TROTTING N.Z. Derby Stakes Could Be Highlight Of Season

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31169, 20 September 1966, Page 8

TROTTING N.Z. Derby Stakes Could Be Highlight Of Season

The 1966 £2500 New Zealand Derby Stakes, to be run at Addington Raceway on November 19, looks likely to develop into the race of the season.

Already interest in the classic is quickening, and this will no doubt be intensified after the T. S. Harrison Three - year - old Stakes at Methven on Saturday.

Semloh and Stewart Hanover were two of last season’s top two-year-olds in the South Island and made a fresh start in the New Brighton Stakes at Addington Raceway on Saturday. Governor Frost, a winner at his only start last term, reappeared in the Grey Lynn Handicap at Alexandra Park on Saturday. Montage, Cardinal King and Thurboprop have been Canterbury three-year-olds to win restricted age events so far this season. Montage and Cardinal King showed fine form last term and are making splendid progress in their preparations for important spring classics.

The real test will come when the horses named above encounter Holy Hal, last season’s top juvenille, for a first time at three years. This fine colt proved a class above his rivals in the New Zealand Sapling Stakes, Cardinal King doing well to finish secord. In addition there will be several other promising three-year-olds to contest restrictive age events before the Derby and one or two of them could improve sufficiently to make

Holy Hal work hard to maintain his position at the top. Of the first eight to finish in the New Brighton Stakes only the fourth horse, Hagen, has not been returned a winner. The Flying Song-Gatley gelding has shown plenty of speed, which is not surprising as he is out of Gatley, a useful winner from P. G. O’Reilly’s Highbank team. Stylos ran on quite well for fifth, ahead of the Thurber Frost filly, Light Heart, which paced her best race since winning the New Zealand Golden Slipper Stakes last December. Improving Light Heart is now at the improving stage. Although she may find it hard to measure up to the colts and geldings in the Derby, she could get her reward in the New Zealand Oaks, to be run at the New Brighton club’s meeting on December 3. Without doubt, the feature of the New Brighton Stakes was the seventh placing of Cardinal King, which finished less than eight lengths from the winner. He was tailed off early after receiving a bad check and being brought to a standstill. Cardinal King had a fairly hard race and if it has had no ill effects, he should not be long gaining his second win for the season. His placing in the Sapling Stakes makes him one of the*fancied runners for the Derby.

Semloh and Stewart Hanover filled the first two placings in most impressive style at Addington with Montage third after racing wide inside the last three furlongs. Semloh is given very little work, but is a gross colt and his trainer, F. E, Newfield, finds him hard to keep in racing trim. He is a fine youngster and should be a big winner later.

Stewart Hanover had not had the benefit of a run at trials so there was more than average merit in his placing. This free-going roan gelding impresses as a top stayer. He should show sharp improvement as a result of Saturday’s race and should win at least one race before the Derby. Governor Frost is expected to be an Auckland challenger for the Derby, He was well beaten by last season’s top northern three-year-old, Tobias, which started from 60 yards, in his race on Saturday.

Governor Frost, by Ike Frost, is highly regarded by his Pukekohe trainer, R. Purdon, who has one of the strongest teams In New Zealand at present. Governor Frost will race again on the second night of the Auckland meeting. A win then probably would influence his trainer to enter him for the Addington meeting. Meanwhile he will have plenty of racing to suit him in his home province.