Chance for Sir Avon to emulate Uncle Remus and L.B.J

Press, 10 November 1980, Page 26

Chance for Sir Avon to emulate Uncle Remus and L.B.J

By

J. J. BOYLE

A Riccarton double achieved by Uncle Remus three years ago and by Little Brown Jug last year is well 'within reach of Sir Avon, attractive winner of the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas on Saturday.

Th e Cambridge-trained chestnut has the 125th Canterbury Gold Cup as his mission on the second day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting on Wednesday, and it will be surprising if he does not lengthen the good recent record of three-year-olds in the 2000 m weight-for-age test.

Sir Avon won the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas by two lengths over a rain-affected track, going to the post strongly after charging through a gap between Amyl and King Kaka up the straight. The Canterbury Cup presents a different challenge but there will be boundless confidence in Sir Avon's ability to surmount

it in a field lacking a weight-for-age star.

Sir Avon’s sire, Avon Valley, won nine races, but was an out and out sprinter. But there are sturdy influences on his dam’s side. He was the first foal of Ballometes, whose sire. Philoctetes, won up to two miles and a quarter. The next dam, Ballormia, was by the great Balloch and was a sister of Compensate, winner of 201 races up to a mile and a* quarter and unlucky not to win an Auckland Cup. This is the family also of Quezette, the best two-year-old filly of her year in Australia.

Sir Avon was bred by Mr Roy Denby, who stands Avon Valley at his Denby Lodge Stud at Cambridge.

I Arrangements were almost completed to send the colt to Australia as an early two-year-old when he came under the eye of the successful Cambridge trainer, Jack Winder. . Winder liked him. and invited Mr Jim Nuttall, a Tokoroa butcher into a racing partnership that is now proving so rewarding. Sir Avon had skilful assistance from Bruce Comoton on his way to his guineas victory. Compton eased Sir Avon to trail the favourite, Amyl, inside the first 600 m, then steered him into a widening gap when King Kaka, which had pulled his way up to the front line, rolled out near the home turn.

“My fellow gawked at the

gap for a few strides while Bill Skelton was using the stick on Amyl, but once he took it he gave me a very comfortable ride,” Compton said.

Amvl saved second by a half length from King Kaka. King Kaka is in the Canterbury Gold Cup field on Wednesday but Amyl will be rested, leaving Prince Weyand. the guineas sixth, to run for the Garth Ivil stable.

King Kaka started from the outside barrier on Saturday and his trainer-jockey, Jim Pankhurst, was unable ■ to get him into a relaxed style of going. I The Wingatui speedster has drawn No. 2 in the Canterbury Gold Cup, and there might be a slot for him early behind his stablemate, Candyboy, which will start from No. 1. Two of Sir Avon’s travelling companions on a flight from Hamilton to Christchurch last Wednesday were Glamour Bay and Karaman, which also won on Saturday. They, like Sir Avon, were Compton mounts. The talented Waikato horseman had to employ all his vigour to win

the Strowan Handicap on Karaman, but The Pegasus was easy for Glamour Bay, whose fine record as a two-year-old last season was held in no high regard in her rating on 49.5 kg for the 1000 m race.

Glamour Bay, whose wins last season included the Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham, won- running away by two lengths from the English-bred Schweppeshire Lad, which beat his stablemate even more easily. Glamour Bay should be one of the great treasures of the Balcarres Stud at Matamata when she is retired. In the meantime she should bring more rewarding days to Mrs Helen Lindsay,-who races her on lease in partnership with Mesdames K. Joe and J. McAnalley. Glamour Bay’s first meeting with Wingatui’s Powley in the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas next Saturday should be one of the club’s big cup-day attractions.

Glamour Bay is by the brilliant Australian-bred Zephyr Bay out of Glamour Test and is closely related to Nordic Star and many other winners.