RACING Donna Maria Fancied For Tally-Ho Handicap

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30211, 16 August 1963, Page 4

RACING Donna Maria Fancied For Tally-Ho Handicap

The weight of off-course money and strong Otago support as well will probably make Donna Maria favourite for the Tally-Ho Handicap, first leg of the T.A.B. double at Wingatui tomorrow.

This Riccarton-trained, Dunedin-owned Targui mare will be Riccarton’s lone runner at the Otago Hunt Club’s annual meeting.

Donna Maria is at her best when the ground is at its worst. The way the weather has been in Dunedin this week she should have conditions to suit.

On her winter campaign Donna Maria did best as a miler. Her only recent success was over that distance at Wingatui in June. Although her form slumped rather badly after that win she showed that she was on the way back to her best when she chased Shakes and Picket home in the August Handicap at Riccarton last Saturday. Donna Maria is second topweight in a fairly cramped handicap. She has 8-2, lib less than Summer Star and 91b more than the tail-enders. Summer Star is bound to be one of the popular fancies. She regained her best form at Washdyke last month. There she was the best of Lucky Son’s rivals in the H. H. Fraser Memorial. Then she beat the milers in the Claremont Handicap at the South Canterbury Hunt meeting.

Tutton, Picket and John Jameson—the best behind Summer Star in the Claremont Handicap—all confirmed the worth of her run by improving their records at the Grand National meeting. If Magic Casement has fully recovered from a kick she received in the bird-cage before the Brabazon Handicap at the Christchurch Hunt meeting, she will be another strong Wingatui hope. Beat Palisade Before coming to Riccarton Magic Casement was the run-ner-up to Royal Leigh in the Oamaru Winter Cup. But a more valuable guide still could be her win over Palisade at Wingatui in June. Bador and Captain Morgan, which are both switching from hurdling, will probably find the best of the milers hard to match. Kazaan and White Skies both have weak form backgrounds, but Sir Athol will be a strong light-weight prospect. He was the runner-up to Ore in the Woolston Handicap on the second day of the Grand National meeting and carried 9-7 into third place behind Fleeting Moment and Ham over 10 furlongs last Saturday. Topweight Fancied Bold Venture will probably give weight all round to the open sprinters in the G. J Barton Memorial Handicap, second leg of the main double. Bold Venture failed against

the milers at Washdyke last month and twice over seven furlongs at the Grand National meeting. But the last time he was tried over six —on his home course in June —he carried 9-0 on heavy ground and won as he liked.

This time he has only 31b more.

If Corvale produced one of his best runs he would make the top-weight work hard with 91b in hand. His last three runs have produced nothing worth while, but his form at Riccarton in April could not be faulted. He had two starts at the C.J.C. autumn meeting and was second each time. Chattel seems to have lost all of her early speed, and that could be a big disadvantage in a short race like this. She did manage seven furlongs successfully at Invercargill in May, but her four races meantime have produced nothing worth while. Six furlongs will probably be much too short for Aquinas, which has not raced for almost 10 months.

Approval was fourth of eight in the August Handicap at Riccarton last Saturday and that was his first show of form for some time Elrick has no recent form credentials, but Filwood and Waihola would both be capable of getting into the finish. Filwood failed as a miler the last time he raced, but carried 9-1 to victory against the hack sprinters at Waimate at his previous start. Waihola’s latest race was over seven furlongs at Oamaru in June. He shared the pace till the straight then wilted to twelfth. At his previous start he finished third to Lucky Son and Filwood over six furlongs in intermediate class at the Dunedin winter meeting. Fields and form for the T.A.B double are:— TALLY-HO HANDICAP £350; Im.

G. J. BARTON MEMORIAL HANDICAP. £400; 6f.

ASHBURTON RACING CLUB SPRING MEETINGS NOMINATIONS for all events at the Spring Meetings will close with the Secretary, Ashburton. on Monday, the 19th inst at 4 p.m J. B NICOLL Secretary. Phone 6794 P.O Box 54 —Advt.

it lb 7521 Summer Star (4), E. J. Didham 8 3 0003 Donna Maria (7). R. J. Skelton 8 2 1820 Magic Casement (1), R. N. Marsh 8 1

8883 Bador (2) .. .7 9 4123 Captain Morgan (6), J. R. Dowling .. 7 9 0000 Kazaan (5) ,. .7 7 5023 Sir Athol (31 .7 7 7050 White Skies <B) L. Tree .. 7 7

st lb 1958 Bold Venture (6) . 9 3 2000 Corvale (5), E. J. Didham . 8 8 6577 Chattel (4), J. D. Pankhurst .. 8 6 42 Aquinas (7). J. Carvalho .. 8 4 7094 4869 Approval (3) Elrick (1) .. 8 .. 8 0 0 6810 Filwood (8) 8 0 7030 Walhola (2), A. J. Tweedie .. 8 0