RACING Compensate Favourite For Oamaru Cup

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28541, 21 March 1958, Page 4

RACING Compensate Favourite For Oamaru Cup

Compensate and Magic Carpet will be a popular combination for the double, the Oamaru Cup and the Steward’s Handicap, on the first day of the Oamaru Jockey Club’s autumn meeting tomorrow. In a swift graduation from maiden to open class Compensate has shown ability much above the average. He performed the unusual in winning a double against the hacks at the Wellington Cup meeting in January, and he will be solidly supported to win the Oamaru Cup, though he will be racing beyond a mile for the first time.

Compensate, W. D. Skelton's mount, has 7-3, but will probably carry at least 7-6. A'win tomorrow will put Compensate in strong favour for his Easter engagements at Riccarton. He has been nominated for the Great Autumn Handicap on the first day of the meeting.

With Promise also in the field there is every prospect of the finish being dominated by lightweights. Like Compensate, Promise has not raced since January; nor has he raced yet in open company. But this, three-year-old Golden Souvenir gelding has done much to suggest he will be a very good handicap stayer for his Central Otago owner, Mr V. P. Herlihy. The Gore-trained Liban has established his class this season by winning the Wellington Racing Club Handicap, the Wyndham Cup, and a major handicap at Wingatui. But it is doubtful if he will be able to win from the top of the handicap in a field with two such good light-weights. Liban has 9-4 and is 81b above the veteran Toparoa, the runner-up to Demolish in the Waimate Cup last Saturday. Toparoa forms a solid bracket with Whiohau, winner of the Peninsula Handicap at Motukarara two starts back, and a fair seventh

m the President’s Handicap, one mile and a half, at Trentham last Saturday. Whiohau looks as if he is thriving on racing and travelling, and will probably be more than a match for Good Abbot, and Treasure Pond, those above him in the weights. Next to Whiohau, Tamarisk may be Riccarton’s best. His form in open company has been solid, and he took no serious hurt from a fall in the Peninsula Handicap at Motukarara on March 1.

Magic Carpet was making a fresh start and was having his first race for some time in New

Zealand when he finished second to Purser in the Kinloch Handicap at the Banks Peninsula meeting. He did not really test the winner, but there was merit in his placing, for he was slow away, and several lengths from the lead to the home turn.

The class of the others in the Stewards’ Handicap is not strong, and Magic Carpet need only have made normal improvement with his Motukarara race and his work since to have a second-to-none chance.

Skylight, the top weight, has good speed but consistency did not mark his racing for Mr W, E. Hazlett, though his best performances were of a high standard. Skylight is now owned by Mr W. Woodham, and is in G. S. Barr’s Riccarton stable. He sprinted attractively on Tuesday and that could have been a pointer to one of his most generous efforts for his new owner.

Aquarius was an impressive graduate from hacks .at holiday meetings, and this will be his first start since he easily won over a mile under 9-4 at Oamaru on January 2. He could bd( one of the strongest light-weighti!. Grey Light, Red Boa, and Her Ex are other fast light-weights, but if class has the final bearing on the result, and it should. Magic Carpet will probably cope with them all.

The fields, with form and riders, for the double races are:— OAMARU CUP, Of £550. One mile and a quarter. st. Ib 0002 Toparoa (1), E. G. Low 8 10 000 Good Abbot (3) ..8 6 0000 Teasure Pond (4), R. J. Skelton ..82 0140 Tamarisk (7) .. 712 3310 Whiohau (9). A. J. Stokes 7 11 4000 Pack Drill (8), G. W. Mein .. ..7 9 1111 Compensate (6), W. D. Skelton ... ..7 4 0032 Count Aven (10), E. O’Brien ..7 4 2112 Promise (2), N. Eastwood 7 3 Bracket: Toparoa and Whiohau. Scratched: Liban, Cornflake. STEWARDS’ HANDICAP, Of £4OO. Seven furlongs. st. lb 1000 Skylight (6), E. G. Low 9 0 2 Magic Carpet (5), A. J. Stokes 8 >3 1144 Plunder (12), M. Hazelwood ..85 0000 Palace (8), R. J. Skelton 8 2 0120 Grey Light (3), W. D. Skelton ..7 9 0032 Red Boa (11) .. ..7 9 0011 Aquarius (2) ..7 6 0200 De Galard (4) ..7 4 0044 Her Ex (1), A. H. Eastwood ..73 3120 Mitre Peak (10) ..7 3 0300 Renway (9), E. 'O’Brien 7 3 Scratched: Post.