Strong Cup Fields For Riccarton

Press, Volume C, Issue 29656, 28 October 1961, Page 4

Strong Cup Fields For Riccarton

Eighteen stayers were left in the field yesterday after the first payment for the 1961 New Zealand Cup, to be run at Riccarton next Saturday.

The high-class performers, Fair Filou and Nerula, are engaged, and head the weights in one of the strongest cup fields for many years.

Fair Filou has the maximum weight of 9-7, which has not been carried to the cup since Beaiumarii’s time. “If there was ever a horse able to win with 9-7 he is the one,” said a Riccarton trainer as he watched Fair Filou swing keenly into pace work on the plough at Riccarton yesterday. Fair Filou certainly has good physique. “He needs it —it’s a long time since he had to carry anything less than a big weight,” said his Te Aroha owner-trainer, Mr L. D. Dell, yesterday. Fair Filou went down on a heel and lost some skin before the home turn in the Harcourt Stakes at Trentham last Monday. Otherwise he is in good trim. Interest is running high in his next meeting with Nerula. It will be their third meeting in three weeks. The first was the Wellington Handicap, in which Fair Filou beat the

faster - finishing Rotorua stayer by a neck. A week later Nerula won the Watkins Handicap. Then last Monday he won toe Harcourt Stakes. Compensate, with 8-3, had the highest rating of the South Island stayers in toe weights, and he remains in toe field. But he will be the only runner to carry between 8-0 and 9-0. Riccarton Hope The Oamaru-trained Valaris, an acceptor for the Buchanan Memorial at Motukarara today, is lib above Quite Able, Riccarton’s brightest cup hope since Jimmy Flash won easily in 1956. Last season Quite Able was just beaten in the Wellington Cup and was third in toe New Zealand Cup. He is not engaged at Motukarara today, but will be given a special gallop on the outside

of the course proper at Riccarton this morning. Although only three cup acceptors will carry more than 8-0 there are bright form prospects in the lower part of the handicap. One is Kinross, a fastfinishing third behind Nerula and Anchor after being checked close to home in the Watkins Handicap at Trantham. Kinross just caught Quick Time, a durable Riccarton veteran, now in his eleventh year, but still racing well. Last year Quick Time ran fourth in the New Zealand Cup and second in the Metropolitan. Special Gallop A start for the Timarutrained Windvale Lad will depend largely on how he came through a special gallop at Washdyke yesterday. Windvale Lad, which does little galloping, was ridden yesterday by W. D. Skelton. Skelton will be his cup rider, if he starts. If Windvale Lad does not run, Skelton will ride Quick Time. There are six acceptors for the New Zealand Derby Stakes, another cup day attraction, but there will probably be some thinning in this thin field. Mr G. S. Walton has both Commanding and Castlerae in the field, continuing his practice of having a second string in case one of Ms three-year-olds has to drop out. Castlerae has shown what a very valuable second string he is by winning the Wanganui and Hawke’s Bay Guineas this season. But unless plans have to be changed Commanding will run in the Derby and Castlerae in the Stewards’ Handicap. Red Signal, another member of the powerful Walton team, is also in the Stewards’ field.