RACING Five Cup Candidates In Race Tests Today

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30028, 12 January 1963, Page 4

RACING Five Cup Candidates In Race Tests Today

Five Wellington Gup candidates have engagements in races of comparatively minor importance today, but their performances are not expected to have much bearing on favouritism for the Trentham two-mile event

Apa, Blue Blade, and Kingdom will have their final race trials for the Wellington Cup in today's Marton Cup; and Floutulla and Straight Time will contest the John Wells Handicap at Avondale. Apa is one of the fancies for the Marton Gold Cup, in which he is top-weight with 9-0. He is not a big horse, but is a solid middle-distance performer and won over 11 furlongs at Hastings last time out

Apa drops to 8-3 in the Wellington Cup, and will receive weight only from Great Sensation, Stipulate, Picaroon, and Beauzami.

Disappointing

Kingdom shaped like cup - winning material this time two years ago, but never developed the form expected of him. He won the Freyberg Handicap at Awapuni five starts back, and ran two fair races for a fourth and a sixth at the Pahiatua meeting in the last week. Floutulla and Straight Time developed outstanding form last summer to win big races, but they have done nothing of much account lately. Floutulla tried for a second Auckland Cup victory on January 1, but failed to make a show and finished far back. Unless he makes spectacular improvement at Avondale today, he will have little backing in the Wellington Cup. Straight Time won the Gloaming Stakes at long odds at Trentham a year ago shortly after a rather unlucky fourth in the Great Northern Derby, but his four-year-old form has been moderate. Royal Dee, a competent

Papakura-tralned sprinter engaged in the Wellington Telegraph Handicap waa to have had his final race test at Avondale today, but he gashed a hind quarter on Tuesday, and win miss today's race. Consistent Royal Dee was the most consistent sprinter at the Auckland Cup meeting, where he had three starts for one win and two seconds. He runs his races out gamely, and win have solid northern backing in the big sprint at Trentham now that he has drawn well.

wig sent to Ellerslie for the Railway Handicap on January 1. He drew one of the wide barrier positions in the big Ellerslie sprint, and dropped out only after he drifted towards the middle ot the track on the home turn. Veteran Trainer Injured (N.Z. Press Association) PALM. NORTH, Jan. 11. One of New Zealand's oldest trainers, Alan McDonald, was taken to the Rakneipton North Hospital yesterday after his hand had been caught in an oat-crush-ing machine at his Awapuni stable. It is expected that he will remain in hospital for several days.

Home on the Range, Funny Story, Khurjen, and Sonare, which are also engaged in the Telegraph Handicap at Trentham, will meet in the McManaway Memorial "at Marton today. Home on the Range won at successive starts before he