Racing and trotting N.Z. horse 'on the run' or still in the money?

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 21

Racing and trotting N.Z. horse 'on the run' or still in the money?

By

J. J. BOYLE

Ross du Bourg, a racing columnist for “The Australtan ” acts as if he is the Rip Van Winkle of Australian racing journalism. He wrote this week that Australian breeders had their New Zealand counterparts “on the run” in every class of Australian racing this season. What timing! If Mr du Bourg went racing at Easter it could not have been at Australia’s major racing carnival, the A.J.C. Sydney Cup meeting. Or if he did he could not have read the small print of the pedigrees. How else can one make sense out of nis claim? Good Lord and the three-year-old, Lefroy, won the •wo feature distance races at i the Sydney Cup carnival.' But, as our long-experienced Australian racing correspondent. Mr John Schofield, records: “they did not supply, all the pay dirt washed in on the tidal wave of success for I New Zealand-breds.” Mv Good Man (by Zama- ! zaan) had outclassed the others in the Sydney Cup.: and leading the chase after him was Valadero, a son of Agricola, a stallion which was imported for New Zealand, and later resold to Australia. The Australian Champion Stakes is regarded by our Australian correspondent as “the really big race” for three-year-old supremacv. And here all three places were filled by sons of New Zealand-based sires: Lefrov (bv Decies), So Called (bv Sobig), and Belmura Lad (by Melmura). So Called, after that brave run for second, won the Hallmark Stakes with ease in the hands of Brent Thomson on the final day of the carnival. ’ That gave some weight to the .theory that if Thomson had

known his Randwick a little better on Australasian Champion Stakes day he would not have ridden So Called so vigorously up the rise out of the dip on the turn into the straight. For a few strides So Called had faltered before settling down to his magnificent finishing run. The Sire’s Produce Stakes at Randwick was won by Karaman (son of Karayar), and another prestige two-year-old event, the Fernhill Handicap, went to Saranover (by Saraceno). The New Zealand influence also extended to the Country Cup, a special race staged at Sydney Cup meetings for horses which regularly run at country meetings. This year’s winner, Nui Jean, was sired by Burgos (by Sabaean), a big winner from the Riccarton stable of the late Gordon Barr. Little was left then for champions of the Australian

thoroughbred: nothing to spark off a flood of applications for membership in the Australian Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association. Remembering that the New Zealand-bred Gold and Black won the Melbourne Cup, and that Silver Lad won the Mackinnon Stakes, the glamour weight-for-age race at the V.R.C. Cup carnival, one is lef* to wonder if the situation is very much different than in 1975 when du Bourg was moved to i write: “It must be said when it comes to breeding top-class animals at the Melbourne Cup distance of 3200 metres, Australians are unpolished amateurs compared with their New Zealand rivals. “It should be kept closely in mind, by all construc-tively-minded people, when considering the fact that 26 of the first 29 horses home (collectively) in the last two

3 Melbourne Cups have been - New Zealand-bred, that Ausi tralia has over double the 1 Dominion’s broodmare population.” e Yet in putting forward 1 i figures of races won this e season du Bourg appears to I'advance the proposition that , | New Zealand-breds running s: around Australian courses - i match the home-breds nur merically. He also overlooks the fact * 1 that only two Australian I carnivals attract New Zea-land-owned and trained C horses in any numbers. If he ’ had regard for such an obs vious fact of life he might • feel moved to repeat his cry ‘•of 1975: “There is a crying ’ need in Australia for more ■ dedicated, intelligent, critical I study of international race ■ results and breeding trends lyear by year. This is a vital 51 tool in the professional New ;! Zealand breeder’s approach > to his craft.”