N.Z. Stayers Win Not Popular

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30294, 21 November 1963, Page 6

N.Z. Stayers Win Not Popular

[From the Australian Correspondent of "The Press"] SYDNEY.

It has been hard to follow the form of the New Zealand stayer, Conference, which on Saturday gained another of his unexpected wins by outstaying his opponents in the Sandown Cup at Caulfield. Conference won by half a neck from Rowston, with Grand Print, the 7/4 favourite, a head away, third.

Persons showed their annoyance at the form by hooting for a considerable time. Their display was understandable, for at his previous start Conference had finished out of a place behind Nivek in the V.R.C. Handicap when equal favourite. Although he was only a length from the winner on that occasion, Saturday’s run was a vast improvement.

The jockey, Les Coles, said after the win that he had been surprised that Conference had kept going in the hard run to catch Rowston, which had streaked away near the three furlongs to set up what looked like a winning lead. In the last furlong both Conference and Grand Print challenged, and for a few strides it seemed as if Grand Print was to change his run of minor placings in big races and win. But it was Conference which pulled out the little extra, and Grand Print tired in the last few strides.

The Melbourne Cup winner, Gatum Gatum, was sent along in the early stages to make the running, but with 8-8 no-one was greatly interested in his chance and he was always at a long price. It did not surprise when he weakened following Rowston into the straight. To New Zealanders, probably the most interesting inner in Australian racing on Saturday was Confidence, which won the Q.T.C. Derby in Brisbane with a brilliant piece of front-running staying. in a heavy rain storm. Confidence is by Ray Ribbon. which was brought to Australia for a Melbourne Cup, ran into some trouble, and eventually was sold to go to the stud in Queensland. Confidence is the find of the season in Brisbane, where he has strung together a run of wins, in one of them winning on the four tracks in that city in successive starts. Persons who have been to

Brisbane will appreciate the dissimilarity of the tracks, and therefore will understand why no horse had ever before proved equal to such a feat. The Q.T.C. Derby is not highly rated in the form books, but this year the field included the A.J.C. Derby winner. Summer Fiesta, and the Sydney three-year-old Rosie Sun, a consistent if a little unlucky stayer, which is one of the best mudrunners seen this season. Rosie Sun was favourite but made no impression early and down the long straight did not raise hopes at any stage of his long chase to peg back the free-moving Confidence.

New Zealand-breds were prominent in other races on Saturday. Ripa, which had won the Adams Handicap at the Melbourne Cup meeting, ran a race record of Imin 36 4-ssec to beat the favourite, Anna Rose, in the Sandown Guineas, a mile race for three-year-old fillies. Ripa is by Pride- of Kildare from Gold Spi, and obviously is a good one, for this year in Melbourne there are outstanding fillies in training. Two New Zealand-ibreds were among the three winners trained by T. J. Smith and ridden by G. Moore at Sydney’s meeting at Warwick Farm. The first was Massina. which is by Targui from Hope. She won a race for fillies and mares over one mile. Massina had won earlier in the week at Canterbury Park, and she shows considerable promise. In due course she will be mated with Tulloch, for she is owned by Peter Haley, who now controls Te Koona Stud, where Tulloch stands. The other winner was General Delivery, which is by Marco Polo II from Misty Moors, and which is the first living foal of his dam, a mare by Moorcock from Meadow Mist, which was by Foxbridge from Miss Stefan, a direct descendant of Chelandry. Smith’s third winner was Trace Call, a gelding by Delville Wood, which tad the luckiest win of the day to snatch victory from the New Zealand horse Kamikaze. Kamikaze showed his

usual versatility by making an amazing sprint near the rails in a six-furlong race, only to lose by less than an inch in a photo-finish. Another New Zealand-bred winner at Warwick Farm on Saturday was On Clover, a five-year-old gilding by Mainbrace from Angeline. On Clover beat Kipoana by half a head in a photo-finish for the Milperra Handicap, over 11 furlongs. On Clover was third early, then took the lead at the mile and held it, hard-ridden, to the finish. He started at 6/1, carried 6-11 and was ridden by G. Chung.