Gold Ducat ready for Ellerslie

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33804, 29 March 1975, Page 8

Gold Ducat ready for Ellerslie

(“The Press"’ Special Service) AUCKLAND.

Gold Ducat seems set to round off a hat-trick of wins with the $20,000 Easter Handicap at Ellerslie today. No candidate for the big race has better form over 1600 m and none wil go to the post better prepared. A successful middle-distance runner about this time last year, but fourth as well in the Easter, Gold Ducat has been kept to sprints all through the summer to turn in a string of tine performances. The latest one, on March 8, brought him the Thompson Handicap. at Trentham, the one before, the City of Papakura Handicap at Ellerslie on March 1. Back in the summer he managed a fourth in the George Adams Handicap at Ellerslie and a fifth in the corresponding event at Trentham. When Gold Ducat won the Thompson Handicap it was with considerably more weight than he had either time in the Adams Handicap, a fair indication of the improvement he has made.

The two hardest for Gold Ducat to beat might be Kiwi Can and Prepak. Melody Belle, another that the Takanini trainer, Ray Verner, has in the race, is entitled to respect; and it is only his having drawn close to the outside that keeps a third stablemate. Blue Blood, from being one of the first considered. Kiwi Can. with top-weight of 57.5 kg, is required to give Gold Ducat 3kg, a hard task indeed. But if produced in the form that won him the Adams at Ellerslie he would almost certainly be in the finish. He finished only fifth in the Stars Travel Stakes, over 2100 metres at Tauranga last Saturday but the failure was excusable: he had to give the leaders a big start from the 800 m.

Because of injury Prepak had a stop-and-start racing programme these past 12 months. However, she has come through three races since her latest let-up in very good shape. For one of her quality Prepak is doing pretty well to have no more than 50.5 kg. Perhaps her chance would the better for some easing of the track. If the weather becomes very wet Curly Wave will gain a big following, so will Kutati. which looks ready to show top. form again. , , Tonic Time and Bay Boss help give considerable strength to the bottom half of the field. Tonic■ Time has done just about everything asked of him these nast couple of months; Bay Boss looked good last spring and he might be one to come back into top form as the tracks ease for the autumn. He won over 1200 m at Avondale last week and seemed as though he would be" the better for the gallop.