Mid- Canterbury horses dominate leg of treble

Press, 18 September 1976, Page 17

Mid- Canterbury horses dominate leg of treble

Horses trained in MidCanterbury usually win a substantial proportion of races run at Addington Raceway, but so far this season they have won only three races from as many meetings.

Tonight they have fair representation in most races with perhaps their best

chances of success in the Cambridge Handicap, the second leg of the on-course treble. They will parade four runners — Mount Somers, Charlie Wood, Bess Hanover

and Dorothy Lopez — all ol which look capable of getting into the finish.

Mount Somers could start favourite. He was fourth after a bad start on the first night of the recent Forbury Park meeting, but was denied a start on the second night because of an error by I the club's programme committee.

: Mount Somers is a talented four-year-old in Doody Townley’s team. He looks capable of rapid promotion and, from No. 5 at the barrier, he should be prominently placed throughout this event. Charlie Wood was an impressive winner on the course a fortnight ago, and followed this up with fourths in two starts at Forbury Park. The Addington track seems to suit him and it will be surprising if he fails to get into the finish. Much interest will centre on the first start for the season of Dorothy Lopez, w’hich gained two wins and a second from her three starts last term. She is obviously well above average in ability and should be capable of a bold bid. Bess Hanover has not started since June, but she has gone well lately at trials. She could easily surprise.

i Most opposition to the Mid-Canterbury contingent could come from Speedometer, -Star Classic and Pat Nash, all from the Templeton district. Derek Jones’s pair. Come Here and Be Free, will be solidly supported in the first ‘leg of this treble, the Introductory Handicap, while Ruling Lobell will be a comimanding favourite in the final leg. the September Stakes. She outclassed a similar field a fortnight ago and meets all of those to finish behind her on that occasion on the same terms tonight. Lunar Chance and Ruling Lobell’s stablemate, Smokey Lopez, will form a shortpriced favourite combination for the T.A.B. double, which will be run on the O. Hutchinson Free-for-all and the T. E. Johnston Handicap.

Record price.—A record price of $200,000 was paid by Harry Mangurian jun., of Ocala, Florida for a half-sister to the 1974 Kentucky Derby winner, Cannonade, at the thirty-third annual September yearling sale at Keeneland, Kentucky. The filly is by Northern Dancer out of Queen Sucree.