TROTTING N.Z. Sapling Stakes Is Ashburton Feature

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29220, 2 June 1960, Page 4

TROTTING N.Z. Sapling Stakes Is Ashburton Feature

The £2OOO New Zealand Sapling Stakes will be the feature of the Ashburton Trotting Club’s winter meeting on Saturday and Monday. The classic, which will be run oyer one mile and a half, will decide supremacay among the two-year-old pacers for the season.

The Sapling Stakes is considered to be the most severe test in the world for pacers of this age and to win a horse usually has to be well above average in ability. Run on a track more than 10 and a half furlongs in circumference with a straight of about two and a half furlongs, the race is a true test of stamina, especially as at this time of the year the going is often easy because of rain.

This year's field does not look as strong as in some recent seasons. Unfortunately well-per-formed youngsters in Don Ngaree. Summit Road and Master Alan were not nominated.

Saturday's big race looks to be dominated by Jay-Ar and Flying Note. Jay-Ar, a son of Captain Adios. gained an impressvie win over Flying Note and Don Ngaree. which dead-heated, in the Oamaru Juvenile Stakes on May 14. That was his third win for the season and it placed him at the head of his age group for races won this season.

A feature of Jay-Ar's racing has been his determined finishing runs. The mile and a half journey should be well within the reach of Mr R. A. McKenzie’s gelding and he should run out the final furlong much too solidly for most of his rivals. Fine Record The Southland gelding, Flying Note, will have plenty of supporters. He has had four starts for two wins and one placing. He won the Timaru Nursery Stakes on a heavy track at Washdyke in March, beating Summit Road most decisively. He followed that up by winning at Wyndham a week later. His only other start since then was at Oamaru where he paced a sound race after beginning much better than in his other appearances.

Flying Note has shown ability in bad ground and this could stand to him if there is a deterioration in the weather before Saturday. Jay-Ar was successful on a dead track at Te Awamutu. but he might not do so well if the Ashburton track becomes really heavy.

Jolly Hal is a likely improver from C. S. Donald’s team. He had his first race start at Oamaru and. after a slow beginning, he finished tenth, making up ground over the last half-mile. Jolly Hal is by Hal Tryax from the Dillon Hall mare. Amiable. He, raced

most impressively at the recent Addington trials and looks to be making rapid improvement. Jolly Hal is bred to stay and even though he lacks the race experience of most of his rivals, he is expected to make a bold showing. Wekin will be a popular place fancy. He was runner-up to Moose at Rangiora in December and his form fell away until the recent Washdyke meeting where he made up a lot of ground to finish fourth in the race won by Insolent.

Wekin is. like Jay-Ar, a son of Captain Adios. He has always looked to have plenty of ability and his recent efforts at races and trials have suggested that he will run out the mile and a half quite competently. Moose is the only other runner in the field to have won a race. She was successful in impressive style at Rangiora in December and at her only other start she finished fifth in the Canterbury Park Juvenile Stakes in February. She has had a change of trainer since then and is now being prepared by O. M. Quinlan. She is a big filly and might be capable of a bold showing. • Brother To Blue Paysan Bleu is a brother to Blue, winner of this race in the record time of 3min 15 4-ssec two years ago. Paysan Bleu had his first start in New Zealand —he raced unsuccessfully in Australia —in the Oamaru Juvenile Stakes and paced quite a useful race for fifth. He was handy most of the way. but lost several lengths when Gold Medoro, the pacemaker, stopped quickly inside the last half-mile.

Paysan Bleu is certain to be improved as a result of that race and a subsequent run at trials at Addington. He will be hard pressed to beat Jay-Ar. but could still be in at the finish. Dorstan finished fourth in JayAr’s record-breaking run at Hutt Park on March 5 at her most recent start. She is a speedy filly, but might find the distance here a little far for her if the pace is strong throughout. Johnny Thunder will be bracketed with Dorstan. A gelding by Medoro from Rosario, he has yet to race. Ingemar was a little disappointing when he finished eighth at Oamaru last month. He had raced well in his other appearances and his Oamaru effort was too bad to be *rue. He is bred to be good, being by U. Scott from Spring Lily. The others in the race have done nothing of note. Wiella being the only one to have finished in the first four. She was fourth after pacemaking in the Timaru Nursery Stakes, finishing many lengths behind the winner.

Robyn showed useful speed at the recent Addington trials and in spite of a run of unplaced performances, it will not surprise if she shows up. She looks as though she will eventually be a •useful stayer. • The others in the race make little appeal and it is difficult to see any of them proving much of a threat to Jay-Ar, Flying Note and Jolly Hal.