Waitangirua’s Doomben Cup

Press, 16 July 1979, Page 20

Waitangirua’s Doomben Cup

NZPA Brisbane The former New Zealand horse, Waitangirua (Retained 11-Phase), gave the Sydney jockey, Peter Cook, another major race success by winning the $BO,OOO Doomben Cup on Saturday. The four-year-old entire beat the pacemaker, Bunkers, by a short head with the New Zealand-bred Leonotis (Sharivari-Bo Kay) a

length and a quarter away third. The fourttd-one favourite, He’ll Do, was an unlucky fourth. Failures in the race included New Zealand horses, Big Skipper (eighth) and Mr Ay Bee (twelfth). Cook recently won the rich Stradbroke Handicap on Imposing and at Easter took out the $lOO,OOO Epsom Handicap at Randwick on Belmura Lad.

Waitangirua was bought in New Zealand by the Melbourne trainer, Terry Millard, reportedly for $28,000, when a late two-year-old. He became only the eighth New Zealand-bred to win the Doomben Cup since it was first run in 1933.

Cook had Waitangirua, the 13 to two second favourite, well placed throughout th,e race and perfectly judged his bid in the straight. Bunkers pulled strongly throughout and his jockey, Mick Mallyon, who had to waste to ride him I.skg overweight,’ collapsed after passing the post and was assisted back to the enclosure by ambulancemen.

He’ll Do. which eased in the betting, stumbled after the start, losing ground, and was forced to go very wide on the turn before finishing on strongly, for his fourth. Big Skipper failed to run on after being fifth off the turn, while Mr Ay Bee was always well back and never looked like reproducing the form he had shown in earlier starts in Queensland.