CAMPAIGN FOR RAY RIBBON

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27666, 24 May 1955, Page 4

CAMPAIGN FOR RAY RIBBON

MAIN AUSTRALIAN RACES IN SPRING Ray Ribbon, one of New Zealand’s best staying three-year-olds this season, will do his spring racing in Australia. All going well, he will be prepared for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups by his Riccarton trainer, G. S. Barr. He will be taken to Sydney in July, and may race there before going to Melbourne, though his connexions had hoped earlier to take him direct to Melbourne. Ray Ribbon finished racing for the season at the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting last month, where he won the Great Autumn Handicap and was a close third in the Challenge Stakes. He has been exercised on the roads during the last few weeks, and was worked at Riccarton yesterday. Ray Ribbon won £8152 10s for Messrs C. R. Newman and C. Pateman, and with a little more luck his record would have been better. He had 15 races as a three-year-old for four wins, five seconds, one third, and two fourths, worth £6320. In addition to the Great Autumn Handicap, he won the Selwyn Handicap at Ric car tort, and the Dunedin Cup and James Hazlett Gold Cup at Wingatul. But his three-year-old record will mainly be noted for some courageous performances against the best of his age, and older, at Trentham.

Success eluded him there this season, but he was runner-up to Hot Drop In the New Zealand St. Leger, filled the same position behind Somerset Fair in the Wellington Guineas, the Gloaming Stakes, and Harcourt Stakes at Trentham last October. Ray Ribbon, a bay colt by Perilous (son of Hyperion) from Lady Yelverton, by Revelation, brilliantly won the Wellington Stakes last season, hat being one of two successes at that age. He has been trained throughout his career by G. S. Barr, who will take him to Australia. While the Australian campaign is on members of Barr’s team at Riccarton will be under the care of G. G. Hampton, who is to apply soon for a trainer’s licence.

POVERTY BAY INQUIRIES (Neto Zealand. Press Association) GISBORNE, May 23. For riding with over-confidence at the finish of the Matawhero Novice Stakes No. 2, B. Hollis, rider of Queen's Garland, was admonished at the Poverty Bay Turf Club’s meeting at Makaraka on Saturday. In the same race, after the field had passed the winning post, C. Dixon, rider of Ratahau, which finished third, became ill and fell from his mount. He was later examined by a doctor, and advised to cancel riding engagements for the day. An inquiry was opened into the reason for Sweet Moments losing Its rider, D. Whittington, approaching the four furlongs in the Kalti Hack Handicap. Whittington was examined by a doctor and sent to hospital. He suffered a wound on the head and an arm injury. Queen’s Garland, winner of the Matawhero Novice Stakes No. 2, was swabbed. Information obtained from the veterinary surgeon showed that the cause of Hunting Vite’s death was heart failure. C. H. Mackie and K. Quinlivan, rider and trainer respectively of Amber Bay, were asked to explain the performance of the horse, which finished last in the Waipaoa Hack Handicap, As neither could account for the horse’s showing, a veterinary examination was ordered. The veterinary surgeon reported that he could find nothing amiss with the horse.