RACING Manana Picked In Cup At Waimate

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31379, 26 May 1967, Page 4

RACING Manana Picked In Cup At Waimate

Everything points to a Manana victory in the Waimate Gup tomorrow. The task of winning with 8-12 does not look too formidable for a horse that won this race hands down last year and has recorded four wins, one second, one third, and one fourth in 16 starts in the meantime.

Three of those four wins have been over a bit of ground, one of them in rich company at Trentham in the spring. More recently he missed another Trentham prize only by inches, and that second behind Point Duty in the Waterloo Handicap on May 10 appeared to be of outstanding value as a Waimate Cup pointer. In running second, a head from the winner and clear of the others, Manana earned £3OO, which brought his earnings to £4235 since he won the 1966 Waimate Cup. Manana carried 121 b above the minimum when he ran second at Trentham. His Waimate Cup weight of Bst 121 b represents a rise of 71b, so it could not be regarded as an expensive placing. Manana is 21b below Carpenter, winner of two of his last three races. Carpenter’s two latest victories have not been achieved in strong metropolitan class fields, but two of his earlier successes this season were in the Dunedin Cup and the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Fendalton Handicap, so his six-year-old campaigning has been fruitful. Last week Carpenter, with Bst 121 b, beat Cassbridge (Bst 101 b) over a mile and a quarter at Gore. A week earlier Cassbridge outclassed 10 others over the same distance on a soft track at Winton when carrying Bst 41b. Solid Form Cassbridge’s five starts leading up to his Winton victory had produced one win, three seconds, and one third —a record to command respect for his Waimate Cup chance. Tumble has had a busier eason than most of his Waimate rivals, but his 25th start as a five-year-old produced a second to the very useful Kalimera in the Amberley Cup last Saturday week. Tumble can muster a sharper sprint than the average middle distance performer on the provincial round and might be hard to peg back if allowed to “kick" away to a handy lead on the turning Waimate course. Hushaway and Sandbank would probably do better on a bigger course. Sandbank showed there is nothing wrong with his present level of fitness by coming from the back for third in the Amberley Cup. Sabell lacks the physique of many of his Cup rivals, but he is not short on gameness and if recent sprint races

have effected the right measure of improvement, this Ricarton-trained Sabaean gelding should battle his way into the finish. Versatile He won three races at a middle distance last year, is at ease in winter conditions, yet had the speed to finish second behind Wester in one of the fastest-run miles of last season at Riccarton.

The three-year-old, Beau Supreme, a good second as a sprinter on a soft track at the Geraldine meeting, should be the best of the others. Gladaub, an eight-year-old, but one of the hard-wearing Kurdistan stock, gets a good chance to improve a versatile record in the President’s Challenge Cup, second leg of the T.A.B. double. Since he ran second to Manana in the Waimate Cup a year ago Gladaub has won six races from the Cochrane stable, one of them as a hurdler at Riccarton, another over hurdles at Wyndham, and open sprints at Wingatui, Gore, Invercargill, and Beaumont There have been failures in his last two starts, but they were in much more distinguished company at Trentham earlier this month. Fresh Runners The fitness, or lack of it, of the best of the fresh-up runners in this field could have a big bearing on the result. Fairlane established her class under winter conditions with a brilliant sprinting hattrick at Riccarton last year. But she has not raced since November. Ursinus, a former North Islander, won five races for the Pratt stable at Orari in his spring and summer campaign. He has been away from racing since January. Our Leigh, though he has

mixed his form, has earned respect as a light-weight chance here through his win in the Dunedin Guineas last September. But he has not raced since December 27. Bold Venture and Etoile Este, the first two in this race last year and the latter a recent winner at Westport, are engaged again. Bold Venture, at 10 years, is long past the improving stage and if the winner is to come from one in the improving section it could be Manana’s stablemate. Time and Tide.

This four-year-old failed fresh up at Amberley, but he commands respect for some solid campaigning in stronger fields early in the season. Five starts on that campaign produced three seconds, one behind Fairlane in the Paparua Handicap at Riccarton.

On their runs at seven furlongs at Amberley, Donnaway and Status Symbol could be light-weight place prospects at least in an open-looking field.

Fields, with form, for the T.A.B. double are:—

1.55 p.m.— 7141 WAIMATE CUP. £850; lim. Carpenter (3) „ St. 9 b. 0 8102 Manana (8) „ 8 12 2212 Cassbridge (2) . 8 10 3502 Tumble (11) 8 5 3966 Hushaway (12) 8 3 0059 Sabell (5) ... 8 3 2034 Lucky. Son (10) 7 11 4353 Sandbank (9) 7 9 5402 Beau Supreme (6) .. 7 7 4417 Golden Silver (1) .. 7 y 7051 Petite Amie (4) 7 7 6807 Tsunami (7) 7 7 3.25 p.m.— PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE CUP, 1400 £500; 61 and 44yds. Gladaub (2) st. lb. 8 12 4077 Fairlane (5) 8 10 398 Bold Venture (6) .. 8 8 4114 Urslnus (3) 8 4 4220 Time and Tide (10) 7 11 9156 Etoile Este (12) 7 10 5736 Glenmorven (1) 7 8 0327 Ronrico (7) 7 8 0 Apparel (13) 7 7 3455 Donnaway (4) 7 7 0009 Our Leigh (8) 7 7 540 San Saba (8) 7 7 6897 Status Symbol (11) .. 7 7