PROSPECTS FOR AUST. CLASSICS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31135, 11 August 1966, Page 4

PROSPECTS FOR AUST. CLASSICS

Performances of the three-year-olds provide the most interesting angle of racing at this time of the year. Form of the autumn is regarded as giving pointers to the prospects in the classics and the semi-classics, but each season towards the end of August new horses of ability come along.

At Rosehill on Saturday Garcon and Prince Max won their races and lost nothing of their attractiveness, even if they added nothing. In Melbourne Castle Command and Rhode Island continued with their good form and Castle Command is now named as a Derby runner. Garcon is the three-year-old gelding by Rawalpindi from Festive Air, which missed being sold as a yearling only because his sire, a New Zealand i stallion, would have little (appeal to Sydney yearling I buyers. ; His dam had been bought 'by D. Chrystal in New ZeaI land because of her prospects [ as a broodmare, and with no ; regard at all for her foal. I But because the foal grew ' into such a strong gelding it was decided to see if he could 'gallop. Four wins in succes-l ision have now come his way, | (Saturday's run with 9-7 in the I saddle proving one of thel i easiest of them. Only Twice Garcon is by a stallion which j raced only twice before anj 'accident caused his retire-! ment. But Rawalpindi isj j beautifully bred as a sire of I (stayers, for he is by Pinza] ((Derby winner) from Malindi,| a Nearco mare tracing to Mumtaz Mahal, and carries in his pedigree three strains of Blanford (sire of four English Derby winners). So far his stud record in New Zealand has not matched (his pedigree, although Garcon] may well bring him back into’ fashion again. ; Garcon’s dam descends from ; a half-sister to an English' Oaks winner. Commotion, who became dam of Faux Tirage. I the side in New Zealand of horses that could sprint and' stay, among them the Mel-' bourne Cup winner, Straight Draw. Prince Max won the Sires Produce Stakes in the aut-1 •umn. but he is by Renegade! '(imp,), a sprinter, and the] (stable is not certain that] (Prince Max will stay, even though his dam carries staying strains. Saturday’s run took on some, glamour by reason of the post- i ing of the time as a course: record for six furlongs and a |

half. Detracting from this is i the fact that the record has I stood for 16 years, and for a I very good reason. ’ The only time that a Flying 1 Handicap at Rosehill is run over six furlongs and a half 1 is during the winter, and then ' only when the false rail is in use—as it was on Saturday. Therefore, the opportunity 1 to break the old record seldom occurs or, like all the other ( Rosehill records, it would have gone years ago. Prince Max took too long to beat Aldor to rate his performance very highly. The explanation from the jockey, C. Clare, that Prince Max loafed in the last half furlong was not acceptable to many who watched the race closely. It was not to the credit of the rider that he allowed this Ito happen in a finish in which the prevailed by only a neck. Castle Command is by Summertime from Castle Queen and raced a couple of times lin New Zealand early in the [spring, before being bought [for Australia. He failed to show form at | the V.R.C. autumn meeting. ■ but late last month, racing for j the first time after his spell, jhe won at Ballarat in maiden company. On Saturday he raced in a much better field at Caulfield. j and his performance rates! him as one of the staying i ! prospects in the new crop of I three-year-olds. Rhode Island is the son of I Dear Brutus, the horse by I Whistler at Bongalong Stud i in the Muttama Valley, owned 'by F. Rose. Dear Brutus is a beautifully ’balanced chestnut, standing' [just over 16.2 and Rhode! [ Island is one of the first [crop, a small one at that, of ' which very few have yet been; , tried. Rhode Island was not I brought out until May, and ! his education runs were at (country meetings in Victoria: (where he won three races. He had seven starts in two months for wins at five and a half furlongs, six furlongs and seven furlongs, the latter at 'Bendigo. He was a hot favjourite each time, indicating I the stables’ confidence.