Sydney Bookmakers Pay £40,000 On Arganda’s Win

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28267, 3 May 1957, Page 4

Sydney Bookmakers Pay £40,000 On Arganda’s Win

[From the Australian Correspondent of “The Press’']

SYDNEY, April 30. New Zealand stables made two "killings” at Randwick on Saturday through the- agency of Arganda and Cambridge. Bookmakers claimed that the pay-out over Arganda was at least £40.000, and that over Cambridge about half that amount. Arganda won the Rous Handicap, starting favourite at 11 to 4, and bets that included £3500 to £lOOO and £2lOO to £6OO twice were invested on him. A bookmaker, Ken Ranger, laid a bet of £5OOO to £BOO against Cambridge, and several bets of £2OOO to £240.

In between their wins, Franlyle, already a winner at the meeting, won the Danger Handicap at 12 to 1, making it a day of days for those people who follow only New Zealand horses in Sydney races.

Arganda beat Reign and Criollo in a very close finish, with another New Zealander, On Parade, fifth.

In the early betting, attention was centred on On Parade, which had run well at his previous start. It was not until some bets had been snapped up at 5 to 1 that it was apparent Arganda would be fancied strongly.

High Spot vzas still in charge at the top of the straight from a bunch that included Criollo, Reign, and On Parade, with Arganda making ground, and it was not until the last few strides that Arganda got his head in front to win in a photofinish.

G. S. Walton had the Franlyle market to himself—more or less. He said after the race that the disinclination of Australians to back the mounts of R. J. Skelton had profited him exceedingly. It means he got 12 to 1 about Franlyle, which was an exceedingly generous price, according to Walton. Expert on Franlyle Skelton rode Franlyle in expert fashion, getting her balanced and delaying her run until the turn into the straight was reached, when he came through the field to win by half a length from Fairy Dream, with Blue Charger half a length further away. But Skelton was taken to task by the stewards in the next race, in which he rode the favourite. Decisive, stablemate of Franlyle. On the turn into the straight, Decisive ran off the track, and Skelton allowed the horse to drift, finishing eighth almost on the outside fence. It was the heavy backing for Decisive that threw punters "off the scent” as far as Cambridge was concerned.

Cambridge had been given three starts in short races, and on Saturday he was contesting for the first time a race over one mile and a quarter, which is his best distance. To help things along, the handicapper had dropped Cambridge 71b for his sixth in the Coogee Handicap earlier in the meeting. J. Mitchell wisely engaged forceful light-weight Noel McGrowdie to replace the apprentice who usually rides Cambridge. Even this engagement did not draw attention to the likelihood of a plunge, and some barkers got as much as 12 to 1 about Cambridge. But it was a one horse affair once McGrowdie got Cambridge properly going in the straight.

The brown gelding shot through in the centre of the field and was running away in the finish so strongly that McGrowdie had to fight hard to pull him up. Cambridge now will be set for the distance races in Brisbane in June and July. Perhaps the Brisbane Cup of two miles may be too far for him, but the Doomben Cup of 11 furlongs will be right to his liking, and he is * long-distance tip for that race. is going to Brisbane de-

spite his failure to catch Empire Link in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, run at weight-for-age, over a mile and three-quarters. Redcraze is a bit tired, and did not stretch out in the finish like he usually does. His regular rider, A. Ward, rode him in exemplary fashion, bdt Empire Link is a hard horse to beat on his day. First of all he has to be caught, and he is a determined front runner. Sellwood established a big lead on Empire Link in the middle stages when he put a burst on to run from the mile to the six furlongs in 23£sec. He slowed down near the five, then round the bend he sent Empire Link away again. Ward took Redcraze up to t£e second horse, Mac’s Amber, whose rider, W. Cook, declined to put on pace. Thus Ward had to go on with Redcraze and carry the field up closer to Empire Link.

Doing a bit of hard work this way would not usually affect Redcraze, but with the horse’s condition dulled by racing, it left him without his customary brilliant sprint in the last two furlongs. In fact, in the last half-furlong Empire Link was going every bit as well as the champion.

But Brisbane will set things right again; Redcraze always does well there.