RACING Only six left in Cup at Nelson

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33253, 16 June 1973, Page 8

RACING Only six left in Cup at Nelson

Anyone prepared to spend $6 in the first leg of the TA.B. double at Nelson today can be assured of backing the winner. There were only six starters left in the field yesterday for the Caltex Gold Cup at the Nelson Trotting Club’s meeting.

More often than not when fields are numerically small the unpredictable happens, but it will come as a major surprise if Happy Song and Ron Hanover are not both heavily involved in the finish of today’s two-miler. The last time Happy Song

raced at Nelson — on the second day of the summer meeting in January — he managed two miles successfully. Mean-; time he has put two additional wins on his record and' ■showed his present peak of fitness last Saturday night at Addington Raceway when second to Lancer Hanover at the Canterbury Park meeting. Ron Hanover fans could 'also take a line through ; Lancer Hanover as a guide to their fancy’s chance. The former ran Lancer Hanover to a neck in the Pendarves Handicap on Queen’s Birthday. Sam Carter and the Nelsontrained Johnny Rich must also be rated chances on theii Ashburton form — the former t made the grade among the f : two-milers on the first day s there and Johnny Rich was ; fourth, after pacemaking, in • the Pendarves Handicap on ■th second day.

If Happy Song is successful in the Caltex Gold Cup the prospect of a stable double will look pretty bright. The Templeton stable of J. W. Smolenski, who prepares Happy Song, will be represented in the second leg, the Benson and Hedges Handicap, by Jondor Hanover and Even Step, which both have solid form close up on their records. Smolenski will also have high hopes of being represented successfully at Auckland today. He has taken the highly-promising Speedy Guest north to contest the Great Northern Pacing Derby. Although Speedy Guest is unlikely to be the favourite for the Auckland Trotting Club’s $15,000 classic — that distinction will probably go to Young Quinn or Willie Win — it will come as a surprise if he does not run a bold race.