TROTTING Meadow Scott In Form For Addington

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29742, 8 February 1962, Page 4

TROTTING Meadow Scott In Form For Addington

Form disclosed at the Dunedin Festival Cup meeting might prove the most valuable in the President’s Handicap at Addington on Saturday.

It will surprise if Meadow Scott, the Templeton stablemates, Axis and Seafield Lad, and Massacre all fail to make further contributions to their records in the first leg of the double at the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s autumn meeting.

Meadow Scott contested three races at Forbury Park and was successful in the first two of them. He might have made it three in succession but for a slow beginning in the C. S. Thomas Handicap, in which he made ground tor sixth, last Saturday night. That was the first time Meadow Scott had finished out of a place in his last seven races. Altogether this season he has started 21 times for four wins and 10 minor places. Axis and Seafield Lad will form a powerful bracket for the Templeton trainer, W. R Butt. Axis was the C. S. Thomas Handicap winner and Seafield Lad was run-ner-up last Saturday. It was the first worth-while form by Axis for some time but Seafield Lad's recent racing has been consistent and that was his fourth successive placing. Improving Since the spring. Massacre’s record had not been highly encouraging but there was promise of an early return to his best form when he ran Meadow Scott to a head in the Royal Handicap on the second night at Forbury Park and chased Axis and Seafield Lad home in the C. S. Thomas Handicap last Saturday.

Forbury form will have proved just as valuable if Johnny Thunder, Lucks Way or Gildirect get into the finish.

Johnny Thunder finished strongly to nose Dark Wonder out of first place in the Flying Sportsmen Handicap last Saturday. Fifth was the best that Lucks Way could manage in the C. S. Thomas Handicap on Saturday but he had outfinished the highly-regarded Holy Smoke to win the Kew Handicap on the second night of the meeting. Gildirect did not make the Dunedin Festival Cup Final but he was fourth in one of the qualifying heats and third to Vanity Scott and Diamond Hanover in the Festival Cup Consolation Race last Saturday

Dandy Briar, which will be bracketed with Gildirect will also have to be included among the strong possibilities. He failed to improve his record in three starts at Forbury Park but had won his two successive races before the Dunedin meeting. Stormont is almost certain to have the strongest backing of the others. This smart five-year-old has a record of two wins "'.nd a second from five starts this season Winona Fancied The Methven stablemates, Winona and Royal Britannia, will be a popular bracket in the Harewood Handicap, the second leg of the double. Winona will try for her fourth win this season. Three of those victories were at successive starts before she contested the Flying Sportsmen Handicap at Forbury Park last Saturday. In that race a slow start cost Winona all chance although she made considerable ground for sixth.

Royal Britannia's form does not compare with that of her stablemate but one ci

her best runs would still enable her to reach .one of the dividend bearing places. But most opposition for Winona is expected to come from Aerobee and Guiness.

Aerobee's present campaign has been marked by consistency. She was the runner-up in each of her two races at Washdyke last month and was a last start winner in the Hororata Handicap on January 27. There she gave starts of up to 60 yards and a beating to 15 rivals. Guiness began his cam-

paign at the Dunedin Festival Cup meeting with a brilliant win in the Stewards’ Handicap on the first night. He . did not manage to repeat that effort in two later races at the meeting but made a sound showing to finish fourth after a slow start in the Flying Sportsmen Handicap last Saturday Bobcat, Lauder Scott and Mary Mavis make most appeal of the others. They will all be trying to improve upon minor placings at the Dunedin Festival Cup meeting.