Trial Offer Leads Rivals A Merry Dance In N.Z. Derby

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30593, 9 November 1964, Page 5

Trial Offer Leads Rivals A Merry Dance In N.Z. Derby

It takes two to tango but only a very’gifted individual could have lead such a dance as was shown by Trial Offer to her five rivals in the New Zealand Derby Stakes at Riccarton on Saturday.

Trial Offer, a filly everyone lost interest in when bidding for her reached 150gns at the 1963 national sales, won coasting by six lengths in the colours of Messrs C. W. Berry and B. Hayter, who race her on lease with the right of purchase from her Taranaki breeder, Mr Ritchie Fleming.

His Grace beat the others nearly as easily for second.

Brian Hayter, who trains Trial Offer at Hawera, was delighted that the Byland filly had made good against the colts including the Wellington Guineas winner, His Grace, on Saturday. “She was not herself when she failed in the Wellington Guineas,” Hayter said on Saturday. “I could see something was wrong when she gave a bit of trouble at the barrier.”

It was thought that she had a touch of colic that day but she “came good” to win the Desert Gold Stakes a week later and her New Zealand Derby victory by six lengths over His Grace on Saturday

handsomely earned her top ranking against those of her own age. When she is tried at weight-for-age over a mile and a quarter at Paeroa within the next few weeks she should also measure up against the best of her elders if she holds her present magnificent form. In the meantime she will run in the New Zealand Oaks, and she will start a short-priced favourite. After her race at Paeroa Hayter will prepare her for the Great Northern Derby and Oaks at the Auckland Cup meeting. His Grace, which had been under treatment for foot trouble for several hours on Friday, was the Derby favourite. He was left in front alongside Combination when Faloose petered out near the five furlongs, but he could not live with Trial Offer in the straight. “I had His Grace well covered from the home turn but let him

lead me by a neck until a furlong and a half from the post," said Trial Offer’s rider, K. S. Cullen, after the race. EASED ON POST Cullen, who won the Winter Cup on Gillin on his last trip to Riccarton, let Trial Offer stride away quickly to a wide lead inside the furlong and was easing her on the post. She ran her last half-mile in 49sec, and the last mile was covered in Imin 39 4-ssec. Faloose, which had taken a lead of three lengths starting the last mile, but dropped back to fourther before the half-mile, rallied a little to take third from Combination, the lone runner for the South Island, by inches, but they were five lengths down the track behind His Grace. Northern Dancer (N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) TORONTO, November 7. Northern Dancer, Canada’s greatest money winning thoroughbred, has been retired to stud, his owner, Mr E. P. Taylor, announced in Toronto yesterday. He will go to the National Stud Farm near Oshawa, Ontario. Northern Dancer had 14 wins in 18 starts. He won two of the leading races in the United States this year—the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.