Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 15 July 1948, page 19


IN SEARCH OF STAYERS: Werribee Handicap ot Belmont Park last Saturday wat for horses that had not won a middle-distance race. At left: Doodah (Crocos) and Yodarran (Gannon) leading Flame of Pawn (Healey) and Hoskodin (Ellix) to the starting barrier. At right: Away they go. Race resulted! '

Queenie, 1; Appian, 2; Pannier» 3.

Racing of

Two-Year-Olds

ffHE victory of the French

horse, Arbar, in the recent Ascot Gold Cut), which earned for his owner, Mr. M. Boussac, £11,375, again draws atten-tion to French as compared with British training methods and to the undoubted superior-ity of French stayers. Arbar, who was being tipped to win the Gold Cup four months ago, did not race as a two-year-old. His owner, Marcel Boussac, is a French champagne merchant who has about 120 mares at his two studs and 82 horses in

training, of which 41 are twoyear-olds.

At the Gold Cup meeting this year the number of two-yearold races was cut down as the first step in a new policy to discourage the early racing of two-year-olds with the object of improving the stamina po-tentialities of English blood-stock. Students of racing have long advocated that rich prizes for two-year-olds should not be offered until the second half of the season. This is the French policy, which is paying such handsome dividends. In France, too, there are different ideas on the distances for two-year-old races. At the back-end of the season the French don't hesi-tate to race their youngsters up to a mile and a quarter whereas

the English limit is a mile and most of the horses regarded as possibilities for the following year's classics are seldom sent beyond six furlongs. This could be the explanation of why they have so often failed in recent years.

Crack Two-Year-Old ls by Hua

"BECAUSE of the success of

Hussar in the Helena Vale 500 West Australians will watch with interest the career of the boom Sydney two-year-old, San Domenico, who is also by the Heroic horse, Hua. Champion colt Of Sydney was thought to be Riptide but Mr. R. P. For-mosa* owner of San Domenico, considers that by his two sen-sational wins, San Domenico has shown that he is better. "Critics said I was crazy when I refused an offer of 8,000 guineas for San Domenico be-fore he raced» but my judgment has proved correct,'' said Mr.

Formosa.

Mr. Formosa bought San Domenico against the advice of two veterinary surgeons and three leading trainers. They were unanimous that San Domenico was too top heavy ever to develop into a good sprinter.