Undergrowth Not To Race At Trentham

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28010, 3 July 1956, Page 4

Undergrowth Not To Race At Trentham

RACING

Undergrowth will not race at the Wellington winter meeting. He injured a hock recently and was able tc do no fast work last week, so it has been decided not to make the Trentham trip. All going well, Undergrowth would have been one of the South Island’s strongest representatives in the Whyte Handicap on Saturday. His setback will not have any effect on his preparation for the Grand National meeting, where the Winter Cup will be his main mission. The Tongs, the only South Island jumper in the Wellington Steeplechase, was exercised at Riccarton yesterday and was taken north last evening by his Wingatui trainer, H. A, Anderton. The Tongs ran in the Timaru Cup last Saturday, and is in splendid order to complete his preparation for the Wellington Steeples. B. J. Anderton, who won the Otage Steeples on the Siegfried gelding, will probably have the mount again The leading jockey, R. J. Skelton, will ride Ben Ledi. a stablemate oi The Tongs, in the Stewards’ Handicap the second leg of the double at Trentham. Ben Ledi made a promising start in open company ’at the Oamaru winter meeting where he finished brilliantly for second to Lord Rowallan over seven furlongs after a slow start. The Southland trainers, T. E. Pankhurst and M. Corkery. crossed to Wellington last evening with Good Abbot and Dusty Miller. E. G. Low will ride Good Abbot in the Whyte Handicap on Saturday. Good Abbot finished brilliantly for second to Nuclear in the Timaru Cup. The best has been seen of him in races beyond a mile, but in his present form he will have to be respected over that distance under winter conditions. Dusty Miller appears to have thrived since the Dunedin winter meeting, where he won the Otago and June Hurdles. He has 10-4 in the Trentham Hurdles, and if he has held his form he should be a match for the best of the others. He will be ridden by the Riccarton horseman. J. W. McDonald

Brutus, another southern hurdler engaged in the Trentham Hurdles, was exercised at Riccarton yesterday before going north. He v. on over hurdles at Trentham last year, and his ability under the worst winter conditions made him a good campaigner in flat races there earlier in his career. Desperado and Assembly, both members of J. L. Barr's team, will be taken north this evening. The North Island jockey, R. A. Jenkins, will ride Desperado in the Whyte Handicap, and E. G. Low will be on Assembly in the Stewards’ Handicap. Desperado’s placing at Washdyke last Saturday showed that he is in good form for a Trentham campaign. He has ran some of his best races at Trentham. where he won the Thompson Handicap as a three-year-old, and the Thorndon Handicap at the last Wellington Cup meeting. Assembly raced solidly at the Dunedin winter meeting. He won the Winter Handicap on the first day and was runner-up to Brooke in the Members’ Handicap. Like most of the stock of Royal Commission he has shown abilitv under winter conditions. E. G. Low will ride Coinalot. another Wingatui winner, in the Woburn Hack Handicap on the first day at Trentham. Coinalot is a five-year-old gelding by Equipped from Wanaka trained at Winton by N. L. White for Mr R. Thomson. King Willow, one of only two South Island jumpers in the Mariri Hack and Hunters’ Steeplechase, will be taken north this evening. He worked keenly on an inside grass track at Riccarton yesterday. King Willow ran off in his first two races over country, but then won the steeples at Oamaru. where his good jumping was worth many lengths. He will be ridden on Saturday by G. Lee. Pearly Gate, which did his earlier racing in the North Island, has joined the Riccarton team of C. G. Humphries. He had six starts earlier in the season, and his best run was a fourth in a division of a Novice Plate at Wanganui. Pear’y Gate is a four-year-old gelding by Hello Peter from Orle.