TROTTING Password Picked To Win Marlborough Cup

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30666, 4 February 1965, Page 4

TROTTING Password Picked To Win Marlborough Cup

Fresh runners on the Nelson-Marlboirough circuit could dominate the finish of the Marlborough Cup, main event and first leg of the T.A.B. double on the first day of the Marlborough Trotting Club’s annual meeting on Saturday.

Password, a wellperformed four-year-old in C. S. Donald’s Belfast stable, could be one of the strongest fancies but there will also be solid backing for Loyal Hanover and Seafield Scott.

Although he has not previously been tried as a two-miler this season Password is thoroughly seasoned and also right at the top of his form. On his recent campaign at Hutt Park he was placed twice —the second time over the middle distance —and just beforehand won as a sprinter at Washdyke.

Loyal Hanover will have also made Hutt Park form valuable if he proves to be one of Password’s strongest rivals.

Loyal Hanover led all the way for a mile and a half to win the Silverstream Handicap on her first night of the Wellington meeting on January 16. He attempted two miles in the Hororata Handicap at his start before last but a slow beginning cost him his chance and he finished in the middle of the field. Loyal Hanover’s latest race was the Moorhouse Stakes at Addington yesterday week. In the last two furlongs of that mile and a quarter event he finished strongly from midfield for a close fourth. Sound Record Seafield Scott has had three starts on a fresh campaign and has not been placed in any of them, the most recent being the Hororata Handicap in which he was eighth. But his form earlier in the season was solid. It included two wins, three seconds and a third from seven starts.

Seafield Scott is prepared at Templeton by F. E. Newfield who harnessed Sirretta to win the Marlborough Cup 12 months ago. Unless Borodin is capable of coming up with a run similar to the one which gave him second behind April Showers in the two-mile Reefton Cup in December it is likely that most opposition for the newcomers will come from among the form runners which raced at Nelson last week-end. Sweet Rosalie, the President’s Handicap winner at Nelson on Monday, and Sir Echo, which improved on two sec-

onds In the main distance races to win the main race for sprinters on the second day, are bound to have solid backing. Thrift, the runner-up to Sir Echo in the last race on Monday, could also have a strong following. He finished second to Sirretta in the Marlborough Cup last year right on top of a sprint win at Nelson. Second Leg Fancies Efficacious, Flight Adios and Vista Abbey could be the pick of the sprinters in the second leg. the President’s Handicap. Efficacious has been racing with marked consistency since she joined D. G. Jones’ Templeton stable. The worst she has been in four starts was fourth and that was at her last start, in the Cressy Stakes at Addington yesterday week. At her previous start she finished third to Doctory Barry and Alpine Lady in the O. J. Watson Challenge Stakes at Hororata and she won her way

out of maiden class impressively at Washdyke one start earlier. Flight Adios rounded off a sound patch of place form with a runaway win in the Nelson Maiden Stakes Final last Monday. He is not the most reliable of beginners but has exceptional ability once he does strike his gait. Although Vista Abbey did not win a race at Nelson she was placed in each of her two starts there. Another good run close up on her record was her second in the Cressy Stakes at Addington yesterday week. The Cressy Stakes winner was Friendly Tom which will have solid backing in this event if he performs well in the Hillersden Handicap earlier in the day. The same will apply to Strathallan, another dually engaged last-start winner. The best of the others could be Emily and Shinto, two members of C. S. Donald’s team with sound place form on their records.