Royal Warrant May Win Wingatui Mile Handicap

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27988, 7 June 1956, Page 4

Royal Warrant May Win Wingatui Mile Handicap

RACING

Form from the first two days of the Dunedin Jockey Club’s winter meeting may not make the search for wiirners very much, if any easier on the concluding day at Wingatui on Saturday. Conditions could be altogether different for the third time at the meeting. The ground was heavier on the second day than on Saturday, but the going was loose. If the weather remains fine until Saturday, the track may be sticky. Middle-distance horses will meet sprinters in the first leg, the Queen Elizabeth~Handicap, the first mile race of the meeting for open-class horses. Patris and Horatius, winners of the middle-distance handicaps at the meetihg.. are engaged; so is Royal Warrant, which was perhaps unlucky not to win against the sprinters last Saturday. Royal ' can keep up a powerful run to the end of a mile, and is a bold -in bad ground. From his: position in the handicap—he has 7-13—he will be more than a match for most, if not all above him in the weight?.’ Blackfellow will be one of the most solidly-supported in the field, and probably the best prospect in the top part of the handicap. The eight-year-old Boswell gelding is one of the oldsters in the field, but showed more dash than most of his younger 'opponents in the Winter Handicap, seven furlongs, last Saturday. Three furlongs out, he had only one runner behind him, yet he managed to finish fifth in a field of 19. He did not race on Monday. Blackfelfow has,done best at Wingatui, where he has handled the worst conditions with ease. Last year, he had a hollow win in the Provincial Handicap at this meeting.

Fresh Candidate Paulette dropped out of the Birthday Handicap, and had no engagement on the second day. She has done most of her racing on slimmer tracks, put if she can handle winter conditions her class will carry her into the finish.

Good Abbot was third in the Provincial Handicap on Monday, but has J°* ar . J ade d ,to recapture his best form. At best, he will be a place prospect, unless he is a better horse for his two races earlier at the meeting. v .^°£ at A us d ?u s POt gallop with much keenness on the inside of other horses, and couM be awkwardly placed from No. 2 at the barrier, unless he gets clear early. He is a very powerful galloper, but stamina rather than brilsharacterised5 haracterised mos t of his

. Scuppered should be the stronger ° f Douglas-Clifford’s bracket. Overboard has been a big disappointment so far at the meeting Scuppered was making a fresh start ran e c C , nt a Sted <£ e Winter H andi- ? a P la ? 1 Sa ‘ ur d a y- She did not show improvement from well back in the “hl d 1 sl ?®,.fomes to hand quickly, the to run We ’L though the best has been seen or her over more ground. tn ß Wnrai- a , str pngly-flnishing second to Horatius m the Provincial Handicap has done most of his racing bewmteraramilT- but . his ability under winter conditions has to be respected at this distance too, though minor placings appear to be his lot h!!k Led '' a • Mlliant performer as thf £•’ 1S an interesting, acceptor on ? nt be is also engaged earlier m the day. w^?i UC i ea^ Waa made-favourite but was wel! beaten in the Winter Handicap last Saturday. Though a peak performance was expected, it is possible that his condition failed him under the conditions. At best he would be 2 n . e . oI J e better prospects in this Held, and perhaps it would be safe to disregard his most recent failure Any improvement in the track will brighten his chance.

Canasta showed speed after a slow u a a, on Monday. She will, perhaps, be the best of the other light-weights. A favoured trio are Royal Warrant, Blackfellow, and Nuclear. Second Leg Persia, a stablemate of Nuclear, may

make a successful fresh start in the Empire Handicap, second leg of the double. Persia was put aside after the Dunedin, autumn meeting after a spring and summer campaign marked by several sound performances. Persia won twice against the hacks earlier in the season, and the best was seen of him on rain-affected tracks. He had conditions to suit him when he won the Cashmere Plate at the Grand National meeting. He was solidly supported for that race, because he had shown ability in bad ground when he won his first race at the Dunedin winter meeting a year ago. Brooke has 9-12, but this race is a furlong shorter than the Members’ Handicap, which he soundly won under 9-3 on Monday. A galloper of his ability in bad ground must have prospects not to be lightiy regarded.

It will be a first start at the meeting for My Friend, a winner over this distance at Nelson. My Friend has. shown a good bit of ability in stronger fields than this, and if the conditions are to her liking, she will take beating. Kasr-el-Nil did not make the expected improvement on his first day’s third placing when he was solidly supported for the Members’ Handicap on Monday. He was beaten too far from home to leave room for hqpe of a winning performance over less ground. However, he is in a weaker field this time, and could be in the battle for one of the places. Silver King’s form at the meeting has been nothing to enthuse about.

Likely Improver There will be more enthusiasm for the prospects of Dahlia, whose sixth on Monday had fair merit. Dahlia may be the most likely improver in this field. Red Admiral won over this distance at the Southland meeting in January. He carried 8-3, and won by a long neck from Kasr-el-Nil (7-13). Brooke was one of the unplaced horses. Since then, Red Admiral has had an unsuccessful campaign in the North Island. His form in his autumn races was not good enough to bring him into reckoning here, but it is possible that he was racing below his best form then.

Irish Wings, a fast front runner from Wingatui, won over this distance at Beaumont, and was a good third over seven furlongs on a soft track at the Southland meeting. He was tried as a hurdler last Saturday, but did no good. Here he should be well in the picture for most, if not all the way. Rathkeale’s two fourths at the meeting make her one of the logical form horses, though some improvement would be needed to make her a second-to-none winning prospect. Accountant and Sure Swift were seventh and -eighth in the Members’ Handicap on Monday, but were beaten off.

Persia, Brooke, and My Friend may be the best in this field.