Clarendon Gold trounces rivals

Press, 31 October 1977, Page 22

Clarendon Gold trounces rivals

Clarendon Gold, the best of the South Island stayers in the New Zealand Cup 12 months ago, showed that she will be a force to reckon with again in the rich metric two-miler next Saturday wee'. , when she beat Thomas Mellay and 14 others hands down in the New Zealand Cup Trial at Motukarara on Saturday. Clarendon Gold, in the hands of the successful Ashburton apprentice David Walsh, improved from midfield to reach a challenging position early in the run home, and swamped the others for finishing speed. She won by three lengths from Thomas Mellay, which ran on well from far back to cut Deep Mystery, the pacemaker starting the run home, out of second by three parts of a length. Clarendon Gold’s return to peak form is the result of a well-timed preparation by her Wingatui trainer, Cliff

Reese-Jones. When Mr and Mrs F. C. Andrews’s Causeur mare finished fifth with a slipped saddle in last year’s Cup Jpnps decided on a long-range plan tb have her ready for another tilt at Cup honours as a five-year-old.

“You know if we had won last year’s Cup we would have been in Melbourne this spring,” he said after Saturday's race. “But you have to get the money first to embark on a venture like that so I decided 10 months ago to concentrate on the ‘big’ ones at home again this year.” The astute and successful Wingatui trainer has obviously timed Clarendon Gold’s preparation to the minute. And in her present form she could well go into the Cup with another win on her record. Her campaign at the New Zealand Cup meeting will begin next Saturday in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup.