Form points to Dandyman in Wingatui metric mile

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33650, 27 September 1974, Page 1 (Supplement)

Form points to Dandyman in Wingatui metric mile

By

J. J. Boyle

Handyman will be a popular fancy to win the Otago Racing Club’s I). I’. Wilson Memorial at Wingatui tomorrow.

A home course victory for Dandyman would be widely popular because the four-year-old is owned and trained by Mr C. H. Wallis, who is president of the Otago Racing Club. Dandyman did not make the grade at weight-for-age in strong company in the Founders’ Plate at Avondale on September 7 but his 52kg this time is a drop of skg on scale weight, and only Ikg more than he carried when a fast-finishing third in a 1200 m sprint race on the first day of the Avondale meeting. At 52kg he is only 4kg above the minimum, and certainly has none the worst of it considering he has

races like the Winter Cup and last year’s Dunedin Guineas on his winning record. Dandyman is skg below the dapper Golden Sam, which .started his seven-year-old racing memorably with a wide and handsome' win against the sprinters at the Otago Hunt meeting the day Dandyman was striving for Founders’ Plate honoursj a 1 Avondale. Crucial factor Golden Sam will probably need a firmish track to carry off a top weight’s victory. I Anything like easy or soft' going would produce a marked swing of allegiance to Dandyman. Last sec.son Pakistan Flight beat Dandyman by five lengths in the Southland

Guineas, and was also hisi contemporary’s superior in the James Hazlett Gold Cup at the same distance, 1600 metres, at Wingatui, but for those races was more sea soned than he will be for this one. Pakistan Flight started his four-year-old racing with a second three lengths behind the brilliant Grey Way over

1200 metres at Orari on Monday. This will be a tough one for him only second time (mt, but those who set greatest store by the form book of last season have a good case in plumping for the Gore speedster to beat Dandyman with his advantage of 3kg. The footing might have the final bearing on the matter. A soft track will stimulate greater interest in the Ric-carton-trained Bev Leigh, which has two seconds and a third to show for her fimt four starts this season. Her last-start second to the very capable Kai Tak in Ihe Ashburton Cup was a meritorious run. Unlucky In I.ove and Zing -eem likely to dominate the finish of the second leg, the , I elegraph Handicap. Unlucky In Love won at •this distance by five lengths ion this course in January, and a repetition of that brand of form here would 'give her victory with plenty Ho spare.