Strong northern assault on $30,000 Riccarton feature

Press, 20 April 1981, Page 15

Strong northern assault on $30,000 Riccarton feature

By

J. J. BOYLE

Horses from the Central Districts have plundered most of Riccarton’s richest prizes this season and they will mount a strong challenge for the Canterbury Jockey Club’s $30,000 3ZB Easter Classic today.

Thumbs Orf and London Trader set the theme in winning the Grand National Steeplechase and the Winter Cup respectively at Riccarton last August. In November Koiro Trelay won the New Zealand Cup and Tono Bungay triumphed in the Benson and Hedges. Central Districts hopefuls; for the first leg of today’s; T.A.B. double are Orchidra, from Woodville, Four Crowns, from Foxton, and Zazanne, from Levin. Garth Ivil was without a rider for the promising- Zazanne yesterday. He has Jim Cassidy engaged for Wolf Man, his

hopeful for the Great Easter, and Wolf King, a promising three-year-old in the South Island Championship Stakes, but that North Island jockey will be on Four Crowns in the most valuable race at the meeting. Zazanne was a winner, and both Four Crowns and Orchidra recorded meritorious placings at the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club's autumn meeting. In winning over 2000 m on the second day Zazanne returned faster time (2min 4.25) than Serendiper did in beating Orchidra among others in the weight-for-age Ormond Memorial earlier that afternoon. ■

Hopes of a successful South Island defence against the North Island assault on today’s race will rest mainly with the Southland-owned ! and trained The Fantasy and Capa/o. The Fantasy was brought to Riccarton on Saturday and looked ready for anything when she did pace work in the hands of Joe Dennis yesterday. The Fantasy’s younger sister, The Twinkle, ran fourth I in the Auckland Easter ! Handicap and her half-sister The Dimple second in the Great Northern Oaks at Ellerslie on Saturday. It will not be one of the surpsies of today’s “fun

I day” racing at Riccarton if j The Fantasy improves on a I spectaculasseason record for the Dennis brothers. I Hopes for a North Island I victory in the Great Easter Handicap soared when the Woodville-trained Ultimatum sprinted attractively in training at Riccarton on Saturday. He gave Scotch Mist weight, and finished the gallop upsides with last year’s Great Easter winner. Riccarton’s Karen Thornley was quick to take up the offer of the ride on Ultimatum after it was decided not to run Hi Roona in the second leg of the T.A.B. double.