Kingston Town’s ranking has still to be confirmed

Press, 17 April 1980, Page 24

Kingston Town’s ranking has still to be confirmed

Special correspondent Sydney Say and write what they will, there is no way of relating the ability of Sydney Gup winner, Kingston Town, to Tulloch, the former champion from Tommy Smith’s stables.

Certainly Kingston Town raced away from one of the best stayers of 2 recent years, Double Century, and may have won the race in any circumstances. Some doubted whether he could run 3200 m and to a point that question has been answered. However, was the race truly a 3200 m race? — even a sprinter can gallop for that distance if he is allowed to do so at his own pace, and to say that the race was truly run when the time was 9.2 s slower that the record even though run on a lightningfast track surely stretches credulity. Bart Cummings, trainer of the .Melbourne Cup winner, Gold and Black, was right in his comment when he asked what the riders were doing when they settled for such a slow early pace. Some idea of the pace for the first 1000 m of the 3200 m will be seen in the film verssion of the race. There in the middle of the field may be seen the eight-year-old Grey Affair which normally! drops out in all his races, but this time is. in all the trouble in the world as his rider strives to keep him off the heels of others. Ron Quinton was injured and could not ride Double Century* The replacement jockey was Peter Cuddihy, and the fact that this rider did not have a mount is, in a way, a measure of his standing wjtlv trainers. What a difference it may have been had Brent Thomson been the rider of Double Century. At Rosehill in the Tancred Stakes he had ridden the horse with a magnificent display of pace, judgment, and the saving of something for the finish.

Kingston Town sprinted away from Double Century in the finish of that 2400 m just as he sprinted.away from him in the Sydney Cup, but at least that day he had had to run a true 2400 m and this time had run, maybe, a true 2000 m.

When Double Century ran to the front shortly after the start he was restrained, probably according to plan, but

Thomson for certain would soon have realised what was to happen and would have ridden as he did at Rosehill, to suit Double Century. • Perhaps the result would have the same — almost for certain in the view of many • — and then, but only then, could a comparison be made with Tulloch. This Correspondent has seen them all from Gleaming, Phar Lap, Tulloch and all those between them — Phar Lap may never be dethroned even though Tulloch challenged. Kingston Town is an amazing galloper whose acceleration is reminiscent of that trio, a gelding with three or probably more seasons in which to race if the very “guts” is not run out of him. However, he has yet to really prove he is the equal of Tulloch, even though there is almost complete agreement that he well may go on race after race without defeat and that may alter judgment.