RACING Royal Tudor Favoured In Derby Tomorrow

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31831, 8 November 1968, Page 4

RACING Royal Tudor Favoured In Derby Tomorrow

Royal Tudor and Palamos are expected to spearhead a formidable North Island challenge for New Zealand Derby honours at Riccarton tomorrow.

Interest in their Derby duel has been running high since they ran first and second in the weight-for-age Harcourt Stakes over a mile and a quarter at Trentham recently.

Royal Tudor beat Palamos by a long neck In the Harcourt Stakes, a margin that could not establish his claim for a clear-cut superiority.

The ground was soft and cutting out for the Harcourt Stakes, and Royal Tudor’s time for the mile and a quarter was 2min 13}sec. The New Zealand Derby will probably be run on a firm track, and if it is to be a gallop in earnest from the start, the classic should throw fresh light on the staying potential of the secondseason performers. Royal Tudor will become the first successful representative of the brilliant sire, Pakistan 11, to win at a mile and a half if he carries off the Derby. Last Saturday Rajah Sahib strove for that honour in the V.R.C. Derby at Flemington. He was the favourite, and a weakening fourth, but certainly no rank failure at the distance. E. G. Rosewarne, a partowner and the trainer of Palamos, has returned to his former homeplace from Awapuni with hopes for a soundly-run Derby. Even Pace Palamos has been at a disadvantage in some of his races which have produced sudden changes of pace. The Derby record is Beaumaris’s 2min 29 2-ssec, established 19 years ago. Passive has been the only winner of the classic to run within

three seconds of that figure since then. Palamos could be the hardest of all to beat if they run closer to an average time than the 2min 36sec recorded by Jazz, also from Awapuni, in winning last year. Fillies have won two of the last four New Zealand Derbys, and in the Martonowned and trained Brazil the colts and geldings could get formidable opposition again this year. Good Filly There was much to admire about Brazil’s bold finishing run for seventh in the Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham on October 26. Eradeinee, a good second over a mile at Ellerslie last week, and Pep, a strongiyfinishing fifth in the Wellington Guineas after stumbling at the start, are two more northerners capable of playing more than supporting roles in the formidable North Island line-up.

South Island claimants for Derby honours include Every Post, which won the Dunedin Guineas, failed in the Wellington Guineas, but made a promising first showing at a middle distance with a fourth in open company over a mile and a quarter at Motukarara last week. A hack race at Motukarara was the winding-up race for the promising Narcotic. He was a close and rather unlucky second, and there have been many less encouraging Derby trials than this one.

There was also something to admire about Harold Bank’s run from last for his second to Sandy over seven furlongs at the Banks Peninsula meeting. Attraction The Welcome Stakes, the South Island’s richest race for two-year-olds, will bring the brilliant Wingatui-trained McLean Stakes winner, Maree Dee, into competition with some smart North Island youngsters for the first time Maree Dee could not have been more impressive in winning the McLean Stakes on her home track on October 1.

It was a performance that revived memories of Maree Dee's brilliant grand-dam. Excellency, which won the Mclean Stakes-Welcome Stakes double 22 years ago. A strong North Island assault on the $2OOO fivefurlong feature race could be led by Tony Kaye. In a brilliant final gallop yesterday this powerful Byland colt from Awapuni showed he had thrived and perhaps improved since the Wellington spring meeting where he was third behind Far Time after an expensive fifth in the Wei lesley Stakes. Kay Royal, whose recordbreaking run to win the Wellesley Stakes was a highlight of the Wellington meeting, was showing signs of tenderness after throwing off two shoes in his trial with Tony Kaye yesterday. If he shakes off this trouble

he will remain in high favour, as his race record demands he should.

The Woodville pair, Far Time and Daryl’s Joy, also have much to commend their chances.

Far Time won over the Welcome Stakes distance on the third day of the Wellington spring meeting. Daryl’s Joy ran third in the W.R.C. Wellesley Stakes and ran Kay Royal close over half a mile at Masterton. The South Island could be best represented by its fillies. Maree Dee should be the best of them, with Clarendon Imp and Screened next in favour.