RACING BOUNDLESS’S ASHBURTON WIN COULD BE GOOD OMEN

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30534, 1 September 1964, Page 4

RACING BOUNDLESS’S ASHBURTON WIN COULD BE GOOD OMEN

If Auckland Gup honours come Riccarton’s way later this season then Boundless’s win in the Tinwald Handicap at Ashburton on Saturday will have been a good omen.

Boundless’s Riccarton trainer, J. R. Shaw, has no immediate plans for Mrs W. H. Williamson’s Targui entire but if all goes well in the next few months an Auckland Cup start is almost certain to be on the four-year-old’s programme.

The last Riccartontrained Auckland Cup' winner was the champion Beaumaris, which also won his first race as a four-year-old in the main race for stayers at the Ashburton spring meeting. Although Boundless carried only 8-13—a stone less than Beaumaris—his performance was no less impressive for he had lacked racing for more than six months.

When Beaumaris won his race at Ashburton he was a little more seasoned. His three-year-old racing had only concluded the previous Easter. Then he had had one race against the milers at the Grand National meeting to get him in trim. . The time recorded by both horses is also an interesting point. In 1950 the Ashburton Handicap .was run over a mile and a quarter. Beaumaris ran the distance on a fast track in 2.5 1-5. On Saturday, under similar conditions, Boundless took 2.18 2-5 to run 11 furlongs and led for the last nine furlongs. So both horses averaged about 12|sec a furlong apiece. Beaumaris’s programme after his Ashburton win amounted to six races before the Auckland Cup. He won the Harcourt Stakes, at Trentham, the Canterbury Cup on his home course, and the Auckland Cup Trial, at Pukekohe. The Harcourt Stakes and Canterbury Cup were weight-for-age events as were the Churchill Stakes, at Riccarton, and the Foxbridge Plate, at Te Rapa, in which he was placed. If Boundless’s programme leading up to the Auckland Cup follows a similar pattern his performances will create more than average interest. Manana and Count Pedro might both represent Riccarton in the main distance races at Hastings later this month. They will be nominated next

Monday for the Spring Gold Cup and the T. H. Lowry Memorial Handicap at the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club’s spring meeting on September 19 and 23.

If all goes well with Manana he will definitely go north according to- his trainer, J. C. Tomkinson. But C. G. Humphries is not certain yet about his plans for Count Pedro. He will probably make a final decision next week. Count Pedro has also been nominated for the Otaki meeting, the first day of which clashes with Hastings. If Count Pedro does go north he will probably miss the Ashburton Cup next Saturday week. Manana is to compete in the open sprint at Ashburton before-going north. Still Going There has been no change in plans for Wester following his weak showing in the Chatmos Improvers’ Handicap at Ashburton. Mr and Mrs G. A.

Smith’s Red Jester gelding will be taken north tonight to fulfil' his engagement in the Wanganui Guineas next Saturday. Wester finished tenth of 15 among the hack milers at Ashburton. His Riccarton trainer, R. P. Register, could not account for his performance. “When he returned to the birdcage he blew very hard and he kept it up for quite a time after the race,” said Register yesterday. “He has never done that before.”

The Chatmos Handicap was Wester’s first attempt at a mile and his first test on a firm and fast track. In his four previous races, in which he recorded a win and two seconds, he was competing on easy, soft or heavy tracks.

Wester will be taken north by his trainer. While' he is away the training programme for the other members of the Register team will be supervised by E. B. Skelton.

Noble Rank had his last race for Mr R. D. Molyneux, of Belfast, in the Lagmhor Mai-

den Stakes at Ashburton on Saturday. He is to be given away to be used as a hack. Noble Rank, a four-year-old gelded son of Red Marlin and Virgo .Maxima, is a halfbrother to the former good open class sprinter Roman Maid. She won several good races, including two C.J.C. Great Easter Handicaps, in Mr Molyneux’s colours. Mr Molyneux got little return for the 620 guineas he paid for Noble Rank, which he bought as an un-raced two-year-old at the 1962 Grand National Sales.

Noble Rank’s long placing was a third, worth £25, to Morris Francis and Castle Air at his third start as a two-year-old. That was by far his most promising run, for the best of the others was St. Malo.

Altogether Noble Rank had only 11 starts, and seven of those were in his first season. Because of .unsoundness, he had only two starts as a three-year-old and Saturday’s race was his second this season.