REPUTATION AND BALBOA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 September 1938, Page 11

REPUTATION AND BALBOA

THEIR RESPECTIVE MERITS.

(By “The Administrator.”)

Some comment has been recently made in a Hawke’s Bay newspaper concerning the respective merits of Reputation and Balboa, in their 3-year-old career, and a remark was made that Balboa’s surprise victory over Reputation was no fluke. As I always was of the opinion that Reputation who was bred by the late W. E. Bidwill in the Wairarapa was the best three-year-old of his year, I have checked up their performances, which will fully demonstrate that Reputation over a sequence of races was Balboa's master, irrespective of whether the unfortunate interference by First Flight with Reputation in the Derby affected the result of that race or not. Strangely enough the colts did not meet at 2 years old, Reputation, who was a very late foal winning handicaps at Wairarapa and Wellington, besides the classic Wellington Stakes at Trentham for 2 and 3-year-olds. Balboa also won three races, all handicaps, one at the C.J.C. spring meeting and two at the A.R.C. summer fixture. It was the following season when a comparison could be made. They did meet in their first race as three-year-olds in the Wanganui Guineas, one mile, Reputation finishing first under the set weight of 8.10, but Balboa was unplaced. Reputation then won the Hawke’s Bay Guineas, under 9.3 including a 71b. penalty, but Balboa although trained at Hastings did not start. They next met in the Champion Plate at Trentham, Reputation carrying his w.f.a. of 7.11, beating all the cracks, Balboa being unplaced. The next contest was the Derby at Riccarton when Balboa was victorious as mentioned in the opening of this paragraph. The Canterbury Cup followed, Reputation (7.7|) defeating Warstep by two lengths. Balboa 7.6 was four lengths further away. The distance was 2| miles. On the last day of the meeting, Reputation (7.12) again beat Warstep in the Stead Memorial Handicap, 1| miles. Balboa once more being among the “also starteds.” In the Auckland Cup Reputation (8.1) was beaten by a head by Warstep (8.9), who was older, but Balboa did not start. On the third day of the meeting Reputation defeated Balboa by three lengths in the Great Northern Derby and the Auckland Plate was won by Warstep, Reputation finishing second, while Balboa again did not start. This was Reputation’s final appearance in New Zealand that season, so it can be easily calculated that Balboa had one victory over Reputation, but the latter defeated his rival five times over distances of. 1 mile, I], 1J and 2} miles respectively. Apart from the Derby at Riccarton Balboa’s only win as a three-year-old was in the St. Leger at Trentham, but Warstep (8.12< defeated him with 8.2 in the Trentham Gold Cup. and Chortle (8.13) in the Awapuni Gold Cup; and in the Hawke’s Bay Cup (8.12) beat him with 8.6 and 8.3, respectively. Balboa (8.2) was third to Merry Roe (8.9) and Warstep (8.9) in the Islington Plate at Ellerslie. He also finished 'unplaced at the A.R.C. autumn meeting in the St. George’s Handicap. The records surely prove Reputation who won 6 races and ran 3 seconds out of 9 starts, was much more consistent than Balboa who started 12 times for 2 wins, 4 seconds, 2 thirds and 4 times unplaced. Reputation (Martian —Stepfeldt) afterwards left for Australia where he won w.f.a. races in his owners colours, and was afterwards sold for stud purposes. There is, of course, no question about Balboa’s success at the stud in Southland, and it is a thousand nities he did not get an opportunity to be in stud, where there was only thoroughbred mares. Unfortunately, in the

South there is a limited number of such mares, and despite the drawback he sired hosts of winners. Balboa, who died some time ago, was by Varco from Nerve by Birkenhead, and belonged to the No. 34 family. Reputation was a No. 5, and descended from the Bend Or line crossed with the famous Musket family.