THE ROWE CUP

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 236, 24 December 1927, Page 4

THE ROWE CUP

GREAT TROTTING EVENT HIGH-CLASS FIELD The cream of the Bominion's squaregaiters will make an effort to secure a slice of the rich stake in this event, which has the distinction of being -the tightest class race on the New Zealand calendar for pure-gaited animals. Fourteen of the best have survived acceptance day, but two brackets will reduce the number from which backers -will require to puzzle their brains over. Chief of the combination will be the trio, Happy Rosa, Elzear, and Young Blake, and those who support Tomkinson’s crowd will have a good run for their money. Happy Rosa has recent form across the Tasman to recommend her, while Young Blake is a solid trotter who goes well on Alexandra Park. Elzear is brilliant, but has a bat habit of fiddling on the mark. Once under way she has a great burst of speed, which she can sustain right to the post. Of the others on the front Sister Beatrice will sescure most support. She is a trotter that has made wonderful strides during the present season, and she will not by any means disgrace herself in the select society she has joined. Betty Moko is unfortunately not in a position to give of her best and brightest, and her main hope of success lies in the presence of rain to make the track soft. Waikaha was the early ‘shot bird” for this important item, but his few failures recently have helped to put a cooler on the ardour of his large army of admirers. His display over the concluding stages of the Waikato Cup was not impressive, and unless the Gold Bell gelding has come on since that outing there will be one or two that should finish in front of him. John Mauritius has effected a good come-back, and will take his part with credit in the big struggle. Napland is on a mark from which he should give a lot of cheek, and he will be bracketed with that staunch and true trotter Peterwali, and this pair will have a host of friends, although the scare occasioned through the American-bred sire breaking loose the other night may put a few off him. Peter Swift is one that should not be left out of the final reckoning, while Money Spider is now one of the finest square-gaiters in the Bominion, and he will make a great dash over the last quarter to wrest the thick end of the purse from his opponents. The queeri of trotters, Escapade, only wants to be at the top of her form to piake all those in front of her hurryup, and she may prove equal to the task of pulling off the heat. When the machine is balanced the order may be TOMKINSON’S BRACKET, MONEY SPIDER, WAIKAHA.