Stayers Are Few and Far Between

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 247, 9 January 1928, Page 6

Stayers Are Few and Far Between

OUTLOOK FAR FROM SATISFACTORY

THERE are mile and a quarter races for hacks at Ellerslie, and this class is well catered for also at Takapuna, but further south little inducement is offered owners to possess hacks with staying blood in their veins. In the following article is stressed the fact that there is an undoubted dearth of stayers in the country, and an appeal is made to those in authority to endeavour to remedy the situation by substituting middle-distance races for some of the present five and six furlong flutters.

There has been a surfeit of racing in the Southern portion of the North fcland in the last week or two. There were three days’ racing at Awapuni, one at Waipukurau, two at Tauherenikau, two at New Plymouth, two at Marton, two at Hastings and two at Stratford—l 4 in all. The public stood up to it well and patronised all the fixtures liberally, and there is every sign of a return to the prosperity of pre-war days. Some interesting facts concerning form and other things were revealed or confirmed by the recent racing. One of the most important is that we are somewhat badly off this season for good handicap horses. A STRIKING INSTANCE Take the Manawatu Cup. It was the principal event on a good programme arranged for the most important meeting, except Auckland's big gathering, in the North Island. It carried a stake of £BOO, and attracted a field of eight. Auckland cannot be

regarded , as responsible for drawing all the good horses away from Manawatu, nor can the smaller meetings be the cause of the poverty in numbers and quality of the Manawatu Cup field. Of the eight in the race only a couple were seriously considered as likely to have a chance in a mile and a-half contest, and these were Piuthair and Lady Desmond. Yet one of these, Lady Desmond, who was considered as one of the two best in the rac© was weighted at only 7.8. So, what of the rest? NO HORSES! The plain fact is that the horses were not available, and the reason they were not available is that we have not the handicap horses in the country. In other words we have very few horses fit to enter for a mile and ahalf race. Certainly there will be a dozen or more to go to the post fo.r the Wellington Cup, and, by the time the handicapper has done his work, the race will look very open, but it will not be found that there is a surplus of genuine stayers in even that field, and Wellington will have an “open go,” seeing that there are no big meetings to clash with it. The outlook is not encouraging, and the sooner owners get back to buying horses that can stay, instead of purchasing sprinters, the better for .racing in New Zealand. If owners show that that is the class of horse they want, breeders will fall into line very quickly and see that the market is si-^pplied. BLOOD WILL TELL The successes of the Riccarton horse Rapier, who has won the three biggest cups in the country, inside a year, should do a lot of good for racing. It has led breeders and owners to see that the old Musket blood is still well

worthy of encouragement. Support has com© from Australia, where the remarkable successes of Trivalve have set the racing world talking. Trivalve was considered lucky to win the Australian Jockey Club Derby, but it turned out that his gameness was the deciding factor. He went on and easily accounted for the Victorian Derby, and afterwards won the Melbourne Cup. He, too, hails from Musket. In his day Carbine was without equal; now his descendants are coming into their own, after a period of comparative neglect. Another instance of the success of the old blood is the Melbourne Cup victory of Spear - felt, who also comes down to us from Musket. . i A NEW DEMAND A new demand has set in for Musket blood, and of late there have 'been inquiries from abroad for mares having this breeding in their pedigree. Some will be leaving New Zealand as foreign buyers pay good prices, but it will be a great pity if many of them are allowed to go. Strictly speaking, many cannot go, as there are all too few about, but one hopes that only a small percentage will be allowed to leave the shores of New Zealand. Another interesting fact that has been well emphasised by the holiday racing in these parts is that we are badly off for hacks that can run out more than six or seven furlongs. In fact, we have a large army of them about the area which have no chance of winning a race if the distance exceeds five furlongs. FEW HACK MILERS Hacks that can run a good mile are very few, and that is far from a satisfactory state of affairs,, though it is not as disturbing as finding that

we are so short of open handicap horses. There is no need to go into the question as to whether the breed as a whole is improving. The time test usually proves that it has been improving in many respects for years past, but the question as a whole is too great to be dealt with here at the present time. But it is indisputable that the outlook is not good when we are not breeding horses good enough to run a mile in the hack class. What few hacks we have among the milers soon sweep the boards and blossom out in open company, there, of course, to find it hard to go on winning. POSITION OF CLUBS

Clubs could do something in this matter by refusing to cater for the mere sprinters; but then the clubs have to live, and if they made the change suddenly they would be up against an unwelcome drop in revenue. Entry fees would fall; also acceptance fees, and the smaller fields would

mean less totalisator revenue. Clubs have had a hard time of late and they are pot seeking to discover a new means of increasing the difficulty of making ends meet. It is too. much to expect them to shoulder the burden, but by concerted action they could gradually reduce very heavily the short distance races. Something has been done in recent years to regulate the framing of programmes with the result that there are fewer five-furlong races to-day than there used to be, while the fourfurlong events have disappeared. More yet must be done, and it can. only be hoped that something will be heard of the subject at the next meeting of the Racing Conference.

REEFTON CONCLUDES

BRONSTELL SURPRISES PRINCE FEROUZ SCORES Press Association. REEFTON, Saturday. The second, day of the Reef ton Jockey Club’s races was held to-day. The totalisator investments amounted to £8,296. The total for the two days was £15,235 10s, a decrease of £1,712 on last year’s meeting. Later results:— SECOND HURDLES Of £110; li miles. 4 TENTERFIELD, J. Tilson 1 I—RED HEATHER 2 3—FLYING MASTER 3 Also started: 2 Clontaff, 5 Ellah. Won by a neck. Time, 2.50. LICENSED VICTUALLERS' CUP Of £130; 1 mile. 6 BRONSTELL, A. Messervey .... 1 I—OPHIR 2 7 PRINCE FEROUZ 3 Also started: 2 Buoyant, 4 Birthmark, 3 Fresco,. 5 Benmure. Won by half a length. Time, 1.44. CRONADUN HANDICAP Of £BS; 7 furlongs. 1-KENMORE 1 5 ERIN-GO-BRAGH .. .. ... .. .. 2 3—KING CHEOPS 3 Also started: 4 Pickaninny, 2 Orbit. Won by four lengths. Time, 1.29. BROADWAY TROT Of £9O; li miles. S— LIGHTFOOT, Alborn 1 2—VAL LOGAN 2 3 GOLD RUSH 3 Also started: 1 Kawana, 10 Great Abdullah, 4 Rey Child, 7 Bessie Dillon, 9 Harina, 8 Dome. Won by a length. Time, HIGH-WEIGHT HANDICAP Of £100; 7 furlongs. 4 PRINCE FEROUZ, Kirwan .. .. 1 5 STEED BAR 2 6 GASLIGHT 3 Also started: 1 Bronstell, 3 Birthmark, 7 Corn Rigs, 2 Clarenson, 8 Cashbox. Won by a head. Time, 1.30 2-5. FAREWELL HANDICAP 1— SPODE, O’Connop ..1 4—ERIN-GO-BRAGH 2 2 CALIBURN 3 Also started: Atone. Won by a length. Time, 1.17.