TROTTING Fine Field In Gore £l000 Free-For-All

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28558, 11 April 1958, Page 4

TROTTING Fine Field In Gore £l000 Free-For-All

The Gore Trotting Club’s decision to include a £lOOO free-for-all in the programme for its autumn meeting on Saturday will give Southland patrons their first opportunity of seeing some of the best . pacers in commission in action in their province. It is the first time that such a free-for-all has been staged south of Dunedin and it should prove a great, attraction. The field of 12 includes a number of horses with fine form at the recent Addington meeting.

Glint is the probable favourite for the race. Her form at Addington was good and she should be fitter now than at any other stage of her career. Glint won the Rattray Handicap on the first day, finished second to Don Hall in the Williams Handicap, and last Saturday she was pulled up in the Easter Cup and then won the Au Revoir Handicap. In the Au Revoir Handicap she recorded one of her best efforts. She had to race four wide to work into a fairly handy position with seven furlongs left, and she was three wide from then on until she worked into the lead with seven furlongs to run. Her 2min 38 l-ssec for the mile and a quarter was an extremely fine effort in the circumstances, and if she is not forced over too much ground at Gore tomorrow, she should be the hardest to beat. The Gore pacer, East Dome, is a rather surprising acceptor for the free-for-all. He was very sore after finishing second to Auditor in the Autumn Handicap last Saturday, and he looked to be very tender in front on cooling out. Unless he has made a remarkably quick recovery, his chances of taking his place in the field seem remote.

If started tomorrow, East Dome may be the favourite. He showed brilliant speed at Addington and his fast-finishing third in the free-for-all on the middle day of the meeting was one of the highlights of the race. Any easing in the track at Gore would be to his advantage as he has few superiors in bad going. Deserves a Win.

Invicta’s fine form at Addington entitles him to respect A win for him would be well deserved as he was placed in three of his four starts. One of his best efforts was a second to Tactician in the Electric Stakes, a similar race to that he will contest at Gore. Unfortunately he took a fall in the Easter Cup, and, if he has taken no harm from this, he is almost certain to be in the money again. G. B. Noble’s bracket of La Mignon and Highland Air is assured of solid support. They were second and fourth respectively in the Easter Cup last Saturday, both horses finishing on strongly over the final furlong. La Mignon is a better sprinter than her stablemate, but he has been a winner over a sprint distance, while he has several placings to his credit. If the pace is solid all the way, they should both stay on more strongly over the final furlong than many in the race.

Bon Ton showed that he may be close to worthwhile form when he made up ground for third to Overdrive and East Dome over 13 furlongs last Saturday. His recent racing should have brought him to a high peak of fitness.

Direct Hall, Lauder Lady, Rola Veyor and Super Royal have done nothing of late to suggest they would be a serious threat in this type of race. The other starters, Lady Shona and Showdown, are capable of adding interest to the field. Lady Shona was just beaten for third in the Electric Stakes, but she broke badly in two starts last

Saturday. She is a. capable j sprinter on her day and may be a place prospect. Showdown is too unreliable to be a serious threat. However, at 4 times he has raced well enough ’ to take part in the finish. One of his better efforts would see him close up at the finish, but ] he will find it hard to beat Glint. 1 East Dome, Invicta and the La Mignon bracket. Sports Club. The Metropolitan Light Harness Sports Club will hold its opening , night on Tuesday next in the public tearooms in the main grandstand at Addington. The annual meeting of the club will ' be held a week later. ( By First Lord First Belle, the winner of two ’ races at Greymouth on Monday, is , one of few winners sired by the ( Dillon Hall horse. First Lord, a speedy, but unpredictable pacer : a few years ago. She is a four- ' year-old mare and was driven by ( F. E. Newfield on Monday. She was solidly supported in both i races and won well. She is out : of Logan Belle, an unraced daughter of Logan Derby and Parochial. First Belle has had little experience and she should be a < good winner later on. Surprise Win Pip White, a winner over a < sprint distance at the Taranaki j meeting a week earlier, was at surprisingly good odds of over 30 to 1 in the Hawera Cup. She showed < gameness in a hard finish to beat ' Friendly Smile and Bookdale, both , of which won later at the meet- < ing. An aged mare by Van White < from Seven Pips, she is owned 1 and trained at Stratford by P. E. Jones. Pip White has apparently ' taken a new lease on life, and if she races as well again in her : next few starts, she should extend her record. She may race later in the month, followed by the Auckland meeting in May. Fox Abie’s Record Fox Able brought his record for the season to four wins when he won the Waikouaiti Cup and the President’s Handicap at the Waikouaiti meeting on Saturday last. He had his opponents well spread out in the Waikouaiti Cup, and he was not troubled to win by 12 lengths. Penalised to 36 yards in the sprint race, he again won easily, although his margin was only two lengths. The Ashburton pacer has great speed and stamina, but unfortunately he is not too reliable. He has become more sohd with racing and travelling and has not yet come to the end of his run. He is owned and trained at Ashburton by W. E. Bishop, and he is usually driven by D. McCormick. He is a five-year-old gelding by Paisley Lad from Lyndey LoyaL Selections For Gore "The Press’* Special Service INVERCARGILL, April 10. There has been very little rain at Gore, and if there is a break in the weather the track will provide an excellent racing surface with the sting out of it for the Gore Trotting Club’s autumn meeting on Saturday. The double will be on the Gore Free-For-All and the D. P. Windle Memorial Handicap. Selections:— 11.15 a.m.—Kelvin Handicap: Johnny Brigade, Polish Girl, Control. 11.55 a.m.—President’s Handicap: Pal o’ Mine, Bill Drive, Te Wae Wae. 12.30 p.m.—Autumn Handicap: Blue Emperor, Robert Dillon. Sir Timothy. 1.20 p.m.—Gore Free-For-All: Glint Invicta, East Dome. 2 p.m.—Eastern Southland Three-Year-Old Stakes: Euchre, Croughton Belle. Light Mood. 2.40 p.m.—D. P. Windle Memorial Handicap: Charman te, Craignair, Rustic Boy. 3.20 p.m.—Longford Handicap: Polish Girl, Control, Cherrybounce. 4 p.m.—Stewards’ Handicap: Bet- . harry, Multi Bella, Husky. ‘ Double fields, with form, are:— GORE FREE-FOR-ALL, tOf £lOOO. 2min 45sec class. One mile and a quarter and 40 yards. 1 3003 Bon Ton (9) .. .. scr 0000 Direct Hall (5) .. .. scr I 2432 East Dome (7) .. .. scr • 1201 Glint (8) .. ... scr . 0404 Highland Air (11) .. scr 4320 Invicta (6) .. scr ■ 0400 Lady Shona (2) .. .. scr I 0002 La Mignon (4) .. .. scr t 0000 Lauder Lady (12) .. scr 0200 Showdown (1) .. .. scr , 0420 Super Royal (3) .. scr Bracket: Highland Air and La Mignon. Scratched: Rola Veyor. D. P. WINDLE MEMORIAL 5 HANDICAP, Of £3OO. 3min 49sec class. One mile ‘ and five furlongs. . 1000 Aquaplane (1) .. .. scr , 0020 Castledown (6) .. scr 1300 Charmante (4) .. .. scr 0234 Craignair (11) .. .. scr i 0100 Erin’s Castle (7) .. scr t 0000 Happy Smile (3) .. scr . 3103 Kentucky Club (8) .. scr 0000 Prince Rola (2) .. .. scr , 0040 Salient (10) .. .. scr 0021 Horatio (9) .. .. scr 1 0421 Free Country (5) .. scr 40 Roman Scot (1) .. .. 12 j 2000 Rosedell (2) .. ..12 ; 0242 Vinola’s Luck (3) .. 12 0320 Rustic Boy (1) ..24 Brackets: Charmante and Horatio. 1 Erin’s Castle, Roman Scot, and Rustic Boy.