RACING Auckland Cup Trial At Franklin

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29068, 3 December 1959, Page 5

RACING Auckland Cup Trial At Franklin

With the Auckland Racing Club’s summer meeting due to begin three weeks later more than a casual interest will be taken in the performances of the northern stayers engaged at the Franklin Racing Club’s meeting at Pukekohe on Saturday. The principal event on the programme is the Auckland Cup Trial to be rim over 12 furlongs. This race has attracted 20 acceptors and 19 of them are entered for the £ll,OOO Aucklahd Cup to be run at Ellerslie on January 1.

Although it not likely to prove as reliable as a guide there will be just as much interest in the running of the weight-for-age Franklin Plate. Seven of the 12 runners in this event are also Auckland Cup aspirants but seven furlongs for some is going to be a lot short of their best distance. Included in the field are Red Eagle, the 1958 Auckland Cup winner, and Fair Filou which is considered one of the most promising up and coming stayers in the north at present. Fair Filou already is being acclaimed a prepost favourite for the Auckland Cun.

Since its introduction on the club’s programme in 1953 the Franklin Plate has proved a highly successful race for three-year-olds. To date all the winners have been high class sprinters or milers in that age group. Seven Bells was the first winner of the race then followed Gulliver. Coleridge, Barobar, Tawhiao and last year Second Earl. As an Auckland Cup guide it has been of little worth but has been valuable as a “tuning up” race for stayers.

Passive was unplaced in the Franklin Plate two years ago but with the benefit of one further race in the weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth II Plate at Paeroa she managed the two miles competently at Ellerslie and beat all but Red Eagle.

Fox Myth’s Auckland Cup preparation followed a similar pattern two years earlier. He was runner-up to Coleridge in the Franklin Plate contested the Queen Elizabeth II Plate at his next start then finished third to Tesla and Llanisfair in the Auckland Cup. In contrast the Auckland Cup Trial has in most years proved valuable as a guide to the big two miler at Ellerslie. Since the first contest in 1948 three horses have succeeded in completing the double. The first was the Riccartontrained four-year-old Beaumaris which won the Auckland Cup Trial and the Auckland Cup in 1950. Beaumaris had been runnerup to Swanee in the Auckland Cup a year earlier. He did not race in the Auckland Cup Trial that year but Swanee had and finished second to Conspiracy.

In 1951 Zenith finished second to Classowa in the Auckland Cup after having won the Auckland Cup Trial. In 1952 and 1953 Gay Sari and Brushwood, the respective winners of the Auckland Cup Trial, both failed over the longer journey at Ellerslie. Neither Rev (1952) nor Coaltown (1953) had contested the Pukekohe event before their Auckland Cup successes. Pukekohe form became solid again in 1954 when Arawa succeeded in taking the Auckland Cup Trial-Auckland Cup double The following year Sonnetary won the main race at Pukekohe but the best he could do was fourth in Tesla’s Auckland Cup. In 1956 Llanisfair won the Auckland Cup Trial and Straight Lead was fourth. When they met in the Auckland Cup Straight Lead finished second to Yeman and Llanisfair was third. A year later Red Eagle became the third horse to complete the double. Last season the only tie-up between the major place-getters in either race was through Revolver which finished third in the Auckland Cup Trial then failed at Ellerslie, and Royal Jester, which was unplaced at Pukekohe but finished second to Froth In the Auckland Cup. The Auckland Cup Trial winner, Big Blow, the runner-up, Marie Brizard and Red Robe, which finished fourth, did not contest the two miler at Ellerslie. Likewise Froth, Foxmara (third) and Hot Drop (fourth) in the Auckland Cup had by-passed the Pukekohe race. Whatever the result of this week’s contest it will be generally

expected to have a bearing on the outcome of some of the major handicaps at Ellerslie. W. H. Beck to Ride in North The Riccarton apprentice, W. H. Beck, will leave for the North Island this evening. For the next month he will be attached to the Tauherenikau stable of G. E. Sexton who is private trainer to Mr W. J. Pope. Where possible he will do the stable • race-riding during the holiday period.

The offer to Beck to go north was made after the Marlborough Centennial meeting last month. At Blenheim he won twice on Mr Pope’s Treasure Hunt filly Queen of Sheba. His temporary release has been made possible because the Riccarton trainer F. A. Roberts, to whom he is indentured, has only Sarcelle in active work at present. £lO,OOO Race at Randwick

The Australian Jockey Club will include a special race on the programme of its centenary autumn meeting next year to mark the centenary of racing at Randwick. The special race, to be run on the first day of the meeting, April 9, will be called the Randwick Centenary Invitation Stakes and will carry prize-money of £10:000 plus a £250 trophy to the winner. It will be run over 12 furlongs under Quality Handicap conditions. There will be a maximum weight of 9-5 with a 7-5 minimum.

The A.J.C. will invite the best horses racing throughout Australia and New Zealand to compete. The club will meet the cost of freighting horses to Sydney by rail, road or sea. In the case of air transport an amount equivalent to, and not exceeding, the cost of surface freight will be paid.

The field for the race will be limited to 18 runners. Horses will be invited to compete up to Monday, March 21, 1960.