RACING WRITER NOT TO CONTEST CUP RACE AT BLENHEIM

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27639, 21 April 1955, Page 4

RACING WRITER NOT TO CONTEST CUP RACE AT BLENHEIM

Writer, a Marlborough Cup acceptor, was not taken to Blenheim with other members of G. R. Felling's Riccarton team yesterday. He is to be eased up before being prepared tor another campaign. i A recent arrival from the North Island, Writer galloped with little dash on the hard track In his only engagement at Riccarton last week. Marette (Novice Stakes) and Lucky Sal (Juvenile Handicap) wiU represent Felling’s stable on Saturday, l. G. Low will ride Marette, and A. J. Stokes has been engaged tor Lucky Sal.

Marette showed some ability to finish a handy seventh in the Courtney Handicap at Riccarton on Easter Monday. She will find the class weaker on Saturday, and may be prominent. Lucky Sal raced twice earlier in the season from E. J. Jennings’s stable tor a fourth at Washdyke and a neat win at Waikouaiti.

Fulgent, top weight with 8-8 In the Marlborough Cup, has run few bad races for Mr H. D. Greenwood, but one such was in the Dominion Handicap on the first day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting. His fifth in the Templeton Handicap the next day was more m character.

Fulgent dropped out of the Waltham Handicap on the third day of the meeting, so has been given every chance to face Saturday’s test at his best. He will be ridden by E. G. Low.

Few will be seriously backed to beat Pinnacle Ridge in the Marlborough Cup if this smart mare is brought south from Foxton. But she may remain at Hastings and run in the Te Mahanga Handicap. She Sve a sound staying performance win the Hawke’s Bay Cup last Saturday.

Bon Soir is a Riccarton lightweight candidate for the Marlborough Cup capable of running out 11 furlongs solidly. He did not race well when up in the weights in staying hack races in the summer and autumn, but made a good impression when he beat all but Royal Voyage, The Hob, and Fulgent over the Marlborough Cup distance at Motukarara in March. Newcomer

A newcomer to R. E. Johnstone’s team at Riccarton is a massive two-year-old son of Red Mars and the Beau Pere mare Belle Fille, owned by Mr J. F. Tutton. He is a striking, tractable youngster from a successful family. A notable member of this family was a New Zealand Derby and Wellington Guineas winner, Tara King. Hellespont Dead Hellespont, a leading Australian 81re for many years, died last week. He was 22 years old. By Pharos from Hesione, Hellespont was bred m France and bought for Australia by the late Mr A. G. Hunter. Laat month one of his Progeny, Hellion, won the Australian Cup Flemington. Hellion also won the Moonee Valley Cup and finished second to Rising Fast in the Melbourne Cup this season. £MOOT? >Ont “ red wlnners of nearly Little Troubled by Injury u„^ oun< L to n,ve fractured a sesamoid 2° n ?. running fourth in the Christchurch Handicap at Riccarton Great Tom is showing no signs of lameness, and has been galloping round his padodek on the proiloberts hIS ccarton drainer, F. A.

It was bad luck for his Sydney owner, Mr E. E. Steel, and Roberts to lose Great Tom at this time, because the big Tormie gelding appeared to have further successes well within reach. He won the Courtenay Handicap on the first day of the meeting. From Good Family The Riccarton trainer, J. C. Tomkinson, has made a start with a two-year-old son of Landacre and Lady Oriwai, which will do his racing for Mr W. A. White, a steward of the Canterbury Jockey Club. Lady Oriwai (Lang Bian—Oriwai) is a sister to Chung Chong, a sound stayer a few seasons ago. There have been some other good stayers from, this family, among them Ardenvohr (New Zealand Cup), and Mascot, a New Zealand and Canterbury Cup winner. The latter left Fool’s Paradise, winner of 11 races, including the Jockey Club Handicap at Riccarton and the Shorts Handicap at Trentham.

Gallant Peter was left at Riccarton with Tomkinson after the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting. This halfbrother to Reformed will race at Amberley next week. Well-Deserved Successes

Tess’s two wins at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting brought a welcome change of luck to her West Eyreton owner, Mr G. R. Macdonald, who has raced several horses without much success for some time.

Mr Macdonald paid 650gns for Tess at the national yearling sales in 1954, and the attractive Ruthless filly has now, won £795 in stakes. She has raced six times for three wins and one second.

Tess was well tested for gameness in her racing at Riccarton, and left the impression that she will carry her speed over a good deal more ground later in her career.

Next season, she may be able to improve on the second placing of her dam, Rahine, in the Ashburton John Grigg Stakes. Rahine is by Robin Goodfellow from the Psychology mare Sunny Maid, which won six races and left five winners. This is a prolific winning family. Sunny Maid was a half-sister to Sunny Sky, a winner of 20 races, including the Auckland Racing Club’s Cornwall Handicap, and dam of five winners. Another half-sister, Sunny Song, was to become granddam of the Melbourne Cup winner Hiraji, and she won 14 races.

Smiling Personality, another halfsister, also gained fame as a producer alter a successful racing career by leaving Gold Scheme, winner of the Sydney and New Zealand Cups last season; and Personality, which won a Wellington Steeplechase after making his mark on the flat. Tess’s sire. Ruthless, gained a good record in two-year-old races at the meeting. He is also sire of Avenge, winner of the Champagne Stakes, and a rather unlucky second to the four-year-old Tamrln in the 63rd Challenge Stakes.