March To Glory is V.R.C. Derby fancy

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 20

March To Glory is V.R.C. Derby fancy

From ALLAN BROWN, in Melbourne.

March To Glory, the most! | spectacular purchase made‘ at the Trentham Yearling! Sales last year is a fine| chance in the Victoria Derby' at Flemington this afternoon' to further the impact made: by New Zealand thoroughbred breeders on Australian racing this spring. The three-year-old classic, to be run for $lOO,OOO, is generally believed to be between March To Glory, trained by T. J. Smith |and Karaman and Dulcify,, 'prepared by B. J. Ralph, of. I Caulfield, and C. S. Hayes,' |of Flemington, respectively. , 1 Karaman was a warm! 'favourite yesterday at odds |of 2-1, the other pair being! iat 5-1 (March To Glory) and, ; All three horses came' 'from New Zealand, Karaman' | being by Karayar and Dul-! icify by Decies. i March To Glory was! {bought by Smith on the sec-i jond day' of the Trentham' Sales with a gesture of real| flamboyance. i

I The most regular of Aus-: 'tralian buyers to attend!’ 'Trentham, Smith was greatly;. ! impressed by the colt when j inspecting him before the! ;|auction and determined to:’ ■ j secure him whatever the; I cost. And fie did so with one : I remarkable “knockout” bid. ■ I The horse was about to ' ■ step into the sale ring when i Smith in response to the auctioneers call for an opening bid, offered $60,000. The i amount was sufficient to] quell any others who might! > have had an eye on the; youngster —. Smith took; , ,him with his single bid. He passed the horse on to: ,ia three-way partnership of! .two Brisbane owners. Messrs! HP. R. Gallagher and B. Swbe-j '' ney, and another business-' Jinan, from Sydney, Mr J. MJ I i Brown. ! March To Glory has yet! : I to prove anything like a bar-1 1 II gain but he has shown many! { signs of developing into a I I pretty good stayer. On! .'breeding he should be be-1' • ; cause he is by Oncidium ' : j from Millbrae, by Le Filou|Set Fair and thus a relative i of the .Auckland Cup winner 1

[Senor and a V.R.C. St Leger .winner, Trader. A winner in Brisbane last! i season, March To Glory has [had five races this time up. The one that most encouraged hopes for his success in the big one today was the Spring Championship Stakes. 2000 m, at Randwick in late September when everyone seems to have agreed he was most unlucky. A slipping saddle had I March To Glory’s rider, P. [Losh, in all sorts of trouble. [On the home turn the horse I was with the tail-enders but Ihe somehow finished second I beaten by a neck. j March To Glory was only lone of several disappointing | failures in the Caulfield Cup, I his last start, when from ail I accounts not completely re--1 covered from an eye injury [he suffered in the Sydney i race. j With a recent background; |of wins and worthwhile. I minor placings, Karaman is I .entitled to be the derby ! favourite. But many, March To Glory’s trainer included, doubt whether he will last the 2400 metres derby distance. I Something in Karaman’s | favour is the fact that R. I Higgins has taken the [mount. He has won four | V.R.C. Derbys on Khahf 1(1961), Bayana (1972), Taj Rossi (1973) and Stormy Rex last year. Then again Smith all around Australia, has trained the winners of no fewer than 23 derbys. Karaman has been only once asked to go further than 1600 metres and that was at Moonee Valley last Saturday when he finished third behind So Called and Family Of Man in the 2050 metres, W. S. Cox Plate. He finished second the previous time in the 1600 metres Caulfield Guineas, first three starts back in a 1600 metres at Moonee Valley and in his first attempt for the season, second in a 1200 m at Flemington. Dulcify has already man-; aged 2500 metres with cred-1 it, for second place in the! South Australian Derby. He ran on strongly for third at Moonee Valley last Saturday over 1600, in a way that suggested he might run out ■today’s distance very well indeed. The other Derby horses with New Zealand breeding are Turf Ruler (by Ruking), Dancairo (by Oncidium) Madison (by Battle Waggon), Hong Kong Island (by All A’light), and Society Beau, which was got from the New Zealand-bred Claraboa.