RACING WAIKATO HORSES IN FOR GOOD DAY

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30082, 16 March 1963, Page 4

RACING WAIKATO HORSES IN FOR GOOD DAY

Mateland And Co. In Form For Trentham Waikato horses should get rich pickings at Trentham today. They are freely engaged all through the programme, and they have class to back strong numerical representation.

The impressive Waikato line-up in the President’s Handicap is Summer Regent, On Purpose, Straight Irish, Sybeau, Revello, and Nett Price. The Te Awamutu-trained Mateland appears to have the Wakefield Challenge Stakes as good as won. Golden Defoe, a stablemate of Summer Regent, should be deeply involved in the finish of the New Zealand St. Leger. The Matamata-trained Claras showed exceptional promise in winning a hack sprint on the first day of the meeting, and will be confidently backed to win the Eastbourne Handicap.

Then there are the class miler*, Triple Countess, from Matamata, and Sir Henry from Te Awamutu, both engaged in the Hutt Handicap, both pretty certain to match the best of their southern rivals.

With average luck Waikato horses could win half the programme today, the second day of the Wellington Racing Club’s autumn meeting.

Won Last Week

Straight Irish. Mateland, Teachers, Claras, Sirrom, and Triple Countess all won on the first day of the meeting, and are fit for their secondday engagements.

Autumn form is the most reliable form of all, and it will be most surprising if at least one of those horses does not come through the meeting unbeaten. Bly ton, Bagush, and Corador came through two day** racing at Trentham a year ago with unbeaten records, and there were some near misses as well.

The President’s Handicap, one mile and a half, will be the first leg of the T.A.B. double today.

Runners for the South Island will be Uantnai and McCool.

Llanmai will be stepping up from a mile—he was third in the Thompson Han-

dicap last Saturday—but he won this race two yean ago. Llanmai’* stablemate. Irrepressible, which ran in the two miles Chalmers Handicap last week, will be seen as a miler in the Hutt Handicap today.

Riccarton Runner

The riccarton-owned and trained McCool showed a glimpse of something like his best with a fourth on his home course last Saturday. He has won at a mile and a half and may be hard to beat with 7-10.

The Auckland light-weight, R. J. Leggett, was engaged yesterday to ride McCool. Riccarton’s, and perhaps the South Island’s, strongest winning prospect will probably be Zinder in the St Leger. He has improved with each race and gallop, and has a temperament and economy of action to help him last out a mile and three-quarters.

The owner-trainer combination of Mr D. W. J. Gould and J. C. Tomkinson had much success with Deciare and Copenhagen, but Zinder is their first St. Leger hope. Trentham has had fine weather since Tuesday, and a high wind was drying the track out yesterday.