RACING Intuitive Nominated For Cup At Auckland

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28440, 21 November 1957, Page 4

RACING Intuitive Nominated For Cup At Auckland

The belated return to top form of Intuitive has encouraged his owner, Mr R. W. Wickham, to nominate the seven-year-old’lnstinct gelding for the £ll,OOO Auckland Cup, to be run on January 1, and other important events at the Auckland Racing Club’s summer meeting at Ellerslie. Intuitive, which was purchased recently by Mr Wickham for 100 guineas, has proved a real bargain for his new owner. Mr Wickham originally bought Intuitive with a view to having him educated as a jumper, but he thrived so well under the care of his new trainer. J. W. Winder, of Te Rapa, that it was decided to try him again on the flat. The decision has proved profitable for in his two starts ’since entering Winder’s establishment he has won twice and earned stakes worth £2BOO and a gold cup valued at £lOO. His latest successes were in the Mervyn Wells Handicap at Cambridge on November 9 and the two mile Waikato Gold Cup at Te Rapa last Saturday. Intuitive has also been entered for hurdle races in the immediate future, but it is likely that those plans will now be discontinued.

Since he started racing at two years Intuitive has started 92 times for nine wins and 22 minor places and has accumulated stakes of £9030. Mr Wickham is his fourth owner, and during his racing career he has had a similar number of trainers. Trained at Pukekohe

In his first season he raced in Mr H. H. Chapman’s colours and was trained at Pukekohe by R. N. Jennings. From nine starts he won twice and was three times placed. His wins were in a division of the Musket Stakes at Ellerslie and a division of the Electric Stakes at Te Aroha. Because the winning stakes allowable for hacks before entering open company in the 1953-54 season was £5OO, compared with £750 today, Intuitive, which earned £650 from those two successes had to start his three-year-old season in the higher grade. At this stage, although still racing in the same ownership, he was transferred to P. Mcllroy’s stable at Pukekohe.

He was placed five times in open sprints and also in the Avondale and Great Northern Guineas before winning the Paterangi Handicap, one mile, at Waipa at his twelfth of 26 starts for the season. Three starts later he was successful in the Bay of Plenty Handicap at Tauranga, and with three further placings brought his stake winnings at the end of the season to £3195.

At four years Intuitive changed hands for the first time and was raced and trained throughout that season by Mr P. Griffen, but failed to reproduce his former good form and three placings, worth £l9O, from 19 starts, were his best efforts. He was taken over by Mr D. L. Kavanagh the next season and was placed in W. C. Cole’s- stable at Hawera. Surprise Win At his second start from his new quarters Intuitive finished third before winning the open sprint at Stratford. He had a further eight starts for one second and then caused a major surprise by winning the Opunake Cup. The 15, 14 favourite in a field of 16. Intuitive returned his win supporters a dividend of £95 0s 6d for £l. Three further placed performances from sitf starts followed before Intuitive again surprised in the Winter Oats Handicap at Trentham, at his last start for the season. He was again Lightly supported, being the tenth favourite in a field of 12 runners. Last season was Intuitive’s bleakest. In 17 starts his best was a fourth in the Stratford Cup, worth £3O. He again reverted to Mr Griffen's ownership at the beginning of this season, but had

only one race in his colours, an unplaced effort in the Avondale Cup. before being purchased by Mr Wickham. Although the stock of Instinct are better known for their performances over middle distances, he was also represented by the 1953. Waikato Gold Cup winner. Shot Silk. Instinct, which died in 1954 after a successful stud career in New Zealand, was by the Derby winner. Blue Peter from the Oaks winner. Lovely Rosa. She was by an unfashionable sire. Tolgus. but was'a good race mare.

Debutante, the dam of Intuitive. has stout staying blood in her pedigree. Bred by Mrs G. A. Edmonds, at the Twyneham Stud, Hastings, she is by Battle Song'from Lady Go Lightly, by Lord Warden from Quality, by Clarenceux from Lady Majestic, by Majestic from Lady Melton, by Bill of Portland from Litigant, by Martini Henry, a grand staying son of Musket, which won the Melbourne Cup as a three-year-old in 1883. Intuitive, which is the second foal of his dam, was bred in the Waikato in 1950 by Messrs H. W. and T. C. Wilson.

Well-bred Youngsters Faster, the dam of the New Zealand champion. Rising Fast, produced a colt foal * by Tsaoko at the Karamu Stud, Hastings, last month. Other well-bred arrivals by the same sire include a filly to Gay Abandon, the dam of El Khobar, and a colt to Watchword, the dam of Slogan. The young Golden Souvenir mare. Golden Chime, has also left an attractive colt foal.

Included in the draft of mares to be mated with Tsaoko this season are Ajalbn. the dam of Second Earl. Personality, the dam of Gold Scheme. Eireann. the dam of Bridie. Meer Rose, the dam of Sweet Wren and Najmi, Winlu, dam of Lucrative, Ann Hatfield, dam of the Avondale Guineas winner, Somain, and Vespers, the dam of Three Step.