RACING Every Post Is Fancied In John Grigg Stakes

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31784, 14 September 1968, Page 6

RACING Every Post Is Fancied In John Grigg Stakes

One of the major attractions —outside of the T.A.B. double races—at Ashburton today will be the John Grigg Stakes.

On form and rating, the principal contenders in this seven-fur-long limited handicap for three-year-olds on the second day of the Ashburton County Racing Club’s spring meeting should be Every Post, Hombre and Harold Bank.

Hombre and Harold Bank are the only runners in the field with open-class rating. Every Post has by far the best record of those in the hack grade. Last season Every Post won

three races worth $ll5O. He was first past the post in one other race—worth $340 to the winner—but was subsequently disqualified when he returned a positive. But for that disqualification he would have ended his first season’s racing within $lO of the hack limit.

! Since Every Post raced at the Grand National meeting —where he ran fourth at the second of two starts and was no- really at his best because I of a stone bruise—he has made remarkable progress and his final gallop in training on Thursday could well have earned him favouritism. Hombre is a free-going type which will more than likely try to lead all the way. Close Second Such tactics nearly proved successful in the open sprint on Tuesday. He was run I

down by Shipmaster close to the end, but he beat seven others very easily. It was a highly encouraging debut in open class. Harold Bank took fairly high ranking among the South Island two-year-olds last season. He won three races on his home course at Riccarton. He did not make a spectacular debut in open class at his only attempt at the Grand National meeting but has done well in training meantime and should strip a much fitter horse this time.

If victory is to go to any of the others further down in the weights, perhaps it will be Martian Command. This Wingatui-trained three-year-old, which did little racing in his first season but won the Champagne Stakes on his home course, showed he was making good progress in another campaign with a sec-

ond in the hack sprint at Wingatui last Saturday. Ashburton Cup His l,ordship and Next Please, from Riccarton, and the Wingatui-trained Watallan are generally expected to battle it out for Ashburton Cup honours. This race will be the first leg of the T.A.B. concession double. Shipmaster, last Tuesday's open sprint winner, looks to have strong prospects of keeping his record intact in the Spring Handicap, second leg of the main double. Beau Leigh and Every Post will be a popular combinatiop for the on-course concession double which will be run on the County Highweight and the John Grigg Stakes. The forecast is for continuing fine weather so the track will again be firm.