Rainfall Tipped For Cup At Avondale

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31153, 1 September 1966, Page 4

Rainfall Tipped For Cup At Avondale

“The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND. Except that Rainfall should again run very well, the outcome of the Avondale Cup on Saturday seems almost as uncertain as it could be. Rainfall, with 8-12, is one of the top-weights. The middle of the handicap is packed with prospects and Mr Fagan and Mighty Fair are among the good light-weights.

Rainfall easily won the Jellicoe Handicap at Ellerslie last Saturday so she will be trying the double which Mantovani took last year. In 1962, the year of his great Melbourne successes, Even Stevens won the Jellicoe and finished third in the Avondale Cup. Rainfall will be carrying her Jellicoe Handicap weight again in the Avondale Cup, the rest of those which competed in the mile at Ellerslie last week—Red Crest, Gold Chick, Wiri, Diamond and Red Filou—have five (Gold Chick), six or seven lb less. When Mantovani won the Jellicoe Handicap he carried 8.11 and he had exactly the same weight in the Avondale Cup. Even Stevens dropped 31b from the Jellicoe to 7.11 in the cup. Rainfall has yet to go the Avondale Cup distance successfully but there is hardly a doubt she will stay the 11 furlongs. She was caught a trifle unprepared or perhaps not quite herself when she failed last year. Meanwhile she has taken the Cornwall Handicap, a mile and a quarter, at Ellerslie as well as some good sprints. If her appearance is an indi-

cation, Rainfall has thrived since last week-end. She moved nicely in pacework yesterday at Takanini and pulled up well. Back Runner All that counts against Rainfall is her habit of losing ground at the start so as to run at the back for the first few furlongs. In the Jellicoe Handicap she was near last to start with. Her backers would prefer her to keep closer in the early running on Saturday. For all the length of the run home horses which race near the front seem to enjoy most success in middle distances at Avondale. If Rainfall is beaten it may be by an up and coming stayer like Mr Fagan. One of two four-year-olds in the field. Mr Fagan looks as though he might become a good handicap winner. He has 7.1 and will be riden by D. A. Peake, a very competent Takanini lightweight who is due for a good win. Out of his distance, Mr Fagan finished ninth out of 22 in the Jellicoe Handicap. The time before he came seventh and looked unlucky in the Whakatane Cup, 101 furlongs, at Tauranga. Three starts back, at the tail of last season, he won an intermediate mile at Avondale easily with 8.6 from Sunny Filou (8.1 and Corbassiere (8.10). Mr Fagan has not yet won a longer distance than a mile; on the other hand he has made few attempts. Over a mile he has looked at best a very likely stayer. One of his good races last spring was for second behind Urupukapuka in the Great Northern Guineas. Whether Mighty Fair tac-

kies the cup will not be decided until after he gallops at Takanini this morning. He is in the Swanson Handicap, a middle-distance hack event as well. Mighty Fair is at the peak of his form and being a free galloper he would have to be respected in the cup. He has been best so far up to a mile but he is bred to go a longer Kictanpp Clarendon (7.12). Town Guard (7.9), New Tiki (7.7) and Corbassiere (7.6) rate consideration and Elkayel and Gold Chick which have 7.10 and 8.10 respectively, are always likely to run well in the big handicaps. In Form A win for Clarendon is overdue. If it comes on Saturday it will be well deserved because he managed good minor placings in each of hia last three attempts. Last time Clarendon finished third out of 20 in the Johnson Memorial 10 furlongs and 22 yards, at Matamata and he was fourth in the Whakatane Cup the time before. He is a seven-year-old which has sometimes looked pretty good. Town Guard won the Whakatane Cup, in his very latest race, by a length and a half. That was a solid performance even allowing that Mr Fagan and New Tiki were crowded out in the last furlong. Under the lower handicap scale Town Guard has only one pound more to carry this time. New Tiki collected a fourth in a sprint at Pukekohe immediately before he ran at Tauranga. That run and the one in the Whakatane Cup, suggested he might be ready at any time for a good win. He showed himself last autumn to be a capable middle-distance runner. Fleeting Moment, an eight-year-old from Woodville, has been a very fair stayer at best and his last-start second over a mile and a quarter at Tauherenikau a fortnight ago suggests he is near top form again.