RACING Negotiations Opened For Sale Of Patriot

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30426, 28 April 1964, Page 4

RACING Negotiations Opened For Sale Of Patriot

Negotiations have been opened for the sale of the promising Riccarton-owned and trained Patriot. Miss J. Edgar-Jones has been approached on behalf of an Australian owner, and if there is a sale the two-year-old My Pal gelding will probably go to Sydney.

Patriot has raced twice and has won ahce. He made an impressive debut in winning the Juvenile Handicap on the first day of the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting in December.

One of his rivals in that race was Cranleigh, which was also having his first start. Cranleigh finished fourth after being slow away. At his next start he wbn at Oamaru, then ran second in the Middle Park Plate at Riccarton.

A few weeks later Cranleigh was sold to a Sydney owner, so there is a possibility that there will be more Cran-leigh-Patriot tussles. Patriot’s dam is Patriona, which was by Massowa from Patria, by Siegfried from Princess Pat, by All Black from Martian Princess, by Martian.

Patriona was a winner, and her half brother Blue Spec won 15 races. Other good winners belonging to this family were Hoist (eight wins in Australia), Royal Sheik (seven wins). Cape York (Adelaide Cup), Paulette (eight wins) and Lady Pam (15 wins, including the Great Northern Oaks, New Zealand 6t. Leger, and Hawke’s Bay Guineas). Donna Maria, which failed

I to reach her reserve and was .passed in at the annual ' Easter Bloodstock Sale in ; Christchurch early this month, has since been bought privately by Mr and Mrs R. E. Adair, of the Inglewood Stud, Kaiapoi. Donna Maria, a six-year-old mare by Targui from Aethis, will not race again. At present it is intended to send her north with another of the [ Inglewood Stud mares next season to be mated with My Pal which is standing at ; Stratford. As a race-mare Donna Maria was not in the top flight but all her racing was marked by honesty and gameness. It was this trait more than her race record that influenced her purchase. Altogether Donna Maria won six races and gained 27 minor places worth £2510 in stakes for her Dunedin owner Mr R. A. Joseph. Her form on soft or heavy tracks was about twice as good as it was when the ground was firm. This was reflected in her i record. Her two wins each 'season from the time she was [three until she was five were gained on winter and spring tracks. For all but one start—her lone race as a two-year-old from J. C. Hobb’s Oamaru stable—Donna Maria has been trained at Riccarton by J. L. Barr for whom she showed winning form from seven furlongs to a mile and a quarter.

Her only open class win was against the milers in the Queen Elizabeth Handicap at Wingatui in June last year. Donna Maria's record this season includes two minor placings. She was third to Shakes and Picket in the August Handicap at the Grand National meeting and second to Sir Athol in the Tally-Ho Handicap at Wingatui in August She has been spelling since the Geraldine Cup in September..

The Wingatui trainee, D. G. O’Neill, sent Royaloil to Riccarton last week to be operated on for a wind affliction. The operation was carried out yesterday. Royaloil, a seven-year-old half-brother, by Callander, to the high-class sprinter Mighty Dollar, was a big disappointment as a racing proposition. Although he showed much early promise his only win for his South Otago breeder Mr J. D. Mcßae was the Trial Stakes at Wingatui in September, 1961. He was then trained by A. I. Powell. Royaloil, which has not raced since February, 1962, is now owned by Messrs G. H. and R. J. Barton, of Dunedin. Another Barton-owned horse which was successfully operated on for a wind affliction at Riccarton last year was Acron. Since he resumed at the beginning of the present season he has gained two wins and six minor places.