Supremacy Has Little Opposition in Champagne Stakes

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 624, 28 March 1929, Page 14

Supremacy Has Little Opposition in Champagne Stakes

What will Supremacy pay in the Great Northern Champagne Stakes, the two-year-old classic, at Ellerslie on Saturday? That is actually the question exercising the minds of the big betters, the men who go in for a killing per medium of a certainty. Mind you. there is no question of the defeat of the Chief ltuler gelding. That is not even suggested, despite the presence of Gay Ballerina. And when one comes to analyse the field the more difficult does it become to see anything engaged outside the Gay one, even capable of extending the Te Awamutu crack. That is if Supremacy retains the brilliancy he displayed at Avondale and Ellerslie in the spring and midsummer. Supremacy has not raced since that sensational contest fo.r the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie on January 2, when he went down to defeat at the hands and feet of honour. Ceremony and Staghunter, a lot of lost ground at barrier-rise being responsible for this result insofar as Supremacy was concerned. Second Best? With Ceremony out of the way and Gay Ballerina perhaps affected by her mishap, there seems little doubt that the latter and Eaglet must be looked to as being the only danger to the favourite. Eaglet has been very consistent since she commencing racing

and what is more tfie filly has not been overdone. Her form at Trenchant recently, when she dead-heated with 9.5 her back, and should have won outright, was first class, and li

will therefor© be of interest to see how she fares against the crack- R Gay Ballerina has fully recovered, however, she should be a thorn in the side of Supremacy. In the same stable as Eaglet is another smart filly in Polyxena, ana, like her stable mate and Supremacy, she claims Chief Ruler as her sire. It can be said that Polyxena on th from to date is not in the first fugC l • although she may improve consiaeiably. However, she is a good second string to Eaglet. What Of Gemlight? From his first appearance in Gemlight has been held in hign esteem by many good judges. A Takapuna> a couple of months ago tne writer considered he was a bit unlucky in being defeated by Eagle*, but th© latter has come on a good deal since then. They will meet asa|J| in th© classic on Saturday, and be interesting indeed to see if Gemlight has improved sufficiently to reverse the Takapuna placings so w as Eaglet is concerned. It is pernap significant that his trainer has len him in the classic in preference the handicap event, which he mignj have won at the weight he would ; have had to carry. Then there is the sole Lowry re PJT sentative at the meeting. Clever, w.n has been improving of late. *- ne a very doubtful runner. Will Have To Improve Monaloff won a maiden race Opunake a fortnight ago. the dista ™: r being six and a-half furlongs, so tna this filly has some pretensions ** stamina. An exalted opinion is of the chestnut daughter of anll but she will have to live up to n reputation if sh© is to get m to money. . The unfortunate defection of ter mony has robbed the event of most of its interest, for I e field has of * weakened in a most pronounced n ? ner. Outside of Supremacy, th : ’ that appeal most in pursuit ot favourite are Gay Ballerina, Ea£ ' Gemlight and Polyxena. On© * ac jin favour of Supremacy is 1 he is equally at home no ma* whether he is up to his knees ot a dry track. Easter weather at tims* is very fickle, hence this timely o servation.