Trainer’s 1st St Leger runner was easy winner

Press, 20 March 1978, Page 18

Trainer’s 1st St Leger runner was easy winner

By

J. J. Boyle

Disraeli, winner of the New Zealand St Leger Stakes at Trentham on Sat-

urday is yet another of many big winners bought at close to a bargain-basement price from a Waikato sale ring.

The Masterton trainer, “Tup” Jennings, had never put a runner into the St Leger before Saturday and he was congratulated in all sides after the youngster he purchased for $2OOO in 1976 clearly outstayed the others in the last of the national classics for the season on Saturday. Disraeli is the first venture in racing ownership for Messrs Paul Duggan, of lington, and Peter McKee, of Levin.

For that outlay of $2OOO Disraeli is already a great bargain and he should be an exciting young addition to the ranks of the top stayers next season.

“We have no definite plans for him next season. The only thing certain is that he will be going out in the paddock without .mother race this season,” Jennings said after Saturday’s classic. Jennings said he was looking for a colt by a staying sire but with an influence for brilliance on the dam’s side when he bought Disraeli as a yearling. “That’s what I was looking for when I bought Bamboozle and when I saw Pakistan as the sire of the dam of this fellow I was keen to buy him because I thought Entrepreneur would be a source of stamina,” Jennings said on Saturday. Many would have been surprised to find Disraeli

had won the St Leger in 2min 59.255. There was a complete absence of early pace and one of the observers in the press gallery was moved to remark that he could see no difference between what was passing slowly before his eyes and a contest for the Trentham Hurdles, except that there would have been hurdles on the track to arrest somewhat any headlong pace in one of the attractions of the winter calendar. As expected Disraeli was odds-on.

The Sydney-owned Boom Vang was his best-backed rival but he pulled himself into the ground and faded to finish last but one. Northfleet, the sixth favourite, was clearly the second best in the race and Plain Sam just snatched third from the fourth favourite. Poisson Volant.

Easy for Tang The Hawke’s Bay-bred owned, and trained Tang showed ability above the average in winning the $15,000 Wakefield Challenge Stakes for Messrs Ted and Doug Callaghan and Richard Miller on Saturday. An attractive, rangy filly of 16 hands bought out of the Trentham sale ring for $14,000, Tang is now .winner of four races from five start.-, from the stable of Keith Couper and his son-in-law, M. H. Donoghue.

“I don’t think her talent has been really tapped yet and she is going to be a magnificent filly as a three-year-old next season, Couper said on Saturday. Next start for Tang, and probably her final start for

the season; wil] be in the Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes next month. Tang is a half-sister by Taipan I to the promising! stayer Schenley, which races in the same ownership and from the same stable. Schenley is spelling, but it is no enforced spell, as has been reported in some publications. “He’ll, keep, and so will this lass,” Keith Couper said on Saturday. Tang’s rider, Des Harris, said he had one or two

I worrying moments when Gold Dust moved out towards Tang. It meant he had to go four wide around the home turn, but when straightened Tang had settled to such a strong gallop that he was confident of winning. Harris said his confidence grew when he saw Regal Edition, which he regarded as one of the big dangers, was only battling to hold her position on the home turn.