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New Zealands Premier Race Horse BY SALVATOR. In the headline to some comments upon recent Australian racing, particularly the two duels between Gloaming and Beauford, at Randwick, September 9, in the Chelmsford Stakes, and at Rosehill, September 16, in the Hill Stakes, Beauford winning the first and Gloaming the second race, the latter was dubbed by Daily Racing Form the "Australian Wonder Horse. " This may have aggrieved those New Zealanders who chanced to see it, for it is their pride that Gloaming, while Australian-bred, is owned in New Zealand by G. D. Greenwood. Now the news comes to me of two more great races between this great pair of geldings, in which again they have "split even," Beauford winning their third set-to and Gloaming the fourth and final one. For the latter horse, immediately after it, was shipped home to New Zealand and it is quite possible that he and his rival will never meet again. The honors, however, went with him, for he departed acknowledged by the Australian critics to be the better race horse. As previously related, Beauford, which, since his conquest last spring of Eu rythmic, was hailed the champion of Australasia, had never until the series of races now under discussion measured himself against Gloaming. Their first meeting, in the Chelmsford Stakes on September 9, at nine furlongs, each carrying 136 pounds, resulted in a victory for Beauford by three parts of a length. Track slow ; time, 1 :53. Their second meeting, in the Hill Stakes on September 16, at a mile, Beauford 133 pounds, Gloaming 126, was a victory for Gloaming by a length and a quarter. Track fair; time, 1:384. DERBY DWARFED IN INTEREST. The "rubber," anxiously awaited, was run on "Derby day," September 30, at Randwick. It was estimated that nearly if not 100,000 persons were present. There is always a monster Derby day crowd at Randwick, but on this occasion the "classic" was absolutely dwarfed in interest by the meeting between the two aged cracks, which had in advance wrought the Antipodean racegoing public up to the highest pitch of interest and excitement They were to meet this time in the Spring Stakes, at a mile and a half, a fixture worth nearly 0,000 to the winner, and were carrying even weights, 129 pounds each. Eight started, including David and Furious, as well as Specialty and Violoncello, all of the highest class of horses now in training in the Antipodes. Beauford went to the post favorite at evens, Gloamings price being 2 to 1. The distance was supposed to favor Beauford and to be a bit farther than Gloaming preferred. Neither of the rivals cared to set the pace, so Violoncello led for the first five-eighths, Beauford laying second and Gloaming fourth, well back. Beauford then dashed out in front, and so suddenly that Gloamings jockey, George Young, was caught napping and the son of Beau Soult had taken a lead of eight lengths before Gloaming was under full steam and started after him. He then gave a tremendous exhibition of speed and gameness. Gradually cutting down the space that divided him from Beauford he drew up to him a short distance from home and then crept on up until he was at his throatlatch, but could go no farther. The finish is described as one of the most thrilling ever seen at Randwick, and Beauford received the verdict by a neck, both "all out to the last ounce." The vast crowd "wildly cheered victor and vanquished." The time, 2 :33. Specialty, third, was six lengths away. GLOAMING BADLY RIDDEN. It was agreed by many after the race that the manner in which Gloaming was ridden was largely responsible for his defeat; that had Young not let Beauford steal so long a lead Gloaming would have outrun him in the straight. But the Beauford party scoffed at this post-mortem and declared the result was a true bill. The Spring Stakes were run on Saturday, September 30, and four days later the two rivals met for the fourth and last time, over the same, course, to contend in the Craven Plate, at a mile and a quarter, a stake worth about 1,000 to the winner. The distance, a mile and a quarter, the weights even, 127 pounds each. There were four other starters. So great had been the impression made by Gloaming, though beaten, in the previous race, that this time Beauford was not made favorite, the quotations being "even money and take your choice." Perhaps, also, another factor entered into these odds. After the first of their duels, the Chelmsford Stakes, Beauford, which is inclined to be washy and waste away after a severe race, like many descendants of Galopin and St. Simon, to which he is inbred, was decidedly the worse for wear and his defeat by Gloaming in the Hill Stakes was partially attributed to this fact. Between that race and the Spring Stakes he had a good rest and turned out for the latter race in tip-top form. But after it he was so exhausted that he was off his feed, and having but four days in which to recuperate before the Craven Plate, had not yet fully done so. On the other hand, Gloaming, a sturdy and strong-constitutioned gelding, was again fit and well. RACE ESSENTIALLY A MATCH. "When the barrier was released Violoncello jumped off with the lead, but Beauford in a few strides shot past him and went out in front. This time Young, on Gloaming, did not allow Wood to outgeneral him, but immediately sent the son of The Welkin after the leader. The race therefore almost from the start resolved itself into an actual match between the two geldings. At the turn for home Beauford was still in front, but Gloaming was steadily wearing him down. About midway of the straight he had drawn level. When Wood asked Beauford to rally he could not respond and Gloaming, keeping on, won by three lengths. Violoncello was third, a length behind Beauford. Beauford finished tired and pulled up dead beat. The time was 2:04. By his victory in this race, Gloaming passed the great Carbine and now stands second only to Eurythmic on the list of leading money-winners of Australasia, Eu-rythmics total to date is 34,066 and Gloamings 31,491, or, roughly calculated in American money, 70,000 against 56,000. Moreover, the great majority of Gloamings starts have been over New Zealand tracks in events r. r. of comparatively small value, considering his exalted class. Had he been raced more extensively in Australia, where stakes are much richer, there is little doubt that he would today be well in the lead of all Antipodean money-winners. It is probable that American turfman have never familiarized themselves with the full details of his career, so a brief tabular resume of his racing, year by year, will be of interest: GLOAMING Bay gelding 1915, by The "Welkin Light, by Eager. Tear. Age. Kaces. 1st. 2d. 3d. Unp. Winngs 191S 3 years 16 13 2 1 1922.sh3,580 1919 1 years 7 6 1 .. .. 24,033 1920 5 years 12 12 28,875 1921 6 years 12 11 1 .. .. 28,350 1922 7 yeara 4 2 2 .. .. 10,315 Totals 51 45 0 .. 1 61,155 Gloaming was bred in Victoria, Australia, by E. E. D. Clarke, who personally selected him for his owner, G. D. Greenwood of New Zealand who visited the United States last spring, as a yearling; the latter buying him, at the formers recommendation, paying for him at auction the comparatively modest price of ,150. He was originally called Celestial. Proving a "tough customer" to train as a two-year-old he was gelded and his turf debut deferred until he was three years old, when it was made under the new name of Gloaming, and at Randwick, where he won in sensational style, first the Chelmsford Stakes in the renewal of which for this year he was destined to be beaten by Beauford and then the Australian Jockey Club Derby. Returned then to New Zealand, he made his debut at home in the Champion Plate at Christchurch, which he easily won and followed it up by a victory in the New Zealand Derby. Ho then met his first defeat, running second to Sasanof in the Stead Memorial Stakes. After this he won the Islington Plate, Great Northern Derby, Wellington Stakes and Kelburn Plate in succession. In the Taranaki Stakes he was defeated by Desert Gold, then won the Egmont, Hawera and Jackson Stakes and the Wankanui Guineas. In his next essay, the North Island Challenge Stakes, he became entangled in the barrier at the start, fell and was of course unplaced this being the only time in his career to date that he did not finish either first or second. GLOAMINGS FOUR-YEAR-OLD RECORD. As a four-year-old Gloaming was again shipped to Australia and began racing at Rosehill, where he won the Spring Stakes. At Randwick, the next time out, he was beaten by Poitrel by a teck in the Spring Stakes, the same margin by which Beauford was to beat him in this years renewal of the same event. He "came back" in the Craven Plate there, however, and then was returned to New Zealand, where he won all the rest of his starts that year, viz., the Champion Plate, Stead Memorial Cup, Islington Plate and Royal Stakes. As a five-year-old he had an unbeaten certificate, winning twelve straight races without a single defeat. He was sent to Australia that season as usual, but took sick and did not start there, all his racing being done in New Zealand, where his victories were won, in order, in the Electric Plate, Fielding and Oroua Stakes, Islington, Auckland and Kelburn Plates, and Waterloo, Taranaki, Egmont, Hawera, Jackson and Challenge Stakes. At six years, in 1921, his Australian invasion was again fruitless, as the same fate befell him that had the year before and he sailed back to New Zeaand without facing the barrier. There he again started twelve times for eleven wins and a second. He first took the Fielding and Oroua Stakes, then was defeated by Thespian in the Islington Plate, which event he had himself won the previous three years in succession. He then won nine races off the reel, namely, the Auckland Plate, Egmont, Hawera, Taranaki, Jackson, North Island Challenge, Christ-church Challenge and Hawkes Bay Stakes, and the Ormond Memorial Cup. NEVER BEATEN BY SECOND-RATER. It will be seen that Gloaming has never been defeated save by a horse of the first class. Sasanof, Desert Gold, Poitrel, Thespian and Beauford the only horse that has succeeded in twice outrunning him all rank among the greatest performers ever seen south of the equator. And in each instance he was defeated with honor, generally by a short margin after a desperate race. When Desert Gold beat him as a three-year-old he was giving that wonderful performer three pounds actual weight, and when Thespian beat him as a six-year-old he was trying to give that horse fourteen pounds actual weight. Gloaming has never been started in any true "long distance" race, such as the Melbourne Cup and similar Antipodean events. A mile and a half is the farthest he has been asked to go, and at this distance he has won five times in seven essays. Sasanof beat him at a mile and a quarter, Desert Gold at three-quarters, Poitrel at a mile and a half, Thespian at a mile and Beauford at nine furlongs and at a mile and a half. He has shown his ability to carry the highest weights, winning the Hawkes Bay Stakes in 1921, at six and a half furlongs, under 141 pounds, and the North Island Challenge Stakes, the same season, seven-eighths, under the same impost. He has carried 130 pounds successfully over a mile and a half. Still, he is often referred to in Australia as a sprinter. The only extremely valuable event he has ever won was the A. J. C. Derby, at Randwick, which netted him about 3,500. Of the over thirty races he has won over New Zealand trades only the two Der-bys he won as a three-year-old were worth as much as ,000 to him. GLOAMING A FLEXIBLE RACING TOOL. While so difficult to control, as a two-year-old, that it was thought best to geld him, Gloaming by that operation was transformed into a flexible racing tool. He is described as still taking a strong hold of the iron, but willing to race anywhere that his jockey elects. What he would do if raced beyong a mile and a half is unknown, but as he has never been started over a greater distance it has been taken for granted that his owner, and R, J. Mason, who trains him, have satisfied themselves that that is the "end of his tether." He is a glutton for work and has been written of as follows by an Australian scribe: "Gloaming is a keen worker and would run himself right out if allowed to do so. This accounts for the fast time that he has always made. Masons trouble is to get a light boy that can hold him, and his work has to be done with a fairly heavy boy up, a3 he pulls too hard for the average light boy. When taken out to gallop Gloaming jumps into his stride in an instant and sweeps along, raking the ground under him with beautiful effortless action. Most long-striders, such as he, take some time to get into their stride, but Gloaming could go on to the pony tracks and beat the fourteen-hand-ers at a jump-out." The same writer continues: "Beauford is not so excitable as he used to be and will gallop now without taking much out of himself. He is so long-legged that he gives a couple of bounds like a hare before getting into full swing, but once he gets the machinery working he eats up the ground at an amazing pace. He will pull up as contentedly after a gallop and jog back like a cart horse, which shows that he is doing well within himself. Both Gloaming and Beauford slip along with so little effort that it is hard to believe that they are making good time until the watch is consulted." The tabulated pedigree of Beauford was presented in Daily Racing Form some months ago with some comments in which I described the obscurity of his maternal line, on account of which he is not "thoroughbred" according to the "pur sang" criterion and is ineligible to entry in the English Stud Boole Gloaming, however, is of pure British blood, both his sire, The Welkin for seasons past the leading sire of money winners in Australia and dam, Light, having been bred in England and imported to the Antipodes. Here are his blood lines : - Orme Ormonde 3 r Plying f Angelica 3 F01...X Vampire Galopin ,J t Irony . .Crowberry... ?,os!bei3r go - bury... Widgeon... fNu S I -Enthusiast... f ?erlin , O i f J Cherry Duehesa Eager.... jGreeba Ldtoa 55 a tl J I Sunrise U3 1 rOrvieto Bend Or No Jr.,, Napoli Trumps Electric Sterling Sht ijeachy Head The interesting features of this pedigree are: First, that Gloaming not only goes direct to Bend Or in tail-male, through his greatest son, Ormonde, but has also a maternal cross to the same progenitor, whose son Orvieto sired his granddam, No Trumps. And, second, the doubling back of the blood of Sterling on the dams side, Light, which produced Gloaming, being by Eager, son of Enthusiast, by Sterling; while her grand-dam, Electric Light, was a daughter of Sterling. This mare, moreover, produced Bill of Portland, the son of SL Simon, which has done so much for the improvement of the blood horse of the Antipodes.
