TROTTING RIBANDS ARRIVES AT WELLINGTON

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27491, 27 October 1954, Page 14

TROTTING RIBANDS ARRIVES AT WELLINGTON

Champion Australian Pacer APPEARANCE AT HUTT PARK **The Press 1 ’ Special Service WELLINGTON, October 26. The leading New South Wales pacer. Ribands, arrived at Wellington today in the Monowai, on his way to Addington for the New Zealand Trotting Cup. Earlier plans were for the horse to travel south tonight, but. after representations from the president of the Wellington Trotting Club (Mr A. Pope), his party agreed to spell him for a few days, parade him at Hutt Park between races on Saturday, and ship him south on the same night. Ribands appears to have taken no harm from his four days at sea, and looked bright and well when exercised at the track.

Accompanying Ribands are his owners, Mr and Mrs F. P. Kelloway, their neice, Miss M. Potter, and the trainer, C. Muddle.

Mr and Mrs Kelloway have owned Ribands since he was a yearling, and he has won about £24,000 for them. Ribands is a six-year-old dark bay horse of medium size by Lawn Derby from Marie Walla. His best performances were 4min 16sec for two miles at Perth, and Imin 58 7-10 sec for one mile at Harold Park fan Australian record). These are comparable with faster New Zealand times, as they were both run on small tracks. The immediate mission for Ribands is the New Zealand Trotting Cup on November 9. He is entered for other events at the same meeting, but his owners have made no plans beyond cup day.

If the horse settles down in the New Zealand climate, the Auckland Cup meeting at Christinas and the Inter-Dominion Championships. at Auckland in February, will be included in the programme. No Comment on Handicap Mr Kelloway would not comment on the handicapper’s assessment of Ribands at 18 yards in the New Zealand Cup, as he said he had no firsthand knowledge of the other horses’ performances, but he thought that Ribands’s main handicap would be at the start, as he was not always a good beginner. However, in his last race before leaving Australia (the £5OOO Spring Cup at Harold Park) he began better than usual from a back mark, and did well to finish second to Uncle Joe after covering a great deal of extra ground on the circular track, said Mr Kelloway. Although beaten by five lengths, newspaper reports described Ribands’s effort as “remarkable”

Mr Kelloway said that he had heard good reports of Rupee in Australia, including the opinion that he was another Highland Fling. Mr Kelloway expressed surprise that Rupee, although in the New Zealand Cup, had not been entered for the Inter-Dominion Championships next year.

He said the best New Zealand horses Ribands had beaten were Blue Mist and Lady Joss. Because Blue Mist was then in top form, and Ribands had beaten her each time they met, he considered this good form. In all his races except the Spring Cup. Ribands was driven by his trainer. P. J. Hall. Hall could not come to New Zealand, and the horse is now under the care of Muddle, who has been a licence-holder for 29 years. He prepared a New Zealand horse. Pettv Officer, to win two handicaps, the Summer Cup, and a free-for-all in successive starts.

For the New Zealand Cun, Ribands will have the services of the leading New South Wales Driver. J. D. Watts, who will fly to New Zealand for the race. Watts drove Captain Sandy when he won his first Inter-Dominion Championship at Melbourne.