NEW ZEALAND CUP AT RICCARTON

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27192, 9 November 1953, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND CUP AT RICCARTON

Second Success For Owner

WINNER REPEATS SIRE’S FEAT

To win the New Zealand Cup is regarded by most thoroughbred owners in the Dominion as the achievement of a life-time ambition. A four-year-old bay gelding. Gold Scheme, with a resolute challenge at Riccarton on Satur? day gave his Gisborne owner, Mr E. N. Fitzgerald, his second Success in the event. , .

- Mr Fitzgerald said, when being presented with the gold trophy, that it was one of the happiest moments of his life. When he was interviewed just after the presentation, he appeared to accept his gopd fortune with complete calm. The reason, perhaps, is that as a racing owner he has enjoyed more success than many other owners dream of: two mighty gallopers of a few years ago—Kindergarten and Golden Souvenir —also carried his colours. ...

Golden Souvenir, which is the sire of Gold Scheme,- won the New Zealand Cup eight years, ago, and had many other important successes; and Kindergarten, whose successes included the Auckland and Wellington Cups, is still regarded by good judges as one of the best gallopers seen in New Zealand. Both were bred and raced by Mr Fitzgerald. “I consider Gold Scheme a good horse, which will probably win more good races, but I don’t think for a moment that he is up to the standard of Golden Souvenir or Kindergarten, said Mr Fitzgerald. “Gold Scheme —Bobby, we call him —was trained to perfection for this race, and he was very well ridden,” he added. ‘1 don’t think the cup field was up to the class of other years. “I was quite confident before the race that he would win, and I never had any worries during the running. Bobby is a little gentleman—placid as the day is long, just like his sire. He is a lazy sort, and won’t get down to business in a race until he is made to.” Mr Fitzgerald has been connected with racing for many years. He once used to ride at under 8 stone, and was successful as an amateur. Smiling Persbnality, the dam of Gold Scheme, was bought from the estate of the late Mr Fred Hall for 500 guineas. She was by Hunting Song from Sunny Roe. Mr Fitzgerald, was impressed by this family and bought several of them from Mr Hall. They included Sunny Sky, Sunny Lass and Sunny Bachelor. Smiling Personality also left Personality, which Mr Fitzgerald has raced with success. Trained and Rode Winners Gold Scheme’s Riccarton trainer, Jim Ellis, also trained Golden Souvenir and, in the early part of his career, Personality, for Mr Fitzgerald, and he rode both Golden Souvenir and Kindergarten to their successes. Ellis has now been associated with six winners of the New Zealand Cup. His other successes were, as a rider, on Oratrix (1928), Cuddle (1935), Fersen (1936), and Calibrate (1950).

When asked to compare Gold Scheme with either Golden Souvenir or Kindergarten, Ellis answered: “Well, you can’t compare horses accurately when they don’t compete against each other. Gold Scheme is a nice horse to; have anything to do wit|i. He has neither peculiarities nor vices. However, I don’t think he’ll ever surpass the regard that I’ve always held for his sire.” When asked whether he had been confident that Gold Scheme would win, Ellis said that he had been only hdpeful. “Luck in the running has always to be depended on.” Asked whether he was confident in the final stages of the race, the trainer replied: “No. I’m never confident until they’re past the post.” Ellis said he considered the field that Gold Scheme had beaten was a moderate one.

Gold Scheme’s rider, A. J. Stokes, also took his win calmly. It was his first success in the event, but unenlightened spectators must almost have been given the impression that Stokes had ridden Cup winners year after year. ? “I never had any worries in the running, and I knew a good way from home that we had it won,? said Stokes.

R. J. Skelton, rider of the second horse, the little-fancied light-weight, Lancaster, said he thought that he was going to bring off a major surprise. “Just when I thought I had the race in my keeping, Gold Schema came .along and cornered me,” he said. “I had to cover a bit of extra ground at some stages of the race, otherwise I might have been even harder to beat,” he added.

W. J. Broughton, rider of the third horse, Reigning King (also by Golden Souvenir), said of the race: “I had a fairly good run, and gave Reigning King a show of winning at the turn. .The other two stuck on a bit too good, though.”