TROTTING Meadow Scott For New Brighton Cup

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29748, 15 February 1962, Page 4

TROTTING Meadow Scott For New Brighton Cup

Meadow Scott may be the best of a strong field of two milers in the New Brighton Cup on Saturday. This race is the principal event and first leg of the double at the New Brighton Trotting Club’s autumn meeting.

Although victory over two miles has eluded Mr C. L. Blakely’s five-year-old entire so far this season he has compiled a fairly impressive record over that distance and most others as well.

Meadow Scott’s fourth in the President’s Handicap at Addington last Saturday brought his record as a five-year-old to four wins and 11 minor places from 22 starts. Six of those minor places were as a two-miler and one of them was in the New Brighton Handicap in December.

The prospect of an easy track will draw heavily on the stamina of the New Brighton Cup contestants. That is why Highland Custom is expected to be one of Meadow Scott’s strong rivals Highland Custom’s lack of inches is more than compensated for by her staying ability. She has performed with distinction on the New Brighton course this season. She won her two races there in the spring and was the runner-up to Admit in the President's Handicap on the course’ in December. Custom’s latest race Was in the Ashburton Cut). in whieb she finished a close third to Falsehood and Maharaja on Boxing Day. but she showed race winning form by succeeding in the Free-for-all at the New Brighton trials last Thursday. Lost Chance Admit, the runner-up to Sun Chief in the Dunedin Festival Final two starts ago, lost what appeared to be an almost certain chance of paying another dividend when he was checked about a furlong from the finish of the Otley Handicap at Adding-

ton last Saturday. He is noted for his powerful finishing runs and the roomy track at New Brighton should be very much to his advantage Blue and Mystic Star, stablemates of Meadow Scott and Highland Custom respectively, both lack worthwhile form but Axis and Waitaki Child, which will be bracketed with Admit, will have to be included among the stronger possibilities

Another stable combination which will have solid backing is Dandy Briar, Falsehood and Gildirect, which will represent the Belfast sitable of C. S. Donald. Dandy Briar was the President’s Handicap winner at Addington last Saturday and Gildirect a fast finisher for fifth in the same race. Falsehood ruined his chance among the sprinters in the Otley Handicap last Saturday by tangling at the start but he had two winning runs not so far back on his record and the two mile Ashburton Cup was one of them. Master Alan or Schnapps may be the best of the others Although the former has by far the most impressive record Schnapps makes the most appeal as a two-miler One of his most encouraging runs recently was his second to Meadow Scott over 13 furlongs at Forbury Park on January 27.

Bracket Fancied F. E. Newfield, who trains Schnapps, will probably harness up the favourite bracket for the Burwood Handicap, the second leg of the double Newfield’s stable will be represented in this race by Holy Smoke and Guiness, both strong last-start form runners.

Holy Smoke was runnerup to Duck’s Way over two miles at Forbury Park the last time he raced and Guiness- filled the corresponding position behind Aerobee in the Harewood Handicap last Saturday. Both also have winning form close up on their records. Guiness began his Forbury Park campaign successfully over two miles

in the Stewards’ Handicap on January ,27 and Holy Smoke was a 'dual winner at Addington early in January. Robin Dundee, which recorded an exceptional performance to win the trwomile Wigram Handicap at Addington lest Saturday, after racing wide out most of the way, may offer most opposition to the Templeton stablemates.

Galley, a last-start winner at Ashburton on Boxing Day, and her stablemate First Song, the Islington Handicap winner at Addington on New Year's Day, will give P. G. O'Reilly’s Methven stable strong representation. Addington Form Last Saturday’s Addington form will also have proved valuable if Autumn Folly, Young Kim and Mary Mavis get into the finish. Members of this trio were the best, in that order, behind Aerobee and Guiness in the Harewood Handicap. There is little in the way of worth-while form on which the remainder could be recommended but Bobcat, Lauder Scott or Medoro Star could add interest to the finish if they produced one of their best runs. The most likely improver in the field could be Radiant Hanover. He has been unable to improve his record on firm tracks this season but he could prove that form all wrong now there is a possibility of easier ground. Radiant Hanover won three races on holding tracks last season and the Waimate and Rangiora Cups, both of two miles, were among his victories. The Rangiora Cup was run at New Brighton.