO. ONE OF THE WARPLANES Anything by Warplane always attracts a certain amount of interest, and in Avro, the son of Martian has a promising representative. Avro carried a lot of money each day at Otaki, and he returned a first and a second dividend. Avro looked a good thing nearing home the first day, but Duke Abbey was far superior and won quite comfortably. Avro was favourite again on the second day, and this time he had to show his quality to win. The form Anolo showed at Otaki was not his best, and his supporters had said good-bye to their money a long way from the winning post. Anolo was heavily backed, but he got a very bad run and was never in a winning position. A REAL HORSE It is difficult at this stage to say just how good Crown Area is, but that he is a real horse no one who had the advantage of being present at the Otaki meeting will dispute. The trouble is that though he won very easily there the opposition was not first-class and to get a real line on a horse one needs to see him tested in first-class company. However, one can risk an opinion, and it is that Crown Area is a lot better than we have thought him to be. KILBRONSYTH BACK An interesting reappearance was made at Otaki by Kilbronsyth, who not long back was spoken of as one of the coming handicap horses. The big fellow was not as burly in condition as the public expected to see him, and he ran a coLiple of fair races, afterwards pulling up apparently sound. How he would be a little while after the races would be a better test, and it is to be hoped that he keeps sound as there are opportunities for him if he can be got back to his best. The failure of Bisox at Otaki need not discourage those who have followed the Taranaki mare. She got a very bad run in the Taumanuka Handicap and would have had to be a long way above hack class to win.

Waicullus is an improved galloper, and he goes pretty well. He was unlucky not to win the open welter on the first day at Otaki.