Off Course Likely At Auckland

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30635, 29 December 1964, Page 4

Off Course Likely At Auckland

"The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND, Dec. 28. Whether Tatua, Polo Prince, Baloo and Off Course merit all the attention being given them as Auckland Cup candidates should be shown by their form at Ellerslie tomorrow.

Tatua, Polo Prince and Baloo will be meeting at weight-for-age, and Off Course is in the Summer Cup, a middle-distance handicap. Tomorrow’s events at Ellerslie and the training gallops on Wednesday will be the final preliminaries for the cup. A last payment of £3O is due on all horses left in the big event at 8.30 p.m. tomorrow.

Polo Prince, Baloo and Off Course are three of the visiting horses on hand for the Auckland summer meeting. There is a particular glamour attached to Polo Prince, the winner of the Melbourne Cup in November. Off Course is one of the quickest horses running the middle distances these days, yet he might be hard pressed to match the pace of Red Count, a four-year-old from Takanini which has come to a wonderful patch of form.

When it comes to consistency, few horses approach Red Count, which has secured two firsts and three seconds in his last five starts.

In all except one of his many races Red Count has been kept to a mile or a shorter course. The time he went further was at Te Awamutu just a year ago, when he beat all except Kay Filou in the Pirongia Hack Cup, over one mile and a-quarter. Besides Off Course and Red Count, the well-qualified candidates for the Summer Cup include Yardstick. Shakespeare and Lu Filou. The Summer Cup and the

Clifford Plate are both a mile and a quarter. Because of a muddling pace, the Clifford Plate has occasionally been a poor spectacle, but now it is a condition that unless the winning gallop is within four seconds of that in the Summer Cup, the stewards may halve the stake.

It Tatua comes anywhere near the form he showed last autumn he will not have much difficulty in winning. Lately, in mile events, he has been fairly ordinary. Perhaps the longer distance this time will enable hint to run better.

Tatua, Polo Prince and Baloo will race at weight-for-age in the Clifford Plate almost on the same terms as In the cup. The style of running under weight-for-age conditions might suit Baloo better than Polo Prince. Baloo has plenty of speed as well as very fair stamina.

The T.A.B. double will be the Summer Cup and the Electric Handicap, an open sprint over six furlongs, in which Kitty Kildare, Hamir, Alwyn, Bridoon and Khadija are notable. The weather, after being overcast for u time, cleared today and became fine and sunny. The prospects are for similar conditions and a fast track. Selections:

Noon.—Nursery Handicap: Cobbler Lass, Queen's Pride, Fair Fury. 12.40 p.m.—Auckland Hurdles: Marandellas, Gold Myth, Dark Spray. 1.20 p.m.—Summer Cup: Ofl Course. Red Count, Yardstick.

2 p.m.—Clifford Plate: Tatua Thunderhead. Baloo.

2.45 p.m.—Electric Handicap: Hamir, Kitty Kildare, Alwyn. 3.25 p.m.—Ferguson Handicap: Zarabee. Corbassiere, Tavern Time. 4.5 p.m.—Ladies' Mile: Rainfall, Gina Lollobrigida, Cherie Brizard. 4.45 p m.—Ardmore Handicap: Bombay, Standfast, Plrene. Acceptances:— Noon — NURSERY HANDICAP, £lOOO :'6f. —Cobbler Lass (4) 8-11; Silent Night (5) 8-7; Fair Fury (17) 8-5; Royal Marine (21) 8-4: Court News (13), Roman Consul (10) 8-1: Schoolmate (2) 8-0; Barramint! (24), Pharlon (12), Queen’s Pride (3). Untouchable (16) 7-13: Bar Twenty (6), Beckinford (25), Sir John (22), Swift Chick (23) 7-11; Blossom Time (9), Sentry (19) 7-9; Even Up (1), Miss Misty (7) 7-8; Colleen’s Pride (14), Dark Crystal (8), Fair

Square (15), Meadow Fox (20), Sealyn (11) 7-7. Balloted out with right of reentry: Gay Susanne (18) 7-9. 12.40 p.m,— AUCKLAND HURDLES, £1000; Hm and 60yds.—Dark Spray (5) 10-7; Goldmyth (13) 9-13: Marendellas (10) 9-9: Ashbourne Blue (14), Sea Eagle (4) 9-7; Jovic (9), Robert Earl (1), Takina (6) 9-6; Dry Martini (3) 9-4; Faircourt (2), larco (8) 9-3: Perseus (7) 9-2; Kuddles (lj), Owai’s Billy Boy (12) 9-0.

2 p.m.— CLIFFORD PLATE, £1750: weight-for-age: Um.—Baloo (9). Don Palatine (7). Gold Chick (2), Polo Prince (5), Rochdale (11), Tatua (12). Trossach (1) 9-3: Gardone (3) 8-12: Hi Minx (10) 8-9; Skymaster (6), Thunderhead (4) 8-0. Scratched: Red Count (8).

3.25 p.m.— FERGUSSON HANDICAP, £1000; 6f.—Zarabee (1) 8-7; Corbassiere (7), Fair Vision (24), Gold Imp 128) 8-3: Greymoon (19), Tavern Time (15) 8-2; Furious (14) Innes Maid (13) 8-0: Belle Helene (3) 7-12: Black Admiral (17), Double Header (23), Poised (21), Sir Oman (25) 7-11: Judicious (8), Yondee (2) 7-10: Clairvoyant (11). Lady Wilkes <s> 7-9: Nassella (18), Super Do (4), Torquil (16) 7-8. Balloted out with right of re-

entry in the following order: Flanders Folly (29), Man O Man (27), Juthor (10), Bright Light (12), Terranova (30), Nukiniiki (9) 7-8.

Scratched: Bright Myth (26), Bardowie (22), Headsiwin (20). 4.5 p.m.— LADIES’ MILE, £1500; Im Rainfall (9) 8-2; Arabelle (4) 7-10; Almiranata (3) 7-6; Gina Lollobrigida (6), Nooranee (10), Topsll (5) 7-3; Cherie Brizard (1), Our Lucy (2), Prose (7), Sunny Brae (8) .7-0.

4.45 p.m.— ARDMORE HANDICAP, £1000; Im.—Odeon (19), Bombay (5) 8-6; Plrene (6) 8-5; Pinza Boy (4) 8-4; Misere (12) 8-2; Midnight Kiss (20) 8-0; Kandy (11), Standfast (7), Hi Value (16), Leawayne (3) 7-12: Cardine (9), Don Silva (2), Make Way (14), Outlawed (21) 7-11: Americano (15), Easter Joy (1), Julius (13), Liz (18), Marco Belle (17), Never Despair (10), Parisian Charm (8) 7-10.

1.20 p.m.— SUMMER CUP, £2000; Um. st. lb 2112 Red Count (1) ». 8 13 7211 Yardstick (6) „. 8 11 2260 Blyton (7) .. . 8 9 3225 Off Course (11) 8 0 4434 Shakespeare (3) „. 8 0 0000 Persian Star (2) .. 7 12 3000 Lincoln (9) .. 7 9 0132 Lu Filou (15) 7 7 000 Blue Beard (8) . 7 6 2779 Crojack (12) 7 5 9337 Hilldale (5) 7 5 7326 Noranda (13) . 7 4 060 Pale Face (4) t .. 7 3 0808 Fontamara (10) . 7 0 1735 Umpah (14) 7 0

2.45 p.m.— ELECTRIC HANDICAP, £1250; 6f. St. b. 7092 Kitty Kildare (6) 8 12 05 Khadija (2) 8 0984 Bridoon (7) 7 12 3400 Blue Bay (12) 7 11 0068 Summer Blaze (1) 7 11 0000 Prince Mahmoud (10) 7 10 55 Hamir (9) 7 9 0 Repeal (13) 7 9 Alwyn (5) .. 7 7 3177 Fontura (3) 7 7 500 Killeymoon (8) 7 7 00 Look Twice (14) 7 7 5056 Proud Child (11) .. 7 7 0530 Synola (4) .. 7 7 Bracket: Prince Mahmoud Killeymoon. and