TROTTING LORDSHIP SEEKING NOTABLE “FIRST”

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30688, 2 March 1965, Page 4

TROTTING LORDSHIP SEEKING NOTABLE “FIRST”

Tough Assignment From 42 Yards In Final

(From Our Own Reporter)

DUNEDIN.

Lordship is expected by most in Dunedin to overcome his handicap of 42 yards and become the first home to win from further back than 36 yards in the InterDominion Championship Grand Final at Forbury Park tomorrow.

The Southland pair, Robin Dundee and Tactile, are next in favour in the £lO,OOO race, but it is generally agreed that the horse favoured with the best run will come out on top in the 14-horse field.

With one or two exceptions, all of the field have shown worthwhile form in the qualifying heats. Disband, Gay Robin and Garcon d’Or, in particular, have come through their three heats in great heart and from the front they cannot be left out of calculations even though they might not measure up to the class of Lordship, Robin Dundee and Tactile as far as sheer brilliance is concerned. Then on 12 yards there are Blazing Globe and Jay Ar, both of which showed signs of improvement when they qualified on Saturday night. A win for any of the others would be a real surprise, which is not unheard of in finals of an Inter-Dominion Championship series. At Addington in 1961, Massacre nosed the favourite False Step out of first after receiving a perfect run throughout the race. Lordship's racing in the heats has not been surpassed by any of his rivals in tomorrow’s race. He won on the first two nights, and on Saturday he was unlucky when second to Robin Dundee. He met trouble at a crucial stage of the race and did extremely well to finish so close up. Lordship, without doubt, is the most brilliant pacer at the

meeting, but because he will have to pass all of his 13 rivals on the five furlong track and still keep in reserve a final two-furlong sprint at better than two-minute speed his task will be a big one. Lordship has shown that he can make several sprints in his races and still come out on top. He will need luck not to be forced over too much extra ground, but in spite of all these disadvantages he is still certain to be favourite. Robin Dundee has come to form right at the most important stage of the meeting. She reproduced all of her old dash when she won her sprint heat on Saturday as a trial for the final. She could not have been more impressive.

A Healthy Respect All the trainers and drivers In the final have a healthy respect for Tactile. He has had a win. a second and a fifth in the qualifying heats. He followed those races with a solid work-out at Forbury Park yesterday. He has tremendous speed and stamina, far superior to that of most of his rivals. Those factors should ensure him, at least, of a placing. Australians have high hopes of a bold showing from Blazing Globe. His trainer, P. J. Hall, felt that he was underdone after the first two heats

and he worked him hard last Friday tnorning. He showed the benefit of that run when he won on Saturday night. His time was the slowest of the three heats, but for all that he won handily. His record in Australia suggests that he is a better-than-aver-age pacer, and he might now be at the stage where he could hold his own against the best horses available in this country.

Disband is an up-and-coming four-year-old. She has come through the meeting in splendid style and she wall not be out of her depth in this company.

Gay Robin is probably the most reliable pacer on the limit. He has thrived since the start of the meeting and was indeed impressive when he won on Saturday. If, as is expected, he secures a favourable run, he could make the handicapped horses work hard for a win. Garcon d’Or, too, is returning to his peak, and it will be surprising if he fails to become prominent. A win for Soanfra would not be a complete surprise. He is probably in better condition than any of his rivals. He has thrived on his three hard races and will strip in great heart. However, if they receive a reasonable run, Lordship, Robin Dundee and Tactile should dispute the finish.

The Pacers’ Grand Final ; will be the first leg of the \ double with the second leg i being run on the Trotters’ Grand Final, for which the South Australian mare Gramel will be a commanding favourite. Undefeated Gramel’s form in the heats, in which she was unbeaten, suggests that she would be almost unbeatable. However, her connexions are not so confident, in spite of her tremendous win on Saturday after being forced very wide for most of the last mile.

“She has been very keyed up since the second night of the meeting,” said her trainer, J. Roberts, yesterday morning. “She is doing things, now she has never done before. She won’t trail in her races and she is inclined to go into a pace every now and then. She’s well enough in herself and I've no doubts about her ability to master the two miles but we’re going to need all the luck in the world tomorrow.” He thought the consistent Fourina would be the hardest for Gramel to beat. She is a proven stayer with a fine record over two miles.

Acquit impresses as the most likely improver in the field. His efforts in two of his heats and, in particular, last Saturday night, showed that he was returning to the splendid form he showed last season.

Acquit is a most determined stayer, capable of rac-

ing anywhere in a field. He is certain to be running on more strongly than most of his rivals and a win for him would not be a complete upset. The two Auckland trotters, Scotleigh and Our Eileen, have fine staying records, with Scotleigh appealing most of the pair. He has shown amazing speed in his races at the meeting and has been unlucky not to have returned a dividend. His driver, D. J. Townley, is getting to know him better and the combination could take beating.

Asia Minor and the Victorian representative Corop McElwin showed improvement when they finished first and fourth respectively on Saturday and both could be prominent, as also could Uteena and Poupette, two well-performed mares. However, if Gramel receives anything approaching a reasonable run she should again run her New Zealand rivals off their feet. Fair weather is forecast and the track will again be fast. Fields, with form and drivers, for the T.A.B. double races are: 9 p.m.— PACERS* GRAND FINAL, £10,000; 13f and 108yds. 3017 Disband (6), D. G. Jones .. It. 0932 Garcon d’Or (7) . . It.

Nyhan .. 42 Brackets: Jay Ar and Garcon d’Or; Trade Fair and Van Rebeck. 10.30 p.m.— TROTTERS’ GRAND FINAL, £3000; 2m.

8231 Gay Robin (8). A. M. Purdon .. It. 8288 Junior Royal (2), J. D. Litten .. It. 5533 Pancho Boy (3), F. E. Newfield It. 1176 Soanfra (1), C. C. Keats It. 4200 Trade Fair (4), J. A. Carmichael .. It. 7814 Van Rebeck (5), W. R. Butt ..It. 301 Blazing Globe (N.S.W.) (5), P. J. Hall .. 12 3852 Jay Ar (3) . 12 1024 Oreti (1), T. W. Allcock .. .12 2021 Robin Dundee (2), D. J. Townley .. 12 125 Tactile (4), R. M. Cameron .12 1112 Lordship (1), D. D.

9203 Acquit (4). J. A. CarIt. michael 0751 Asia Minor (5), W. J. Doyle It. 024 Corop McElwyn (Vic.) (10), G. Gath It. 6212 Fourina (7), J. A. Donaldson It. 8439 Grand Charge (6), K. D. Murray It. 0305 Poupette (1), H. W. Cox It. 0023 Snow Globe (3), D. D. Nyhan It. 2368 Tronso (9), C. A. White It. 3177 Uteena (2), O. M. Quinlan It. 5030 White World (8), D. C. Watts It. 0248 Scotleigh (1), D. J. Townley .. 12 7402 Our Own (1), D. G. Jones 18 8740 Our Eileen (1), E. C. Hair 24 111 Gramel (1), J. Roberts 36