Nausori For Sydney

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31933, 10 March 1969, Page 5

Nausori For Sydney

Nausori, the brilliant; winner of the Thompson Handicap, Mayo Gold, the runner-up in the North Island Challenge Stakes, and City Court, unplaced favourite in the Chalmers Handicap, are almost certain to do their Easter racing in Sydney, it was announced after their races at Trentham on Saturday.

Nausori came right to the forefront as a Doncaster Handicap prospect in Sydney with a stylish and easy win in the hands of his Takanini trainer, B. L. Hillis, in the second leg of the Wellington Racing Club’s T.A.B. double.

The successful light-weight jockey, B. F. Andrews, has been engaged to ride Nausori in Sydney. Nausori carried Bst 111 b in winning the Thompson Handicap by a length and a quarter from General Myth, which

won the race two years ago. | Red Chips, the South Island’s only runner and one of the outsiders, missed third by a nose, and with a better run in the straight he might have run Nausori close. MAYO GOLD LOSES Mayo Gold, which had been assembling a notable sequence found Wood Court Inn the stumbling block in the North Island Challenge Stakes, in which she was trying for her seventh successive win.

But Mr and Mrs F. A. Conway’s robust three-year-old came through the race with ;many of the honours. The apprentice, J. Macdonald, left Mayo Gold facing a I formidable task in riding her at least five lengths off the pace, for which Wood Court Inn was responsible, coming to the home turn. Mayo Gold reduced that lead to a length and a half—an impressive piece of galloping at the end of a seven-fur-i long race run in Imin 23|sec,

which was the fastest since Yahabeebe established her record of Imin 221 sec 10 years ago. Mayo Gold’s next start will probably be the weight-for-age Awapuni Gold Cup. Wood Court Inn’s win on Saturday was the fifth of her career for her Malaysian owner, Mr K. C. Lee, and gave the trainer-jockey combination of S. A. Brown and N. Eastwood its second win with two-year-olds in the North Island Challenge Stakes. They had their other win with Weenell last year. Daryl’s Joy, the Brown stable’s other runner in Saturday’s race, finished third, inches behind Mayo Gold, after meeting difficulties in the running. Wood Court Inn is a daughter of the speed sire, Pakistan 11, whose only runner in the Plunket Nursery, Ajasco, beat all but the winner Corrandulla.

Corrandulla, carrying the same colours as Mayo Gold, brought his record to .five wins from seven starts and advanced his earnings to 8641 a on Saturday. He was entered for the Golden Slipper Stakes in Sydney, but will not make the trip with Mayo Gold. Corrandulla carried the top weight of 9st 71b on Saturday and his class showed in his performance to concede 221 b to the runner-up after being forced over a fair bit of ground. Mighty Concorde, the second favourite, was a stronglyfinishing third—a performance to attract attention to his chances when tried at seven furlongs.