Excellent Trentham Form

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32235, 2 March 1970, Page 4

Excellent Trentham Form

; “The Press- Special Sereice ,1 I AUCKLAND. j| Highland Rebel just 1 about guaranteed him- t self favouritism for the i two-mile Chalmers Han-1 dicap at Trentham on ] Saturday with his win | over a mile and a half at < Pukekohe on Saturday. Not only did he win. but he i had full control during the long run to the finish. ’ Seldom one to show up un-.l til fairly close to home, Highland Rebel this time dashed I forward to take the lead from i Tatua and Springlo with two J furlongs to go. His rider, G.j

F. Hughes, kept him In front cleverly from there to the post, always barely a length ahead of the other two. The margins were no more than half a length and half a head and it could perhaps be argued that Springlo and Tatua, too, might have been harder to beat in slightly different circumstances. On the other hand it looked pretty certain that Hughes, with little effort, could have made the winning margin more. Highland Rebel has now won twice in succession, this [latest win after victory over 10 furlongs at Te Rapa a fortnight before when he also won narrowly but, for all that, fairly comfortably. Second behind II Tempo in

the last Wellington Cup, Highland Rebel has already shown himself thoroughly accomplished in a Trentham twoi miles. Provided the track is firm, as it must be if he Is to show his best, he should bei very hard to beat again next! Saturday. Springlo, after his impressive! training during the week, showed considerable improvement on his effort the previous time, at Te Aroha. It appeared, too, that Springlo had barely sufficient room during the last 100 yards or so. The stipendiary steward, Mr J. A Poulsen, also thought that might have been the case and he did not authorise the payout , of dividends until after verifying with a patrol steward who had a head-on view of the finish that Springlo was not hampered. The bad luck of Tatua's i betters was that the old fellow was forced into taking the lead all of six furlongs from the finish. The pace had become very slack and Tatua’s rider, R. W. Taylor, had either to go to the front or else be carted along very wide. Toytime had little galloping room for a bit when halfway down the home straight but could do nothing when clear and finished a ientgh and a half away, fourth. The others were well beaten, Johnny Cash a most disappointing ninth. Johnny Cash is another candidate for the Wellington Autumn although he is not expected to run until the second- day. He was the eachway favourite for the Franklin Handicap and to the dismay of his backers was being hard ridden when only fifth with three furlongs to go. At an inquiry into the showing of Johnny Cash, the rider, D. A. Peake, said his mount was beaten a furlong to go. The owner-trainer, Mr I. A. Signal, told the stewards that Johnny Cash was not suited by the muddling pace. RECORD EQUALLED Kalgoorlie brilliantly equalled the track record for seven furlongs when he won the Pukekohe Handicap in Imin 23sec. It was his eighth success of the season made further out of the ordinary because he carried 9-9. Kalgoorlie's time is no more than three-fifths of a second outside the New Zealand

record, set by Yahabeebe at Ellerslie His co-holder of the Pukekohe record is Barellan i which went the same time with 9-5, almost exactly two years before. ,i Kalgoorlie gave upward of 261 b to his rivals yet led them I all the way. On the home turn' ;he was out by a length from; Madiera, Charon and Belle Rina.| For a few moments Belle Rina looked likely to get closer but in the end Kalgoorlie drew well clear again. The next races for Kalgoorlie will be at weight-for-age in the North Island Challenge Stakes, at Trentham next Saturday, and the Easter Trial, at Tauranga a fortnight later. Both are seven-furlong events which should give him excellent opportunities to Increase his tally of wins.