Confer Picked For Hurdles At Ellerslie

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 6

Confer Picked For Hurdles At Ellerslie

"The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND.

With hardly any time to go before the big race th^ re , ®> no saying which will be the favourite for the £3500 Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie this afternoon.

Confer seems certain to be one of the best backed. J. H. Hely and Khoringa are assured of great support and a weight of T.A.B. money is expected to make the Riverton visitor, Macdonald, one of the most popular fancies.

Had the weather continued wet yesterday Confer would almost certainly be the best backed because he is out on his own in heavy ground. As it is the conditions seem more likely to be the way of Khoringa, which prefers firmer going Prettypeen, the top-weight, is one of the candidates which runs well whatever the footing.

The course at Ellerslie was heavy for the training last Tuesday but it has since dried considerably. If the fine spell continues the going will be soft but not as deep as it is usually.

Confer, along with Prettypeen and Jumping Joe, is in the Great Northern Steeplechase as well as the hurdles In today’s event he has 9st lib and on Monday he has been given 9st. He is to be ridden in both races by R. J. Sutherland, a 24-year-old Takanini jockey who has mixed riding on the flat and over jumps with fair success. The grave doubts whether

Prettypeen, after setbacks to her preparation, would be ready for the Great Northern were dispelled ’somewhat by her brilliant performance in training at Matamata on Thursday. But with two and a half miles to run, at a strong pace, she might still find the last bit too tough. It is in her favour that she is a fast jumper which very seldom makes a mistake. Khoringa will probably run to the front quicklv and try to stay there. The Great Northern has often been won that way. The form which Macdonald has shown in the south suggests he is better than his efforts at Te Rapa last month might indicate. He began too slowly to have much chance in his two hurdling engagements at Te Rapa and finished fourth and third. Eiffel Tower, the favourite for the Penrose Hurdles, and the Great Northern Steeplechase top-weight Kora] (Hunt Hurdles) will also be running today for the Riverton stable of W. J. Hillis. A wet track would make Silver Eagle a strong cand>d ate and To Reign, with steeplechase wins in each of his last two starts, is worth respect. Silver Eagle is a good stayer which can just about be guaranteed to finish well With the scratching of Emsie the field for the Great Northern was reduced to 10, I the smallest number that has run in the race since Esper-

ance Bay beat nine opponents in 1941. The average number of starters in recent years has been 13. a . The winning gallop over the two and a half miles and 10 Hights has been as fast as 4min 34 3-ssec, by Solar Mist in 1954, and as slow lately as 4min 57sec, Elrey’s time in 1962. Fields:—

GREENLANE STEEPLECHASE, £lOOO, 2Jm —Count Lin (8) 10-5, Tontine (16) 9-8; Explicit (11) 9-7: King's Credit <»>. Pppof (5) 9-6: Big Chief (15). Black Emperor (41. Coral View (19). No Regrets (13), Owai's WIJ Bov (3) Summer Sun <l2> Surom’phe (6), Wee Ted (1) 9-0. Bracket: King’s Credit and Suranl. Scratched: Wee Amyn (14).

11.40 a.m.— HUNT HURDLES, £1000: Jm.Koral (9) 10-9: HiiWght (6) 10-5; Mo-i-rana <8) 9-8: Dry Martin: (1) 9-4; Convarto (2), Treble (5) 9-1: Bluebeat (3) 9-0. Scratched: Johnny Dee (4), Satchmo (7).

12.25 p.m.— GREAT NORTHERN HURDLES. £3500; 2im. It lb 9414 Prettypeen (7) .. 10 2 8035 Robert Earl (8) ..10 0 7671 Khoringa (6) ..9 12 1143 Macdonald (3) ..9 4 9766 Jumping Joe (1) ..9 3 3200 Lucid (11) ..OS 8762 Confer (5) ..9 1 3708 Monoceros (9) .. 9 1 0423 Silver Eagle (4) ..9 1 8511 To Reign (2) ..9 1 Scratched: Emsie (10). 1.10 p.m.— PENROSE HURDLES, £1000; l<m.—Riglaw (3) 10-2; Elffe’ Tower (5) 10-1: Sonny Dakar <2) 9-11; Classified (1) 9-9; B'ne Bay (8) 9-4: Miss Raye (7), Stanza (4) 9-0. Scratched: Count Serene (6).

EmNWALL HANDICAP, £2600; lim. It lb 3012 Tatua <9> ..9 12 1605 Elkayel (4) . .. 9 o 7511 Roganne (3) ..8 10 9000 Mantovani <2l> 8 # 5110 Admiral Donnlngten (14) ..88 3342 Yardstick (11) .. s s 6031 Rainfall (16) ..8 7 6609 Tardini (18) ..8 7 7955 Craddeek <l3> ..8 5 0233 Midnight Rise (It) .. s s 1700 Old and Bold (5) .. 8 2 4036 Fairfleet <ls> ..to 0080 My Contact (1) ..so too Blue Heather (22) .. 7 i.i 445 S Old Parr (10) .. 7 12 6709 Weatherly (12) .. 7 12 Scratehed; Micheltne (17>, Sunset Fair (0). Anne Lane (2>, Regal Ruler (26), Carlynn (8). Tawa Mahal (7).

hbSne BAY HANDICAP, £lOOO Im. —Stirling Castle (20) 9-1: Mr Fagan (13) 8-12; Nurmi (1O) 8-11; Dr. Simon (6) 8-6; Gambado (7) 8-5; Dontdne (141. T rlna (9) 8-4; Fine Summer (Si. 8-3: Achates (4), Hywyn (It), Kopia (15). Outlawed (1), Treasure Castle (12)

8-2; Bright Light (16). Lsanths (8) 8-1: Chianti Wins (17). Fleet Fileu (5), Jeenle Bee (11). Riilngl Kites (2). Sir Polo (22), Tlrteen (21) 8-0. Scratched: Lochfair (18).

5.20 p.m.— JERVOIS HANDICAP, £1900: 7f. —Dlsinee (21) 8-13; Invincible (20) 8-11; Head Fancy (19) 8-5; Chatsworth Dee (16). Foxaro (3), Triple Wood (24), Venturer (121 8-2; Beau Coup (25), Cigarro (8) Golden Guy (T). Maverick (14). Springlo (18). Sureve (IS). Yvonne (23), Recks (13) 81: Conjurer (22), Coupe de Grace (2), Drizzel (10), Great Companion (28), Pacific Prince (17). Sealyn (9), Yvonne's Pride <s> 8-0.

Balloted out with right of reentry: Teulra (26), Sabre Jet (It), Nauplius (1), Jaydee <6> 8-9.

Brackets; Chatsworth Dee and Jaydte; Yvonne’s Pride and Sealyn; Teulra and Sabre Jet. Scratched: Torphlns (27), Peter Hawkins (4).

4.10 p.m.— MEMBERS’ HANDICAP, £1250: It.— Rohe Potae (9) 9-1: Crojack (21) 8-9; Mali Pater (17). Tuam (15) 1-8; Blue Baron (18) 8-6: Equality (11) fi-8; Ross field (22), Special Request (5) 8-2; Queen's Poet (1), Undercounter (2) 8-1; Cara me-lte (14), Count Two (4), Gold Tax (6), High News (7), Khan Sahib (t). Little Stranger (3' Loyal Ruler (12), Royal Fair (19), Travel Alone (13), Urstnus (19). Vai Vua (16) 1-6. Scratched: Wonderbar (29), Merry Men (23).