Good Horses Have Heavy Weights

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 241, 31 December 1927, Page 8

Good Horses Have Heavy Weights

Papatu’s Chance in A.R.C. Handicap

WITH THE GOOD HORSES HOW SO HIGH VP IN THE WEIGHTS , THERE IS A RARE CHANCE OF -4 LIGHTWEIGHT BOBBING VP IN THE AUCKLAND RAC ING CLUB HANDICAP, THE BIG EVENT TO BE DECIDED AT ELLERSLIE ON MONDAY. WHETHER THE LIKES OF RAPIER AND COUNT CAYOUR WILL BE ABLE TO HOLD THEIR OWN UNDER THEIR BIG IMPOSTS REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

THEREF ORE, for the sole reason se ■*- out above, it may be necessary t look lower down the handicap for th

eventual placed horses, for it is quite on the cards that they will come from down the list.

Count Cavour went a banging good race in the Auckland Cup under 9.5, and he now meets bis conqueror on 91b better terms. Rapier, however, is now at the top of his form, and even with 9.11 lie must not be altogether overlooked.

In the Auckland Cup Rapier was favoured with a run on the rails at the half-mile post, and this enabled him to come right through into the straight without hindrance, whereas Count Cavour had to go round his field. There was two and a-half lengths between them at the finish, and even had the Count followed Rapier through on the inner the result would have been the same, although the margin might have been less. A COINCIDENCE? It was somewhat in the nature of a coincidence that when Rapier got : through on the inside crossing the top the horse that went out and made way for him was Eden Hall, from the stable that Green, Rapier’s pilot, does the riding for when the weights suit, the jockey on this occasion being the stable apprentice. That incident, in all probability, cost Eden Hall a place, for as it was he was a close fourth. Rapier would have won nevertheless, but his

task would have been made much more difficult. The loser by this incident was the Eden Hall party. Before reviewing next Monday’s big race any further, the list given below may prove illuminating. The table shows the horses engaged in the A.R.C. Handicap that raced in the Cup and the Summer Cup, together with their weights and placings (shown in parentheses):

A uck la Count Cavour u. 5 Rapier S.l Star Stranger 9.6 Mask s “ Mandane Pegaway Battlement 7.2 Eden Hall 7.1 Transformer 7. Bennanee . 7.2 Royal Mint 7.1 Papatu 7.2 Cohesion Scat The above table shows what a hard task both Count Cavour and Rapier have before them. The former is used to carrying welter weights, and may be the better of the pair, but it is thought that the light-weights will go too fast for them to enable them to settle down under their burdens.

Star Stranger finished well in the Auckland Cup, and has been dropped a couple of pounds, which should bring him into the picture. On the other hand, Mask has gone up that amount, and even allowing for the shorter distance, he will have to give of his oest if he is to be among the place-getters. The Limond gelding met with some interference in the big race, but, even allowing for that, he will need to improve. As against this, he was never better than on the eve of the meeting, as his gallops showed. MANDANE —WILL SHE STAY? There was no denying the determined fashion in which Mandane finished in the Summer Cup, and as she came from well back it was an attractive effort. She just got there from Pegaway, who

also had to make up a lot of ground and this pair outclassed the remainder of the field, which was by no means so strong as the Auckland Cup class. As a three-year-old, Mandane ran Star Stranger to a head in the G.X. Derby, so that with another couple of yeai\ r

on to her age she should be able to run a solid mile and a-half. Pegaway’s finishing effort in the Summer Cup was illuminating, and as he is allowed half a stone for a head defeat from Mandane, he appears to have the better of it on the book. After finishing very well in third place in the Auckland Cup, Battlement failed in the Summer Cup, after being one of the leaders into the home stretch. He is a stayer, and that is a recommendation, but if it is true that he has to be kept wide out because he will not go inside a horse, then he will have to be lucky and extra good to score. Eden Hall must be remembered after the fine race lie ran in the Auckland Cup, in which he was always one of the leaders, and finally finished fourth. The 12 furlongs will suit him, and it will be surprising if he fails to show up. He is a most unlucky horse, however. Transformer is out of form, and Bennanee disappointed on Boxing Dny Dy failing to run up to his track

efforts. Should he do this on Monday he will stand a chance with a pound above the minimum. PAPATU’S ROYAL SHOW There are four on the minimum— Royal Mint (who failed to show out at any stage last Monday), Cohesion, and Scat. The last pair are not fancied. The last of the quartette is Papatu, and in her we have one whose

chances must be assessed at a good deal better than most of the others. Although without further rain the track will be hard, it will not be so concrete-like as on Boxing Bay, and it was this that seemed to prevent J Papatu from hitting out, and Te Monanui, too, for that matter. When the field had gone a mile in the Cup. j Papatu was a bad last, and then his ( rider drew the whip. Five furlongs

from home he was fourth to last: he was well back eighth into the straight; and then finished strongly in fifth

place, after being ridden hard over the last mile and a furlong. With the conditions better on Monday, Papatu is a distinct possibility for the Racing Club Handicap. The final summingup appears in the final review of the programme.

nd < 'up Summer Cup. Handicap (2) <>.ll 0 (1) **.11 (6) 0.4 (8) 8.4 7.1 (1) 7.12 7.11 (2) 7.12 i (3) 7.10 7.2 . <*> 7.1 1 Ol) 7.1 (12) 7.1 (11) 7.0 (3) 7.0 7.0 7.0