Final Curtain due for success

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 19

Final Curtain due for success

By

G. K. Yule

K fourth in the Lotiisson Handicap and a second in the National Handicap last month point Io the Aucklander, Final Curtain, winning tin* k. E. Laing Handicap al the New Brighton club’s meeting at Addington Raceway tomorrow.

This will be Final Curtain's last start on his early .spring campaign in Canterbury. He is booked to race at the Hutt Park meeting on his way north and then he will be prepared for another southern campaign, which will take in the $75,000 New Zealand Cup on Tuesday, I November 8. ’ 1 Final Curtain was ob- i viously in need of racing-1 when he battled on fori fourth behind Balgove in the I Louisson Handicap. A week;! later he fought on a little ' better to shade Balgove for ' second, not far from Helen | of Tara in the National , Handicap i Final Curtain should be an I even better horse this week'i and. as he w ill be meeting a l similar field to I hat of last,! week, he should just about win. 11

Helen of Tara showed that i her first-night second to Bal-11 gove was no fluke when she c ran out a clear-cut winner in f the National Handicapa. She I meets the same field, with)! the addition of Wee Win, on'< the same terms again this t week and only a poor run c w'ill stop her taking a r prominent part in the finish. A win would have her cor- 1 rectly placed on the front of t the New’ Zealand Cup. a t race in which her trainer, < George Noble, also has < Stanley Rio engaged. a Balgove finished at a great rate when he won the Louis--r

son Handicap, but he did not: reproduce quite the same j dash on the second night of the national meeting and he had to be content with a third to Helen of Tara. The son of Out to Win) could be much sharper this! \veek and he cannot be I left out of calculations; nor) can Palestine, Trusty Scot or Nimble Yan--kee. However, they will be, hard pressed to match Final' Curtain and Helen of Tara if they race with the same dash as at the national, meeting. A much more open field will contest the second leg/ the H. F. Goggin Handicap, a race in which the chances, of Longfellow Deeds. Ameri-' can Chief and Tarport Toby are highly rated Form at the national meeting suggests that for-.

ward showings can also be expected from among Calton Hill, Worthy Lord, Bronze Trail. Lordable, Rebecca's Pride and Sly Brewer.