Most cup entrants will run today

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 8

Most cup entrants will run today

(N.Z.P A. Stag Correspondent) MELBOURNE. Nineteen of the 26 final acceptors for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup will have their final cup trials in three events on the opening day of the Victorian Racing Club's cup carnival today. Nine cup candidates will run in the $BOOO Hotham Handicap (2400 m. eight in the $BOOO L. K. S. Mackinnon Stakes (2000 m. at weight-for-age, and two in the $60,000 V.R.C. Derby (2400 m ). AH eyes in the Derby wUI be the cup favourite, Sobar, which needs an impressive win today to maintain Ills cup favouritism. In fact, Sobar wUI have to turn in a sound showing to ensure him of a run in the cup. His trainer, K Hilton surprised on Thursday when he declared that Sobar was by no means a certain runner in the cup. His connections have always said they would not make a final decision on a cup start untU after the Derby but since the colt’s easy Caulfield Cup win, he had been regarded as a sure starter. “It is not a matter of him winning the Victoria Derby but he must win it very easily and he must pull up weU to gain a cup start,” Hilton said. Sobar has done weH since his Caulfield Cup win and although there have been several "scare stories” this week about his fitness, all of them have proved groundless. LongfeUa, New Zealand’s champion two-year-old last season, will be the one to put Sobar through a searching test today. Longfella worked weH on Thursday and his trainer, G. Murphy is confident the colt will make Sobar work hard. The other cup runner in the Derby is the maiden Gala Red, which will need to run the race of his life to justify the optimism of his connections. CHANCE TO ATONE The New Zealand horse, Laurel Oaks, will have a chance to atone for dismal runs in the Caulfield Cup and last Saturday's Moonee VaUey Gold Cup when he contests the Hotham Handicap. After a last in the Caulfield Cup, Laurel Oaks was expected to show a sharp improvement last Saturday, but he beat only two home.

His rider, R. Higgins, said after the race that Laurel Oaks felt sore, but the trainer, W. C. Winder, ' has decided to press ahead with a Melbourne Cup run. Only three of the 12 runners in the Hotham are not going on to the Melbourne Cup, so Laurel Oaks will have to turn in a good showing to justify the confidence placed in him by Winder. The top-weight Scotch and Dry and the Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner. Double Irish, look the two to beat. Double Irish turned in a true stayer's run to win the Gold Cup and is still well treated at fist 91b in today’s event. The New Zealand stayer, Hayburner, which has paid his expenses with minor wins on his current trip, faces his most severe test today. His staying prowess is undoubted, but he will need all the class he can muster to win. Pole Star showed a glimpse of his true form with a good run for fifth in the Werribee Cup on Wednesday and if he can recapture his top New Zealand form he might be in at the finish. The Hotham Handicap has proved an unreliable guide to the Melbourne Cup and you have to go back to 1959 to find a horse placed in both races. BETTER GUIDE The MacKinnon Stakes, on the other hand, has generally given a solid indication of Melbourne Cup prospects. Last year Silver Knight ran second in the Mackinnon Stakes before taking the cup and in 1969 Ben Lomond ran third in both events. In the years before that Rain Lover, Galilee and Light Fingers were all placed in the Mackinnon Stakes before winning the cup. For this reason, the Mackinnon Stakes will be of great interest in assessing the chances of the eight cup runners involved, especially the New Zealand quartet of Ansin, Magnifique, Baghdad Note and Stormy Seas. Ansin and Magnlfique turned in excellent Australian debuts last week, with Magnlfique running third in the Cox Plate and Ansin unwinding a big run for sixth in the Moonee Valley Cup. Both horses have been in solid form on the training track this week and are expected to be in the finish. Under the weight-for-age scale, Magnlfique comes in at 54.5kgs (fist 81b), so Ansin, with 58.5kgs (9st 31b), will have to concede half a stone to the mare. Stormy Seas will be ideally suited by the distance of the event and will need only to re-

peat his last-start effort, when he ran second in the Caulfield Cup, to be close at the finish. The Metropolitan winner, Altai Khan, the former N«w Zealand horse Fair Share. Dughg like Sobar a son of the New Zeriand sire. Sobig) and Stop The Show are the other four in the Hotham hoping to go on to the Melbourne Cup. , As well as preparing Stormy Seas for the Stakes, the New Zealand trainer, b. A Broun, wUI saddle Klsta In the $20,000 Craven “A” Stakes (1200 m. Klsta has not shown her top Sydney form on the left-handed Melbourne tracks, but with today’s event down the straight six’” at Flemington she is expected to run a bold race. Fields for the events of main Interest are:— 3.15 p.m. (N.Z. time)— L. K, S. MACKINNON STAKES. $8000; weight-for-age; 2000 m — Ansin (N.Z.) (18). Baghdad Note (N.Z.) (7). Fair Share (N.Z.) <6), Stormy Seas (N.Z.) (3) 9-3; Altai Khan (5). Dugilg (4) M: Frappant (11). Gossiper (2h.Magnlfique (N.Z.) (8). Stop The Show (I) 8-8; Grey Abbey (9) 7-12. 3.50 p.m. (N.Z. time)— HOTHAM HANDICAP, $8000: 2400m.—Scotch and Dry (2) 8-11; Double Irish (10) 8-9; Laurel Oaks (N.Z.) (3) 8-3: Hayburner (N.Z.) (6) 8-2; Glen Lang (4), Pole Star (N.Z.) (9) 8-0; Dark Sult (7), Grand Scale (N.Z.) (12) .7-12; Amundsen (5), Dual Conflict (8), Lozenge (1), Persian Gambler (II) 7-8. 4.30 p.m. (N.Z. time)— VICTORIAN DERBY, $60,000; 2400m.—Aberfoyle (2), Arabrian Breeze (1), Better Sands (11), Carnation For Me (5), Dayana (7) Euripides (8). Gala Red (3), Longfella (4), Mon Vin (12), Salvo (6), Sobar (10). The Fixer (9).