RACING Dormic Is Form Horse For Wingatui

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29754, 22 February 1962, Page 4

RACING Dormic Is Form Horse For Wingatui

A Southland victory, in spite of a numerical advantage held by Otago and Canterbury, seems a distinct possibility in the Wingatui Handicap, main event and first leg of the double at Wingatui on Saturday.

Dormic is one, and possibly the most likely, of the South* land entry, and others include Solus and Aquinas. A fourth is Vamoose, but he is making a fresh start after being tried as a hurdler towards the end of last season and is not likely to provide much opposition.

Dormic is a four-year-old, by Alonzo from Mary Dell, and is a stablemate of Solus in the Invercargill establishment of T. E. Pankhurst. Aquinas is also trained at Invercargill by a Pankhurst, D. P. Pankhurst, and Vamoose comes from Gore.

Quick Time, the 10-year-old Riccarton veteran, and Desert Chief and Irrepressible from Wingatui should provide the hardest opposition to the Southland contingent. Dormic has all the recent form credentials to assure his supporters of a solid performance. He won at Gore earlier this month, after running third to White Skies and Night Sock in the Gore Cup a week earlier, and then beat everything except Windvale Lad in the Otago Handicap on the first day at Wingatui last week. On the latest occasion Dormic was well back early but made a fast run from the five furlongs to share the lead coming to the home turn. In the straight he looked the winner momentarily, but was unable to hold off Windvale Lad.

In the finish, Dormic was only half a length behind Windvale Lad. and he beat Irrepressible, the closest be-

hind him, by a good two lengths. With average luck in the running, and in the absence of Windvale Lad, he should manage them again on Saturday. Irrepressible could well be the most difficult to beat. At this meeting last year the Timanova mare beat Solus and Underarn) in the Wingatui Handicap after running unplaced in the open sprint on the first day. Solus, if he starts, is another which should race well on Saturday, and so are the top-weight Desert Chief and Quick Time. Solus has an alternative engagement in the open sprint on Saturday, the February Handicap over six furlongs, and his trainer might well elect to start him in that after his promising showing for fourth in the Autumn Handicap last week.

Quick Time, with 11b more than he has been given this week, could not manage better than fifth in the Otago Handicap last week. This Riccarton-trained veteran seldom runs a bad race, however, and has been racing like a muoh younger horse this season. It is not long since he won at Wingatui. in the Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap on December 23, when he carried 7-13 and beat Solus and Aquinas. Won At Riccarton Desert Chief is another which should have a good chance. He won the Midsummer Handicap, run over a mile and a quarter, at Riccarton last month, after finishing strongly from the middle of the field at the turn.

Last week Desert Chief ran fourth behind Windvale Lad, Dormic and Irepressible, finishing powerfully from near the rear of the field.

Form last week might not be such a sound guide for the second leg, the February Handicap, in which the majority of the field are newcomers to the meeting, and three—-Brown Watch, Mary Tee and Bold Venture—have

last-start winning form on other courses. Boid Venture could be the best of them as his win was a very impressive one, by five lengths over six furlongs at Winton on January 29.

Gay Fox and Solus, unless he runs in the Wingatui Handicap, might be the best of those which raced last week.

Gay Fox battled on for third in the Autumn Handicap after sharing the trail and Solus finished from well back for fourth.