1939-02-06 — Page 22

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 6, 1939.

Keener Competition For Derby Honours This Year

Mr. Moller Making Another Determined Challenge

Eight Candidates Make Favourable Impression

(By "RAPIER”)

ITHIN the space of three weeks, the curtain will be raised an

Wanother year of racing activities. Preparations for the 1939 Annual Race Meeting are now well advanced, and, judging by the very satisfactory entries received, there is every reason to anticipate that this year's meeting will be just as successful, if it does not ac- tually surpass any of its predecessors..

The Annual Race Meeting has always been regarded as an event of outstanding importance in sporting circles-in fact, it is the peer of them all-and, remembering the increased interest displayed by the public in the closing stages of last year, I have no doubt that the attendance this year will exceed all expectations.

At this stage, I believe that the race is very open,

them-

I am glad to be in a position again to furnish information for the benefit of readers of the "China Mail", but In contrast to last year, when there before doing so, I would like to em- were actually only three prominent year will phasise the fact that the views which contenders, the race this I express now can only be regarded as probably find at least eight ponies hav- tentative, for the simple reason that,ing a big say in the result, unless the until only recently, ponies on the whole | really outstanding ones assert have not been given really hard work, No real definite judgment can be form- ed until probably a week before the meeting, at least not until after the various stable jockeys have had an op- portunity of trying out their respective

CIRE STABLE mounts in real earnest. For the time being I must content myself by mere- Commencing with the stable which ly giving expression to observations provided the 1938 Derby winner, ite. gained as a result of constant attend-Silkylight, from the looks of his two ance at the Valley during morning training, leaving information of a more definite character until later on.

selves before long. With interest cen- tred on the Derby, I will first of all confine myself with a discussion of the

new Griffins relative merits of the China ponies, leaving the others to be dealt with in subsequent articles.

Mr. R. B. Moller's Silkylight, which made a clean sweep last year

by winning the Maiden Stakes, the Champions, the Derby, the Au- tumn Champions and the St. Leger, is seen above being led in by its owner and Miss Moller after winning the Derby.

new candidates, it seems quite evident that Mr. Moller is going to make deter- mined effort to win the Derby for the second year in succession. He has The Hong Kong Derby being the named his two ponies Navylight and most important event of the year, the Armylight, and, judging from appear- burning question in racing circles isance, and its trial performance las naturally confined to speculation as to Saturday, I am inclined to believe that which pony is likely to win the. Blue Mr. Moller will depend on Navylight Riband. Winning this race is without to carry his colours in the great race. doubt the ambition of every owner Last Saturday morning, Navylight was with the necessary means to acquire given a slow mile and a quarter run, light appears to me to be somewhat best among the three. At the moment animals of outstanding ability, and in which it covered in 3-01 2/5 with a last young, but there is no doubt whatever the pony is moving along quite nicely, some cases small fortunes have been quarter of 28.4, which certainly served that this pony will ultimately develop spent in the hope of winning the as a glimpse of what it may be cap-into a fine pony, so watch out for it. Derby,

able of doing in actual running, Army-

Budweiser

MYCING, GENUINE, HE FIND KING OF CANNED BEER

Bud

Budweiser

"The King of Canned Beers"

Sole Agents:-

EU TONG-SEN STABLE

•

Mr. Eu Tong-Sen has no less than 10 ponies entered for the forthcoming Annual Race Meeting, and they are named as follows:-Rose Fiana, Rose Emily, Rose Charming, Rose Supreme, Grey Knight, Morning Glory, English Cavalier, Prince Charming, Rose Elect and Blue Express.

Rose Elect is undoubtedly the best among the bunch, not only in appearance, but on its work in training. It has been credited with a mile in 2-03 3/5, with a last quarter of 29.3.

it

and more will be heard of it in due

course.

Mrs. Dunbar has named her nomina- tion Papoose, and Sir V. M. Grayburn has Avon to carry his colours. Both of them cannot be treated as outstand- ing and I cannot expect them to prove dangerous.

4

MARBER STABLE

Taking up racing only a few years ago, when he had a share in Royal Scot, Mr. B. W. Bradbury has this year gone into the racing game on a fairly big scale, with four ponies entered for the meeting, i.e. Viber, Lilliber, May- ber and Bessiber, and any one of them will be. Mr. Donald Black's mount in the Derby. It is, of course, known that Viber is a kept-over pony, and from what I have seen of it, I cannot really rely too much on its ability.

The best pony is undoubtedly Lilliber, and in this nice looking animal, Mr. Bradbury has a repre- sentative which could quite con- ceivably carry his colours to vic- tory.

This pony has a beautiful action, and seems to like running, but without in any way appearing to belittle its chances in the Derby, I cannot help feeling that it may not have the re- quisite stamina to last out the mile and a half. For any distance up to a mile, it will be most difficult to beat, and if I could feel confident that could stand up to the strain of a gruel- ling race, I would have no hesitation It has a sporting chance, and that is in looking on it as the potential Derby about all I can say of it at the moment. winner. However, I may be wrong. A great deal was expected from Bessi but at the moment I believe that Rose ber, but for some reason or other, it Elect is not built powerfully enough to became ill and it was only recently that prove really dangerous in a long race: it came out of the walking libt.

In case Rose Elect should not come

··KONG- BROS. STABLE? up to expectations, then Mr. Eu Tong- Sen will have to rely on Blue Express, Messrs. Kong Bros. have two griffins, which is about the next best. It will Lovely Star and Forgotten Star. They be recalled that Mr. Eu Tong-Sen made were, in fact, last year's ponies, hav- a brilliant attempt to win the Derbying been kept over, and I like Forgot- last year with Desert Chief, and, with ten Star the best, although I cannot the placed such a large number of new griffins see it coming in among at his disposal, it is obviously his in- ponies in the Derby?

EVE STABLE tention to make another grand effort to win this classic event, which has The Eve Stable have two new griffins, Having, disposed of their old ponies, cluded him for so long.

DUNBAR STABLE

CALDBECK, MACGREGOR & CO., LTD. the Derby last year, and it finished my estimation it is d potential danger.

2, Chater Road.

Telephone 20075..

name Eve of Harvest and Eve of Hea ven. Evo of. Harvest appears to be Mr. Dunbar had Confusion Bay for the more powerful of the two, and in third. This year he has three new This pony looks to me as having the griffins, 1.6, Annas Bay, Egmont Bay necessary stamina-e most important and Galveston Bay. I expect Galves- factor in a long race--and shall not ton Bay will be the ultimate choice to be far wrong in stating that it will represent him, as to my mind it is the'

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