RACING Cardinal King, Teaka Taken To North Island

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28479, 8 January 1958, Page 4

RACING Cardinal King, Teaka Taken To North Island

Cardinal King and Teaka, which could be the South Island’s star performers at the Wellington Cup meeting, were taken to the North Island last evening. Both will be seen in action at the Levin meeting on Saturday—Cardinal King in the McDonald Memorial Handicap, but Teaka only in a gallop between races.

Neither has raced since the New Zealand Cup meeting, where Cardinal King won the Members’ Handicap after a second to Mighty Dollar in the Stewards’ Handicap, and Teaka easily won the Metropolitan and Fendalton Handicaps. The leading jockey, W. D. Skelton, will ride Cardinal King at Levin and Trentham, and his brother, R. J. Skelton, will ride Teaka in the Wellington Cup. Cardinal King was brought to Riccarton 'from Oamaru on Sunday and showed something of his speed in a run on the inside of the trial grass yesterday morning. The long-striding Cassock gelding loped over half a mile in 52 l-ssec. R. J. Blair did not allow him to show anything like his best speed.

There was no strenuous task for Teaka, either. He cantered once round, and on his next circuit was not going better than threequarter pace.

The big Kurdistan gelding’s Wellington Cup peparation has included little work of a heavy nature. Most of his Wellington Cup rivals will be well seasoned by recent racing, and that would seem to be all-important for a two-mile race, but Teaka could be a notable and a brilliant exception. Fast Sprint Kaseno (N. Hoy) and Waterfall (A. J. Stokes), both Trentham candidates, provided one of the bright spots in the limited training done yesterday when they dashed over half a mile on the inside of the trial grass in 48 l-ssec.

They were on the fastest training track at Riccarton, but it was a good gallop .under the conditions.

Kaseno carried less weight than Mr J. B. Douglas-Clifford’s two-year-old. He was twice placed against the hack milers at the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s summer meeting, and appears to have thrived in the meantime.

Waterfall was a winner at Trentham in October. Her only holiday engagement was in the Juvenile Handicap at Washdyke, where she was fourth.

Romancing, a successful two-year-old at Washdyke, sprinted half a mile in 50sec with N. Hoy up and King’s Music (J. Beck) for a companion. Romancing has been entered for the Wellington Stakes on Wellington Cup day. He was having only his second race when he won at Washdyke, and should be still improving. The stablemates, McCool (L. Woodhouse) and Shoal (A. J. Stokes) ran from the half-mile on terms in 53 4-ssec. McCool has been entered for the Gloaming Stakes and the Trentham Stakes at the Wellington Cup meeting. He has won twice, but his outstanding effort this season was probably his close third in the New Zealand Derby. Bay Ribbon (N. Cowles) and

his unraced stablemate Kauri View (E. B. Skelton) ran half a mile unhurriedly in 54 4-ssec. Shows Promise Bay Ribbon is a promising two-year-old colt by Perilous from Lady Christine, owned by Mr C. Pateman, for whom Ray Ribbon was a big winner. Bay Ribbon has been entered for the Wellington Stakes on the first day at Trentham. His trainer, G. S. Barr, said yesterday that N Eastwood had been asked to take the mount.

Four years ago Eastwood rode Ray Ribbon when he brilliantly won the Wellington Stakes. Bay Ribbon has raced once. He was one of the slowest beginners in the Juvenile Handicap at Washdyke and showed good speed to finish seventh in a field of 18. Innesfell (J. L. Coulter) and Mananui (B. W. McDonald) were running together just ahead of their stablemate Broken Wings (A. J. Stokes) ending half a mile in 50 3-ssec. Mananui has been entered for the Wellington Cup. He was disappointing in his holiday racing. Innesfell, which raced well on her last campaign at Trentham in October, raced twice at the South Canterbury meeting. Her best was a sixth after a slow start in the Christmas Handicap.