Calvados Making Good Progress For N.Z. Cup

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30884, 18 October 1965, Page 5

Calvados Making Good Progress For N.Z. Cup

Calvados showed he was making satisfactory progress in his preparation for next month’s New Zealand Cup when he won the Claude Stock Memorial Handicap in style at Orari on Saturday.

Mr J. Sew Hoy and Mrs W. Wong’s good stayer led for the best part of the last halfmile to win the Geraldine Racing Club’s feature race easing up by two lengths.

J. Didham, who prepares Calvados at Wingatui for his Dunedin owners, intends to give the horse one more race before the rich two-miler at Riccarton.

The Count Rendered gelding will be a ready-made favourite for the main event at Gore next Saturday. There is a possibility that he will also be taken to Wyndham the following week but he will only be there to gallop after the races. No decision has been made about a cup rider for Calvados but the chances are that the Riccarton horseman, D. N. Hadfield, who handled the horse so capably on Saturday, will be offered the mount. A final decision will probably be made after Hadfield rides Calvados at Gore.

Although Calvados had failed to show form on his present campaign he was a firm favourite on Saturday with win-and-place betters and second choice for the double. In a double pool which amounted to £21,569 5s he carried 7683) 10s tickets, 126 less than Fieldmaster.

When the scramble for positions was over in the Claude Stock Memorial Calvados was at the rear of the field. But Hadfield took him forward on the outside as they ran down the back and he was a clear leader three furlongs out. As they ran to the straight he was out by four lengths and although eased inside the last furlong he won as he liked.

Opportunity, which ran in the third line for much of the race, responded gamely to a hard ride to take second

from Fieldmaster, which came from far back. A length separated these two and Windvale Lass, running on from mid-field, was a length away fourth.

A length and a half back Sir Athol and Marlow deadheated for fifth. Sir Athol had made the pace till Calvados took over and Marlow had tracked him till the half-mile but both were together, leading the chase, on the home turn.

Race Guide, third last as the field left the straight but three wide in the third line on the home turn, led in the others.

Bell Man, another strong fancy, was eighth at the line. He gradually lost his position on the inside and was last of the field at the half-mile and second-last on the home turn. Bold Venture kept a winning record intact and completed the double, worth £22 18s 6d for £l, when he outran the sprinters in the Stewards’ Handicap. The double dividend was shared by the holders of 3110 5s tickets of which 381 were held on the course.

Bold Venture, which won the corresponding event at Orari three weeks ago for his Wingatui trainer, A. I. Powell, and Mr D. A. Bedford, succeeded again with pacemaking tactics.

B. J. Anderson hustled Bold Venture along from the start and he reached the front at the end of two furlongs. He had a good break on the others as he came to the straight but Fairlane, Cranbrook and Status Symbol were cutting quickly into his lead right near the end.

Bold Venture won by half a length then half-heads separated Fairlane, Cranbrook and Status Symbol, the next three to finish. Fairlane was left leading the chase when Vitamise dropped out on the home turn. Cranbrook had shared the third line with Deladana till the home turn and Status Symbol ran in the line behind them.

Yankinville, the tail-ender till the home turn, was also

involved in this spectacular finish. He came fast and late wide out on the track and was a head away fifth, a neck ahead of Gold View, another running on at the end.