Thrilling Gold Cup Race Is Likely

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31016, 23 March 1966, Page 4

Thrilling Gold Cup Race Is Likely

"The Press” Special Service

PALMERSTON NORTH.

The stage is set for a thrilling Awapuni Gold Cup on Saturday. Horses to meet in the event include Terrific, Palisade, Sobig, and Golden Defoe. The encounter is certain to be the highlight of the Manawatu Racing Club’s autumn meeting.

Golden Defoe won a place in the field by trouncing his Dewar Handicap rivals last Saturday. He will be ridden again by R. A. Jenkins in whose care R. T. Cotter has left the gelding for this week.

Cotter regards Terrific as his main rival. “He will be hard to beat, but I think we could safely look forward to second place at least,’ he said. Terrific, which recorded a New Zealand mile and threequarters record in the St Leger at Trentham, has come i through the race well. He I will strip in solid order for IG. F. Hughes, who again has ithe mount His speed must make him a formidable rival. In fact there is a chance that he may lower Key’s record of 2min 2 4-ssec for the race. Hughes rode Mainbrace when he clocked 2min 3sec for the event as a three-year-old.

Palisade, a proven stayer with a great record, will come in well under the weight for

age scale. He will have R. J. Skelton to ride him and few are prepared to discount his chances, especially if the sting should be out of the track. Skelton knows Palisade well and rates him one of the best gallopers he has ridden in a highly successful career. He was a winner at Awapuni last autumn when J. R. Dowling had the mount. Sobig was pronounced a sure starter by G. W. B. Greene after he had run a bold, but unlucky, sixth at Pukekone on Saturday. The Summertime horse was blocked at the furlong when challenging strongly, Sobig, a top class horse at this distance, may be the one to test Terrific. Normally, he is ridden by G. F. Hughes, but a new jockey will have to be found this time as Hughes will be on Terrific. Sobig is favoured as the one most likely to clock fast enough time to beat the three-year-old and it will be interesting to see how Hughes goes about trying to beat him.