RACING Shoal’s Last Race—If She Wins

Press, Volume C, Issue 29510, 11 May 1961, Page 4

RACING Shoal’s Last Race—If She Wins

Shoal will be retired from racing if she wins the Ashburton County Handicap on Saturday.

“I want to see her go out of racing winning her last race,” said her part-owner, Mr J. F. Tutton, yesterday.

“If she doesn’t manage to win at Ashburton it means she will go to Wingatui. and Fm not keen on going there,” he said.

Shoal is top weight with 9-0 in a race she won last year with 31b more. She has bad eight starts since and has not managed to win, but in between she had a Short-Lived retirement. Last spring she was retired and mated with Magic Carpet, but when it was found she was not in foal it was decided to prepare her for another campaign.

She quickly made a show of something like her best form by running third behind Navarro and Gay Tommy in the Great Autumn Handicap Five day* later she occupied the same position behind Juventas and Gay Tommy in the CJC Sockburn Handicap.

Her la’est race was at the North Canterbury meeting last Saturday week when she came from the back for fourth to Flagon, Valaris, and Fire Bar.

Flagon and Valaris will not oppose her on Saturday, so everything points to Fire Bar being Shoal's most formidable rival Weight And Age Shoal will be giving Fire Bar three years and 151 b. and will find it anything but easy Fire Bar looks a stronger prospect at 11 furlongs then his stablemate Irrepressible at the weights Besides, Irrepressible is in the sprint field with the same weight (8-11) and that race might be chosen for her

Irrepressible raced as a

sprinter at this meeting a year ago and ran third to Matauwhi and Brown Watch.

Canon, the other between Shoal and Fire Bar in the weight*, has not yet raced this season, and it will be generally surprising if he can make a successful fresh start at this distance.

The Riccarton trainer, J. L Barr, will saddle three Ashburton County Handicap runners.

Kastanea has 7-9 and will be ridden by W. D. Skelton. This was a successful combination over 11 furlongs at Motukarara in March. The Coral Arc gelding carried 31b above the minimum when he won that race and is well treated at Ashburton with 2'b above the minimum when It is considered he has been twice placed since.

Kelp and Thumper will also represent the Barr stable. Recent form does not hold high hopes for them, but Kelp should be improving with racing. Likes Soft Tracks Thumper does best when the ground is soft. He made a late run from last for eiehth in the North Canterbury Handicap at Riccarton last Satur-

day week. He was never able to reach a contending position, but it could have been the performance of al horse coming back to form. | Omaha was one of Thumper’s unlucky rivals at the North Canterbury meeting. She was squeezed for room and put out of stride when going for a gap on the inside early in the run home. There was merit, then, in her fifth not far behind Fire Bar and Shoal. On his latest run at the North Canterbury meeting Navarone would be little fancied. But there may be more value in his fourth in the Sockburn Handicap at his previous start. Navarone is a stablemate of Offend, another light-weight in this field. Offend's latest form has not been encouraging.