Interest In Smith’s Plan

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31540, 30 November 1967, Page 4

Interest In Smith’s Plan

(From the Australian correspondent of “The Press”) SYDNEY. T. J. Smith will break new ground if he takes Argentina to New Zealand for the Wellington Cup.

One of the interesting angles is that people will be able to see how New Zealand handicappers rate Australian form and whether an Australian stable is given the same encouragement to start that many people say is given to New Zealand stables when they enter horses for Australian races. Argentina returned to form on Saturday by winning the Balgowlah Handicap at Rosehill, run over one mile and a quarter.

The merit of the performance was dulled in a way by a finish in which a long head and two lengths separated the placed horses. He beat the eight-year-old Faux Tirage gelding, Arc-en-ciel, and the seven-year-old Immortal gelding, Nandaroo, and four

others which carried Bst 11b or less. But Smith is well satisfied with the form so far, although he admits that Argentina will have to go on improving if the trip is to be I made. N.Z.-BRED Argentina was bought at the New Zealand sales, being by Le Filou (imp) from Teina. Smith does not often keep one of the yearlings bought I in New Zealand; he was “left” with Tulloch for three months before a stable patron, the late Mr E. A. Haley, took the champion. But he kept Argentina and the gelding, now a five-year-old, took a long time before he began to justify his trainer’s faith. Argentina won his first race in the autumn of 1966, and the next spring he won two restricted races, one of them in record time for 9 furlongs and 80 yards at Canterbury, and the other in runaway fashion over one mile and a half at Warwick Farm. A month later he had three starts in' cup events, running well each time, but being unplaced. Saturday’s win was his first since then, and was his second start after an absence of 12 months from racing, I Teina won seven sprint

races before she went to the stud.

She is a half sister to the good stayer Unfaan, whose wins included one at Randwick in good company over one mile and a half. It is a New Zealand family of some note and its members include the winners of several important long-distance races. Argentina will be judged by Smith on his form in the Summer Cup over one mile and a half at Randwick on Boxing Day. KBBN ON TRIP The trainer is keen to make the trip to redeem a promise he made some time ago to start a horse at the Wellington summer meeting, which coincides with the yearling sales, at which he is a big buyer each year. While Argentina was winning at Rosehill, Sunhaven (Summertime—Eugenie) was winning the last of the spring feature races, the Eclipse Stakes, run at Caulfield over one mile and a quarter. Six of the field of 12 had competed in the Caulfield or Melbourne Cups. It was Sunhaven’s eighth start since the end of September, when he was a close second at Caulfield to Padtheway. He had missed a place in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, but had earned stake-money in all his other races, winning the 1010 Welter at Caulfield and finishing third in the Turnbull Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes, and in the Sandown Cup.

He had a close call this time, for it was only in the last few strides that he conquered the three-year-old Agena (Agricola— Haidie), which at his previous starts had finished third in the Victoria Derby, and then had won the Batman Stakes from Young Brandy.