RACING NORTHERN SUCCESS LIKELY AGAIN

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31521, 8 November 1967, Page 5

RACING NORTHERN SUCCESS LIKELY AGAIN

The only thing certain about racing today at Riccarton is that North Island stables will supply the favourites for at least half the programme.

Northerners made a spectacular grand slam at Riccarton on Cup Day, and the combined efforts of Baloo, Min Flicka, Laramie, and Empyreus in the Canterbury Gold Cup, and Royal Chase and Jane Blithe in the Jockey Club Handicap, should make the north’s record even better in major races at the meeting.

The Canterbury Cup and the Jockey Club Handicap will form today’s T.A.B. double.

Everything points to the Canterbury Gold Cup being the most spectacular race of the meeting. Opinions differ as to what form will really matter —I whether it will be New Zea-' land Cup form, as represent-1 ed notably by Laramie, or the Riccarton Handicap form, which appears to give' Baloo and Court Belle solid chances. But Trentham form could be the best value of all, and no-one could be surprised if Min Flicka’s Pearce Handicap victory and Empyreus’s fast-finishing third in the Harcourt Stakes on the same programme at the Wellington spring meeting proved best. Royal Chase and Jane : Blithe, which will dispute j favouritism for the Jockey I Club Handicap, are trained at J Woodville by two strong I patrons of C.J.C. meetings. I Royal Chase, a fast-finishing i fifth in the Stewards’ Handicap last Saturday, is preipared by S. A. Brown, who’ iwon the Welcome Stakes with IWeenell on Saturday. 1 Jane Blithe, the impressive' ! winner of the Hagley Handi-: ■cap, nine furlongs, last SaturI day, is owned and trained by 'E. Ropiha, so is a stablemate i of Baloo. ■ If first-day form is at all ; accurate the northerners (Should quickly make their i mark on today's programme. i Tainoch is the obvious favourite for the Port Cooper I High-weight after an easy [win in the corresponding race' i on Cup Day. : The Awapuni-trained Tarj gui gelding came late and fast ito win hands down, and it is | difficult to see how a rise of ' 61b for today’s race could i blunt the speed of his finishing run. However, the Wanganuitrained Royal Escort and Woodville’s Rahpete both shaped as if they would improve on their first day runs for fifth and sixth respectively. The high-weight is the' ■ first leg of today's on-course double. Jean Armour, an impressive winner of her last two races, should be difficult to: match in the Apprentices ■ Handicap, second leg of the on-course double. I THE PRACTICAL APPROACH TO I SELLING OR BUYING I WITH SATISFYING RESULTS IS THROUGH CLASSIFIEDS "THE PRESS” "THE PRESS” l CARRIES YOUR MESSAGE I EARLY TO MORE THAN 70,M0 I FAMILIES IN CITY. SUBURBS, I AND COUNTRY. . i