Was Loss of Form Only Temporary ?

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 619, 22 March 1929, Page 12

Was Loss of Form Only Temporary ?

THE CASE OF PARKWOOD INTERESTING ASSERTION An interesting assertion has been put forward as the reason for the marked decline of Parkwood this autumn, and it may hold some measure of truth. One well-informed Sydney racegoer lias expressed the opinion that Parkwood is merely throwing back to his sire Backwood, and that his loss of superiority over other youngsters may be traced to the fact that Backwood was a plugger. It has certainly occasioned some surprise that Backwood should get such a brilliant early two-year-old, and the racegoer in question reckons that Parkwood is now at a standstill. But he maintains that as a three-year-old Parkwood's superiority will return, with some of his brilliance gone, but with the great stamina of his parent shining forth. Has Been Known It is an interesting possibility, and past experience has shown that many horses change from a brilliant sprinter to a good stayer in a comparatively short time. So it may be with Parkwood. It cannot be gainsaid that his present form is far below that of the spring, and the fact that, in Melbourne recently, he failed at the end ’of seven furlongs, is nothing against the possibility of his staying. If, as his critic avers, he is undergoing a period of change, that would account for his failures. And on the question of possible stamina as a three-year-old it must not be overlooked that many winners of the A.J.C. or V.R.C. Derby have been marked more as two-year-olds, for their powers of stopping than of finishing on in a race.