Cardigan Bay’s Successful Invasion

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30499, 22 July 1964, Page 4

Cardigan Bay’s Successful Invasion

rjr 2 Prea Un NEW YORK, July 20. Cardigan Eby's feat in sealing new heights of greatness in his successful invasion of American harness racing marks a new high point in the annals of the New Zealand equine industry. 12 tne perspeeuve cd ths oiii tnat were against isha the egnt-jearzijd geidirgs ct-ntjnurg stiecess 10500 iEile» froat tis hotsejDd agatnst «m of the best crops of free-fts-au pacers in Ameneax star bard-bred faistwy deterres generous aekswlsdgenert. harsessraeing experts bebeve. No previous harness horse frtRE overseas, whether pacer or trotter, has bees able to w ith-'ard the rigours of Auiericax spr.xt raarg ai>d win eossistwstiy the way Carc ga" Bay has. In lowering the Yotucers track record cy tnree-fiftas of a second to an amazing Imin. 5e l-ssec last Tuursdry. Cardigan Bay laid eiaira to a place in xarr ess-rac-r g history and estabbshed himself as one of the two be»t pacers in the world today. He beat Oeertnek. the bril--1 ant. Amer?ear four-year-old champion, by a mere nose, and these two great horses are so evenly matebed that it seems racing l ack is the only thing that can separate thesn in toeir eagerly-awaited subsequent encounters They win meet again in a ‘rubber mat ch’ over one mile at Yonken next Friday night Each horse has one victory in their two meetings Ability Doubted Before his defeat of Cher tnek, there had been some couot whether the rangy New Zealander could adapt himself to mile racing against the t'.p-ciass free-for-ali r.'jrses. He bad already proved r imseif a great distance horse ir Australia and New Zealand and by winning two <rf the three races tn the Yonkers interoatiocal senes in May and June. In a mile free-for-all handicap two weeks ago. however. Cardigan Bay was beaten into third place after being parked on the outside for an agonisingly long tune by fast young hones. This raised the question whethtt be could muster the brilliant dash-speed of Overtrick and others, and whether he was holding his form after his hard racing programme. Cardigan Bay answered the doubters on Thursday. He had obviously been sharpened up fcr this race and. in spite of the scorching pace, always appeared to be travelling smoothly, with something in reserve. Ha recent hard sprint racing has Sued him down. He towers over the more compact American horses, but is co longer the heardy-muscled. raying type that arrived here

in Martz. He is xfjw grey-bound-lean and hard. Different Horse In all probability the horse has improved inner Stazle? Uaneers tutelage, and New Zealand and Australian trotting fans would see a rather kifferest. and prebabiy faster, horse than the one they remember Presumably Cardigan Bay’s success sere—he has wor. IM.Oib dollars in stakes n> two months at Yonkers—will entourage other New Zealand and Australian horsemen i® regard the big Ameriear stakes with more interest. But let there be no mistake the task of ■B.rmißg freefcr-alis in New York where the big mtoey is to be made, is formidable. The Australian pater. Eibands. tried it in 1956 and turned ?n several suh-two-minute miieS.' bta iris imreliarMlity was a handicap. Most eg the other AusTaiian and New Zealand horses sent tn this countfy have not even reached free-for-all class. Earlier Failures In previous Yonkers international series, Cadueeus, False Step and Apmat won mid-dle-distante races against the top American horses in 1960 and 1961, but subsequently failed to maintain their racing edge when subjected to grinding month-after-mmrth American mile raring. Cadueeus, prebabiy the fastest New Zealand horse

before Cardigan Bay, was probat-ly past ta« peak wh® he came Is America. Yoiikers effirials had had their eye ot Cardigan Bay for some years. They were anxious to have him placed in American hands because the mabiiity of several Australiax and New Zealand remsmez to recognise the necessity of getting to the rails ta Am®ican tracks had needlessly handicapped some fine overseas horses.

Hencg Ifeucer went along ‘with the Yonkers officials to Melbourne last February and paid iWJ.WO dollars f® Cardigan Bay on behalf of a five person syndicate. Tee group includes Dancer's wife, but not the train® himself. The strapping son of the exported American sire. Ha: Tryax has already paid hack the purchasers and promises to earn a 1® more dollars before the season ends in the cold of Tiecember.