Mister Pompous fancied in C.J.C. feature race

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33447, 31 January 1974, Page 6

Mister Pompous fancied in C.J.C. feature race

Mister Pompous was a colt of burgeoning talents the last time he raced on his home track at Riccarton in November — but in the last month or so he has “arrived.”

By winning the Wellington Stakes ■ Wellington Derby double, he showed he can race with the best of them, and will command the respect of everyone when he goes after the honours in the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Benson and Hedges Interisland event tomorrow.

Mister Pompous will go into tomorrow’s race as a winner at three of his last four starts.

The one in that sequence he failed to win was the Pahiatua Stakes at weight-for-age, but his fourth that day holds out as much promise for a win tomorrow as his triumphs against other three-year-olds at the Wellington Cup carnival. in the hands of an apprentice, Mister Pompous picked up several lengths from the home turn to finish little more than a length from the winner, Glengowan, in the Pahiatua race.

He again has scale weight tomorrow, and without Glengowan in opposition this time Mr and Mrs B. H. Ballin’s young star should improve a glittering record.

Show Gate back The courageous mare Show Gate is back to the scene of her brilliant double at the New Zealand Cup meeting in November. Nothing would cause greater enthusiasm than another win by Mr G. B. Thomson’s splendid four-year-old. She will give weight all round from 55.5 kg but has not been called on for anything more than scale weight; and she will get few, if any, such opportunities in future handicaps. Show Gate established her

great class as a sprintermiler, but she has shown so many qualities on past visits to Riccarton that her admirers would not baulk at sending her out favourite at any distance and in any conditions. A return to Riccarton has been something more than a sentimental journey for Mr M. N. Caddy, a caravan builder from Hamilton. Mr Caddy served his apprenticeship at Riccarton with A. S. Ellis, and more than 30 years ago he was riding winners on many South Island courses.

Peter Puckle He has now returned with Peter Puckle, which will go into tomorrow’s race with the backing of thousands. Peter Puckle has won his last two middle distance races at Ellerslie in style. Between them was a failure over the extreme distance in the Centennial Auckland Cup. Peter Puckle clearly has the qualities for a bold run at 2000 metres, and with 51b less than weignt-for-age will give the best of the others plenty to do. Sharif will be the lone colour-bearer for J. W. Harris’s stable now that Glengowan has dropped out of the field. Sharif has been kept to sprints for much of his career; and runs his sprint races out in the style of a horse capable of a middle distance.

He is the mount of B. F. Andrews, who won this race on Silver Knight in 1971. Bred in South Graven Spa, from Awapuni, will complete the North Island representation. She is South Island-bred, and her attractive breeding, backing a useful record, will bring her in for some attention. She is one of dozens of

winners by last season’s champion sire, Mellay, while her dam, Shangri-La, was one of the best of the Kurdistan mares to come out of Southland.

Graven Spa’s trainer, W. G. Ivil, considers that his four-year-old was somewhat unlucky when sixth in the feature race at Ashhurst last week.

At her previous start, Graven Spa won brilliantly over 2000 metres at the Wairarapa New Year meeting.

Fields, with form, for T.A.B. double:—

3.5 p.m.— (T.A.B. close* 1.55 p.m.) (T.A.B. double close* 1.35 p.m.) BENSON AND HEDGES INTER-ISLAND HANDICAP, $10,250; 2000 m. 2 2116 Show Gate (13) 55.5 A. Robinson 3 1229 Sharif (15) 54.5 B. Andrews 5 00 Audadter (16) 52.0 G. Mein 6 1411 Mister Pompous (6) 52.0 M. Skelton 7 0101 Peter Puckle (8) 52.0 W. Skelton 9 1212 Red Gae (4) 50.5 R. Skelton 10 1925 Mellay Vito (2) 49.5 R. McAra 11 0151 Shudup (14) 49.5 D. Reed 12 2012 Coorabin (10) 49.0 K. Morton 13 3223 Bel Cavallo (5) 48.0 B. Thomson 14 7316 Graven Spa (9) 48.0 8 2261 Totara Maid (3) 51.0 N. Harris 15 6412 Lomax (11) 48.0 G. Willetts Scratched: Glengowan (1), Redlo (7), Pakistan Flight (16).

SECOND LEG OF T.A.B. DOUBLE 4.25 p.m.— (T.A.B. closes 3.15 p.m.) KINGSTON HANDICAP, $2500; 1200 m. 1 1501 Lovely Honey (8) 55.0 D. Peake 2 1106 Donnybrook Fair (5) 54.0 A. Robinson 3 2100 Town Ma|or (11) 52.5 4 5437 Bun Tuck (1) 49.5 W. Skelton 5 5245 Baltic Blue (6) 49.0 G. Mein 6 7 Hombre (4) 48.5 S. Ching 7 5805 Jury (10) 48.5 A. Eastwood 8 2433 Sub Indian (3) 48.5 G. Willetts 9 4602 Condor (7) 48.0 K. Morton 10 1153 Hagen's Joy (9) 48.0 M. Skelton 11 48 Surge Again (12) 48.0 12 7662 The Head (2) 48.0 P. Smith