RAVENWOOD BEATS CUP FAVOURITE

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30634, 28 December 1964, Page 6

RAVENWOOD BEATS CUP FAVOURITE

"The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND, December 27.

Ravenwood, a light-weight which few betters had taken into account, brought off a great surprise when he beat the hot favourite, Golden Defoe, and a dozen others in the £3500 Queen Elizabeth Handicap at Ellerslie yesterday.

But the race looked nothing like a trial for the Auckland Cup; the pace being painfully slow until a good twothirds of the mile and a half had been covered.

Ravenwood, making all the running, was required to go only 2min 32sec for the full course and he was allowed to dawdle over the first half-mile in 54sec—under such favourable conditions hardly the speed of a working gallop.

From about the half-mile Golden Defoe, the hottest of favourites, kept on Ravenwood’s quarters. When they began to run home he edged closer. With a furlong to go there seemed a chance he might win, but Ravenwood held him off clearly in the finish by half a length.

Golden Defoe took the £7OO for second by the same margin from Dandeinee, Aro and Mantovani which finished almost in line.

A six-year-old gelding from P. Mcllroy’s stable at Takanini, Ravenwood had never performed as well although on occasions he had raced prominently in middle-dis-tance handicaps. In his latest attempt before yesterday he finished near last over a mile and a quarter at Te Awamutu.

Consequently he was the eleventh favourite each way for the Queen Elizabeth Handicap and his dividends were £64 Os 6d and £lO 3s 6d.

The slow speed, which kept the field closely packed, allowed the stayers like High Mark, Bandon and Honourable hardly any chance.

In the finish High Mark, Bandon and Honourable were well behind and Bandon, after being forced over much extra ground, came eighth. Golden Defoe is considered to have all the speed of the best middle-distance runners so the muddling pace hardly excused his failure.

For weeks he has been the Cup favourite. His failure on Saturday took some of the gloss from his record but it will not have lost him many admirers. Aro. in spite of his defeat, will also remain high in favour for the big race next Friday. The Te Rapa rider. D. A. Raklander, previously right out of luck excelled himself on Ravenwood and he was successful as well on the Woodville visitor. Baraboo, in the second leg of the T.A.B. double, the Newmarket Handicap. Pipe Dream was a hot favourite for the Newmarket Handicap but he gave ground quickly after Baraboo had taken him on with the pacemaking to the turn and he tailed the 14 runners to the finish.

Baraboo kept going very resolutely and with late chai lenges coming from all angles he won by a nose. Kitty Kildare ran him closest and there were fine margins back to Michael, which finished fifth. Baraboo is one of a strong team brought to Ellerslie by E. Ropiha. He is a three-year-old colt by Faux Tirage from Kataban. Originally he was to have been ridden by K. S. Cullen in the Newmarket Handicap but Cullen could not make the weight—7-s—and Raklander secured the mount at the last minute.

In his two-year-old days Baraboo became a favourite at Ellerslie by reason of some very consistent form. In the Newmarket Handicap he was the third best-backed paying £9 and £2 10s 6d on the win-and-place and £677 in the double with Ravenwood. Conditions were excellent, the weather being fine and sunny and the course in capital order. The attendance was 25.312 compared with 25.333 last year Results:

PONSONBY HANDICAP, £1000: 11f.—3/3 LIPTON (13) 9-1 H Green 1: 5/4 GTAKIRI BOY (14) 9 1 B. L. Hillis 2; 6/7 TILLY LICHT (1) 10-12 J. A. Gibbs 3 Scratched: Derby Dick, First Mate. Within-the-Law. Janey Michelle. Trossach. Pride of Homebush. Neck: half length. Danesway fourth. Time. 2:,19 45. Win: £7 3s 6d. Places: £2 12s, £3. £4 4s 6d. BREEDERS* PLATE. £1000: two-year-old colts and geldings: sif. —l/1 WANDERING MINSTREL

i(3A) 8-4 R. J. Jury 1; 171 FARMER'S BOY (3) 87 G. F. Hughes 2; 8/7 PELL MELL (16) 7-11 J. P. Riordan 3. Scratched: Fair Fury, Barraminti, Roman Consul. Big Beau, Beau Coup. Long neck: two lengths. Draco fourth. Time, 1:6. Win: £2 4s 6d. Places: £2 8s 6d, £4 17s. Bracket: Wandering Minstrel and Farmer's Boy.

QUEEN ELIZABETH HANDICAP, £3500: lira. 11/11 RAVENWOOD (12) 7 2 car. 7-3 J D. A. Raklander 1 1/1 GOLDEN DEFOE (6) 8-4 G. F. Hughes 2 4/5 DANDEINEE (8) 7-13 R. Fisher 3 7/6 Bandon. 8/9 Mantovani. 3/4 High Mark, 6/7 Blyton, 2/2 Aro, 9 8 Blue Heather, 5/3 Honourable, 10/10 Earl of Foxwood, 12/12 Repel, 14/14 Micheline, 13/13 Vinesse also started. Half a length; half a length. Aro fourth. Time, 2:32. Win: £64 0s 6d. Places: £lO 3s 6d. £1 6s, £3 Is.

GOODWOOD STAKES. £1000: s}f.—First division: 2/2 COBBLER LASS (3) 8-10 G. F. Hughes 1; 9/10 QUEEN’S PRIDE (11) 8-0 B. F. Andrews 2; 5/5 JAN EYRE 8-5 W. C. Cotter 3. Scratched: Silent Knight, Fair Square, Gossworth.. Half length; neck. Taxsonia fourth. Time, 1:7. Win: £3 0s 6d. Places: £1 19s 6d, £4 Is. Second division: 3/3 FAIRFLEET (8) 8-4 N. D. Riordan 1; 1/1 URUPUKAPUKA (2) 8-10 G. R. Edge 2; 7/6 BUONA SERA 8-5 N. B. Holland 3. Scratched: Blossom Time, Gay Future, Arga, Princess Dee. Length; two lengths. Double Image fourth. Time. 1:6. Win: £3 13s. Places: £2 3s 6d. £1 18s 6d.

NEWMARKET HANDICAP, £2500; 6f. 3/3 BARABOO (13) 7-5 D. A. Raklander 1 12/12 KITTY KILDARE 14) 8-1 N. B. Holland 2 8/8 ROYAL REQUEST (10) 7-7 .. D. J. Finlay 3

6/6 Semprini. 1/1 Pipe Dream, 2/2 Starlit, 4/4 Good Day Peter, 7/5 Michael, 5/7 Summer Blaze. 11/11 Prince Mahmoud, 11/11 Killeymoon, 13/13 Blue Bay, 10/10 Bottle Top, 9/9 Fontura also started.

Nose; half a head. Good Day Peter fourth. Time, 1:10 3-5. Win: £9. Places: £2 10s 6d, £9 2s, £4 18s.

ROBINSON HANDICAP, £1000; It.— 2/1 BOSCAR (3) 8-8 N. B. Holland 1; 1/2 ROYAL CHASE (1) 8-13 G. F. Hughes 2; 11/11 KOWLOON (8) 8-5 car. 8-6 R. J. Leggett 3. Scratched: Pinza Boy, Freeway, Ski, Greymoon, Innes Maid, Skyline, Black Admiral, Trueman. Two lengths and a half; two lengths. Awaroa fourth. Time, 1:24. Win: £5 6s. Places: £2 Is 6d, £2 Is 6d, £9 8s 6d.

GREAT NORTHERN DERBY, £5000; three-year-oids; Um.— 2/2 SOBIG (9) 8-10 I. Medcalfe 1; 4/5 THUNDERHEAD (11) 8-10 N. B. Holland 2; 7/6 SUNSET FAIR (10) G. L. Willetts 3. Scratched: Kouratane. Two lengths: three lengths and a half. Trial Offer fourth. Time, 2:30. Win: £3 8s 6d. Places: £1 7s, £3 3s, £3 14s 6d.

CHRISTMAS HANDICAP, £2000; Im —B/6 WILFUL (15) 7-2 B. F. Andrews 1; 1/1 RED COUNT (2) 8-12 G. F. Hughes 2; 5/5 MISS EUNICE (17) 7-1 R. C. Lang 3. Scratched: Funny Story, Gauntlet, Kangaroo Town. Half a length; same. Lerua fourth. Time, 1:35 2-5. Win: £ll 3s 6d. Places: £3 15s, £1 13s. £3.