ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 151, 23 December 1929, Page 8

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"A.8.C.," Pctona. —Star Stranger was unplaced Hawkes Bay Hunt, six furlongs, with 10.6; Marton, six furlongs, with 8.4; Wanganui, 8V- furlongs, with 0.2; Avondale Cup, one mile and a quarter, with 0.10; second In Avondale Plumpton Handicap, one mile acd a quarter, with 9.8, to Piuthair 7.4; second in Mltchelaon Cup, one mile and a half, with 9.11, to Historic 9.7; and unplaced in Kins Edward Handicap, one mile and a quarter, at Ellerslie, with 10.0; Wellington Handicap, eleven furlongs, with 9.9; Feilding Cup, mile and i quarter, with 9.9; Woodvllle Railway Handicap, six furlongs, with S. 10; and Egmont Cup, one mile and a quarter, with 9.4. (2) £3 12a fid.

Have the Best of It. i< Three-year-olds have decidedly the best E 'of it in the Queen's Plate at Ellerslie as a P ■rule, for they meet the older horses en- a gaged at 91b better terms. Usually if a -I' horse is four years old or upwards and P of any class, he is well out o£ hack races, A ■while three-year-olds through having been backward may be good and yet be eligible j> for a race like the Queen's Plate. Kick- C field is an. exceptional five-year-old, and q in hia present form lie should provide 8 stiff opposition for threa-year-olds like c Count Palatine, Vali, Royal Parade, and G Duellona. He is up to handicap form now, h and if Count Palatine can beat him on I Thursday, the three-year-old's Derby ad- a Imirers should be well pleased. c The Luck of the Game. r When acceptances -were being taken at I Hawera last Wednesday night, only three t were left in the Flying Handicap, and this v was mentioned to J. M. Cameron, the T owner-trainer of Goshawk, who was not | accepted for. Just a few minutes before f 9 oclock Cameron went into the office * and paid up for the Magpie gelding, mak- £ ing four acceptors. Knightlike was scratched on Thursday morning, and with a three runners and a drying track, it was t decided to run Goshawk. He was pro- I . duced and duly won. At times racing I people lay long and carefully considered «i plans for nothing, while racing provides, 1 as in this instance, many chance results. 1 Holiday Riding Engagements. i The following riding engagements have been announced where Palmerston North horses and horsemen are concerned: —. - R. Reed: Star Stranger, Cylinder, Hunting Day.(at Auckland); Hunting Boy, Glenrossie, Otairi, Paitonu (second day, Manawatu). : T. Metcalf: Catherine of Aragon, Money Mint, Silver Coot, Don Jose (first day, s Manawatu). He will go on to Feather- g Eton for the New. Year. c ' T. Green: Honour, Praise, Dunraven, j •■ and either Pedestal or Greenaway in the i ", Queen's Plate at Ellerslie on the opening c day, returning to Awapuni for the second ( and third days. K. Voitre: Piuthair, Callanmore, Riog- c hail, on the opening day at Manawatu. j This lightweight horseman will remain at Awapuni throughout the course of the ' three days. f R. G. Stratton: Noteworthy and Eoyal -. Mission on the opening day at Manawatu. C. W. France will attend the Ellerslie fixture, where one of his mounts will be i Prince Val. ' H. Pitcoin: Lady Lackham. , W. Broughton: Hawkshaw. R. J. Mackie has made a good recovery from the injuries he sustained in a motor- ] ing accident, and he purposes being in attendance at the New Plymouth and Strat- .. ford meetings. Many Proved. . • ; Usually a two-mile race has a large per- > centage of acceptors not proved over the journey, but the average is all the other way in the Auckland Cup. Star Stranger ■ is a record holder at the distance, Corinax and Count Cavour are Auckland and New : Zealand Cup winners, Paquito has a second place in the Melbourne Cup to his : credit, and Historic, Concentrate, Prodice Spearmiss, In the Shade, and Seatown ran ■in the New Zealand Cup. In the Shade ..and Spearraiss:were second and third to .Chide. In any ordinary year they would have been first and second. Vertigern is -. not proved, but has won at a mile and a • half. Panther, Shrewd, and Jalous have all raced in promising fashion, so that : Merry Mint is the real doubtful one of the field. Those fortunate enough to be ■ at Ellerslie on Boxing Day should witness . a great race, for it is a line field. Star , Stranger's fine gallop at Ellerslie yester- : day set all doubt at rest as to what will start favourite. Sprinters at Ellerslie. : Now that it is known definitely that Cimabue is to be at Ellerslie, he is well in de- -. inand for the Railway Handicap. He raced well at Hawera, but the class was not good as a test for a Railway Handicap, and . looking back of Toxeuma's second to Paganelli at Trentham and Paganelli's effort m the Stewards' Handicap well ahead : . of Cimabue, form points to Toxeuma beating him. .Toxeuma may be better suited by seven furlongs, but he is a great class ■ horse, and is better now than he was in . the spring. Cimabue also is in fine order at present, and is the beau-ideal sprinter. This will be in his favour on v sprinter's course. At the same time horses like Vallar, Silvermine, Aspiring, Lady Quex, not to mention one or two o£ the lightweights, -will force a terrific pace, and that may prove the chance ot a good sticker like Toxeuma over •the last furlong. Toxeuma should prove himself before very ■ long one of the very best horses in New Zealand.

Gone Out of Favour. Lady Quex has gone out o£ favour for the Railway Handicap at EUerslie, because o£ her Hawera failure. The soft track, however, quite prejudiced her chance, and her trainer did not expect her to show up in that going. He is not so enthusiastic about her chance at EUerslie as some of her more ardent admirers, for she has seldom run. a good race on the Auckland course. ~ She may do all that is expected of her on Boxing Day; and that Ehe is well she showed by running five furlongs in lmin at Hawera last Tuesday morning before the rain came. 1£ *:. Gray is n't to ride her no excuses should I*s crailable if she is defeated. Favourable Prospects. The Wairarapa trainer, W. D. Moroney, seems to have good prospects with Mr C. E. Elgar's horses at EUerslie, and they could hardly be more favourably handicapped. Vertigern has a luxurious weight at 7.7- in the Auckland Cup if he proves himself good enough at the distance, and Count Palatine's prospects in the Queen's Plate have already been discussed. If Tenterden is started in the Nursery Handicap in preference to the Foal Stakes, he reads very well in at 7.9. On the figures it does not appear good play to take on the classic, but his owner may consider it his duty to patronise that race. Then there is King Midas iv the Christmas Handicap with 7.5. He has been carrying nine stone and more in welters, and running great races, so the drop in weight should see him perform very well. Last year he was equal to winning the Wainui Handicap at Trentham with 7.12, and that is above ordinary welter form. It entitles him to respect in a race like the Christmas Handicap. A Good Trio.

There are three smart hacks in the Gillies Hack Handicap to be run at Awapuni next Thursday m Fernden, Cadland, and Acora. Cadland's form at Otaki was so impressive that no doubt he will be a good favourite, especially as L. G. Morris will be up and the riding talent at the meeting lyill not be strong. Cadland, no doubt, will be regarded by most as a Christmas box for backers. Fernden, with bis 101b penalty, has a task in front of

him, and possibly he will not be produced. Acora, who is trained by J. T. Morris, is speedy, but not quite of Cadland's class. Look Out.

R. Johnson has The Swell in the Christmas Handicap at New Plymouth on Thursday, and Ridgemount and Bonogne in the Flying Handicap. He certainly appears to dominate the position. The last time The Swell and Hipo met (at Te Kuiti last month) The Swell gave Hipo 171b" and was beaten by half a length. At New Plymouth The Swell comes in 141b better. Yoma and Wenday may be the danger to The Swell if there is any. Kidgcmount has been galloping very well at New Plymouth, and at To Kuiti he' was equal to giving 301b and a beating to Lcitrim, an Auckland Railway Handicap candidate considered by many to have a chance. Havering. The hard race they had against each other in the C.J.C. Stewards' Handicap has apparently found out both Paganelli and Havering. V\Titu one out of that race the other would have won. Havering and Paganelli both failed at Feilding and Hawera, but something could be said in favour of Paganelli. Strangely enough, H. Carroll trained both these horses at one time, and actually educated Havering and raced him as a two-year-old. In fact, he owned a share of Havering in those days. He looked the chestnut over at Hawera and agreed with several other shrewd judges that Havering needed a rest and given a chance to freshen up. He has been in solid work for a good period and,, no doubt needs a spell. The absence, of his name from the Auckland Railway Handicap field came as no surprise. About Pegaway. At the Auckland Eaciug Club's Summer Meeting last season, Pegaway won the Christmas Handicap with 8.7, and subsequently captured the Summer Cup witb 8.8, and the Auckland Racing Club Haudicap with 9.3, while he was beaten in the Grandstand Handicap with 9.11. Pegaway has had only two starts this season—the Bollard Memorial, six furlongs and a half, at Cambridge, and the Cambridge Handicap, six furlongs, at Te Rapa, and he won .both of them under 9.9 and 9.13 respectively. He was entered for the Auckland Cup, but his connections did c it think he would stay out the last bit, and withdrew him. There is nothing wrong with1 him, and he again figures among the entries for the Christmas Handicap on Boxing Day with 9.13. Even under that impost he will have to be considered. Southern Horses Arrive. The Southern horses with engagements at Awapuni arrived from the ■ South yesterday. H. Cutts brought Full Feather, Hurly Burly, Semper Paratus, and Ball Dress; G. J. Pine had Silver Coot, Don Jose, and Noteworthy, and T. Lloyd Hoyiake, Phastar, and Nightdew. The last-named is a four-year-old filly by Night Raid from Royal Star's dam, Lady Victoria.