RACING Sunseeker Too Good In Hunt Cup

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32383, 24 August 1970, Page 4

RACING Sunseeker Too Good In Hunt Cup

"The Press’* Special Service AUCKLAND. Once next to useless and as ill-tempered as any horse could be, Sunseeker showed himself again one of the best jumpers of the winter when he won the Pakuranga Hunt Cup at Ellerslie on Saturday.

His jumping through the three miles was without blemish and in the last three or four furlongs he put 30 lengths and more on his opponents.

Now seven, Sunseeker raced only once over country before this and won a minor event at Te Awamutu. Beforehand he, had some notable hurdles victories, one of them the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles last June. His displays over hurdles were usually good but nothing to compare with his handling of the bigger fences. Sunseeker was so unmanageable that he raced only once when a two-year-old. For a time B. L. Hillis, at Takanini, was given the job of trying to straighten him out. As a four-year-old he had no more than four starts—he was considered not worth more.

When he finished unplaced in three hurdles races at the tail end of the 1966-67 season his future as a jumper hardly seemed bright. But he came back the following winter, as a five-year-old, to get second placings at Paeroa and Ellerslie before winning his first race, the Bledisloe Hurdles at Avondale, by 10 lengths. Until this winter Sunseeker was raced by Mr and Mrs P. F. Mortensen, of Morrinsville and Mr L. H. Jackson, a former trainer, who was a partner as well in breeding the horse. But Mr and Mrs Mortenson now own him outright and they have as well a young half-brother, by Fox Myth, which they hope will also become a good jumper. Much credit for Sunseeker’s development, says Mr Mortensen, goes to a neighbour, Mr C. McSweeney, who persevered with him in the hunting field. But for all except his very first race the gelding has been trained by D. J. O’Sullivan, at Matamata. GOOD RECORD Saturday’s two wins—he also saddled up Aleader—continued a remarkable run of success in jumping races by horses prepared by O’Sullivan. They have won a hurdles or steeplechase event on each of the last six Saturdays and eight, all told, during that period. Barring a very improbable accideht, it was apparent a long way from the finish what the outcome of the Hunt Cup would be. Sunseeker was always galloping strongly—a bit too keenly it seemed for a time—just behind the pacemaker and hardly touching his fences. He settled the leader, Lenoman, in a few strides on top of the hill, with about half a mile to go, “flew” the rerpain-

ing two jumps and cleared right away in the run to the post Choc Wallace nosed out Running Bear in a great tussle for second and Lenoman, down to a canter, gained the $230 for fourth. The only one of the 10 starters which did not complete the course was Sifta Sam although it was as much as the tailenders, Nashe More and Main Defence could do to get round. Sifta Sam fell with a mile to go after running pretty promisingly about fourth. Sunseeker was a hot favourite right through the betting on the Hunt Cup. IMPRESSIVE Skint Dip, the win favourite, won the Jellicoe Handicap impressively from the stablemates, Trutone and Cambridge Fair.

Skint Dip secured a short lead on the field making the home turn and although challenged hotly, first by Cambridge Fair, then by Trutone, did not look likely to lose command. Both Skint Dip, trained by W.. C. Winder, and Trutone, prepared by a brother, J. W. Winder, are in the big Melbourne races this spring and from this point of view their performances were indeed encouraging. The ground was probably a bit too heavy for either and that gave their displays special merit. A Le Filou four-year-old, Skint Dip has had 17 starts, all in a bit less than a year, and the excellent record of eight firsts and five minor placings. He had Bst 121 b in the Jellicoe Handicap and is in the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups with Bst 51b.