RACING MEETING AT HORORATA

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29384, 10 December 1960, Page 6

RACING MEETING AT HORORATA

More N.I. Interest Than Usual For a South Island provincial meeting the Hororata Racing Club’s annual meeting today will hold more North Island interest than usual. Sir Ernest Davis, of Auckland, is part-owner of Matauwhi, one of the strong fancies for the Hororata Cup, and Mr E. N. Fitzgerald, of Gisborne, owns Lord Nikita and The Native, fancied runners in two minor races.

Lord Nikita and The Native are trained by L. J. Ellis, whose Ricca rton stable will have a strong third representative in Rustic. If it is a good day for the Ellis stable, it will also be a good day for the Riccarton jockey, A. J. Stokes. Stokes was engaged yesterday

to ride Rustic, and he will also ride Lord Nikita and The Native Rustic is in the H. A Knight Memorial, the second leg of the double. This race is a switch from staying to sprinting for Rustic. Her last race was the New Zealand Cup, in which she ran fifth under difficulties. Rustic got to the front close to home in the Cup but jarred a leg and faded to fifth. She will probably do her holiday racing over longer distances, but her programme will not be settled for a few days yet. Ellis said yesterday that Rustic had been nominated for the Dunedin Cup meeting and it was possible she would do her New Year racing in the North Island Lord Nikita will probably be one of the strongest favourites of

the day after some solid campaigning at the New Zealand Cup meeting. He is in the Coalgate Hack Handicap, of one mile and 70 yards. He won the Stonyhurst Handicap in his first of two starts at Riccarton, then ran Medbury close in the Seymour Handicap on the third day. Lord Nikita likes a bit of ground, and did not shape as well over six furlongs at Ashburton at his last start. First Leg Mount Stokes’s mount in the first leg, the Hororata Cup, is Rayspar, which does not run many bad races on the provincial courses. His latest placing was at the Greymouth meeting last weekend. Matauwhi and Le Cheval will have heavy backing for the double if only for the reason that W. D. Skelton will ride both horses. Skelton has a better record than most in riding winners of doubles and performed one such feat as recently as the Ashburton meeting last month. Le Cheval might not take very high ranking in open class, but could be better than useful if his activities are restricted to the small, turning tracks. Before a failure against the open sprinters at Motukarara on October 29, Le Cheval showed very good form in hack sprints on the small courses, winning five times in six starts, the last of them with 99 over six furlongs at Orari. He could be Rustic's strongest rival in the Knight Memorial today Another interesting Knight Memorial candidate is Gay Defoe This big Defaulter gelding is being switched back to sprinting after a notable effort against the stayers in winning the Metropolitan Handicap at the New Zealand Cup meeting. London Tower, from Orari, is another form runner for the Knight Memorial. He was second to Gaytana at Omoto last Monday, and the other minor placing was filled by his stablemate Appreciate, which will run in the Hororata Cup today. Few. if any. of the others might beat Appreciate if there is rain today..

Appreciate is eight, but he is wearing well, and is a mudlark.