GRAND NATIONAL HURDLES

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28347, 5 August 1957, Page 4

GRAND NATIONAL HURDLES

Son Rae Should Be Prominent Son Rae and Armed will probably dispute favouritism for the Grand National Hurdles, the major attraction onMhe -second day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting id Riccarton toihori-ow. Son Rae firmed in favour with ,an attractive win in the Junipers’ Flat Handicap on Saturday. He has a good hurdling background. The last time he raced as a jumper he easily wOn the Hawke’s .Bay Hurdles with 10-4 from Havoc, Northcliffe, Sea Contour, and Marau, which will oppose him tomorrow.

Earlier he made a big impression with an easy win in the Remuera Hurdles, two miles, on the second ddy of the Great Northern meeting at Ellerslie. That was his first start among the open class hurdlers and he had been successful in the lower grade at Woodville, and Wairoa not long before. i

Son Rae is a six-year-old Chestnut gelding by Sun the sire of the Great Northern Hurdles winner, Meresun, from Grande Dame, by Hazrat from Our Polly, which was a half-sister to Amiens, winner of the Wellington Winter Hurdles two yqars ago. \ He has not acted I well in heavy ground, and for that reason he did not race at the Wellington winter meeting. V Armed was unbeaten in two\ starts at Trentham, an£ after his easy win in the Winter Hurdles he came into strong favour ipr the Grand National Hurdles.

Armed, an eight-year-old, lightly-framed Great Tradition gelding, has not been easy to keep sound. He had a light preparation for the Jumpers’ Flat on Saturday, but his performance to finish fourth showed his stamina.

He pulled up quite sound, and his stamina should help him to improve a good record Cor his Takanini owner-trainer, C. M. Jillings, who flew to Christchurch from Auckland yesterday. Armed won the Wellington Winter Hurdles by seven lengths froiri Ben Vola. Marau and Golden Fox were third and fourth, and Hlvoc was last. Marau Best These horses will oppose Armed again tomorrow. Marau will, perhaps, be the best of them. He was fifth in the Jumpers’ Flat on Saturday, and schooled brilliantly at Riccarton soon after he was brought south. Knight's Star, top weight with 10- took high; ranking as a hurdler before he started on a successful steeplechasing career. He won the Wellington Winter Hurdles in 1954 and was runnerup to Moghul Emperor in that race last year when he carried 11-

Knight’s Star is unmarked by f his run in the Grand National 1 Steeplechase, in which he lost his j rider at an early stage, and it j would not be surprising if a s stayer of his worth could make a J successful switch to hurdling. ® Havoc, the closest to Knight’s i Star in the weights with 10-9, 1 has been a good winner for Mr < K. W. Lupton. His latest sue- t cess was in the Trentham Hurdles j on July 6. Before that he easily i won the Manawatu L. H. Collinson Hurdles (15 furlongs). Heavy Tracks Northcliffe and Golden Fox have shown their best fqgm on heavy tracks. Northcliffe was an undistinguished eighth in the Jumpers’ Flat on Saturday but Golden Fox showed fair ability to fill the same position, in the Winter Cup. Sea Contour beat all but Son Rae in the Jumpers’ Flat, and on his present form he should run soundly. Ben Vola, Judge, and Calpurnia complete the North Island representation. South Island representatives in the field a!re Dusty Miller, Cock Crow, and Native King. Their hurdling form has not suggested successes in top-flight company. First Leg Prospects The double will be on the Heathcote and Selwyn Handicaps. Sir Valley, Super Maru, King of Joy, and Prince Filou, the first four in the Winter Cup, are not engaged in the i Heathcote Handicap, but the field is a strong one.

The stablemates, Peter Willonyx and Peterford, are the first two in the handicap. Peter Willonyx finished brilliantly for seventh in the Winter Cup, and needs only a heavy track to bring him into strong favour. Peterford, the Winter Cup fifth, would also appreciate heavier ground. He runs out a mile strongly, and nine furlongs should not be beyond him. ’ Clinker and Shoal were first and third respectively in the Heathcote Handicap last year.

Clinker carried 9-4 and won pointlessly, coming from the tail of the field. He has been only once sue-

cessful in the meantime, but there was a hint of an early success for the Lo Zingaro gelding in his strong finish for sixth in . the Winter Cup. > Shoal found the distance of the Paparua Handicap too short for her. She was one of the tail-enders coming to the straight, so did well to finish twelfth in a big field. Grand Bank, twelfth in the Winter Cup, will appreciate another furlong. Nasib’s Wins Nasib’s wins in successive starts in the Oamaru Winter Cup and the Donald Grand Memorial at Washdyke will be respected, and reflected in the betting. He has shown marked ability , and gameness on-easy tracks and 9-0 should not stop him from running well. Royal Warrant will not be in high favour unless the track deteHorates but . under any conditions Gundar Haegfe, the Paparua Handicap third, and Horatius, should take beating if they race up to their best form. Washdyke form could prove of further value through Josudi, a fastfinishing second a head behind Nasib in the Donald Grant Memorial Handicap. Josudi was *,4lb below Nasib in the Donald Grant Memorial, and will

receive 61b from the Riccartontrained four-year-old tomorrow. tSelwyn Handicap Top weight of 10-8 should not stop King of Joy from playing one of the big roles in the finish of the Selwyn Handicap if his Winter Cup run has not left its mark. He showed weight-carrying ability under testing conditions at Trentham where he won the Whyte Handicap and finished an unlucky third in the Onslow Handicap, in which he carried 10-5. Super Maru will probably be missing from this field, leaving Kasr El Nil and Copenhagen closest to King of Joy in the handicap. Kasr El Nil has developed solid form. He ran Super Maru to half a length in the Brabazon Handicap, and showed much ability to finish fourth in the Paparua Handicap after dwelling slightly from a very wide barrier position. Kasr El Nil has had better luck in the barrier draw for the Selwyn Handicap, and if he has held his form he should take beating. Copenhagen made an encouraging fresh start in the Brabazon Handicap. in* which he was sixth. He finished about the middle of the field in the Winter Cup. in which he was badly drawn. Ben Ledi decisively won the Paparua Handicap with 8-13 ond a lift of 71b should not be too burdensome. Motueka shaped as if he would be an improver in finishing seventh in the Paparuff Handicap. Another improver in the field will be last season’s V.R.C. Oaks winner, Innesfell. which has had two races dn her present campaign. The Opaki-trained Great Seal and the TrentharA sprinter Golden Warrior may be the best on the minimum.