No crash programme for impressive sprint winner

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34026, 15 December 1975, Page 8

No crash programme for impressive sprint winner

The Blues, stylish winner of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Peninsula Handicap at Ricearton on Saturday, was last season’s James Hazlett Stakes winner at Wingatui. But it is doubtful if Mrs J. Montgomery 's and Mrs F. S. Wilding’s big Tromba gelding will attempt a second victory in that race next Saturday.

“He hasn't had the racing for another run in the Hazlett,” The Blues’s Ricearton trainer, Mrs Mavis Harris, said after her sprinter slammed his five rivals in the second leg of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s T.A.B. double at his second start this season.

A start at the South! Canterbury meeting is I almost certain for The! Blues; then, possibly, a! crack at the sprinters at the! Wellington Cup meeting. “When we go to Trentham with this fellow they seem! to turn on the rain just to! make things awkward, but; our luck might change this’

I time,” Mrs Harris said on! I Sat nrdav’. I Geoffrey Lee was under; : instruction to hold The; :Blues up for a Tkte charge; ion Saturday, and when the big bay stormed through a 'wide gap in the small field II up the straight he quickly :iput paid to any hopes held :'for others.

The Bines was second to last starting the last 800 metres and must have hurried in from there in close to 46 sec. , The Blues completed a [double worth $7-10 with Eu-; I ropium, a successful favour-! jite in the first leg, the, Christmas Handicap. : Europium won by a neck,; ibut. pretty convincingly ai!| [the same, from the faster-' 'finishing Audaciter. Audaciter, it was found after the examination of three photo-finish prints, had just nosed Deep Mystery out of second, but none of the others was concerned in the finish. Bred to stay Europium is the product of the mating of Gate Keeper with a Massowa mare, and this would suggest ability to stay “all 'day.” Mr J. Gemmell’s fiveI year-old will probably be [given her chance over the extreme distance in the Wellington Cup next month. In [the meantime she will havei ! other rewarding opportu-

nities on the North Island [ holiday circuit. Other successful favourites on Saturday’s pro-' gramme, watched by a small: crowd of 3162 were Salvaro [(Middle Park Plate) and Cap-' pello (Leeston Handicap). ■ The Middle Park Plate was, a romp for Salvaro but Cap-; , pello only just kept [ [Mhorlight out in the Leeston ! ■ Handicap. Murray McPhie. rider of ( [ Cappello, shared the opinion [[of Mhorlight’s rider, Maurice ..Thornley, that Mhorlight had : won. ! Cappello, which is to be taken south for the first day of the Otago meeting, gave McPhie his third win for the day. : McPhie’s first win was on ■ Salvaro, his second on Rich Mahal in a tight finish to the Kaituna Handicap. Rehandicap.— For her win In the Avondale Cup Bellota has: been rehandicapped 3kg to 56.3 ] bin the Auckland Cup on New Year’s Day. ;