Trouble With Cup Charter Flight

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31801, 4 October 1968, Page 5

Trouble With Cup Charter Flight

(N.X. Prest Association) AUCKLAND. The owners of Fans and Ariosto have until 9.30 a.m. today to decide whether they are prepared to meet the extra cost of flying their horses to Australia after the withdrawal yesterday of Terrific.* The full cost of the chartered flight to Melbourne, arranged for October 14, is 87500. Mr R. C. Manning, Ariosto's

owner, ha, indicated his prepared to go to a limit of 82500. Unless other horses can be found to 1111 the vacant stalls in the plane, Mr L. M. Meo, the owner of Fans, wIM be left to find 35000. Efforts by Mr Meo yesterday to obtain either subsidies from Australia or concession* from the flrm providing the chartered flight were unavailing. A possible addition to Fans and Ariosto 1* an Adelaidebound Ally, whose owner, are prepared to pay only a 8025 fare.

Hope* that Terriflc would be able to make a third Melbourne Cup bid were finally abandoned yesterday morning after th* six-year-o-ld had galloped a mite with hie stablemate. Double Fault. They covered tha distance impressively enough in Imin 47 4-ssec, the last half-mile in 52 2-ssec, and th* final three furlongs in 40sec. But Terriflc was slightly lam* afterwards and his owner, Dr A. McGregor Grant, after consulting his trainer*, M. E. and F. T. Ritchie, and a veterinary surgeon. Mr J. R. Johnston, decided against The’ Australian, G. Lane, who had been engaged to ride Terrific on Tuesday, was advised that he would not be needed after al '- There wa* one glimmer of light for Dr Grant. His four-year-old, Doubl* Fault, worked well enough to suggest better than an outside chance in the Hobson Handicap tomorrow at Ellerslie.