SECOND DAY TODAY Fairfleet Expected To Race Well

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31583, 22 January 1968, Page 4

SECOND DAY TODAY Fairfleet Expected To Race Well

(From Out Own Reporter >

WELLINGTON.

Fairfleet and R. J. Skelton are expected to combine successfully in the Seventh Asian Racing Conference Handicap, the first leg of the Wellington Racing Club’s TA.B. double at Trentham today.

Skelton won a double on Fairfleet at Hawke’s Bay in the spring. In the meantime she has won at Tauranga and at her last start she ran creditably for fifth in Bright Chief’s Auckland Cup.

Skelton may have reason to expect the toughest opposition from Palisade, the Otago veteran with which he has had a successful association in past campaigns at Trentham. Palisade, J. R. Dowling’s mount today, did not have much luck in the Anniversary Handicap on Saturday. His run at least showed that he will probably be in excellent trim for a return to his best distance. Palisade is 10, and he has 9-5 but he has worn well and he has remarkable powers as a weight carrier. Udare. Jen Hai and Tatua all came up with good runs in the Wellington Cup on Saturday. Udare did not quite

"get” two miles and finished fourth. Jen Hai and Tatua [did not have the best of luck at vital stages of the race. Two of the more interesting newcomers lower in the weights are Country Girl and Sir John. Both are last-start winners and both are young stayers of quite exceptional promise. Country Girl is a four-year-old daughter of Agricola. She is lightly framed, and is inclined to run keenly unless “buried” early, but some of her finishing runs have been reminiscent of those of Hurnquh seven and eight years ago. Like Ilumquh, Country Girl is trained at Woodville by E. Ropiha. Another runner for this stable in today’s race will be the durable veteran, Baloo. The stable jockey, H. N. Hauhihi, has chosen Country Girl as his mount, and L. K. Tinsley will ride Baloo. Probably the best of the others will be Kenrick and Arnie. Amie is the New Zealand record holder for a mile and a quarter. She is a four-year-old mare of impressive physique, and usually

attempts to win from the; front. This will set her a> formidable task at Trentham,! but she should be hard to peg | back; Barellan, a stablemate of> Amie in the Te Awamutul stable of W. Sanders, is the favourite for the Metropolitan! Handicap, second leg of the! T.A.B. double today. Barellan won this race last year, and he made an encouraging first appearance at the present meeting with a close third in the Telegraph Handicap on Saturday. At seven furlongs, Barellan may manage to stay ahead of Pheroz Pride, but there may not be much in it. The handy size of the field will help Pheroz Pride, which usually takes time to work to her best speed and whose best distance is probably a mile. Ben Lomond should be a dominating favourite for the Wellington Derby, which will be contested for a stake of SlO.OOO today. This big fellow from Cambridge won the Great Northern Derby in a romp, and it is doubtll if any of the others in this field has made enough improvement to pose a threat to him.