RACING Thumper Narrowly Wins Hororata Cup

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29385, 12 December 1960, Page 4

RACING Thumper Narrowly Wins Hororata Cup

Thumper has taken little time to make an impression in open company for his Blenheim owners, Mr and Mrs P. P. L. Dillon. He brilliantly won the Hororata Cup on Saturday when having his second start in an open class handicap. Thumper was confidently ridden by R. W. Gould, who nursed him for a powerful run from well back in the 10-horse field over the last three furlongs. Thumper responded brilliantly and shaded McCool, Gaytana and Rayspar in a tight finish.

Gould was also Thumper’s rider when he won his first race, at the 1959 New -Zealand Cup meeting. Thumper is a five-year-old Count Rendered-Faline gelding and is a brother of the good three-year-old Stipulate, a winner at the Te Aroha meeting on Saturday. All going well. Thumper will start his holiday racing at Washdyke, where the Timaru Cbp will be his main mission. After that he will run in the Cup at Waikouaiti. where he won the high-weight last year. Thumper was the fifth favourite in the Hororata Cup and carried £1255 5s of a pool of £19,174 15S. Rustic rounded off the double with a well-earned win in the H. A. Knight Memorial. This was Rustic’s first win for Mrs L. J. Coulter, of Christchurch. since the Waikouaiti Cup on January 1, but she has been consistently placed in the strongest handicap class. Rustic was the 2/2 favourite and the best supported on the double on Saturday. She is trained at Riccarton by L. J. Ellis and w-as ridden by A. J. Stokes, who won the Knight Memorial on Roman Maid last year. Holders of 876 5s tickets on the Thumper-Rustic combination received £72 7s for £l. Valaris, the runner-up to Rustic. carried 479 tickets, and Gay Defoe (third) had 682. Tickets carried by the others ■were: London Tower, 767; Le Cheval, 795: Fair Summer, 247; Lightning Boy, 357; and Struan, 818. The meeting opened in showery weather, but the weather stayed fine for most of the programme. The track was soft. On-course the totalisator handled £21,131, including £2525 10s on the double, compared with £20.946 10s last year. Spectacular Finish Last but one starting the last half mile, Thumper brilliantly closed the gap to the leaders in the Hororata Cup and narrowly beat McCool, Gaytana, and Rayspar in a spectacular finish. The margins separating them were half a neck, a nose, and a neck. Rayspar tried for an all-the-w-ay win, and held his lead until well inside the last furlong. Appreciate was the closest to him early and Scottish King was with him at the six furlongs. There Appreciate and Gaytana trailed a length and a half clear of Matauwhi and McCool. Thumper was second to last in a gap of two lengths behind Hand Over and Whiohau. Rayspar shook off Scottish King before they made the

straight. Matauwhi was closest to Rayspar on the home turn and McCool was being ridden hard with hands and heels to make ground alongside Gaytana in a small gap. Hand Over was making a run just ahead of Thumper, and Appreciate was quickly dropping back through the field. Gaytana and McCool closely followed Rayspar into the las! furlong, and Thumper joined in wider out. McCool made a renewed bid when Thumper inched past him and ran the lightweight to half a neck. Gaytana ran right up to her Omoto form with a good third, just beating the consistent Rayspar. Hand Over was five lengths back fifth, and Matauwhi was sixth in a gap of three lengths. Whiohau was seventh clear of Riverwood, Scottish King, and Appreciate. Second Leg Rustic looked hopelessly out of it at the half way mark in the H. A. Knight Memorial, second leg of the double, but a brilliantly sustained* run from the turn carried her to a decisive win over Valaris and Gay Defoe. Valaris came from last for his second, and Gay Defoe was also a strong finisher. Le Cheval was in front in a few strides and led by three lengths from London Tower and Struan when they had gone a furlong. Valaris was then last after a slow start, and Rustic was second to last in a straggling field. Le Cheval carried them along at such a solid pace that none was on the bit going to the half mile. Le Cheval then led by a length and a half from Struan and London Tower, Gay Defoe and Fair Summer were next, but four lengths behind. Rustic was next in another gap of four lengths. She was alongside Lightning Boy and a length and a half clear of Valaris. W. D. Skelton kicked Le Cheval away into a slightly longer lead near the home turn, but the Washdyke sprinter did not put much heart into his work when challenges came from Rustic and Valaris on the outer and Gay Defoe on the inner. Rustic had the strongest finish and she won solidly by a length from Valaris. Gay Defoe was a good third half a length back and two lengths clear of the weakening Struan. London Tower tired to fifth in another gap of two lengths. Lightning Boy was sixth, just patching Le Cheval. Fair Summer was last.