Curly Wave looks set to win Harcourt Stakes

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33676, 28 October 1974, Page 8

Curly Wave looks set to win Harcourt Stakes

(Front Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON.

B. P. Thomson, who has already rid den the winners of the Wellington Guineas and the Desert Gold Stakes, looks to have a great chance of making a clean sweep in the major races at the Wellington Racing Club’s spring meeting when he rides Curly Wave in the Harcourt Stakes at Trentham today.

The successful Hawera apprentice's mount. Curly; 'Wave, i.s one of the strong; fancies for the $6500 weight-; ‘for-age event. In slushy ground twelve! i months ago. Curly Wave showed that he is at his best in Trentham ground at its worst with a runaway win in the Harcourt Stakes. After further heavy rain at the week-end the Te Rapa-

trained Crest of The Wave .gelding should find the footing to his liking.

J Except for his la.st start, when he received a shocking i run in the Michelson Cup, ’ Curly Wave’s racing has been marked by consistency. Two of Curly Wave’s notable rivals with sound credentials under weight-for-

age conditions are Guest; Star and Fury’s Order. Guest Star, which won: four race.s at Trentham including the N.Z. St Leger last season, showed that hewas more forward than his connections expected with a narrow win, in conditions not entirely to his liking, ini the Watkins Handicap on Saturday. Before his latest victory was; confirmed Guest Star had to sur-j ;vive a protest lodged by W. Robinson, the rider of the run-ner-up Just Dianna, for alleged intereference a stride or two from the post. .An inquiry into, the incident revealed that Guest Star which was not handling the shifty ground at all well, had shifted ground inwards and the two horses had come in contact but the judicial committee did not consider that the interference was serious enough to alter the judge’s placings. Whereas Saturday s track was puggy in parts and shifty in ; others the chances are that the going will be looser today. •t is still not the type of going that Guest Star prefers.

I; but if he runs—and I. J. Tucker I is keen to get another race into ;him in view of his N.Z, Cup II assignment next month—he ■ ;should he one of the major contenders, I The going will not worry Fury's Order—he won a sprint in atrocious conditions at Tauherenikau first-up last season—but lack of recent racing might put last season's top three-year-old at a bit of a disadvantage. W. McEwan, who trains Fury’s Order in partnership with L. J. Gestro. said at Trentham yesterday morning that he would have liked to give Fury’s Order more work than he has but wet tracks

Hat Hawera) had held up his pre-J ;paration a bit. HAS CLASS 1 But Fury’s Order can never! be dismissed lightly He looks well and has the class, and a good run today will almost assure him of a New Zealand Cup start. 1 Alwick and Tricky Boy are dual acceptors and the other five 1 hav e little in the way of weight-for-age form but in the going 1 Nip O’ Scotch and Sind will 1 command respect. ( Nip O’ Scotch turned in his 1 usual honest run for third in the : Watkins Handicap anti Sind ! showed that she was very cap- i

I able in winter ground by winning the Wellington Handicap Iconvincigly on the first day. The Harcourt Stakes will he the second ■ leg of the T.A.B. double. Zarushka. impressive winner of the Shorts Handicap on the first day will probably be a firm fancy for the first leg. the Pearce Handicap. Although he failed to make much of an impression on Saturday. Meduno. the Wainui Handicap winner on the first day, must be rated a chance on looser ground and the same apples to Sang Royale, a fast-finishing fourth in the same race.