Captain Harcourt a top fancy

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34129, 15 April 1976, Page 1 (Supplement)

Captain Harcourt a top fancy

(By

G. K. YULE)

Before last week’s racing at Addington there were doubts whether Captain Harcourt had recovered fully from an enervating campaign in Australia.

But when he unleashed the staying powers which gave him victory in the Auckland Cup on December 31 and came on to win the Easter Invitation Stakes in time close to the New Zealand record for 2000 m. he immediately became one of the top fancies for this Saturday’s Easter Cup. The five-year-old’s connections could not have been more delighted with his success and they felt that the race would improve his condition immensely for his big test over 3200 m. For a horse of his performance, he looks reasonably handicapped on 10m, the same mark from which

• he started last Saturday. He , has always been considered ’ as a died-in-the-wool stayer, but like most good horses he 1 is an accomplished sprinter, I too. , Everything points to him \ becoming the third North ’ Island-trained pacer to win the Easter Cup, Danniel’s • Pride (1957) and Great Adios . (1967) being earlier winners. Tom Knowles, the driver 1 of Captain Harcourt, went • fairly close to winning the race in 1969 with Cardinal Garrison, The four-year-old - started from 24 yards and i had to be content with sec- - ond behind Chequer Board, i which started from 12 yards. The material is available I for Saturday’s contest to be equally as exciting as 12 - months ago when Robalan - beat Lunar Chance in the , track record time of 4:7.4 i for 3200 m.

Forto Prontezza and Lunar Chance as they failed to flatter last Saturday. Even if the sprint has improved them, they will find it hard .to match Captain Harcourt and Willie Win, but it is difficult to discard any of them completely. Final Curtain, Sole Command and Cyclone Lad are three others well capable of getting into the finish, but they are unlikely to be among the top fancies with the public. Form on the first two nights suggests that Armbro Lady, Mighty Lee and Cee Ar will be three of the hardest to beat in the second leg, the N.Z. Trotting Championship, a race in which consideration must be given to Waipounamu. Nigel Craig, Gibbous Moon, Rodney Dale and Best Bet, . |

s But it might not be from d among the more tightly- •, assessed contenders that 5 most opposition will come -, for Captain Harcourt. Willie Win, a C 8 horse, recorded 1 an outstanding trial for this i race when he came from a 1 long way back for fifth in s last Saturday’s sprint. s It was a grand run from a recognised dour stayer, esper cially as he lost ground at t the start. Willie Win is a probably better now than at il any stage of his career and d his great reserves of stamina 1 should ensure that he takes - a prominent part in the finI, ish. The Wellington Cup wine ner, Palestine, shaped please ingly when third last Satur--1 dav. n It is difficult to assess the e prospects of such well--4 performed horses as Master Dean, Majestic Charger,