RACING SURPRISE DEFEAT OF REDCRAZE AT SYDNEY

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28253, 15 April 1957, Page 6

RACING SURPRISE DEFEAT OF REDCRAZE AT SYDNEY

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SWN'E'f, April 14. Two New Zealand horses, the gelding R»dcraze and the Sydney Cup favouribe Uanisfair, started hot favourites at Warwick Farm yesterday, but failed.

Yes Please, another New Zealand horse, started favourite and won his race.

Slogan 11, which went out in the betting from favouritism overnight to start at 4 to 1 on the second line in the seven furlongs Liverpool Handicap, failed to fill a place, but the New Zealand mare Gentle Lu ran third.

Biggest surprise of the day was the defeat of Redcraze. The big red gelding started at 3 to 1 on in the 10 furlongs weight-for-age Chipping Norton Stakes.

The Victorian horse, Mac’s Amber, ridden by Jack Thompson, won in a close finish after leading from barrier rise. He broke the course record for the distance, recording 2min 3 9-10 sec. The top Victorian stayer, Sailor’s Guide, just nosed Redcraze out of second place.

Mac’s Amber, a four-year-old, was ridden by Thompson to a plan set by the veteran trainer Dan Lewis, who is looking after the Victorian horse in Sydney. Thompson took Mac’s Amber to the front frofn the start. He opened up a gap of four lengths half a mile from home,. and increased it to five lengths as the field swung into the straight.

At that stage Arthur Ward, on Redcraze, was riding the champion hard, and Athol Mulley, on Sailor’s Guide, was going with him in trying to bridge the gap.

Both Redcraze and Sailor’s Guide were rapidly wearing down the leader in the straight, but Thompson held Mac’s Amber together for a final effort.

In the last 100 yards he drew the whip, and rode his mount very hard. On the line Mac’s Amber appeared to be going as well as Redcraze—also under the whip. Sailor’s Guide just came up on Redcraze to nose him out of second placing. The last three furlongs of the 10furlong race were run in 35Jsec—a good indication of the speed of both Redcraze and Sailor’s Guide in their finishing runs.

Mac’s Amber has now moved up to be equal second favourite with Slogan II for the Doncaster Handicap. Kingster still held his position as favourite.

Mac’s Amber’s win yesterday was evidently not so unexpected to some punters. Fairly , heavy backing chopped his price down from 100 to 1 to 25 to 1.

New Cup Favourite Sailor’s Guide, on his run yesterday, has moved up sharply to be Sydney Cup favourite. It was his best run this season, In spite of his narrow defeat.

Redcraze was glorious in defeat. He should win another weight-for-age race this season before having a rest. The time of the race alone was enough to indicate just how good his run was. Neither his trainer, T. J. Smith, nor the jockey. Arthur Ward, had any excuses to offer for the defeat.

The New Zealand horse Field Chief, ridden by Neville Sellwood, ran a fair race in the Chipping Norton Stakes. He was handily placed most of the way, to finish last in the fivehorse field.

The Melbourne Cup winner, Evening Peal, finished fourth. Both Field Chief and Evening Peal gave the impression they will be much improved over more distance, and possibly under handicap conditions rather than weight-for-age. The former Sydney cup favourite, Llanisfair, started a 5 to 4 favourite in the mile and a half Warwick Farm Handicap, but failed badly, and finished well back ninth in the field of 14. His trainer, Tom Smith, said: *'l cannot understand it. The run was too bad to be true.”

Two other New Zealand horses, Sombrero and Sonnetary, finished ahead of him. Sonnetary was fourth and Sombrero sixth. Both gave good performances.

Llanisfair lost his position at the top of the Sydney Cup betting after his run. Llanisfair, which firmed from 7 to 4 to 5 to 4 in the betting, ran part of the race up with the leaders, but faded out. He was beaten more than three furlongs from the finish.

The Sydney stayer, Lycidas, a comparative outsider at 12 to 1, won after withstanding a strong challenge from Electro in a photo-finish, with the New Zealand-bred Summalu an impressive third.

The Sydney sprinter, Taranyan, usually an unlucky horse in his races, scored a narrow win in the seven furlongs Liverpool Handicap, in which he started 7/2 favourite. Good Finish When Clear Slogan 11, ridden by Jack Thompson, finished tenth in the field of 14 runners, but he was less than four lengths away from the leaders. Teranyan, however, deserved his win. In big races he has finished second in the £lO,OOO Stradbroke Handicap at Brisbane, second in the Doomben Ten Thousand, third in the Brisbane Cup, and was beaten by I half a head by Knave in last year’s Epsom Handicap. Gentle Lu ran a good trial for the Doncaster Handicap when she finished third, close up on the winner, in a photo-finish. She came from near the tail end of the field in the straight. Gentle Lu is expected to do better over a mile in the Doncaster Handicap. Other New Zealand horses in the field were Arganda, King’s Fair, and On Parade.

King’s Fair finished sixth after being forced wide for most of his run. Arganda and On Parade went swiftly to the lead and stayed there for a short time, but both weakened and finished back near the rear— Arganda twelfth, and On Parade in thirteenth position, in front of the Sydney sprinter, Mandingos. Yes Please Wins The New Zealand sprinter, Yes Please, starting a 5/2 favourite and ridden by the leading Sydney jockey, Neville Sellwood, had his first win in four starts in Australia when he nosed Fire Flash out of the mile Cabramatta Handicap. Yes Please had the run of the race, but Fire Flash fought back. Both the trainer, Maurice McCarten, and Sellwood were pleased with the win. McCarten said he had written to the colt’s owner, Mr T. C. Lowry, advising him to come to Sydney to see Yes Please run in the Doncaster. Probably the most attractive performance with the Doncaster in view was Decisive’s sixth. Decisive began better than usual, but lost his place and dropped right back after going two furlongs, when there was a lot of crowding.

From that, stage Decisive had to race five and six wide to get a run and lost a great amount of ground on the home turn. He went to the post strongly, making up a lot of ground over the last furlong. Another New Zealand horse, Lochie, came from thirteenth at the half-mile, eleventh at the turn, to finish seventh. Results:— Warwick Farm CHIPPING NORTON STAKES, Of £l5OO. Weight-for-age. One mile and a quarter. MAC’S AMBER (Amber from Duvach) 9-0 .. J. Thompson 1 Sailor's Guide 9-0 .. A. Mulley 2 Redcraze 9-2 .. .. A. Ward 3 Five starters. Length and a quarter; short halfhead. Evening Peal was fourth. Time, 2min 3 9-10 sec (course record). Prices: 25/1, 5/1, 3/1 on. LIVERPOOL HANDICAP, Of £1250. Seven furlongs. TERANYAN (Stockade from Aspect) 8-5 .. W. Cook 1 Fire Dust 8-0 .. .. A. Ward 2 Gentle Lu 8-0 .. R. George 3 Fourteen starters. Short half head; neck. Time, Imin -24 3-10 sec. Prices: 7/2, 20/1, 6/1. WARWICK FARM HANDICAP, Of £1250. One mile and a half. LYCIDAS (Alycidon from Linaria) 7-5 .. .. B. Moon 1 Eledtro 9-0 .. .. A. Mulley 2 Summalu 7-13 .. .. A. Ward 3 Fourteen starters. Head; half a length. Sonnetary was fourth. Time, 2min 30 l-ssec. Prices: 12/1, 9/1, 12/1. CABRAMATTA HANDICAP, Of £B5O. One mile. YES PLEASE (Faux Tirage— Good Manners) 8-12 N. Sellwood 1 Fire Flash 8-12 .. R. Williams 2 Culzean 7-8 .. .. R. George 3 .Sixteen starters. Short half-head; length. Time, lmin 38 2-ssec. Prices: 5/2, 5/1, 12/1.

Starting Times For Ellerslie

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 14. The starting times at the Auckland Racing Club’s meeting at Ellerslie on Saturday will be as follows :

11.15 a.m., Onslow Handicap; 11.55 a.m., Great Northern Oaks; 12.40 g.m., Brighton Hurdles; 1.30 p.m., aster Handicap; 2.15 p.m., Champagne Stakes; 2.55 p.m., Mangere Handicap; 3.45 p.m., President’s Handicap; 4.30 p.m., Eden Handicap. The times in a Press Association message of the acceptances on Friday were incorrect.