RACING Morris Francis Picked For Ashburton Cup

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30543, 11 September 1964, Page 4

RACING Morris Francis Picked For Ashburton Cup

If Morris Francis is as good at 11 furlongs as he is at a mile he should win tomorrow’s Ashburton Cup—and wan it comfortably. As a miler he has proved superior to the Ashburton Cup form runner, St. Malo, in three fairly recent races, including the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Winter Cup.

But St. Malo has a rightful place among the form fancies for the Ashburton Cup after a solid run for second behind Boundless over 11 furlongs in the Tinwald Handicap at Ashburton last Saturday week. Morris Francis had two tests over middle distances last season, and success eluded him each time. One of them was in a hack distance race at Ashburton, in which he finished sixth. The other was over a mile and a quarter in open class at Westport on a soft track, and two days after he had easily won at a mile on a firm track on that course. He finished fourth in the longer race. Morris Francis seems to have made marked improvement in the meantime. He showed possibilities as a Winter Cup prospect in brilliantly winning the South Canterbury Hunt Club’s Claremont Handicap, one mile and 35 yards, at Washdyke towards the end of last season. He carried 8-4, came from last and finished a little over three and a half lengths in advance of St. Malo, which was fourth under 8-8. Met Twice These South Canterburytrained gallopers met twice more at the Grand National meeting, and Morris Francis came out on top each time. Morris Francis was the South Island’s best in the Winter Cup, in which he finished third under 7-7} after being last away. A cramped run in the straight added to his difficulties, yet he finished close upon two talented northerners, Gillin and Royal Duty. St. Malo ran ninth in the Winter Cup under 7-13. Morris Francis was 41b closer to St Malo in the weights when they met again in the August Handicap on the final day of the Grand National meeting, but he again beat the Waimatetrained chestnut finishing seventh, four positions ahead of the chestnut. Morris Francis has not raced in the meantime but that should not weigh against him if the race is run at an average pace. N. Eastwood shouH be able to settle him quickly without being forced over extra ground, ■ and unless something tears away in the first furlong, the Ashburton Cup might be a race in earnest only for the last mile. If that situation does, in fact, develop Morris Francis should mount a finishing run that will be hard on the others to match. Form Runner If the weather remains fine and the track is firm Count

Pedro will probably take one of the places. He has had two starts this

season for two thirds, and he was only inches behind St. Malo in Boundless’s Tinwald Handicap. Count Pedro will be taken north next week to race at Otaki, and if the ground is dry tomorrow his performance should be good enough to warrant a tilt at the northerners. McCool, unlike Count Pedro, does best when the ground is soft and loose, and conditions could be against him at Ashburton. Windvale Lad is another likely to find this a much too formidable test on a firm track. Silver Kingdom, a fair fifth in the Tinwald Handicap at Ashburton on August 31, has missed a bit of work through soreness in the meantime and that could go hard with him in a strenuous race. Calvados, a former stablemate of McCool, won narrowly but well over a mile and a quarter against hacks at the Grand National meeting and is one of the more interesting light-weights in a field that lacks quality. For Sure, also from Wingatui, showed nothing in the Tinwald Handicap, in which he was a fancy after a fair fourth in the C.J.C. Islington Handicap.