RACING MEMORIAL HANDICAP AT WASHDYKE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29552, 29 June 1961, Page 4

RACING MEMORIAL HANDICAP AT WASHDYKE

Fire Bar May Be Best Prospect Fire Bar, an impressive winner over a mile at his latest start at Wingatui, may be the best of a medium-sized field fa the Donald Grant Memorial Handicap, main event and first leg of the double on the first day of the South Canterbury Jockey Chib's winter meeting on Saturday. A six-vear-old Defaulter gelding trained at Mosgiel by D. P. Wilson, Fire Bar has been a consistent runner this season, gaining five wins and six placings from 16 starts. Three of Fire Bar’s wins this season have been on his home course, Wingatui. One was in hack high-weight company but the other two were good ones in open class.

I In February. Fire Bar finished strongly with 7-11 to beat Kastanea and Underarm by half a length in the one mile and a half Otago Handicap. Over a mile in the Queen Elizabeth Handicap earlier this month. Fire Bar carried 8-0 and beat Compensate by a similar margin. Compensate. which, like Fire Bar, has not raced since Wingatui, could be the hardest to beat agari on Saturday. This time he will be 31b better off at the Compensate carried 9-8 at W incetui and the Timaru handicapper hag given him 9-7 to Fire Bar's 8-4. In recent starts Compensate has beer, racing fairly consistently without a great deal of success. His last wn was an easy one in the Nelson Cup i in April and at four starts I since he has been third, sixth, fifth and second. Like Fire Bar, Comnensate is a six-year-old gelding. By Balloeh from Palormia. Compensate is owned by Mr V A. Voyce and trained for him at Qrari by P H. C Stock, one .of the South Island's leading trainers this season Although Fire Bar scored convincingly over him at ! Wingatui, Compensate appeared a little unlucky. He was well back early and ran • wide on the turn but kept up ‘ hit determined run to the finite I If Compensate is favoured in the running on Saturday Fire Bair may need all hfk weight advantage of 171 b. Tbe top-weight, Desert Chief, the Invercargill aalloper, Melodic, and the Ricearton mares, Shoal and Omaha, are other likely runners. Easy Win Desert Chief carried 9-7 to an effortless success by an official—-end conservative’? estimated—margin of five | lengths at Oamaru a fortnight ago. At Washdyke he i will have to carry another 'slb. I Unless the going becomes I really heavy, however. 1 Desert Chief’s huge weight of 9-12 should not stop him from Peking part in the flnirft. At | Ms best he is a daas above [meet of hi« southern opn'■sition and has won five times , this season j Any further softening of i ths track would improve Melodic's chances. This Cal--1 larder gelding hag onlv 8-1— life less than he carried into fourth over seven at bls last start at Wingatui—and revels in soft go ; ng. Shoa’ was brought b->ck into training when die failed to get into fool after being retired earlier this see son At her starts since she has been racing consistently into rrinor plecings and could be a place projpect at Washdyke Omaha I* a fght-wo-gh’ on the m&HmtJm with 7-7 Her only win this season wa« against backs but she has eonelstently fintohed near the plaee-grtfors in recent starts and made an eneca waving showing for ’frrd at Ashburton rr> T jeeday Rave Ist on. a noth'- of the top-weights with 9-7. is not without a chance. - Although Rave’ston’a bee* distance hes generally bean about a mile, he bra won over a mile and a quarter this season. That waa five Starts back a’ R’verton at Faster, in the D. M. Tweedie Memorial Handicap, in which ’he beat Panel and ShangriLa On Saturday, however, a rise in the weights of 111 b

and an extra furtong will add to Raveteton’s handicap.

Believe Me and Kastanea may be the best of the others. Believe Me has been a difficult horse to keep sound and has raced only four times this season. He was reported to have been working well last week although he did not run at Ashburton on Tuesday. Kaatanea could be toe beat of toe Mght-weigihts. He failed to make a showing at Ashburton on Saturday but ran fourth after being pushed back to the rear of the field ait Oamaru a atari earlier. Second Leg If McGregor, which missed some work last week because of a slight injury and was not taken to Ashburton, is back to his best he will probably start favourite in the second leg, the Seadown Handicap. McGregor, a four-year-old. has started only three times in open company and has won twice. He bad little difficulty beating Fire Bar and Shoal over a mile and three furlongs in toe Provinctal Handicap at Wingatui on June 5.

Two starts earlier, McGregor showed he was also a handy performer over a mile by beating Caahmere and Garrob in the President’s Handicap at Wingatui. A rise of more than a stone from the 7-10 he carried at Invercargill to his Seedown Handicap weight of 8-11 should hot trouble McGregor If toe way he has been running out his races is any guide. If the track Mays in reasonably good order the topweight, Cheyenne, may be

the hardest for McGregor to beat. Cheyenne was scratched from the Maronan Handicap at the Ashburton meeting after the death of his owner, Mr* I* K. Page. Persuasive fourth to her stablemate, Royal Order in the Maronan Handicap is certain to be another of the favourites. With Compensate in the first leg Persuasive could complete a strong stable double. Jesse Owens. Rhythm Rein, Panel, Blonde Sprite and Rayspar could be the beet at the others.