Ritual decisive Wanganui victor

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 18

Ritual decisive Wanganui victor

Special correspondent Wellington Ritual took command of the Wanganui Championship Stakes on Saturday as he hit the front entering the home straight and pounded out a decisive one length victory over classic winner, Teddy Doon. “He is a nice colt, isn’t he?” was the comment of his Te Awamutu trainer Bill Sanders after the victory. “1 was confident he would run out the distance and I think he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Guineas.” Sanders was referring to the Avondale Guineas on December 16, the next race for Ritual and also for his stablemate, Golden Key, winner of the Alison Stakes at Ellerslie last Wednesday. Ritual won three races last season, the Ellerslie Stakes, Welcome Stakes (Ellerslie) and Beetham Handicap at Waikato, and also ran Avenger to a neck in the Avondale Staker.

! Dam of Ritual is Cetacea, by Crest Of The Wave, which has a Diplomatic Agent chestnut filly in the catalogue for the National Sale at Trentham on January 23. This female line goes back through Gold Key and Dutch Mill to the Balloch mare, Eileen Douglas, a half-sister to Sobig’s dam, Zenith, and the stakes winner, The Summit.

Graeme Rogerson was not disappointed with Teddy i Doon’s second placing. The New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas winner had made the running to the 1200 m mark, where Get The Rent went on to lead.

Rogerson said that Teddy Doon will not be in the country for the New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie late in the month. He will leave on Saturday for Perth, where he will contest the $200,000 Australian Derby. While Bill Sanders holds a hand of trumps among the t h r e e-y e a r-olds, Don Couchman, of Hawera, can bid high for the Cup races | with his mare Regal Band land, following Saturday’s!, racing at Wanganui, also! | with Cubacade. Cubacade, knocking on the: door for a big win. finally broke through to take the i Wanganui Cup. He also I made certain that he will ; line up with Regal Band in! the Avondale Cup in two! weeks time and will also be heading for the Auckland j and Wellington Cups ini January, all going well. It was not the first such! trophy Cubacade has won I for owners Ray and Betty j Gallagher, of Hawera, for he! took an Opunake Cup and a Pahiatua Cup for them. The Gallaghers leased Saturday’s winner from his breeder! Michael Dwyer, of Taranaki,' | for three years, during (which time Cubacade won three high-weights. ‘‘We could see the! potential in him,” said Ray Gallagher, “so we bought, .him outright for $2500.” Ridden by Jim Walker, Cubacade won well in a new: track record time for the! 2400 m of 2min 32.8 s beating Ribomoon’s 2min 33.10 s set' , in February, 1975.