SUCCESSES HEIGHTEN INTEREST IN SALES

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32126, 23 October 1969, Page 4

SUCCESSES HEIGHTEN INTEREST IN SALES

'Prom the Australian racing correspondent of “The Press*') SYDNEY. No wonder the Australian racehorse owners turn to the New Zealand sales when looking for cup horses. The first, second, and third | horses in the Caulfield Cup were j New Zealand-bred, Big PMlou gaining the .race on protest 1 from Nausori, with Tobermory j third. I In the last 17 years New Zea-i land horses have won the race 12 times, they have gained second place eight times and third place six times—2o slices of the 51 portions available to the lucky owners of staying horses. And for good measure the other feature race on Saturday's programme at Caulfield was fought out by two more New Zealand-breds. Wood Court Inn <by Pakistan II) bead the Sydney filly, Gaelic Spirit fby Bourbon Prince), tn the One Thousand Guineas, the first of the classic races for fillies this season. Ten of the 20 runners in the cup were sired hi New Zealand and were the progeny of seven different stallions. Nausori had bis grounding ini New Zealand racing and is still

part-owned in New Zealand. Hamua and Lochcourt are New Zealand owned and trained, and while they ran respectably in the finish, Lochcourt in particular, neither really threatened as the wanner once the pressure went on properly. People had to run to the record books to see if history had been made by the upholding of the protest after Naursori had beaten Big Philou by a neck. Back in 1893 a rank outsider, Tim Swivelier. was first past the post and a protest by the owners of the two placed horses was dismissed by the stewards, but upheld when an appeal was made to the Victoria Racing Club, Tim Swivelier being disqualified for boring and Sainfoin awarded the race.

Just for 15 minutes—as long as it took the stewards to uphoid Saturday’s objection—history had been made this year. Arthur Ward was the only man to have ridden a Caulfield Cup winner and then to have trained one, for he prepares Nausori.

It has been an amazing week for Big Phalou’s trainer, J. B. Cummiogs, who was twice concerned in cases before the I stewards. He had been fined i S5OO together with the jockey, i G. Lane, over the riding of

General Command in the Caulfield Stakes and on Saturday the stewards’ decision gave the stable the $3-8,500 stake, and $1250 cup. Cummings is reported to have said that Big Philou’s overcoming of troubles during the race and his strong finish in the last 50 yards was the best Melbourne Cup trial he had seen. It might be so, too, for Big Philou is three-quarter brother to the wonderful mare. Light Fingers, whose record includes a first and a second in a Melbourne Cup. Wood Court Inn had her revenge on Gaelic Spirit in the One Thousand Guineas, and with the score one all there will be intense interest in their next meeting. Their previous meeting was In the Edward Manifold Stakes over one mile at Flemington when Gaelic Spirit surprisingly was taken to the front, led all the way, and fought on grimly to stave off her New Zealand challenger by the barest of margins.

It was scarcely expected that such tactics would be repeated in the guineas but they were and this time, although she struggled on in defeat Gaelic Spirit could not hold off her rival after making the pace from the outset. These two l fillies are outstanding.